Be specific about heat, because it should enhance flavor, not overpower it. Chili peppers are supposed to bring depth, smokiness, even sweetness - not just fire. Chipotles in adobo, for example, contain smoky, sweet, and spicy notes that pair beautifully with red meat dishes or as a saucy base for slow cooker chicken tinga.
The simplicity of the Zacatecan-style burrito belies its high-quality ingredients - especially when it comes to the house tortillas, comprised of a blend of butter, flour, and salt. You can't go wrong with tender birria, which made the burrito purveyors famous, or any of the quesadillas, which allow the blistered tortillas to shine.
A small splash can brighten the sweetness of corn and add a subtle herbal lift. It should enhance - not dominate. Think of it as a squeeze of lime, ever so popular in Mexican food, in spirit form.
When El Moro opened in January 2026, long queues for its shatteringly crisp, cinnamon-sifted churros immediately formed in Echo Park. After all, this is the first Los Angeles location for the legendary churro maker, having become firmly entrenched in Mexico City culture almost 100 years ago.
Reposado specializes in high-end Mexican cuisine with dishes like pancita, crispy pork belly served with pico de gallo, handmade tortillas and fresh guacamole; salmon Yucatan, achiote-marinated salmon with Mayan pepita sauce, seasonal vegetables and epazote-seasoned black beans; and enchiladas Oaxaqueñas, a vegan dish featuring green mole.
Though they were only serving in town for one night, the chefs and staff behind the Mexico City supernova Masala y Maíz managed to cause what felt like a temporary ripple in L.A. dining during their pop-up last week. It reminded this diner that despite the era's current dedication to culinary and cultural boundaries - you should only cook what you know, write what you know - a spirit of mixture and melding can actually lead to something extraordinary, and not cringey, in practice.
Chef Soto's culinary journey began in the vibrant streets of Mexico City, where food was not just sustenance but a form of storytelling and tradition. His family roots in Mexico instilled a deep appreciation for authentic flavors, which he has blended with his travels around the world. This fusion of culture and cuisine is evident in his culinary philosophy, emphasizing sustainability and craftsmanship.
As it's told, the dish of nachos was first thrown together back in the 1940s by a man named Ignacio Anaya García for a troupe of military wives who were famished after a day of shopping. According to many sources, García was actually the maître d' of the Club Victoria, but the chef was nowhere to be found when the ladies arrived.
After 20 years on Westbourne Grove, the restaurant will close on 23 February and reopen on Tuesday, 3 March as TAQ, with a new identity and an entirely new menu led by chef Eduardo Yishima and backed by Jackson Boxer. Taqueria was one of London's early Mexican restaurants, but while the city's taco scene has levelled up fast, the menu here has largely stayed the same.
The vibrant flavors of Mexico City will take center stage in Las Vegas with the grand opening of Cantina Contramar. Developed by the internationally acclaimed Chef Gabriela Cámara, this new venture at the luxurious Fontainebleau Las Vegas promises to redefine the dining experience on the Las Vegas Strip. With a focus on authentic Mexican cuisine, stellar hospitality, and stunning design, Cantina Contramar is set to become a premier destination for food lovers and hospitality professionals alike.
While you can usually find dried, whole chipotles in Mexican or Latin supermarkets, they are also widely available in cans, labeled chipotles en adobo, or chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. The adobo sauce usually consists of pureed tomatoes, onions, vinegar, a sweetener like sugar (or sometimes high fructose corn syrup), oil, garlic, and spices, among other things, depending on how it's made. Most importantly, chipotle in adobo is the smoky ingredient to take your tacos to the next level.
The first thing to know about queso fundido is that it's not " queso," the creamy dip, often based on Velveeta, eaten with chips. Queso fundido, which translates to "melted cheese," is just that: It's melted cheese to which you can add sautéed mushrooms, poblano peppers or chorizo. It must be eaten the moment it's done, when the cheese is warm and stretchy.
