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A machete, a football shaped Mexican street food like a quesadilla, sits on a brown plate with a bowl of dipping sauce. A man’s hand cuts it with a circular blade.
Cutting into the machete at El Carlos Elegante.
Kathy Tran

10 Essential Mexican Restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth

With a taste of all sorts of regional Mexican cuisine

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Cutting into the machete at El Carlos Elegante.
| Kathy Tran

While we love our Tex-Mex in Dallas-Fort Worth, we also appreciate the fine chefs who work hard to create Mexican dishes in the Metroplex. Whether it’s Mexico City style fare or classic Jalisco favorites, there are loads of great restaurants serving up amazing Mexican food.

Step into a world of traditional spices, maize tortillas, and flavorful dishes that capture the spirit and heritage of Mexico.

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 Chef Anastacia Quinoñes, brings her version of Jalisco culture to this West Dallas restaurant. The seafood-heavy menu features seasonal crudo, ceviche, and a Mexican shrimp cocktail as appetizers. Her tacos de tacha made the cut for Netflix’s Taco Chronicles and anything on the menu that includes the handmade masa is a must-try.

Javier's Gourmet Mexicano

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Javier’s has been serving Mexico City cuisine to Dallas for 45 years, and setting the bar for Mexican food. With an extensive menu that explores Indigenous, Spanish, and Mexican heritages, it’s worth going off the beaten path to order here. Those in the know already know to start with the cheese panela. Try the Mayan Style Pork, which pairs pork tenderloin and spicy chile guajillo sauce, or Cordoniz A La Talla, a quail with spicy chile ancho and garlic sauces.

Tulum’s decor is all about the upscale tourist on the Yucatán Peninsula, but the food takes that region and runs with it. It aims for luxurious and lavish, from the cocktail menu to the standout carne asada with 72-hour sous vide preparation and topped with mole chichilo.

Jalisco Norte

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José Meza serves up modern Mexican food in Oak Lawn that blends Veracruz and Oaxaca styles, meaning there are some exceptional seafood and mole dishes to try out. Go for the Pescado a la Veracruzana, which pairs roast barramundi fillet with veracruzana sauce, tomato, olives, capers, and aromatic herbs. The chicken mole enchiladas elevate a cuisine favorite with Oaxacan mole, plantain, red onion, and sesame seeds.

El Carlos Elegante

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As with all things Duro Hospitality does, there’s an “ish” at the end of how the team describes the food at El Carlos. “Latin-ish” embraces more than just Mexican cooking, reaching into Indigenous and South American culture for inspiration. But the Mexico City street food, from the machete to the small bite tacos, sits next to high-end dining inspiration from the city nicely on this menu.

Revolver Taco Lounge Gastro Cantina

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Chef Gino Rojas and the Revolver Taco team expanded into a gastro cantina in Deep Ellum. It offers a mix of their taco menu and the fancier dishes on the tasting menu at the Purepecha Room. Order sopitos tradicionales in corn mesa, stuffed with ground wagyu beef, ground pork, potato, and spices, then topped with lettuce, queso fresco, and salsa. The Enchiladas de Codorniz is also great and stuffed with quail guisado.

Beto & Son

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Chefs Beto and Julian Rodarte, the father from Durango, Mexico and the son who grew up cooking with his father, wanted to make a Mexican restaurant like no other in Dallas. And it shows in the dishes at this Trinity Groves restaurant, where you can order a traditional dish like pozole rojo alongside stacked enchiladas with a presentation like no other — and the 12-hour barbacoa is the way to go with that plate.

Don Artemio Restaurant

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Don Artemio opened its first American outpost in Forth Worth and promptly became one of the few James Beard nominees in the Metroplex. Eat Northeast Mexican food with a modern flare, such as kid goat, nopales, and red hawthorn. It has an exclusive wine cellar from Coahuila. The Nopalitos Fritos para Tacos (fried cactus tacos) are a must-try. The steak and seafood mains are all modern interpretations of Mexican cooking worth exploring.

Coco’s Fire & Ice

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Coco’s is known for its mole. The Jalisco- and Guanajuato-style menu features Pollo Oaxaca, chicken smothered in a creamy white sauce, and the star dish is its mole casero. In a nice touch, many plates and cocktails are served in terra cotta dishes and glassware.

