Reasons to Find the Best Mexican Restaurant Near You

We hope you enjoy this content. Just so you know, this website may collect a share of sales or other payment from any links, products, or videos on this page.

The content on this site is informational only, and is not intended to be professional advice. Please consult your attorney, doctor, or financial advisor before making any decisions.

Handmade burritos

Is Mexican food your favorite type of cuisine? If it is, you probably know when you?re eating authentic Mexican food versus when you?re eating something that doesn?t meet your expectations. On the other hand, if you?re new to Mexican cuisine, you may want to know how to find the best Mexican restaurant to eat at. You don?t want some of your first experiences eating Mexican dishes to be at a bad restaurant making imitation food. With so many different restaurants to choose from across the country, it could be easy to end up at one that isn?t so great.

Interested in learning more about Mexican cuisine and how it became so popular in the United States? Keep reading for more information on how to find the best Mexican restaurant near you.

Mexican Food: Gaining Popularity in the United States

Whether Mexican cuisine is your favorite or you?re new to discovering it?s flavors and ingredients, you?ve probably noticed that there are so many different Mexican restaurants in the United States. In fact, if you were to drive coast to coast, you would come across no less than 38,000 different Mexican restaurants that serve up delicious food to customers. With so many different restaurants to choose from, it is no surprise that Mexican cuisine is the number one ethnic foods in America. When it comes to ethnic food sales, it take sup more than 40% of the market.

Since so many people are interested in discovering new flavors, it makes sense that Mexican restaurants are so popular. They offer unfamiliar ingredients, tastes, and flavors to consumers who are interested in expanding their palates. In fact, more than 75% of people are continuously trying to find new things to taste and experience when it comes to cuisine. Luckily for them, they can stop at nearly any Mexican restaurant and try an assortment of dishes that will surprise them with new flavors and ingredients.

When trying to find a Mexican restaurant to go to, you might notice certain phrases like ?Tex-Mex? and wonder what that means. ?Tex-Mex? is a version of Mexican food that was created near the border. Around the 1940s, people in Texas started taking Mexican flavors and ingredients and incorporated them into their own cuisine. Then, the name ?Tex-Mex? came to be. It?s a clear fusion of the two different types of cuisine and has spread across the United States over the years.

How to Know You?re Enjoying Authentic Mexican Food

When you stop at a Mexican restaurant, you want to make sure it?s the real deal, though. You don?t necessary want to eat Mexican food that has been overly American-ized, especially if you?re interested in trying new flavors and ingredients. There are a few ways to know that you?re eating the authentic cuisine rather than something that is not quite authentic.

For one, review the menu and look at the different dishes offered. Mexican cuisine is famous for a variety of dishes like mole. This a sauce used in authentic Mexican dishes. There are a variety of different types of mole to choose from when you?re at a really good Mexican restaurant. You can try everything from Negro mole which is a black, chocolate mola, to red mole, to coloradito which is a brown mole. There are also a variety of other moles like amarillo, verde, chichilo, and manchamantel.

It wouldn?t be surprising if the restaurant also served some type of chips and queso or enchiladas. Chips and salsa is a standard appetizer at most of these restaurants. In America, salsa has become so widely popular that it generally makes more in sales throughout any given year than ketchup does. On top of that, tortillas are beginning to see a spike in sales, too. They have outsold other items like hot dog buns since 2010.

Have you found one of the best Mexican restaurants near you to try? What is your favorite authentic Mexican dish to eat? Let us know in the comments how you find a great Mexican restaurant.