The Resy Guide to Atlanta’s Essential Mexican Restaurants

This all-fresh-everything Mexican restaurant, located at the edge of The Beacon’s buzzy dining and drinking options, was opened by a family whose roots go back to Jalisco and Michoacán, and who focus on showcasing a range of Mexican gastronomy without giving up generational traditions. Whether you reserve a seat on the massive patio or the colorful and contemporary indoor dining area, you get off to a great start with their exquisite charred fresh tomato salsa and cheese dip, to which you should absolutely take the $1.50 “add chorizo” option. As for entrees, you can go somewhat familiar with the shredded mole, guajillo, and tomatillo chicken enchiladas topped with pickled onions, which are as delicious as they look on your plate. Or take to the sea via the grilled octopus in spicy chimichurri with roasted corn and poblano cauliflower. On the beverage side, the bar refuses to carry celebrity-owned Tequilas, mezcal, or agave products, and they still manage to pour over 30 mezcal selections from five different Mexican states. Get experimental and try a mezcal or Tequila flight, or go straight at the Boss margarita, made with Herradura anejo, fresh lime and OJ, and a floater of orange liqueur. 

*Note: A limited menu is currently available and tables have 90-minute limits per visit.

There’s no wrong stall to hit inside this color-bursting Buford Highway shopping center, so don’t be too shy to try a little bit of everything on offer (remember, closed mouths don’t get fed). The enchiladas and sopes of the wood-paneled Pollos Mi Tierra are plenty satisfying, just as Arepas Grill, Pico Ice Cream, and Taquería La Norteña tell you exactly what you’re getting, though not as clearly as when you’re consuming great bites from their menus. It’s one of Atlanta’s most culturally important treasures, and it feeds visitors in more ways than meals, but don’t dare leave without having lunch or dinner. 

See Plaza Fiesta’s dining options here. 

Taqueria Del Sol takes a simple approach to its Mexican food and drinks, which has helped them stay consistently great for years, both according to Atlanta taco-lovers and James Beard Award committees. A la carte flour tacos are what you’ll see most folks taking back to their tables after ordering, particularly the jalapeno-lime fried chicken tacos, shredded brisket, and egg-wash-dipped fried tilapia, which is rolled in corn masa and served with poblano tartar sauce. There are also specials like Mexico City roasted pork taco in a corn tortilla for lunch, and smoked salmon tostadas for dinner. On the margarita side they’ve got a house version, a Texas, and a “Westside” with reposado Herradura, which is just one of the almost-60 Tequilas you can order from the bar. But yes, you have to wait your turn in the line, and everybody in this line is cool, so be cool too.

See the menu at Taqueria del Sol’s website here.

El Valle prides itself on an elegant Mexican dining experience through beautifully plated and presented food and drinks. There are standouts like halibut ceviche, pork belly sopes de carnitas, and braised short rib mole de ajo negro with stone-ground grits, and drinks perfect for kicking off, continuing, or properly completing any meal. One great suggestion: the Vivir Mi Vida. It’s served on the rocks in a tall Collins glass, and made with silver Tequila, mezcal, a bit of housemade tomato-honey cordial, and a kiss of lime juice.

El Tesoro’s unpretentious approach might mislead newcomers, but ask a local and you’ll likely hear that this is some of the best Mexican food in the city. This is a place best enjoyed with friends, especially to keep you company in the sometimes (well, often) long line that stretches (and often bends) down the block. Once you arrive at the counter to place your order, get started with roasted tomato salsa, then start picking and choosing barbacoa, tinga de pollo, or vegetarian tacos with mushroom, squash, rajas, and esquite. If you can snag a seat on the always-crowded patio, do that; it’s a great place to enjoy the traditional house blanco margarita (which comes by the pitcher), or the boozy and fruity passion fruit margarita. If you’re feeling fancy, ask for a tamarind candy straw.

See the lunch and dinner menus at El Tesoro here.

This small, takeout only Memorial Drive shack of tacos has rarely had a day off from immediately creating a line down its ramp and out into the parking lot it shares with Grindhouse Killer Burgers. And though it might take an additional 10 minutes of wait, no one complains since the payoff — assuming you arrived before your favorite taco sells out — is amazing tacos like the al pastor (pork, piña and salsa fresca), lamb barbacoa in chile arbol and chicken mole poblano. Other eats, such as the aguachile tostada or the fried quesadilla, are also known for going fast, so maybe quicken your own pace getting there right at 5pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays, when they open.