Veracruz Cafe

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This spot specializes in the dishes of Veracruz, Mexico. Notable dishes include the blue corn enchiladas with all the expected fillings (including a vegetarian option) and a Xalapa-style chile relleno made with shredded chicken or picadillo ground beef, queso fundido, pecans, and raisins. And, of course, the menu has a load of seafood options, from fish tacos to Sopa de Atlahua, a bouillabaisse with fish, shrimp, scallops, and vegetables.

Jose

 Chef Anastacia Quinoñes, brings her version of Jalisco culture to this West Dallas restaurant. The seafood-heavy menu features seasonal crudo, ceviche, and a Mexican shrimp cocktail as appetizers. Her tacos de tacha made the cut for Netflix’s Taco Chronicles and anything on the menu that includes the handmade masa is a must-try.

Javier's Gourmet Mexicano

Javier’s has been serving Mexico City cuisine to Dallas for 45 years, and setting the bar for Mexican food. With an extensive menu that explores Indigenous, Spanish, and Mexican heritages, it’s worth going off the beaten path to order here. Those in the know already know to start with the cheese panela. Try the Mayan Style Pork, which pairs pork tenderloin and spicy chile guajillo sauce, or Cordoniz A La Talla, a quail with spicy chile ancho and garlic sauces.

Tulum

Tulum’s decor is all about the upscale tourist on the Yucatán Peninsula, but the food takes that region and runs with it. It aims for luxurious and lavish, from the cocktail menu to the standout carne asada with 72-hour sous vide preparation and topped with mole chichilo.

Jalisco Norte

José Meza serves up modern Mexican food in Oak Lawn that blends Veracruz and Oaxaca styles, meaning there are some exceptional seafood and mole dishes to try out. Go for the Pescado a la Veracruzana, which pairs roast barramundi fillet with veracruzana sauce, tomato, olives, capers, and aromatic herbs. The chicken mole enchiladas elevate a cuisine favorite with Oaxacan mole, plantain, red onion, and sesame seeds.

El Carlos Elegante

As with all things Duro Hospitality does, there’s an “ish” at the end of how the team describes the food at El Carlos. “Latin-ish” embraces more than just Mexican cooking, reaching into Indigenous and South American culture for inspiration. But the Mexico City street food, from the machete to the small bite tacos, sits next to high-end dining inspiration from the city nicely on this menu.

Revolver Taco Lounge Gastro Cantina

Chef Gino Rojas and the Revolver Taco team expanded into a gastro cantina in Deep Ellum. It offers a mix of their taco menu and the fancier dishes on the tasting menu at the Purepecha Room. Order sopitos tradicionales in corn mesa, stuffed with ground wagyu beef, ground pork, potato, and spices, then topped with lettuce, queso fresco, and salsa. The Enchiladas de Codorniz is also great and stuffed with quail guisado.

Beto & Son

Chefs Beto and Julian Rodarte, the father from Durango, Mexico and the son who grew up cooking with his father, wanted to make a Mexican restaurant like no other in Dallas. And it shows in the dishes at this Trinity Groves restaurant, where you can order a traditional dish like pozole rojo alongside stacked enchiladas with a presentation like no other — and the 12-hour barbacoa is the way to go with that plate.

Don Artemio Restaurant

Don Artemio opened its first American outpost in Forth Worth and promptly became one of the few James Beard nominees in the Metroplex. Eat Northeast Mexican food with a modern flare, such as kid goat, nopales, and red hawthorn. It has an exclusive wine cellar from Coahuila. The Nopalitos Fritos para Tacos (fried cactus tacos) are a must-try. The steak and seafood mains are all modern interpretations of Mexican cooking worth exploring.

Coco’s Fire & Ice

Coco’s is known for its mole. The Jalisco- and Guanajuato-style menu features Pollo Oaxaca, chicken smothered in a creamy white sauce, and the star dish is its mole casero. In a nice touch, many plates and cocktails are served in terra cotta dishes and glassware.

Veracruz Cafe

This spot specializes in the dishes of Veracruz, Mexico. Notable dishes include the blue corn enchiladas with all the expected fillings (including a vegetarian option) and a Xalapa-style chile relleno made with shredded chicken or picadillo ground beef, queso fundido, pecans, and raisins. And, of course, the menu has a load of seafood options, from fish tacos to Sopa de Atlahua, a bouillabaisse with fish, shrimp, scallops, and vegetables.

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