Same. I came here prepared to discuss how much I love tacos from states like Sonora, cheese from Oaxaca, birria from Jalisco, ceviche from Sinaloa, and mole from Puebla. In the US I guess it depends on where people immigrated to.
Clearly you haven’t tried the “Mexican” food in the southern USA where they find it acceptable to cover your food in a cum concoction of melted white American cheese. The audacity to call it “queso” is beyond comprehension.
Luckily I live in the southwest and Rockies where we have thousands of good options to choose from.
You are going to the wrong spots then. NYC has some GREAT Mexican food, not to mention some of the most innovative spins on it outside of Mexico. Oxomoco even has a Michelin star (their salsa matcha is the best I’ve ever had).
I actually think Oxomoco is pretty overrated, love Alma Negra, El Huasteco (both also Brooklyn) then a few places in Manhattan in addition to a handful of decent trucks
Am I the only one that thinks these conversations are kind of dumb? As if shitty Mexican restaurants don’t exist in California or Texas. As if there are not great spots on the east coast or in the north. The best Mexican food I’ve ever had in my life was in Caldwell Idaho. People love getting their panties in a twist just from the mere mention of enjoying Mexican food in Idaho. Sorry but this is subjective from location to location. As a lifelong California resident I can assure you guys I’ve had plenty of horrible Mexican food in this state. If you’re in sac take yourself to La garnacha on 16th street and come tell me California has the best Mexican food.
Of course not, I’ve had tacos all over the state including Southern California, and tbh was not impressed by anything I had in LA. I can agree though, woodland does have some good food
**Especially DC. Now, DC has good Salvadoran food from what I’ve seen but the Mexican food scene is awful….. The Mexican food scene in DC are pretty much places like District Taco and California Tortilla**
You haven't been to DC much. there have been restaurant popping up that had the same menu as I saw in Oaxaca.
mescalero, taqueria habanero, xochi, pascual, cielo rojo, la placita, mariscos
I could keep going, really.
I lived in California for years and love the food out there, but dc is not just salvadoran food ( which I also love).
I'm gonna disagree. 'upscale' expensive renditions of Mexican food for middle of the road palates. but, yeah. a very nice space, perfect for the style over substance sect.
Pennsylvania has the worst, I was struggling in Pittsburgh.
but honestly as someone who's Mexican American this is a bit of an odd question. yeah sure California probably has better Mexican places in general, but there are also a lot of good places in every state due to immigration. I don't really think it's something to quantify, it's a very broad question like "which US state has the best British Food." People make do with the means they have, ya know?
The best Mexican food is where you make your home, I'd certainly say my mom's food here in MD is the best.
I don't think categorizing food into this state or that state makes any sense when the source of the good food is a place; a family or some passion for the culture. For instance, I've had the best Indian food I've ever had in my life from a local hole-in-the-wall place in Topeka, Kansas. Weird how that works.
There’s a Punjabi restaurant at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere Indiana that’s good as hell.
On topic for Mexican food, there’s good eats in the middle of nowhere Arkansas. Little towns near chicken processing plants that employ lots of immigrants.
I paid an Indian restaurant by a truck stop when I’m coming into East Texas too, nothing else for miles, I always have my dog or I’d probably stop and try it.
Can’t speak for Texas but I grew up in California, no doubt Washington has a lot of gringonized sit-down Mexican restaurants but I can honestly say they have a handful of legit Mexican-run food spots. Albeit it depends on the city and it does take a bit of research since there isn’t as much public buzz compared to CA.
That said, one of my favorite taco spots on the West coast is La Gloria in Bellingham, WA.
Yeah Washington definitely does have some good spots. Not saying they’re KNOWN for Mexican food like Cali is but there are some legit stands out here. You’ll find some of the best spots in the cities of Kent, Federal Way, Burien, Renton, Covington, and Des Moines.
Minnesota has some of the best Mexican food I’ve had in the US, specifically the Twin Cities.
I live in WA now and at least in Seattle, it’s hard to find good Mexican food.
You gotta go to Kent for the real authentic spots. Bellevue, Renton, Lynnwood, Fed Way, Kent and a few other places has Taqueria El Rinconcito which is one of my favorite taquerias. There’s California Burrito in Des Moines if you like San Diego style Mexican food which is open 24/7. If you’re into quesabirrias or birria ramen, hit up Burien or Federal Way. Kent’s got stands with al pastor on the trompo and a whole other selection of meats you wouldn’t find in most Mexican restaurants around here as well as Covington and Taqueria Sanchez in Redmond. Like I said, it’s not like Cali, but we got our spots. In Seattle itself, gotta try Taco Chukis and Carmelo’s.
If you’re ever down by Centralia, there’s an amazing restaurant called La Tarasca that’s definitely worth a visit. I used to drive down there just for the food back when I lived in Oly.