Check out Supremo’s menu here.

We love a restaurant that tells you exactly what you’re going to get up front, and Guac y Margys delivers. Scan the entire page of traditional and specialty margaritas, and order something you don’t normally see elsewhere, like the Cool Hand Cuke. To make it, the bar infuses Lunazul Tequila with cucumber spears and rounds of spicy jalapenos, then shakes it up with Cointreau, agave, lime juice, and salt. It’s refreshing, slightly spicy, and tastes like something you should sip wearing a linen outfit, whether or not you’re planning on boating later in the day. But maybe don’t wear the white linen — it might get messy due to the cotija-cheese-topped empanadas, and the Tequila lime chicken, blackened grouper, or roasted cauliflower tacos.

See the menu at Guac y Margys website here. (And don’t forget about the Old Fourth Ward/Inman Park location.)

What do you get when Cajun and Tex-Mex combine to serve hungry downtowners? That would be Dos Bocas, located just off Centennial Park. Here you can mix it up from the beginning, ordering appetizers like chili con queso alongside fried bayou shrimp with remoulade. The entrees split like state lines, with Louisianian classics like shrimp Creole and crawfish etouffee, or Tex-Mex offerings like birria burritos, or grilled and chorizo-topped chicken toluca with charro beans. Sweets like churros, tres leches cake, and beignets span both states. Don’t forget the margarita — we like the blush-hued prickly pear with Camarena reposado, but if you like a classic New Orleans hurricane with your tacos, you’ll get no judgment from us.

Johns Creek is lucky to have this Mexican cantina’s Southern California take on Mexican food. Bring your appetite to the understated space, and soak up the breezy contemporary décor: ornate tiled walls, white tablecloth and tied drapes softening the sunlight from beyond the tall windows, and straw chandeliers and wall decorations. It’s delicate eye candy, but you’re here for the chili-garlic-seasoned carne asada fries, beer-battered lobster tail tacos, the massive pork verde burrito (available in a bowl if flour tortillas aren’t your jam), and house specialties like the Corn-Nut-crusted grouper with sweet potato mash. 

The Ford Fry-owned chain has several locations throughout Atlanta and each of them serves the same menu of delicious food and refreshing drinks. The chili con queso with picadillo — spiced ground beef crumbles — should not be missed. Neither should the chicken tacos, adobo pork hot tamales in chili gravy, or the tacos al carbon, whether you prefer wood-grilled steak, smoked chicken, or guava-glazed crispy pork belly. All are delicious with an El Frios, the frozen margarita made with a heavy pour of El Jimador blanco, or the unfrozen Ginger Margarita with a spicy ginger syrup. Consider also the Tempest: This cocktail is made with both Tequila and mezcal and gets a kick from a few glugs of Cowboy gringo hot sauce.

See the menu for any Superica location here.

Mi Barrio’s outside facade is painted a vibrant red, with a mural of a man donning a headdress sealed to its side. It’s kitschy for sure, but don’t let that lead you away from the very good food and drink here. The shrimp or ceviche cocktail are great for the times when you’re seeking something to pad the sufficiently strong and surprisingly inexpensive margaritas, which are $8 for a medium size and under $25 for a pitcher. When you’re truly dinnertime-hungry, have a spicy stewed pork torta, lengua tacos, entree plates of shrimp a la diabla and… really, why aren’t you getting in the car and heading there now? 

Keep up with Mi Barrio on Facebook.

Cinco has three locations throughout Georgia and a few of them have rooftops that are 21+, where you can enjoy a kid-free afternoon or evening of great food and drinks. Start with ahi tuna totopos or a Maine lobster and shrimp dip, before stepping up to a pork carnitas flatbread with caramelized onions and roasted red peppers, or a variety of tacos including grilled salmon, and short rib with bacon and American cheese. There are six margaritas to choose from, including the Cinco Rita, which substitutes Tito’s vodka (!!) for Tequila, and the 5, made with raspberry-flavored Chambord and flecks of fresh blueberries.

