Your Favorite Mexican Restaurants in Atlanta

MG_3974

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, I’ve compiled an easy-to-read list from last year’s open thread where you revealed your favorite Mexican restaurants in and around Atlanta.  Enjoy!

Decatur

  • Mezcalito’s Cantina – “mole fried chicken…is one of my favorite restaurant meals anywhere”, “Locally? Mezcalitos, [is my favorite Mexican restaurant] hands down.”
  • Matador Cantina
  • Taqueria del Sol – “I could eat TDS daily”

Oak Grove

  • Taqueria El Vecino – “definitely deserving of wider recognition”, “go on Saturday and get the green chile grits with carnitas”,

Tucker

  • Taqueria Los Hermanos – “been alternating between the grilled tilapia and the marisco enchiladas for years and I never get tired of them”, “Craving some cesina and pastor now”

Buford Highway

  • El Ray del Taco – “cheap Mexican, particularly for lunch…more ‘authentic’”
  • Monterrey Mexican Restaurant – “We’ve been there a few times and enjoyed hanging out and listening to [the guy singing covers] while drinking cheap margaritas
  • Taqueria Los Rayos – “Tacos are $1.50 and are authentic Mexican tacos. Awesome flan, Tortas (sandwiches) are delicious, too”
  • El Puerto – “Best “tacos authenticos” and fabulous tamales and cheap cheap CHEAP.”

Atlanta

  • Mi Barrio

Castleberry Hill

  • No Mas Cantina

Jonesboro

  • Taquería La Oaxaqueña  – ” Worth a field trip south of the airport. The owners have such a great success story and the food is outstanding.”,

Photo courtesy of El Rey Del Taco website

39 thoughts on “Your Favorite Mexican Restaurants in Atlanta”


  2. Elmyriachi is becoming a fast favorite…Coyotes doesn’t get enough love.

    Matador doesn’t belong on this list…sorry

      1. People who hate Matador amuse me. As much as I love places like La Oaxaquena for real authentic food, I also really like Matador for good ol’ Americanized Mexican. To each his own, but don’t you dis my list!

        1. +1 — Matador may not be super authentic or whatever, but it’s a great local spot with good food, prices and atmosphere

        2. jeebus, man, i love me some Tombstone, but would i put it on my Best Pizza list?

  4. El Mexicano on Moreland is really good. As a bonus, they recently got their full liquor license.

  6. We really enjoyed our first visit to Superica (Krog St. Market_). Great food, properly made margaritas, cool place.
    Taqueria El Vecino in Oak Grove has become our go-to Mexican place on this side of town. They usually have a good selection of beers on tap.

    1. I read somewhere else that Superica’s margaritas are really small. Any truth to this?

      1. They are cocktail-sized, as a margarita is a cocktail. They are not the big, cheap, sour-mix based margaritas you get at most Mexican places. The O.G. margarita, which is what I had, is the same size as you would typically get if you ordered an old fashioned. I did see some slightly larger ones at other tables, but didn’t try one myself. My drink was very good and quite strong.

        1. Thanks for the info. Whoever wrote that is probably used to the jumbo margs you can get at typical Tex-Mex places.

  8. Nuevo Laredo has always been a bit overhyped, but it’s been around forever for a reason. They do the standards right, but I used to tear up their specialities like lobster tacos (whole chunks of claw meat + sautéed spinach + queso = a homina) and their killer mole. Don’t get there much anymore since moving from Smyrna a decade ago, but even now I still have cravings for it.

    1. Nuevo Laredo is solid, but imo not good enough to make up for the inconvenient location (for east-siders) and the waits.

      1. Agreed. But my office is in that vicinity, as are my parents, so we still have an excuse every so often. Still, it’s been a couple years since our last visit…

  10. Thank God my parents moved to Griffin last fall and gave me an excuse to try La Oaxaquena in Jonesboro. Goddamn it’s good!

    1. + 1000 for La Oaxacena. Tara Blvd and Mt. Zion. I drive past there for work sometimes and I am so glad.

  12. A missing one that I like is Tortas Locas.

    Usually the non-Hispanic in there when I go, a good indicator of quality. One off BuHi at Chamblee Tucker, the other at Ptree Industrial and Jimmy Carter.

    1. Wait. Am I reading this right? A preponderance of Anglos is a good indicator? That seems to be the opposite of what people say about Asian foods.

        1. Apologies for belaboring the question but I’m an idiot. Non-Hispanic = not Hispanic, right? So if the only people in there are not Hispanic, that’s a good sign? That sounds like a description of Matador!

          1. Brad forgot to include “only” in his original comment.

            Scott couldn’t figure that out. Then Scott jumped on the anti-matador bandwagon.

            Point and decision, Brad.

            1. How quickly you judge, J_T. It just so happens that one of the Anglos frequently sullying the atmosphere of Matador is me. Which you can take as an endorsement or warning, depending on how non-Hispanic I am.

  16. My fiancé is from Texas and has been looking for places here to get a good Mexican breakfast. I have been to La Oaxaquena in Jonesboro and see that they serve breakfast, though I haven’t tried it yet. Any other suggestions?

    2. If you find someplace that has good migas, let us in on it–I keep hoping, but so far, not much luck.

      1. Having sampled Mexican breakfasts in Austin and San Antonio, I think my fiancé’s migas are the best! But I’m still trying to convince him of that. Will have to check out Superica.

        1. I will be sampling the migas at Superica on Sunday and will report back. My standard for migas is Cisco’s in Austin.

          1. Oh, please do, Nubbsie! I get cravings for good migas that I don’t have to make myself, and really miss the ones we used to get at a little cafe in my hometown Houston ‘hood of Montrose (which, I hear, is now quite the up & coming hipster darling).

    3. No Mas Cantina in Castleberry Hill has an adjoining business called Adios Cafe that does breakfast. Haven’t been myself and in any case, am totally unqualified to pronounce on its authenticity. But just in case you don’t know about it.

    4. Taco Bell now serves breakfast. Taco-shaped biscuits, man.

      Now, how many shares of Yum! Brands stock can I put you down for?

    5. No Mas has a Sunday bring menu that is amazing. And yes I had the migas and they were outstanding. Warning though: I had a margarita and between the drink and my full belly I had to go home and take a nap! Hubby had the Bloody Mary and it was delish, too. Love that place!

    6. I’m not a fan of beans at breakfast so I haven’t tried it, but La Calavera on College serves a very limited breakfast menu in addition to their bread-y goodness. I will have to pass along the migas rec above to my Texan friend. 🙂

  18. In Tucker: El Taco Naco on Idlewood/Main St. at Lawrenceville Hwy and Taqueria San Pancho in the County Line shopping center on Lawrenceville Hwy, just before Mountain Industrial/Jimmy Carter Blvd. L’Thai (very good) is in the same shopping center. Neither of these taquerias has a liquor license or much in the way of atmosphere, but the food is inexpensive, delicious, and authentic Mexican rather than Tex-Mex, not that there is anything wrong with Tex-Mex.

Comments are closed.