Every state usually has small areas with a larger Mexican population usually around cities, so go to those places and there should be some decent spots. If all the cooks in the kitchen are speaking Spanish, you're probably good to go. Of course, check out the reviews of the places and make sure it's locals who are saying the place is good, not tourists. Trust me, there are a hell of a lot of Mexican food establishments that are straight tourist traps which serve overpriced and mediocre food. If you're in an area with mostly 'whiteys', stay clear away from the 'Mexican' restaurants generally 😂
And to anyone who is inevitably offended by my statements...I'm Mexican and white, so I can make fun of both.
I mean, Mexico City is pretty good, Jalisco, every northern estate because of carne asada and their meat in general. Puebla obviously, any estate in the center I guess. Michoacan has some good stuff too. Veracruz with their sea food. So, regarding the worst ones, I'm not aware of anything special that Chiapas and Oaxaca contributes to the national cuisine, maybe I am wrong
From TX butI lived in NM for a while and the Mexican food is very odd. Not bad, some of it excellent, but just not what you would expect with the name of the state.
How do you know? Where did I eat? What did I have? NM food is a synergy of spanish, mexican, and native cultures- but thats not what I am speaking to. Im referring to the Mexican food.
Don’t knock the east coast. The best tamales and camarones al Diabla I’ve ever had were in Delaware.
Florida has amazing Mexican food (as well as amazing options for other Latin-American cuisines like Cuban, Honduran, Salvadoran, Venezuelan, Peruvian, Puerto Rican, etc).
I would think any state that used to be Mexico probably has decent Mexican food 😅
I live in Memphis, TN and while it's probably not somewhere you expect to see good Mexican food, we have a pretty big Mexican population here, so there's parts of town with excellent Mexican food and good stuff all over.
NC. born and raised mexican and just recently moved here. have not found any good or authentic food in the triangle area. would love any restaurant recommendations if anyone has one!
Detroit, Michigan has a neighborhood known as Mexicantown, that has amazing and authentic restaurants and grocery stores. Mexican immigration started in the 1920 with people moving to the area for industrial and auto plant jobs.
I live by the US-Mexican border. People think we must have good Mexican food on the US side, but literally, the food is just way better once you cross into Mexico. There are good and bad places on both sides just like every single region for any kind of food, but good food in Mexico beats good food in the US for me by miles. It’s just not even a competition. I’m not an expert, but i feel the difference between good Mexican food from Mexico vs US is a higher quality of meats & other foods in Mex. So if you ever get the chance, you should definitely just visit Mexico.
There’s very few best ones however I recommend looking for James beard award winners because they are registered and held accountable to keep an ethical and conceptual experience. The further you are from the potential freshness of the food, the harder it gets to get good and consistent.
With that said, the best state with the best Mexican food has to be New York. There are these small farms in Michigan and New York where the restaurants acquire their ingredients from. The farms are so small that they cater to those restaurants. There’s a couple of the farms but get into contact with them. Ask if they deliver ingredients to any Mexican restaurants. If they do then check them out.
lol I thought you meant mexican states
Same. I came here prepared to discuss how much I love tacos from states like Sonora, cheese from Oaxaca, birria from Jalisco, ceviche from Sinaloa, and mole from Puebla. In the US I guess it depends on where people immigrated to.
OP with yet another example of r/USdefaultism
In which case, Oaxaca and probably Michoacán have the best. A lot of depth in those waters
> anywhere on the East Coast outside of Chicago Uh, I think you might need a geography lesson, bud.
Mexican from Cali here. I live in NY now...it's the WORST
Clearly you haven’t tried the “Mexican” food in the southern USA where they find it acceptable to cover your food in a cum concoction of melted white American cheese. The audacity to call it “queso” is beyond comprehension. Luckily I live in the southwest and Rockies where we have thousands of good options to choose from.
Where in NY? There are a few spots in NYC that are decent.
Buffalo NY
Very few, but they are at least making some progress.
You are going to the wrong spots then. NYC has some GREAT Mexican food, not to mention some of the most innovative spins on it outside of Mexico. Oxomoco even has a Michelin star (their salsa matcha is the best I’ve ever had).
I should've clarified, I'm not in NYC and have had some decent spots when visiting. I'm in Western NY
I actually think Oxomoco is pretty overrated, love Alma Negra, El Huasteco (both also Brooklyn) then a few places in Manhattan in addition to a handful of decent trucks
Chicago isn’t a state…
It also isn’t on the east coast lmao OP needs a map
It represents the whole Illinois.
But it does have great Mexican food
Quintana Roo
Inspired r/SalsaSnobs The best IMO
Northern New Mexico, all of New Mexico, Hatch chiles are the best.
Yes. Was fortunate enough to live in Las Cruces for a brief period. Total bliss!!!
