The Best Store-Bought Red Salsa Comes From A Popular Chain Restaurant

Anyone who's seen those old Pace commercials where cowboys make fun of someone for eating salsa from New York City can tell you that not all salsas are created equal. For every spicy, flavorful concoction into which you can dip your chip, there are several uninspiring jars of glorified tomato puree with barely a hint of flavor, let alone spice. We appreciate that not everybody can handle heat, but surely it's not too much to ask for a dip made of tomatoes and onions to taste like tomato and onion?

When we tried thirteen different store-bought brands of red salsa, we were downright appalled by the 365 Organic Thick and Chunky Medium Salsa, which had the temerity to brand itself as medium. But the lowest lows only make the highs feel that much higher — and our number one grocery store salsa brand, On The Border Salsa, was well worth the journey.

For a bit of context, On The Border is a chain of Tex-Mex restaurants with over 150 locations in the United States and, for some reason, 13 locations in South Korea. It's best known for making guacamole tableside, but it also has its own brand of salsa which it sells in supermarkets — if you can find it, don't hesitate to get it.

On The Border came out on top for one reason: cumin. The salsa would have been solid even without the cumin — it had a nice balance of heat, salt, and acid (though the tomatoes were a bit too chewy for our taste). But the spice truly elevated the experience, making the salsa more than the sum of its parts. 

We said it there, and we'll say it here too: if you're not up for exploring the world of chiles to make better salsa or don't have the time to make salsa with the ingredients you have on hand, "make this your go-to jarred salsa at the grocery store". There's nothing borderline about that. If you want to know who to thank for the On the Border salsa on your supermarket shelf, the brand is owned by Utz, having been bought by the snack food titan in 2020 for some $480 million.