Since 2023, Casa Susanna's chef Efren Hernández has been pouring care and craftsmanship into his cooking at Casa Susanna in the hamlet of Leeds, just over two hours north of the city. And during summertime, the menu definitely celebrates the area's peak produce. But it's dishes like brick-red chicken posole, and the hallmark tetela - right now stuffed with mantequilla beans and Alpine cheese and served with salsa morita - that make a case for a winter visit.
Nearly half of the Top 100 taco spots are based in California. Texas, Arizona, and Hawaii also make impressive showings, with nine, eight, and seven spots, respectively. Hawaii's presence on the list underscores just how deeply tacos have permeated food cultures from coast to coast. Together, the list showcases everything from Tex-Mex and Sonoran-style favorites to seafood-forward Baja tacos and inventive fusion creations.
The dining room at this Mexican spot blends industrial chic with street art and lots of greenery. There's no shortage of color-like the sapphire-blue leather-backed chairs-and the enormous windows provide lots of light. We love the short rib quesabirria, with fall-apart-tender meat and housemade blue corn tortillas that have just enough chew. The hibiscus-chipotle tinga in chicken al pastor is an ideal combination of sweet and spicy,
Mamacita, a fast-casual Mexican spot, has opened in Emeryville's Public Market following C Casa's departure in February, the E'ville Eye reports. Mamacita serves staples like tacos, burritos and quesadillas, but reviewers on Yelp are most thrilled about the pozole. (Both red and green are on offer). Mamacita, 5959 Shellmound St., Emeryville
Truly great Mexican cuisine is defined by flavorful and fresh dishes, vibrant salsas and handmade tortillas, wonderfully-textured cheeses, regional specialties, and of course, chilies. Unfortunately, Mexican cuisine also tends to get simplified, and some of our least favorite Mexican restaurant chains seem content to serve bland dishes with questionable ingredients. What places are getting it right? We set out to find the best Mexican restaurant in each state, and it wasn't easy.
If you've never had birria before, you're really missing out on not only a meal that's cooked for maximum flavor and tenderness, but one that's rich in history and has evolved over centuries. What's now so popular that even fusion dishes like birria ramen are a trend is a dish that, according to chef Rick Martínez, has deep roots in western Mexico.
At 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday, every seat is taken at the Original Red Onion in Rolling Hills Estates, deep in the Palos Verdes Peninsula. As 20 parties wait for tables, a steady stream of takeout orders flows through the kitchen, and bustling bar patrons hold generously poured jalapeño mezcal margaritas that spill down the green cactus-shaped stems. Throughout the restaurant's multiple rooms, servers maneuver rolling carts of carne asada and saucy enchiladas between tables while they empty and refill chip baskets and salsa bowls.
Those cheese and topping-doused tortilla chips that we know as nachos are one of the greatest snacking foods ever invented. They originated in northern Mexico in a town called Piedras Negras, located right on the Mexico-United-States border, back in the 1940s. The original version was reportedly topped with cheese and jalapeños (an excellent combination, if you ask us), but these days, nachos at your favorite Mexican restaurant can come topped with a slew of ingredients ranging from ground beef, salsa, and scallions.
Like a lot of restaurants in Livermore, this spot's strip mall location might throw you off the scent of how good the quality of the food within is. You'll find plenty of classic Mexican specialties on the menu, like still-warm housemade chicharrónes, chicken tinga, and perfectly spiced equites. But don't ignore some of the less-expected dishes, like the parmesan-encrusted cauliflower with chipotle aioli for dipping, or the tender honey butter vegetables-stuffed chile relleno-a pleasantly light take on what is usually a heavy entrée.
When you think of Utah, Mexican food probably isn't the first menu option that comes to mind. But one Mexican restaurant chain began its journey in St. George and has since grown to more than 160 restaurants across 11 states, including California, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and Colorado. Cafe Rio Mexican Grill opened in 1997 when founders Steve and Patricia Stanley wanted to bring their take on Northern Mexican and Tex-Mex flavors to southern Utah. Little did they know how big it would become.