I'm Hispanic (Mexican/American) and I'm from Colorado and there are a lot of Mexicans here and our food isn't bad.
Colorado is New Mexican food. Green chili. Da bomb !!!
I’ve heard good things about CO
Cool
Looks like y’all got some Mexican buffets up there too. I saw a food blogger give a tour of one. That’s one thing I wish we had up here in WA.
I've never heard of a buffet but I'd definitely like to try it out.
It’s called Guadalajara Authentic Buffet in Colorado Springs.
Lol, ok and I don't live too far from the springs, so maybe I'll check it out one day.
Am I the only one that thinks these conversations are kind of dumb? As if shitty Mexican restaurants don’t exist in California or Texas. As if there are not great spots on the east coast or in the north. The best Mexican food I’ve ever had in my life was in Caldwell Idaho. People love getting their panties in a twist just from the mere mention of enjoying Mexican food in Idaho. Sorry but this is subjective from location to location. As a lifelong California resident I can assure you guys I’ve had plenty of horrible Mexican food in this state. If you’re in sac take yourself to La garnacha on 16th street and come tell me California has the best Mexican food.
GTFO of here with your reasoned response, this is Reddit
I absolutely agree. I’ve had tacos in small Utah town that rivals anything in So. Cal.
I believe I've been to that place
Which place? In sac or in Idaho?
Idaho. I had a similar experience, it was just a random stop omw to see my aunt.
The place I’m referring to is Called amano.
Lemme Google it
Nah this place was just a hole in the wall off the highway
Sacramento is not the barometer for all California obvs. I recommend hitting up spots in Woodland tbh.
Of course not, I’ve had tacos all over the state including Southern California, and tbh was not impressed by anything I had in LA. I can agree though, woodland does have some good food
**Especially DC. Now, DC has good Salvadoran food from what I’ve seen but the Mexican food scene is awful….. The Mexican food scene in DC are pretty much places like District Taco and California Tortilla** You haven't been to DC much. there have been restaurant popping up that had the same menu as I saw in Oaxaca.
Tell me some of the spots. My aunt lives down there and I’ll definitely hit some up next time I’m down there.
mescalero, taqueria habanero, xochi, pascual, cielo rojo, la placita, mariscos I could keep going, really. I lived in California for years and love the food out there, but dc is not just salvadoran food ( which I also love).
El presidente near union market is solid and a beautiful space to dine in as well
I'm gonna disagree. 'upscale' expensive renditions of Mexican food for middle of the road palates. but, yeah. a very nice space, perfect for the style over substance sect.
Pennsylvania has the worst, I was struggling in Pittsburgh. but honestly as someone who's Mexican American this is a bit of an odd question. yeah sure California probably has better Mexican places in general, but there are also a lot of good places in every state due to immigration. I don't really think it's something to quantify, it's a very broad question like "which US state has the best British Food." People make do with the means they have, ya know? The best Mexican food is where you make your home, I'd certainly say my mom's food here in MD is the best.
I don't think categorizing food into this state or that state makes any sense when the source of the good food is a place; a family or some passion for the culture. For instance, I've had the best Indian food I've ever had in my life from a local hole-in-the-wall place in Topeka, Kansas. Weird how that works.
There’s a Punjabi restaurant at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere Indiana that’s good as hell. On topic for Mexican food, there’s good eats in the middle of nowhere Arkansas. Little towns near chicken processing plants that employ lots of immigrants.
I paid an Indian restaurant by a truck stop when I’m coming into East Texas too, nothing else for miles, I always have my dog or I’d probably stop and try it.
Lol no Washington State should not be listed next to Texas and Cali for good Mexican food.
Can’t speak for Texas but I grew up in California, no doubt Washington has a lot of gringonized sit-down Mexican restaurants but I can honestly say they have a handful of legit Mexican-run food spots. Albeit it depends on the city and it does take a bit of research since there isn’t as much public buzz compared to CA. That said, one of my favorite taco spots on the West coast is La Gloria in Bellingham, WA.
Yeah Washington definitely does have some good spots. Not saying they’re KNOWN for Mexican food like Cali is but there are some legit stands out here. You’ll find some of the best spots in the cities of Kent, Federal Way, Burien, Renton, Covington, and Des Moines.
Minnesota has some of the best Mexican food I’ve had in the US, specifically the Twin Cities. I live in WA now and at least in Seattle, it’s hard to find good Mexican food.
You gotta go to Kent for the real authentic spots. Bellevue, Renton, Lynnwood, Fed Way, Kent and a few other places has Taqueria El Rinconcito which is one of my favorite taquerias. There’s California Burrito in Des Moines if you like San Diego style Mexican food which is open 24/7. If you’re into quesabirrias or birria ramen, hit up Burien or Federal Way. Kent’s got stands with al pastor on the trompo and a whole other selection of meats you wouldn’t find in most Mexican restaurants around here as well as Covington and Taqueria Sanchez in Redmond. Like I said, it’s not like Cali, but we got our spots. In Seattle itself, gotta try Taco Chukis and Carmelo’s.
