Signs You Are In A Bad Mexican Restaurant

When the taco cravings strike, there's no shortage of restaurants to fulfill them. According to IBIS World, the U.S. is home to a whopping 48,950 Mexican restaurants from coast to coast as of 2023, each offering its own take on the colorful cuisine. To say that some do it better than others would be an understatement. While no eatery is truly "bad" as long as someone enjoys it, there are definitely Mexican restaurants out there that lapse on the authenticity front, forgoing traditional techniques and ingredients in favor of crowd-pleasing shortcuts or gimmicks.

But how can you tell which restaurants are which? Although your personal preference is the most important thing here, there are a few key details that may indicate a Mexican restaurant isn't as authentic as you'd hope. To break down these warning signs, we turned to Iliana de la Vega, a James Beard award-winning chef and owner of Austin hotspot El Naranjo, and Yvette Marquez, a Mexican cookbook author and food blogger. As per their expert insights, these are the biggest red flags to heed when questioning a Mexican restaurant's authenticity.

Yellow cheese — most commonly cheddar — is a delicious topping for a wide range of meaty meals. Tasty though it may be, its presence on the menu of a Mexican restaurant is often a telltale sign that it isn't in the market of serving authentic, traditional dishes. "In traditional Mexican restaurants, we use queso fresco, queso panela, queso Oaxaca," Iliana de la Vega explains. "We do not use yellow American cheese."

Light and tangy, queso fresco is often used for the likes of quesadillas and tamales due to the fact it doesn't melt. Meanwhile, queso panela is a mild cheese that can also be found in quesadillas, tacos, and enchiladas, while queso Oaxaca is a stringy cheese similar to mozzarella that makes a gooey addition to everything from chile rellenos to molletes. 

As Yvette Marquez points out, a restaurant's decision to forgo these options for yellow cheese doesn't necessarily mean the food will be bad — it just likely leans more towards Tex-Mex than Mexican. She explains that the cheeses used by a restaurant may merely reflect the area instead of its quality. "I grew up in El Paso, which doesn't really fall into Tex-Mex," she says. "It's practically in Mexico, and the food there is rooted in the flavors of Northern Mexico, where cheeses like asadero, Chihuahua, and menonita are common. Longhorn and Colby are also popular, especially in border towns."

Nothing hits quite like a fresh, warm, homemade tortilla. In many Mexican restaurants, however, these tortillas are mass-produced and outsourced, which may be indicative of how much care and attention goes into the rest of its ingredients. "It's rare to find a Mexican restaurant that makes tortillas by hand," says Yvette Marquez, speaking as someone who has perfected her own go-to tortilla recipes. "When they do, it's pure magic. If I see a little abuelita pressing corn tortillas or rolling out flour tortillas, it instantly feels like home and gives me high hopes for the meal."

You don't necessarily need to see someone making the tortillas to know whether or not they're made in-house. Iliana de la Vega has her own criteria for tortillas, which can help you separate the good from the bad on sight alone. "A good tortilla will have the fresh smell of nixtamalized corn," she explains. "If you wrinkle it with your hand while it's still hot, it will hold still." Meanwhile, mass-produced tortillas tend to be uniform in shape or size and won't be quite as pliable. "If you wrinkle a mass-produced tortilla it will normally break into pieces, and the smell is slightly sweet," she says. "This comes from using the wrong type of corn."

It's surprisingly easy to whip up tasty guacamole at home, making it all the more frustrating when you end up with something more akin to avocado mush at an actual restaurant. The same is true of salsa, which can be made with just a handful of ingredients. Should you ever find yourself in a Mexican restaurant and you're not wowed by the freshness or flavor of either, there's a chance the restaurant relied on pre-made, artificially flavored guacamole or salsa. While there's nothing inherently wrong with a restaurant using pre-prepared goods, the problem lies in their ability to drag down the quality or authenticity of a dish that thrives on fresh ingredients.

If Iliana de la Vega's experience is anything to go by, it's surprisingly simple to recognize pre-made salsa. "You can tell salsa is not fresh or perhaps from a can if it tastes processed," she explains. It's equally easy to identify pre-made guacamole, which she claims tends to be both mushy and musty in flavor. "If the guacamole is served with an ice cream scoop and is mostly mashed avocado from a bag, it is likely not fresh either," de la Vega says.

