America's Best Cities For Mexican Food

American food culture is nothing if not a melting pot, a common enough metaphor for the amalgamation of cuisines that originated elsewhere and now reign supreme in the United States. According to a 2022 study by FoodFireFriends (via Quality Assurance & Food Safety) analyzing Google search data, Mexican food is the one of the most popular cuisines in the country — second only to Chinese. Across the United States, Mexican flavors are an indelible part of American food culture, but only a few cities have cuisine we would consider worthy of the title of "best in the country." According to diners who have lived across the country, these are the absolute best American cities for Mexican food.

From coast to coast, you can find good Mexican food in many American cities but the 10 we've chosen have made it for two reasons: They all have truly great food and they all can provide you with one of the best meals of your life. From taco trucks to fine dining, each of these cities has amazing Mexican food options at every price range. Regional varieties of cuisine from Baja to New Mexican to Tex-Mex are all on display in their unique ways throughout these 10 American food meccas. 

There is nothing else in the country like New Mexican cuisine and the capital city of Santa Fe has the highest density of amazing food per block. The plaza downtown is the beating heart of the city and when you are finished sightseeing and shopping for the day, there are a dozen great restaurants within walking distance. Casual dining highlights like Tia Sophia's and Tomasitas serve up burritos, enchiladas, tamales, and Frito pies with your choice of red, green, or Christmas (a mixture of the two) chilis.

The key to this region's cuisine is the New Mexican hatch chili, which is the basis for the green and red sauces that each of the hundreds of restaurants in the Santa Fe area has its own distinct take on. Expect some to be spicier than others, but no matter where you go know you will find this chili sauce accompanied by airy fried sopapillas served with honey to cut the heat. 

There is no shortage of great high-end restaurants in Santa Fe, either. Geronimo's is the hottest table in town and Chef Fernando Olea at Sazon is serving up new specials every season, including the most complex and mind-blowing mole in town, all in a gorgeous space worth taking the trip to.

Vast swaths of the Midwest are a desert for quality Mexican eats. In some towns, you are lucky Chipotle is the freshest thing you can get. But Chicago is a diverse and distinct city that is home to a large immigrant community. Culinarily rich neighborhoods like The Little Village have been serving up great Mexican food for centuries. 

Chicago locals love El Sabor Poblano, a laid-back joint with a BYOB policy and some of the best mole in the Midwest. The restaurant has been serving up authentic Mexican to the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago since 2015.

Locals of the Chicagoland area bar scene will be all too familiar with the Tamale Guy and his clutch tamales and green salsa. A favorite of college students, these homemade tamales are some of the freshest you will ever get; this is even more true at midnight at your local watering hole, but Claudio Velez knows his market and has been proudly serving the community for over 20 years, bringing his cooler packed with tamales wherever it's needed. Seriously, he sometimes visits 20 bars a night and sells over 1,000 tamales.

The Bay Area is one of the best places for Mexican food in California, if not the entire world. This region's mecca is San Francisco. Within this bustling city you will find great burritos and tacos around every corner. However, if you consider yourself a fan of Mexican food at all, it would behoove you to find the Mission District to discover the amazing burritos and cheap Mexican eats that the neighborhood has become known for.

A great start would be La Taqueria on Mission Street. This decades-old restaurant is a San Francisco legend, with a massive menu full of California-style Mexican classics. Try the burritos the first time, but don't be afraid to branch out on your inevitable subsequent visit because the tacos are nothing to sneeze at either.

While you're in town, don't miss out on the California-style burrito. These overstuffed masterpieces come piled with avocado and french fries in addition to the usual rice, beans, and meat of choice. For our money, Filipino joint Señor Sisig is one of the top places in town to try one of these beauties. Who can say no to fries?

While Phoenix is the more well-known Arizonan city, Tucson might take the cake for the best Mexican food in the state. The tres leches cake, that is.

Tucson is home to dozens of excellent southwestern joints, from the chimichanga-fueled Tex-mex of El Charro Cafe to the more old-school authentic Mexican of El Minuto Cafe, a Tucson favorite that has been around since 1936. At both establishments, you'll find chimis, tostadas, and the cheese crisp, which might as well be the state dish of Arizona. This regional specialty is served at almost every Mexican restaurant in the state and while it's simple — the three ingredients consist of a tortilla, butter, and cheese — you can't leave Arizona without trying it.

The most notable event for foodies in Tucson is its annual Mexican Food Festival, named the Best 23 miles of Mexican Food in honor of the city's southern region home to so many excellent restaurants. This festival gathers all the best Mexican cuisine from trucks and restaurants in the Tucson area and gives it to you on a walkable platter. From birria to authentic Oaxacan cuisine, the variety on display is impressive and will ensure there is no way you go home disappointed.

There is no denying LA's dominance when it comes to Mexican food. The city is home to authentic taco spots, as well as some of the most cutting-edge fusion cuisine in the country. If you want authenticity and ingenuity, you can head to the heralded, Michelin Star awarded eatery Guelaguetza, which many would consider the best Oaxacan restaurant in the country. Its menu features moles and sopes as well as traditional Oaxacan dishes including Chilaquiles and Tlayudas. If you want tacos or burritos in Los Angeles, however, we consider you turn elsewhere. 