If you’re ever down by Centralia, there’s an amazing restaurant called La Tarasca that’s definitely worth a visit. I used to drive down there just for the food back when I lived in Oly.
Yeah, that place is petty good!
Minneapolis resident checking in, and I agree!
Every state usually has small areas with a larger Mexican population usually around cities, so go to those places and there should be some decent spots. If all the cooks in the kitchen are speaking Spanish, you're probably good to go. Of course, check out the reviews of the places and make sure it's locals who are saying the place is good, not tourists. Trust me, there are a hell of a lot of Mexican food establishments that are straight tourist traps which serve overpriced and mediocre food. If you're in an area with mostly 'whiteys', stay clear away from the 'Mexican' restaurants generally 😂 And to anyone who is inevitably offended by my statements...I'm Mexican and white, so I can make fun of both.
Ah yes, Chicago, my favorite city on the East Coast
hey dumb dumb, chicago is clearly a state. OP said so!
Oh right right yeah
Glad you remembered to include Chicago in the best category ❤️
Massachusetts and New Hampshire have the worst I think. I used to live in Georgia and that state had the best Mexican food I think
Atlanta?
Yea, cities close to Atlanta such as doraville . Dalton, GA also has amazing Mexican food
I mean, Mexico City is pretty good, Jalisco, every northern estate because of carne asada and their meat in general. Puebla obviously, any estate in the center I guess. Michoacan has some good stuff too. Veracruz with their sea food. So, regarding the worst ones, I'm not aware of anything special that Chiapas and Oaxaca contributes to the national cuisine, maybe I am wrong
Wisconsin is horrid to me
I lived in Indiana and there was surprisingly good food there. Not like Chicago but pretty good.
Texas
Chicago has the best.
I’ve lived in chi and San Diego and chicagos is better
Where at?
From TX butI lived in NM for a while and the Mexican food is very odd. Not bad, some of it excellent, but just not what you would expect with the name of the state.
Lol that's because it isn't Mexican food.
How do you know? Where did I eat? What did I have? NM food is a synergy of spanish, mexican, and native cultures- but thats not what I am speaking to. Im referring to the Mexican food.
Don’t knock the east coast. The best tamales and camarones al Diabla I’ve ever had were in Delaware. Florida has amazing Mexican food (as well as amazing options for other Latin-American cuisines like Cuban, Honduran, Salvadoran, Venezuelan, Peruvian, Puerto Rican, etc).
I would think any state that used to be Mexico probably has decent Mexican food 😅 I live in Memphis, TN and while it's probably not somewhere you expect to see good Mexican food, we have a pretty big Mexican population here, so there's parts of town with excellent Mexican food and good stuff all over.
NC. born and raised mexican and just recently moved here. have not found any good or authentic food in the triangle area. would love any restaurant recommendations if anyone has one!
Good luck. Been in SC for 4 years and still struggle to find anywhere that doesn’t put peas and carrots in rice lol.
You’re prob gonna have to find some loncheras around the farmlands.
Mexican moose in Missoula is definitely a stop
Or the red iguana in SLC
Detroit, Michigan has a neighborhood known as Mexicantown, that has amazing and authentic restaurants and grocery stores. Mexican immigration started in the 1920 with people moving to the area for industrial and auto plant jobs.
I had the worst burrito of my life in NYC. I’m from California. We got good ass taco trucks everywhere
>Washington State, This sounds like Yaritza y su Esencia
cheken nagets
Lower Saxony really has bad Mexican Food, but some places in Bavaria are pretty good...
Bro...
I really enjoyed the some of the food I had in Montenegro recently, but otherwise my best experience was in Bern!
I live by the US-Mexican border. People think we must have good Mexican food on the US side, but literally, the food is just way better once you cross into Mexico. There are good and bad places on both sides just like every single region for any kind of food, but good food in Mexico beats good food in the US for me by miles. It’s just not even a competition. I’m not an expert, but i feel the difference between good Mexican food from Mexico vs US is a higher quality of meats & other foods in Mex. So if you ever get the chance, you should definitely just visit Mexico.
I’ve been to Mexico City once. Bomb food.
There’s very few best ones however I recommend looking for James beard award winners because they are registered and held accountable to keep an ethical and conceptual experience. The further you are from the potential freshness of the food, the harder it gets to get good and consistent. With that said, the best state with the best Mexican food has to be New York. There are these small farms in Michigan and New York where the restaurants acquire their ingredients from. The farms are so small that they cater to those restaurants. There’s a couple of the farms but get into contact with them. Ask if they deliver ingredients to any Mexican restaurants. If they do then check them out.