As per Yvette Marquez, there are even more specific flavors that serve as an indicator to either dip's freshness. "I can instantly tell if guacamole or salsa is low-quality if it has artificial flavors like bottled lime juice or an overpowering taste of cumin," Marquez says. "Both are a big no for me!"

If you've ever struggled to make up your mind at a restaurant, combo plates are a savior. Instead of serving up one big dish, these combine several smaller portions to give you a taste of multiple menu items at once. Great for practicality and convenience, but not so great if you're looking for a truly authentic Mexican experience, according to Yvette Marquez.

"A non-traditional Mexican restaurant often serves combo plates," she explains. The option of a combo plate or platter is most typically associated with American influences and Tex-Mex cuisine rather than traditional Mexican cuisine, so it may serve as a general reflection on the authenticity of the rest of its menu. Combo plates aren't the only red flag in Marquez's books. "Spanish rice and beans on everything" also tends to be a red flag, she adds.

Despite their similar names, sour cream and Mexican crema are slightly different. Sour cream is fermented with lactic acid, which gives it a tangy finish. Crema, on the other hand, is a fermented blend of heavy cream and buttermilk and has a higher fat content. It's close to crème fraiche, except it tends to have a thinner consistency. Both crema and sour cream are delicious, but it's technically crema — which is sweeter and more mild in flavor – that belongs in an authentic Mexican dish.

That's why Iliana de la Vega advises skipping restaurants using sour cream in their dishes if you're after a traditional Mexican experience. Delicious though sour cream dolloped atop tacos may be, crema often pairs better with spicy dishes because it's less acidic. Ultimately, sour cream is often the cheaper option, with a longer shelf life that assumedly makes it much more appealing to restaurants looking to buy in bulk.

Margaritas are the alcoholic bow on top of the Mexican restaurant experience. While nobody can seem to agree on their inventor, a less disputed fact is that the best of the best eateries pour out margaritas made fresh to order, not pre-made or frozen. "A good Mexican restaurant should have a classic margarita made with fresh juice," says Yvette Marquez. "No bottled mixes or artificial sweeteners."

Iliana de la Vega agrees, advising against the restaurants that rely on mixed frozen margaritas. "No good tequila is used in those," she warns. While we understand that time is money when running a restaurant, the fact remains that it's deceptively easy to whip up a solid margarita. Plenty of restaurants have found unique ways to jazz up their drinks over the years, but the most basic staples required to make a high-quality, traditional cocktail are lime juice,  simple syrup, tequila, and triple sec, shaken together with ice and poured into a chilled glass (after salting the rim, of course). Perfection.

If your sweet tooth is as dominant as ours, the dessert section is your first stop when perusing a new menu. When it comes to sourcing a high-quality Mexican restaurant, this same section can tell you a lot about its authenticity. While there's no strict sweet treat requirement separating the good restaurants from the not-so-good, the best spots will often prioritize or draw from at least a handful of traditional desserts.

For Yvette Marquez, that means dishes such as bread pudding or homemade sweet empanadas. "You don't see them often on menus, but when I do, I know it's gonna be good," she says. Iliana de la Vega, on the other hand, keeps an eye out for house-made desserts, whether they're classic Mexican staples or new creations drawing on traditional techniques and flavors. "Good house-made desserts can be traditional, such as flan, and tres leches, or more innovative desserts using Mexican ingredients," she says.

On the other hand, certain desserts are a red flag that a restaurant isn't totally interested in providing an authentic Mexican experience. Fried ice cream, for example, is a popular staple that actually boasts zero links to Mexican cuisine. In fact, while nobody can pin down its exact origins, theories range from Philadelphia to Chicago, both of which are decidedly not Mexican cities.

Some restaurants have mastered nailing both style and substance, offering creatively presented dishes that don't skimp on flavor. In many cases, restaurants that prioritize style are lacking in the latter department and instead aim to dazzle you with theatrical presentation to distract you from the fact. While this is very much an industry-wide issue, with plenty of criticism aimed at the focus on aesthetics over flavor affecting restaurants of all cuisines, some Mexican restaurants still fall foul of relying on gimmicks such as the artificial sizzle that accompanies your fajitas when they arrive at the table.

Personally, Iliana de la Vega thinks the best Mexican restaurants keep things low-key. "I like the food in good traditional places to be presented in a clean way," she says. "Perhaps with a beautiful presentation but not overwhelmingly decorated." In other words, should you ever stumble across a Mexican joint serving guacamole in a giant edible sombrero à la "Despicable Me 2," it is (unsurprisingly) probably not the most authentic joint in the world.

