Thanks to a shared border and deep cultural ties with our neighbor to the south, Texas is a prime destination for fantastic Mexican food. While Tex-Mex remains a beloved part of the state’s culinary identity, Austin is also home to a growing number of restaurants
showcasing regional Mexican cuisine from across the country: birria from Jalisco, cochinita pibil from the Yucatán, barbacoa from Hidalgo, mole from Oaxaca and Puebla, and so much more.
Of course, the line between Tex-Mex and interior Mexican cuisine isn’t always clear-cut. Many of Austin’s best Mexican restaurants serve regional specialties alongside favorites like enchiladas and fajitas, reflecting both Mexican roots and Texas home. For the purposes of this guide, we’ve focused on restaurants where traditional Mexican cooking, ingredients, and regional influences play a central role.
Austin’s best Mexican restaurants offer a diverse range of dining experiences, price points, and regional specialties. You’ll find longtime Allandale institution Fonda San Miguel, which helped introduce Austinites to interior Mexican cuisine decades ago; cool-kid favorite Nixta Taqueria, helmed by James Beard Award winner Edgar Rico (Emerging Chef, 2022); viral food-truck-turned-restaurant Veracruz Fonda; and many others. (Not included are chef-driven modern Mexican restaurants like Comedor and Mexta, whose innovative, contemporary cuisine draws inspiration from Mexico but falls into a different category altogether.)
Eater has updated this map to remove El Naranjo, El Alma, Julio’s Café and Habanero Café.
