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I'm looking for good Mexican restaurants in the area. I'm from Southern California, so I'm used to finding good Mexican food all over - but so far, I haven't been impressed with what I've found locally. Of course, I haven't been here long enough to do any real looking - so what I've found isn't much of a sampling, I'm sure.
I'm especially interested in anything in or near Clayton - but pretty much anywhere in the area is fine for me - it's no farther than I'm used to driving
Please see my "rating system" below and let me know if you find any category 4s.
In my opinion, there are a few "tiers" of Mexican food.
1. Fast Food Mexican: This would be Taco Bueno or Taco Bell-type places.
2. Counter Service Mexican: This would be Salsa Fresh, Moes, Chipotle, Quedoba, and all of those other burrito places.
3. Pre-Made Sit Down Mexican: Los Tres Magueyes, et al. These are restaurants that have a waitstaff and serve Mexican food, but the food is all pre-made and tastes like it came out of a jar, can, or plastic wrap. If you go to any of them, you'll notice that everything tastes the same or has the same consistency.
4. Home-made Sit Down Mexican: Ahhh.. The holy grail. The salsa is chunky and you can see the cilantro and jalapeno. The chips are still a little greasy and are thin and crispy. There is a tortilla oven in the corner plopping out nice hot floury tortillas, the meat tastes like it was cooked in lard, the margaritas are made with real lime juice, etc etc.
My 2 favorite Mexican restaurants ( I should note that I live in southern Wake and do not go over to Chapel Hill or Durham for dining ) are Tacos Mexico in Apex on 55, and Torreros in Cary on Kildaire Farm. Neither is a category 4, but they are better than a straight category 3.
Best of luck. So far Taco Bell is the best option. There appear to be some good taco places in CH and Raleigh that people here have mentioned before, so I hope people chime in again.
Stay away from Toreros in Cary - I'd be afraid of people getting sick. I should have called the health department after I left for the last time.
I dearly miss Javier's in Laguna Beach and even the local Taco Mesa chain.
You absolutely need to check out Blue Corn Cafe on 9th Street in Durham. I promise you will not be disappointed. They make everything in house from fresh ingredients, and that includes the salsas, pico de gallo, etc.
I'm serious. If you try it and don't like it, I will eat my hat. Literally. I'll eat my hat and send you pictures of me doing so.
And no, I am in no way affiliated with the establishment.
This is almost as common as the question "Where can I find the best pizza?"
Part of it was the "southern california" part - I missed the other post on that, thanks for the links.
Looks like Torero's is likely the best bet - at least for a quick fix
EDIT: Maybe not the one in Cary, then...
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewUser
Please see my "rating system" below and let me know if you find any category 4s.
Gladly!
There are a fair number of hole-in-the-wall places in the south part of Clayton (near the 42 E), where I also noticed a rather large Mexican population, so I was thinking that might be a good bet, but I was hoping for some suggestions first.
There USED to be one called El Sabor de Oaxaca that had good reviews, and was run by a native of Oaxaca, but it's closed now.
1. Dos Taquitos (N. Raleigh, at Millbrook and Creedmoor). Kinda pricey for Mexican, but really, really good food, and different.
2. Torerros. It's a small, local chain. I like the one in downtown Durham - they have a second menu in spanish with more authentic foods.
3. The BP gas station on Capital Blvd. Seriously. There's a sign on the front of the building that says "Tobacco Outlet" or some such thing, and in the back of the quick-mart is a counter serving cheap, good Mexican food. I hope you speak Spanish, or you may not get what you thought you ordered. One of the hot sauces is ridiculously spicy, so be careful.
4. El Rodeo. It's just ok. Some of the stuff isn't very good, but some of it is.
Also, there's some little shack (or at least there used to be) on 54 out past Carrboro. I can't remember the name, but maybe someone else can pipe up. It's pretty authentic, cheap, and good.
I like Super Tacqueria on Roxboro in Durham. There's probably a dozen tacquerias along Roxboro, and I've heard alot of them are good. Carpe Durham has reviewed alot of them...
You absolutely need to check out Blue Corn Cafe on 9th Street in Durham. I promise you will not be disappointed. They make everything in house from fresh ingredients, and that includes the salsas, pico de gallo, etc.
I'm serious. If you try it and don't like it, I will eat my hat. Literally. I'll eat my hat and send you pictures of me doing so.
And no, I am in no way affiliated with the establishment.
I thought Blue Corn was just okay. The chiken tinga and the plaintain platter were decent. I wouldn't rate it as awesome.
Does an okay rating equate to eating half of your hat????
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