Mexico exports millions of liters of tequila every single year, and yet some Mexican restaurants still aren't serving the good stuff. Anyone who's particular with their tequila will tell you that there's a nuanced balance to the distilled spirit that many tequila haters fail to comprehend. Some batches lean into the sweetness of agave, while others embrace a woodier flavor profile. The best Mexican restaurants should cover the spectrum. That doesn't mean offering dozens of varieties of tequila (which in itself is a red flag in Iliana de la Vega's eyes), but rather a solid selection made with only 100% blue agave — not just the one low-quality spirit that happened to be the cheapest to buy in bulk.

De la Vega extends the same standards to the rest of the restaurant's alcohol options. As well as offering prime mezcales, she notes that a high-quality Mexican restaurant should also boast unique crafted cocktails and a strong wine selection. The latter may not be the first alcoholic beverage you consider, but don't underestimate its potential. "Wine goes splendidly with Mexican food," says de la Vega. You just need to know how to pair it. As per Wine Spectator, white wines like Sauvignon Blanc or Albariño go well with seafood or Mexican dishes heavy in lime, cilantro, or tomatillos, while Malbec, Tempranillo or Syrah are strong choices for any grilled or smoky meals and Pinot Noir pairs perfectly with pork.

Convenient though they may be, there are moments where canned vegetables just can't compare to their fresh counterparts. While the nutritional differences are often minimal, the reality for some dishes — Mexican or not — is that they simply taste better when made with fresh veggies.

Both Iliana de la Vega and Yvette Marquez pointed to the reliance on canned veggies as a red flag for a Mexican restaurant due to their impact on flavor. "Flavor and appearance are very important and tell you about freshness," explains de la Vega. "For example, canned tomatoes will always have a slight acidic metallic taste [and] their color will be darker." Marquez shares the sentiment, simply noting, "I don't like when a restaurant uses canned vegetables." She highlights corn — a common component in many Mexican dishes — as one of the main veggies that will taste better fresh. "I'd rather have fresh corn when it's in season, and not have canned corn," she says.

Under the banner of Mexican cuisine, you can find a wide range of regional dishes. There are nuances to the food of Baja California, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and other areas of Mexico that differ from region to region. For example, seafood is particularly popular in Baja California (which is, unsurprisingly, considered the home of the fish taco). Veracruz is a melting pot of culinary influences, often combining Afro-Mexican flavors with fresh, local produce. Meanwhile, Oaxacan cuisine is famous for moles, particularly mole negro, a rich sauce made with components such as chiles, chocolate, raisins, and sesame seeds.

Should you step into a restaurant and spot zero signs of this regional nuance, that's a pretty good sign that it's not the most authentic joint around. A menu packed with generic items with little evidence of their regional influences — for example, tacos that are simply "tacos," not carnitas tacos or birria tacos — likely means a restaurant is offering simplified dishes to satisfy the masses.

It's not just about what's listed on the menu, but whether there's proof that the restaurant understands the ins and outs of Mexican cuisine enough to make certain dishes sing. For example, Iliana de la Vega typically steers clear of mole and enchiladas until she knows a restaurant wields the necessary culinary prowess. "These sauces can make or break a dish, so I only order them if I've heard great things or have tried them before," she says.

The way a Mexican restaurant is decorated can tell you a lot about its food. In some cases, the decor choices may act as a reflection of the cuisine itself. "If [a restaurant] has a boho and minimal vibe, you can guess it's probably Baja-style cuisine," Yvette Marquez explains. "If there are brown tones and Mexican pottery, you're likely looking at Northern or Central Mexico dishes. Homemade pottery, like Talavera or Barro negro, often points to a focus on Mexico City or Oaxaca." On the other end of the spectrum, she notes that restaurants decked out in prints of iconic figures in Mexican history, such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, tend to be "more modern and trendy."

But similar to the presentation of its dishes, a restaurant that goes all out with its decor may be neglecting what's really important: the quality of the food itself. As a general rule, Marquez prefers to avoid "franchise-style Mexican restaurants," many of which fall into the trap of OTT interiors that don't quite match the standard of their mass-produced food. If a restaurant relies on stereotypes or cliches with its decor (think oversized sombreros and an abundance of cartoon cacti), that may also be a sign that authenticity isn't exactly the biggest priority.