Shots are the quickest way to get tequila down, but there's a way to actually enjoy the taste of tequila without trying to mask it with salt and lime juice. In an interview with Tasting Table, Jaime Salas, Head of Advocacy & Legacy for Jose Cuervo Tequila deemed the tried and true lime and salt duo "training wheels." But, says Salas, "while salt and lime are known as a dynamic duo when enjoying tequila shots, sangrita brings flavor contrast that still compliments the expression."
Cambridge got a new over-the-top restaurant that will mesh Mexican cuisine with 1990s mall culture - 13-foot-tall Aztec-inspired statues, a lush jungle interior, cheeky tiki mugs, and $5 tacos. This is what you'll find at Gato Exotico, the new dining destination from the team behind playful, immersive American Chinese restaurant Wusong Road in Harvard Square. Gato Exotico is the latest addition to CambridgeSide, a longstanding Lechmere-area mall that's been reimagining its food options, starting with swanky food hall and bar CanalSide, which opened last year.
Quesadillas appear on countless menus, from taco trucks' whiteboards to drive-through screens. All kinds of restaurants have gotten in on the act, with fast food joints, sports bars, and casual Mexican spots all serving filled-and-folded tortillas. Restaurant chain quesadillas are a dime a dozen, and it's highly likely you've bitten into one that's too waxy, too soggy, or lacking in flavor. With such a simple recipe, every element of the quesadilla is critical.
Emidio Oceguera has managed some of Chicago's best-known restaurants, including De Cero and Chicago Cut. When he began entertaining the idea of opening his own place, his parents kept him grounded. Their advice ultimately inspired him to launch the Pilsen restaurant Cerdito Muerto in his childhood neighborhood last summer. Oceguera brings unapologetic personal touches to the space and menu. In a Mexican food scene as rich as Chicago's, Oceguera isn't interested in chasing trends or being anything but himself.
Growing up in a Mexican household, it never truly felt like the holidays until my abuela, very aptly, broke out the yellow box of Abuelita chocolate from the tiny cupboard next to the stove. My family and I would decorate the Christmas tree, laughing and reminiscing over handmade ornaments. Then we'd soak up the beauty of the silvery lights in the sala, warming our palms with mismatched tazas of chocolate.
In her new cookbook " Rooted in Fire: A Celebration of Native American and Mexican Cooking," Pyet DeSpain, Season 1 winner of Gordon Ramsay's "Next Level Chef" competition series, offers a warm introduction to the culinary traditions that shaped her upbringing in Kansas City, Kan., and on the Osage Reservation in Pawhuska, Okla. She invites readers to embrace a land-first approach to cooking that emphasizes an intimate understanding of how their food reaches their plates.
Aguachile, the bright and punchy seafood dish from coastal Sinaloa, Mexico, gets its name (which translates to chile water) from the vibrant blend of chiles, lime juice and salt that transform the sweet flesh of raw shrimp into tender, tart flavor bombs. I love making shrimp aguachile because it really takes me to a place. For me, that place is Mazatlan, Mexico.
So what's the deal with nixtamalization? It's when corn is cooked with water and lime (aka "cal") to soften the kernels and unlock nutrients. The word comes from Nahuatl, nextli (lime ashes) + tamalli (cooked corn). All it takes is three ingredients: dried corn, lime powder (food-grade calcium hydroxide), and water. 1️⃣ Start with 1 kilogram of dried corn, about 2.2 pounds. In a large pot, mix 3 liters of water with 7 grams of lime powder (food-grade calcium hydroxide) and stir until dissolved. Add the corn, bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for about 45 minutes. You'll see the kernels brighten and their skins loosen.
Maydan Market, a new culinary compound in Los Angeles's West Adams neighborhood, has proved itself worth the 6-year wait. D.C. restaurateur Rose Previte's food hall and market feels like an Avengers lineup of the city's best operators, with stalls from already-iconic Los Angeles restaurants such as Holy Basil (which introduced Yhing Yhang, a Thai barbecue counter); Poncho's Tlayudas (running Lugya'h, a crowd-drawing tlayuda joint); and Tamales Elena (whose Maléna slings tamales, weekend barbacoa, fried fish tacos, and more).
