Austin, TX
For Mexican in Austin, the local food press points to Habanero Cafe, Texas Chili Parlor, and Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop. Picks from The Infatuation Austin and Austin Chronicle, updated July 2026.
Editor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in The Infatuation Austin and Austin Chronicle. Updated July 2026.
Habanero Cafe · Dawson
Infatuation's #1 Tex-Mex (9.0). Tiny South Austin counter spot. The hand-pressed flour tortillas and carne guisada are Central Texas at its most honest.
Texas Chili Parlor · Downtown
Infatuation (9.0). A 1970s dive-bar-plus-Tex-Mex institution. Enchiladas smothered in Texas-style chili, frozen margs, zero pretense.
Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop · East Austin
Infatuation (8.6). Sixty-plus years on East 7th. Huevos rancheros, barbacoa, and migas are textbook East Austin Tex-Mex.
Fonda San Miguel · North Loop
Fonda San Miguel is an interior Mexican restaurant in North Loop, open since 1975 in a hacienda-style room full of folk art. Queso fundido with rajas, chorizo verde, and slow-cooked mixiote showcase regional Mexican cooking far beyond Tex-Mex, and the Sunday brunch buffet is legendary. A 2024 Austin Chronicle Mexican readers'-poll honoree, it is the city's grande-dame of interior cuisine.
Suerte · East Austin
Suerte is chef Fermin Nunez's East Sixth Street restaurant built around nixtamalized heirloom corn and Oaxacan cooking. The suadero taco, masa dishes, and mezcal list have made it one of the most acclaimed Mexican rooms in the city. Nunez took the Austin Chronicle's chef award, and the kitchen's from-scratch masa program anchors a menu that treats corn as the star.
What’s your #1 Mexican in Austin?
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