There may be no more appropriate place to have a proper date night featuring Mexican cuisine. Alma Cocina, first opened in 2011 downtown with a second Buckhead location open since 2020, has reopened at its original Peachtree Street digs following a pandemic-forced closure. If you’re closer to the southside, just know that the quality of dishes, from the shellfish ceviche starter to entrees like snapper veracruzana, and the chicken tinga chorizo street tacos, and post-dinner sweets like the churro ice cream sandwich or mezcal caramel flan are worth braving the perennial downtown parking debacle.

See Alma Cocina’s menu and make reservations here. 

Bone Garden

Skulls and skeletons, painted on the walls and placed decoratively around the dining room in sculptured form, dance without moving at Bone Garden, where it always seems like Dia de los Muertos, giving you a chance to come alive with food and drink. While some longstanding Mexican restaurants in the area have settled into a static version of their former selves, Bone Garden still impresses after 14 years of flavorful consistency, which is why both the eclectic indoor and industrial-chic outdoor seating keep a steady flow of guests coming in and out. We like the chorizo, shrimp, chicken or brisket birria enchiladas, any of the corn tortilla tacos (be careful with the dark chicken chile picante — it’s delicious but hotter than the summer ATL sun), and fantastic tostados, empanadas and burritos. Whether you keep it zero-proof with a tamarind agua fresca, or see where the list of 36 tequilas and more than 40 mezcals, you’ll leave feeling like life is all bueño.

See the menu and buy gift cards at Bone Garden’s website.

Gaining its rep by impressively duplicating the beloved and storied burrito from Tortilla’s (a ghost of ATL’s dining-out past), Bell Street now has several locations, including the BeltLine, south Buckhead on Peachtree Street, and more. Even if you never had the famous Tortilla’s version, you won’t care much since a perfect burrito doesn’t need anything to which it can be compared. You get 14 options on the standard menu, with proteins like smoked brisket on one end to green chiles, broccoli and even Beyond Meat on the other, all with pinto beans, melted jack cheese, rice and salsa fresca unless modified. The specialties, including chicken and broccoli, and steak with shrimp, are also brag-worthy, and you can add free extras like pickled/fresh jalapeños, or have yours grilled for a few extra coins. 

Bell Street’s menu applies to all locations; take a look here. 

Taking things up a notch is Casi Cielo, whose uniquely artisanal Oaxacan cuisine is crafted using ingredients local to Atlanta and the surrounding region. Get going with the sliced, citrus-powder-adorned aguachile de pescado (halibut), a bowl of chipotle butternut squash soup, and maybe a taco — the tempura mahi-mahi is light enough to keep you on track for dinner but tasty enough to add to your starter experience. From there it’s serious suppertime: the black mole duck carnitas, the tortilla-dough-wrapped salmón prehispánico (also wrapped in plantain leaf), and charcoal prawns in green chile habañero oil, won’t make you sad that you didn’t get the roasted beef bone marrow with lamb chimichurri, and vice-versa. Here things get a little redefined from what you might call traditional, but you’ll recognize the talent and flavor as being above the norm. 

Visit Casi Cielo’s website here. 

Some places make it easy for decision-challenged customers, and Raging Burrito has been satisfying guests since 1996 with some of the Atlanta area’s best burritos. The downtown Decatur tavern has a storefront entrance in the heart of Decatur Square, but many patrons head straight for the patio out back near the parking lot. There, at wrought-iron tables surrounding a round water fountain in the center (where random birds like to hang out from time to time), people can be frequently found navigating their way through gargantuan “monster” burritos, especially the specialty versions such as pineapple jerk, Cajun, teriyaki, chipotle barbecue and more. 

These burritos are great; check out the full menu at the website here. 

The indoor patio is the move at this East Andrews venue, especially this summer (the outdoor patio closes when temps are too high). The hanging floral decor blends with the bright white walls and colorfully tiled tables to create an atmosphere that can be festive when needed and chilled when not. In any occasion, you’ll do well with their margaritas, particularly the ginger watermelon marg when the sun’s being unreasonable, or the chili-infused blood orange when you can take a little more heat. Food standouts start with small plates like butterbeans and farro verde with charred tomatoes and maitake mushrooms in a Fresno chile broth, and continue with braised lamb shank birria tacos, or the excellent hibiscus- and chile-rubbed pollo con mole, served over sticky Carolina Gold rice.

Visit Chido & Padre’s website here to see the full menu.