Tex-Mex isn’t complicated. It’s a plate of simple truths: melted cheese, rice, beans and maybe some chile con carne slathered over enchiladas. Queso and salsa with a basket of warm chips can cure ails. For many Texans, this is home, our North Star, it’s Billie Eilish yelling “‘Til the day that I die.”

The following list of restaurants does not include traditional Mexican dishes. We know that this is its own cuisine, which we have conflated here in Texas, and appreciate that authentic Mexican cuisine is far more complex and equally gratifying. Here are 14 of our favorite spots around Dallas.

Avila’s Mexican Restaurant
4714 Maple Ave., Medical District
Avila’s has been a Tex-Mex stalwart in Dallas since 1986. Recipes are straight from the Avila family, whose roots are in Texas and Monterrey. We’re partial to the plates of enchiladas and chile rellenos, but others praise the pozole. We’re down to argue about the best dishes here anytime. Best argument ever. Service at this family-run spot is always friendly and quick. A lot of people run through Avila’s on their way to (or from) Love Field to get their Tex-Mex fix.

Blanca’s plate at Casa Navarro.

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Casa Navarro
11742 Marsh Lane, North Dallas
We recently revisited Casa Navarro in North Dallas, reminiscing about the old days of North Town Mall and Judas Priest. Our first review of the spot was 30 years ago, and some things (thankfully) never change: we love it now as much as we did then. Here, you’ll get a bowl of bean soup with chips and salsa. Then go for the $10 lunch specials served seven days a week and an abundance of dishes that fill up two pages on the menu and your soul (even that tiny, dark part).

Calle Doce
415 W. Twelfth St., Oak Cliff
The Sanchez family has been serving big plates of Tex-Mex in this charming home-turned-restaurant since 1981. The menu at La Calle Doce leans into seafood with signature plates like Camaron a la Veracruzana and pescado a la parilla. In addition to the Oak Cliff location, there’s a second restaurant in East Dallas’ Lakewood neighborhood at 1925 Skillman St.

E-Bar Tex-Mex
1901 N. Haskell Ave., Old East Dallas
Loaded queso, OK? It’s just soooo loaded. Prepare for defeat. Years ago, we included E Bar’s sour cream chicken enchiladas on our top 100 dishes, and we still stand by that claim. Order boldly here. You can’t go wrong. Just remember: no hotboxing right before walking in (they had an issue a few years ago with diners reeking of weed, which we get (loaded queso).

El Ranchito
610 W. Jefferson Blvd., Oak Cliff
This place is a love letter to Tex-Mex. It’s filled with character and tells a story of a time when cantinas were the place to go, yet it somehow also carries a dark romantic feel. Adorned with old art and weird kitschy decor, El Ranchito knows it’s special but doesn’t take itself that seriously. For over 30 years, it has specialized in comida nortena, such as cabrito de horno and wonderful guisos, whole elotes garnished with Mexican crema, cotija cheese and chili powder. The drinks are simple, but they do the trick. Go for the cabrito – it’s some of the best in Dallas.

Gonzalez Restaurant
367 W. Jefferson Blvd., Oak Cliff
Every food has a season, and for menudo, it’s a clammy hangover. Gonzalez in Oak Cliff serves it up in spades. We recently revisited the restaurant that’s been open since the Nixon administration and opined about the Tex-Mex necessities. But we also pointed out that you’d be remiss to skip over the specialties like pork chop ranchero and cabrito guisado. The tortillas are served hot and fresh. Eric Mayne wrote, “The beans, meat and grilled onions on top of those warm tortillas are a match made in heaven.” We’ll go to church for that. With a clammy hangover.

Herrera’s Oak Cliff
2853 W. Illinois Ave., Oak Cliff
There are more than 30 combination plates (in addition to apps and specials) on the menu at Herrera’s Oak Cliff, and they all bump. Who has the bandwidth to absorb a seven-page menu? For the TL;DR crowd, go for the No. 1A, one cheese enchilada, one tamale, one beef taco, and hell yeah, there’s a bean tostada along with rice and beans. The spin here is that you can’t go wrong, especially when you wash it all down with a margarita.

La Comida
1101 N. Beckley Ave. Bishop Arts
Brothers Ivan and Mario Urtecho opened their first restaurant in Addison in 2014 — it closed in 2019, and they reopened La Comida on Beckley Avenue in 2023. The restaurant is hard to miss, not only because of enchilada Wednesdays ($9.99 a plate), but also for the massive pink flamingo painted on the side. The food is fresh and hot, and the margaritas are strong. The Urtechos love their regulars, so go on. Be a regular. You look like you need an enchilada and a hug.

Velvety magic from La Palmas.

Las Plamas Tex-Mex
2708 Routh St., Uptown
We did a work study on Las Palmas’ hickory ribs and learned they’re spectacular. It was also a study in economics: a half rack is $28, but a full rack is only $38. See. You do use math in the real world. But we’d never start a meal here without the velvety queso with slivers of garlic and fresh herbs. Prices are a touch higher. Case in point: $17 for a plate of cheese enchiladas. However, the dark and swanky ambiance makes this no normal plate of Tex-Mex. 

Mariano’s Hacianda Ranch
6300 Skillman St., Lower Greenville
The original Mariano’s opened in 1971 on Greenville Avenue, where owner Mariano Martinez invented the frozen margarita with a Slurpee machine. The gang moved out of that space and headed to Skillman almost 20 years ago; now, there are several other sister restaurants across North Texas. Going here for the margaritas and fajitas is a whole mood board. And it’s lovely.

Mia’s Tex-Mex
4334 Lemmon Ave., Oak Lawn
Mia’s Tex-Mex is a Dallas legend. Plenty of deals have been hashed out over plates of brisket tacos here. A few years ago, Mia’s moved from its original space a few blocks away and is now in a bright yellow building. Fortunately, they brought all the history with them, including the photo of Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson in a booth at the original location. Tom Landry was a big fan, too. Anyway, about the food: they were serving the aforementioned brisket tacos before it was cool.

Pepe’s and Mito’s
2911 Elm St., Deep Ellum
For a quick and casual lunch in Deep Ellum, Pepe’s and Mito’s is gold. Guy Fieri thinks so, too. He loved the caldo albondigas (meatball soup) and the classic tacos nortenos, mini corn tortilla tacos with fajita steak, pico de gallo and a housemade chipotle wine sauce. There are traditional dishes on the menu also, including pescado Veracruz, guiso and pollo a chipotle. 

RJ’s Mexican Cuisine
1701 N. Market Street, The West End
When’s the last time you’ve been to The West End? There are some good restaurants to check out, including RJ’s Mexican Cuisine, where traditional dishes get fancy plating. Service is always fast and doting. Happy hour runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday – Friday with $5 margs, wells and half-priced apps. They also have weekday lunch specials priced around nine bucks. The traditional Tex-Mex plates all hit the mark, but we recommend you opt for anything with steak.

A flauta plate at Tipico’s.

Tipico’s
3118 W. Northwest Highway, Bachman Lake
We discovered Tipico’s near Bachman Lake late last year after a reader tip. Here you can get a mix of authentic Mexican dishes (menudo, lengua and guisada) or big plates of Tex-Mex like taquitos and nachos. They run specials during the week; stop by on Mondays for a plate of beef enchiladas for just $7.95. The chips made in-house as are the stellar salsas. Service is super fast and friendly. If you come during peak hours, you may have to wait for a seat, but it’s so worth it.