El Burrito Mercado sits in a sun-drenched, inviting spot on Cesar Chavez Street in St. Paul. Since owners Tomas and Maria Silva opened in 1979, the restaurant and market, now run by daughters Milissa Silva-Diaz (CEO of El Burrito Mercado) and Suzanne Silva, and granddaughter Analita, has become a pillar of Mexican cuisine in the Cities. There are a few ways to eat here: Hop in line at the cafeteria-style El Cafe Express, have a seat in the El Cafe Y Bar dining area, or choose from an array of hot and cold items in the deli. If you’re dining in, try the fluffy tamales or the molcajete Mexicano, which combines ribeye steak, chicken, chorizo, shrimp and vegetables in a hot stone mortar, to share.

Restaurateurs Armando Ocampo and Lilia Zagal first opened Los Ocampo in 2003 — today, the couple operates seven restaurant sites around the metro, from sit-down options like this University Avenue location to express cafes at Midtown Global Market and City Center. Try the pozole, the tripa tacos, or the huarache, made with a handmade masa cake and refried beans plus your choice of meat — choose between Mexican sausage, lengua, chipotle beef, and more. Pair lunch with horchata or agua de jamaica.

Owners Hortencia Reyes and Miguel Lopez opened Homi (a combination of their names) in 2010. More than a decade later, their son chef Miguel Lopez leads the kitchen, serving family recipes in a sunny, recently updated space on University Avenue. The whole menu — from the chille relleno to the empanadas to the fried beans — is made from scratch. On the weekends, stop by with Hidalgo-style barbacoa de Borrego served with consomé; menudo and pozole are available every day of the week. Homi also works with Minnesota Central Kitchen to provide hundreds of weekly meals for those in need.

Tucked into a bright yellow and orange storefront on Minnehaha Avenue, Tacos El Primo is a marvelous spot for all kinds of Mexican dishes — from its namesake al pastor, chicharron, and carnitas tacos to calda de camaron, picaditas, flautas, and gorditas. Try the pambazo, made with bread that’s dunked in red guajillo pepper sauce and fried, then stuffed with potatoes and a choice of meat. Owner Maria Lorena Ortega Yepez also operates a food truck on East Lake Street.

Chefs and owners Alejandro Castillon and Conrado Badilla opened Sonora Grill as a taco stand in Midtown Global Market in 2011, and attracted a following within months — a few years later, the pair moved into a permanent space on Lake Street. The restaurant’s Sonora-style tacos are notable: Try the pork guajillo with chipotle salsa, the shrimp tempura, or the veggie taco with roasted mushrooms and poblano peppers. Pair dinner with a “La Violeta” margarita, made with lavender syrup and creme de violette.

La Loma Tamales serves some of the best tamales in the Twin Cities. Chefs and owners Noelia and Enrique Garcia came to Minneapolis from Quebrantadero, a town in south central Mexico — today, they run several La Loma retail locations around the Cities. Their stand at Midtown Global Market on Lake Street also serves tacos and chilaquiles, but don’t walk away without one each of the chicken, pork and sweet corn tamales. For something sweet, grab a pineapple or sweet raisin tamale to go.

Tacos El Kevin, owned by Saturnina Valdez and Estevan Olivares, serves some of the Cities’ best Mexican cuisine out of a small, brightly painted storefront in Minneapolis’s Powderhorn neighborhood. The taco menu here, led by chef Armando Dominguez, is immensely popular: Try the crispy tacos dorados, or the al pastor or carne, served with whole grilled green onions, and grab a cup of sliced mangos or a passionfruit shaved ice.

Follow Nicollet Avenue all the way south to Richfield for a stop at Andale Taqueria & Mercado, one of the Cities’ most-loved taquerias. From the specialty menu, try the sopa de mariscos, made with crab legs, squid, and other seafood in a tomato-based broth, or crispy, golden chimichangas. Andale made an appearance on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2020: Guy Fieri heartily endorses chefs and owners Fernando Mellado-Barboza and Jorge Rangel Castro’s al pastor tacos, made with dense blocks of achiote paste, guajillo peppers, cumin, and orange juice.

Owner Isela Perez Pacheco first opened Maya Cuisine on Central Avenue in 2012: Stop by for elotes, pozole, and tacos. The restaurant has both cafeteria-style and sit-down dining options in a colorful, courtyard-like space — don’t miss out on the extensive salsa bar, or the popular Sunday brunch, which offers everything from tamales, buttered codfish, and sopa de mariscos to pancakes, French toast, and desserts.

El Taco Riendo is a mainstay of Northeast Minneapolis’s Central Avenue. During the pandemic, the restaurant was burned down in a fire — it’s since been resurrected in full form. Owner Miguel Gomez’s menu features standouts like massive chimichangas, crispy flautas, chile relleno, tacos dorados, and caldo de res, a red Mexican beef soup. Catch the lime green food truck out and about in the warmer months.

A casual, industrial-chic restaurant in Minneapolis’s Northeast neighborhood by co-owners Jose Alarcon and Jami Olson, Centro is a great spot for creative tacos (think papas with escabeche vegetables, or cured cactus with mushrooms, kale, and caramelized onions). Chef Jose Alarcon also serves a notable brunch on Sundays: Come for the pescado tortas, the guava glitter rolls, and the passion fruit frozen margaritas. If you’re on the go, grab some masa cookies or chocolate mole cupcakes from the bakery.