Tex-Mex and Latin Cuisine Restaurants in Dallas
Mexican food comes in so many delicious varieties it can be hard to choose which type of regional cuisine to crave around Dallas. While every option terrifically tickles the taste buds, it wouldn’t be a trip to Dallas without at least one Tex-Mex meal. Some people around here argue that Tex-Mex beats barbecue when it comes to iconic Texas fare, but you can decide for yourself after visiting one (or 10) of our city’s favorite restaurants.
Javier's Gourmet Mexicano
Who doesn’t love a good history lesson? We sure do! Located on Cole Avenue in Uptown, Javier’s will take your taste buds to Mexico City. This restaurant opted to stay true to the flavors of Mexican heritage, offering authentic dishes like Filete Cantinflas and the Mayan Style Pork. Come for the food, stay for the culture.
Meso Maya Comida y Copas
Meso Maya Comida y Copas has been the home for exquisite food from Veracruz, Mexico since its debut in Dallas. This restaurant brings dishes from Central and Southern Mexico to your front door with a menu full of flavorful dishes like Mole Poblano enchiladas and thirst quenching cocktails like the avocado margarita. Visit the flagship location on McKinney Ave., or one of their other six locations when you’re in town.
El Come Taco
Let’s eat tacos! El Come Taco is one hole-in-the-wall taqueria you shouldn’t pass up. You can find this gem off a Fitzhugh Avenue, close to the Knox-Henderson area. You’ll get a taste of savory meats, onion and cilantro stacked on a homemade corn tortilla - a Mexican street taco sanctuary is what it should be called if you ask us.
Desperados Mexican Restaurant
Looking for that at-home feeling? Look no further than Desperados Mexican Restaurant. This historic Greenville Avenue eatery, covered in celebrity memorabilia, invites you in with open arms. Here you’ll find a large menu offering a little bit of everything from Mexico. With specialties like the delicious Guacamole, tangy Steak Argentina, world famous Desperados Tacos and Terlingua Champion Chili, it’s no wonder they’ve been in business since 1976.
Gloria's Latin Cuisine
This Texas-only chain is for the Tex-Mex lovers that want try something new. Gloria’s Latin Cuisine offers all your favorite Tex-Mex combinations with a Salvadorian twist. The menu is a cross between south of the border classics like Chimichangas and innovative Salvadorian dishes like Carne Adobada. Leave room for dessert and try the Honey Banana and Tres Leches!
Campuzano Mexican Food
If you have a torrid love affair with Mexican food, Campuzano’s is the spot for you. Head to the Oak Lawn neighborhood to find this local favorite. The Chile Relleno is a must-try followed by the signature Diablo Shrimp – talk about a party of flavors! The generous portions here will leave you with plenty to take home and snack on later.
Tipico's Mexican Food
Tipico's is the typical spot for homestyle Mexican food. Not Tex-Mex, not gourmet, just good ol' homestyle food. The no frills joint makes you feel as if you were at your abuelita’s house. From the adventurous items like Tripa and Lengua, to the classic like quesadillas and burritos, Tipico’s needs to be on your list. Oh, we almost forgot about their Menudo Sundays – yum!
El Bolero Cocina Mexicana
Located in the Design District, El Bolero plays no games when it comes to authentic, regional Mexican food. Just one taste and you’ll be sweating over blistering salsas and relishing the braised achiote pork in the Cochinita Pibil. What you'll find here is food both rustic, hearty and electric in flavor, with its many creative dishes on the menu.
La Calle Doce
If you’re looking for something from the sea, look no further than La Calle Doce. This family-owned and operated restaurant in East Dallas, specializes in Mexican seafood. Signature dishes such as Pescado a la Parilla, Ceviche and Camarón a la Veracruzana will have you wishing you discovered it sooner. All aboard!
Meridian
You will not find waiters slinging skewers full of limitless cuts of meat at this Brazilian restaurant. Instead, executive chef Junior Borges' contemporary restaurant serves dishes traditional to his native Brazil. Menu highlights include moqueca (a traditional cobnut-based soup with grilled prawns, plantains and jasmine rice), picanha steak, and squid ink bucatini pasta. Chocolate-lovers be sure to save room for the Brigadeiro Cake made with hazelnut praline, caramelized milk and chocolate mousse.
The restaurant also happens to be one of the hottest spots in Dallas. Sipping Caipirinhas, the national drink of Brazil, on the patio under the canopy of the majestic Live Oak tree is one of the best ways to spend an evening in Dallas
Chimichurri
Flights to Buenos Aires from Dallas are long and expensive, but luckily you don't have to hop on a plane to South America to get your Argentinian food fix. Chimichurri - named after the bright green parsley, garlic and olive oil sauce that accompanies most Argentine dishes - is an eccentric cafe that serves all the South American classics such as empanadas, chorizo, milanesas, and salchicha parrillera. If you are really hungry, order a steak traditionally cooked a la parrilla (on the grill) along with a glass of Malbec from Mendoza.
The restaurant has two bars. The terrace bar called Vermoutheria specializes in vermouth cocktails, bitters and spritzes while The Tango Bar specializes in classic cocktails in a speakeasy-like setting.
Zaguan Latin Café & Bakery
From Argentinian empanadas to Venezuelan arepas to Cuban ropa vieja to Mexican churros, this brightly tiled cafe offers specialties from every corner of Latin America. Breakfast lovers will be happy to note that the restaurant serves breakfast and brunch all day.
With so many delicious choices, it is almost impossible to decide where to start. If you have this predicament, we say start with the Cachapa. D Magazine named the grilled sweet corn turnover filled with beef, chicken or cheese the Best Latin Lunch in Dallas.
El Fenix
In 1918, the Martinez family launched a Tex-Mex legend, serving generations of North Texans at its multiple Dallas-area restaurants. Famous for its delicious and affordable Enchilada Wednesday special, El Fenix offers a vast menu of classic dishes with something to please every appetite.
Escondido
Head to the intersection of Preston Road and Royal Lane for a signature Tex-Mex Pizza, Queso Perfecto topped with brisket and guacamole, or a sizzling platter of Ancho Butter Fajitas. Top it all off with a Jalapeño Cucumber Margarita and you’ll cover all the major Tex-Mex categories in one sitting.
Fernando’s Mexican Cuisine
It’s not unusual to see a former President of the United States dining at this Preston Hollow gem, so you know the restaurant has high standards. With 11 different Tex-Mex platters, each offering its own unique assortment of comfort-food delicacies, Fernando’s wows from that first bite of chips and salsa to your last sip of Mexican Martini.
Mariano’s
Dallas has contributed a lot to the world, but Mariano Martinez's invention of the margarita machine easily ranks among the highest on the list. Sip on an Original Frozen while browsing the menu packed with Tex-Mex staples, including Beef Enchiladas made with chili that won a Blue Ribbon at the State Fair of Texas.
Gabriella and Sofia’s Tex-Mex
Tableside guacamole has become a ritual for diners who like a little performance art with their avocado smashing. Brisket tacos also rank high on the list of must-try entrées or indulge in all-day breakfast dishes to create a brunch vibe any day of the week.
Taco Joint
Order at the counter, then loosen your belt because you’ll want to try a sampling from more than a dozen taco options at one of the numerous locations throughout Dallas. Fuel your day with breakfast tacos in the morning, or cap off the night with a Spicy Fried Chicken Taco for a combo that’s perfectly southern and Tex-Mex all in one.