When it comes to getting the best tacos in the city, Los Angeles natives will tell you that no restaurant can hold a candle to the street food. You'll find the best taco trucks in different spots each day. If you can get a hold of the al pastor at El Primo Tacos or the Asada fries from Leo's Taco Truck, you'll find yourself having a pretty good day.

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the flavors. This is especially true in Houston, whose local Tex-mex scene is home to such iconic American creations as the Puffy Queso and the Fajita Burger. These menu items can be found at Los Tios and Ninfas respectively, two of Houston's best Tex-Mex joints.

Serving up fabulous authentic Mexican dishes like fajitas, tacos, and tostadas, Los Tios is known for a Texas favorite —Chile con Queso dip. It's home to a deep-fried flour tortilla shell smothered in this queso known as the Puffy Queso, which you can get stuffed or topped in any way you see fit. At The Original Ninfas, a Houston staple, Chef Alex Padilla serves up his award-winning skirt steak burger topped with poblanos, avocados, and cheese. This is the standout on a menu amid a smattering of Mexican and Texan favorites.

If you're really in a bind for Tex-mex in Houston, you can almost always find a Gringos somewhere nearby. With over a dozen locations between Houston and College Station, this local chain is ole reliable for locals.

The other city for foodies to hit in Texas is Austin. Not only can you get great barbecue but all styles of Mexican food including breakfast tacos – a dish that the city is known for. Austin is the most walkable major city in Texas and its residents are always on the move. Whether you're walking at breakfast time or late night you'll be able to grab something great from a taco truck. If the options are overwhelming you, we recommend you try Carnitas el Guero for an Austin favorite, and order the authentic Michoachan-style carnitas taco.

If you sit down at one Mexican restaurant in Austin (and you don't even have to sit down to get great food in this city) make it Camino Real. This Mexican spot hidden just north of Austin serves up the best salsa you'll find in the city. You can't go wrong with breakfast burritos or tacos here, but if you come for fajitas and enchiladas anytime after 11 a.m. you won't be let down. 

It won't cost you a lot to get some of the best Mexican food you've ever laid your greasy hands on in San Diego. The Southern California city is about as close to Mexico as it gets without crossing the border -– even if the prices and portions at Las Cuatro Milpas taqueria make you believe you're in Mexico. The tacos and tamales honestly might be even better than anything you can find in Tijuana.

And while you're in San Diego, don't miss out on the birria. This stewed meat and consume combination that has become oh-so-popular across the country cannot be done better than in California. The city being so close to the cuisine's origin city of Jalisco, Mexico might have something to do with how outstanding the quesabirria in San Diego can be. For one of the best birria tacos or burritos in the state, we recommend you try Birria El Rey in Golden Hill, just east of downtown San Diego.

You might not expect it, but when it comes to Mexican cuisine the Mile High city is no slouch. Denver has a Hispanic demographic that makes up over a third of its population, and this influences the cuisine you'll find in a major way.  From mind-blowing breakfast burritos to elevated cantina fare, there is so much the Colorado capital city has to offer.

You can get the city's best take on street tacos and quesadillas at any of the three Los Carboncitos locations in the Denver area. Don't count them out for more traditional and homey Mexican dishes either, like alambres or the restaurant's chili relleno. 

One of the best Mexican food related ventures in the city is Comal, an incubator that provides employment and training for immigrant and refugee women in the community. On this program, aspiring restauranteurs run the cafe and the result is an innovative Mexican- and Latin-inspired menu that is constantly in flux.

A controversial Forbes article once called Kansas City the "taco capital" of America. This was a title that plenty of California and Texas residents didn't take very kindly to. The veracity of this claim aside, we're here to tell you it's true that you can find a slew of Mexican food in this midwestern megacity that is split in two between the states of Kansas and Missouri.

Kansas City is home to enough good tacos that the city turned an area with great food into a tourist destination. This is the Taco Trail, a miles-long path that takes you past over 50 Mexican restaurants and taco trucks. By participating in the city's official program you can earn points to earn prizes by dining at these establishments and trying out different styles of tacos. It's a good place to start if you want to sample what the city has to offer.

A highlight on the trail is Tacos la Guera, a food truck serving up amazing asada on corn tortillas. The chicharron tacos come highly recommended even if they are not what you think. If you're a fan of pork belly, though, take notes because this is what you'll want to order.

This round-up is based on the opinions of myself and other diners and food writers. This group of cities is meant to reflect personal experiences and shine a light on favorite restaurants in the areas. There are dozens of restaurants across the country where outstanding Mexican food can be found, however, these are just the ones we consider the absolute best. Factual information about restaurants, establishments, and vendors comes either directly from the business's websites or the storefronts themselves.

There was an impetus as well to make the list as diverse as possible and include as many different states in the top 10 as we could. This sense of fairness was important but did not overwrite the reality that multiple cities in both California and Texas have incredible, unique takes on the cuisine worth diving into. If you didn't see your favorite city grace these ranks, don't take it personally. This was a tough decision for all of us.