The Best in DFW

Avila's Mexican Restaurant

The stellar food reflects the Avila family's San Antonio roots, with selections such as brisket gorditas in addition to standards like tacos and enchiladas. The quality of ingredients consistently sets Avila's apart: real dairy sour cream, ripe avocado in the guacamole, exquisite brisket, tender stewed chicken. The beans are seasoned with onion and spices and mashed, not fried in lard, and the long-grain rice is slow-cooked, not parboiled. Anita Avila still oversees the kitchen staff; son Ricardo watches the front of the house. It's been a formula for success since the restaurant opened in 1986.
– KIM PIERCE / Special Contributor

4714 Maple Ave. 214-520-2700. $$. Beer and wine.

Benito's

It seems that with Tex-Mex, you often know from the very first bite whether the restaurant cooks to your personal liking. Benito's was that way for me: The chile con carne over the cheese enchilada was brighter in flavor than others, and the queso in question was molten white rather than processed. The chile relleno possessed a model collage of textures, and spunky chorizo covered a memorable tostada. This is Tex-Mex I'll drive for. Locals come here after the bars close for late-night breakfasts like huevos Mexicanos. Big Mexican beer selection and a sweet service staff, too.
– BILL ADDISON / Restaurant Critic

1450 W. Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth. 817-332-8633. $-$$. Full bar.

Casa Milagro

I didn't buy my house because it's only five minutes from Casa Milagro, but its proximity did figure in the deliberations. Sure, you can get a sloppy-good combo plate if that's your wont, but Casa Milagro's real finds are less-common dishes, such as its cabbage rolls, the addictive carnitas and its array of chiles rellenos, slow-roasted and stuffed with anything from brisket and mushrooms to pan-seared tilapia. The salsa has just enough kick, as do the margaritas, and the staff is unfailingly polite to my 3-year-old son. When I'm eating out on my own dime, this is usually the place.
– KIM HARWELL / Special Contributor

1403 E. Campbell Road, Richardson. 972-234-6999. www.casamilagrorestaurant.com. $$. Full bar.

Desperado's

Desperado's has better-than-average Tex-Mex standards: feather-light puffy tacos, illowy tamales, on-the-mark guacamole and righteous margaritas. Where it shines, though, is in its inventive riffs. I require the house-specialty Desperado tacos (fajita beef or chicken melded with jack cheese in a flash-fried flour tortilla shell, spiked with pico and avocado) at least twice a month, and the crunchy fish tacos aren't far behind. The Desperado tacos always seem a little better at the original Greenville Avenue location, but the chicken dishes are tastier at the suburban branch on the Garland-Richardson border.
– LAWSON TAITTE / Special Contributor

4818 Greenville Ave., 214-363-1850, and 3443 W. Campbell Road, Garland, 972-530-8886. www.desperadosrestaurant.com.$-$$. Full bar.

El Ranchito

This Oak Cliff longtimer (open a quarter-century this year) almost didn't make the list because of its divided soul: It is as much northern Mexican as it is Tex-Mex. But let's be generous and include it, if only to celebrate cabrito a la parrilla, the moist and unapologetically gamy grilled baby goat that is a Tex-Mex specialty in San Antonio. Classic chile con queso and combo plates like the Pedro Infante (chicken enchilada in green sauce, a soft taco filled with fajita-style beef and a cheese enchilada) quell traditionalist anxieties.
– BILL ADDISON / Restaurant Critic

1 610 W. Jefferson Blvd. 214-946-4238. www.elranchito-dallas.com. $$-$$$. Full bar.

Escondido

No matter how many Tex-Mex combo plates I try, my heart remains ever faithful to the combination dinner No. 1 at Escondido. It includes a guac-smeared tostada (it's always better after adding salt); one cheese enchilada, filled with the processed yellow stuff that melds almost frighteningly well with chili con carne; one soft cheese taco; one crispy beef taco; one tamale topped with chile gravy; and refried beans and Mexican rice. The beef taco, in which the ground meat and tortilla are fried together before adding lettuce and tomato, may be the real masterwork of the plate. The lunch crowd from the nearby hospitals makes for spicy people watching.
– BILL ADDISON / Restaurant Critic

2210 Butler St. 214-634-2056. $. No alcohol.

Esperanza's Mexican Cafe and Bakery

As much as we love the margaritas and that lush utopia of a patio at famed Fort Worth restaurant Joe T. Garcia's, we'll slip across the street for the food at Esperanza's, which is owned by the same family. Start the day with feisty migas or huevos rancheros, or chow down at lunch on a combo plate of standards made from finely tuned recipes. The cabrito is blanketed with a suave red chile sauce. And I am fanatical about the daily made aguas frescas: The cantaloupe version is a liquid ode to summer. Sadly, I stuff myself so full of chile relleno and enchiladas every time I come here that I've yet to sample the profusion of baked goods.
– BILL ADDISON / Restaurant Critic

2122 N. Main St., Fort Worth. 817-626-5770. Second location at 1109 Hemphill St., Fort Worth. 817-332-3848. $-$$. No alcohol.

Herrera's Mexican Restaurant

While expanding south, north and into the 'burbs, Herrera's, which opened its first location in 1971 on Maple Avenue, has kept it simple: Tex-Mex standards arranged into combination platters, pitchers of salsa on each table and spicy bean soup with dinner. For a good sampling, order the Jimmy's or Primo's specials, which include a variety of tacos, enchiladas and burritos. The basics are among the best (the cheese enchiladas have the right amount of meat sauce to counter that satisfying ooze of queso), but dishes featuring the peppery, stewed steak are a worthy diversion.
– SHANNON SUTLIEF / Special Contributor

4001 Maple Ave. (and other area locations). 214-528-9644. $. BYOB.

Mia's Tex-Mex Restaurant

Ana "Mama Mia" Enriquez and her husband, Butch (now deceased), founded Mia's in 1981. Today it's a mother ship for the many Dallas eateries spun off by Mia's family members: brother Manny Rios' Manny's Uptown; niece Gina Lara's Casa Blanca; and son Mico Rodriguez's M Crowd restaurant empire. But Mia's still has the "It" factor. Tuesday night's special of tender, raisin-studded beef chile relleno is so huge it nearly covers a plate. Carne asada could become any steak lover's new favorite Tex-Mex dish. Queso and guacamole both are subtly spiced. Don't miss the margaritas, excellent whether frozen or on the rocks.
– JOYCE SÁENZ HARRIS / Special Contributor

4322 Lemmon Ave. 214-526-1020. www.miastexmex.com. $-$$. Full bar.

How we choose

Selections are based on recent reviews and dining experiences by Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Bill Addison and other regular reviewers, including Kim Harwell, Michael Hiller, Kim Pierce and Lawson Taitte.

When you see this symbol in on GuideLive.com, you'll know that location is a critics' pick. Critics' picks are presented alphabetically, without ranking. For more details on our price key and star ratings, check GuideLive.com's Restaurant Frequently Asked Questions. To join in and view other dining features, check the Restaurants page at GuideLive.com.