Tex-Mex & MexicanTex-Mex$$
Julio's Café Corona
8050 Gateway Blvd E · East Side, Gateway Blvd
A long-running border Mexican kitchen with Juárez lineage and a menu that does not chase trends.
Why it is on the list
- Decades-deep recipes, served in a room built for big tables.
- Fair prices for the size of the plates.
More tex-mex & mexican
L&J Cafe
The Old Place by the Graveyard. Opened in 1927 as Tony’s Place — home cooking, home brew and slot machines through Prohibition — and still the yardstick every other plate in town gets measured against.
Kiki's Restaurant & Bar
A tiny, perpetually packed room opened by Paula Yardeni in 1976, with a machacado plate people plan their week around.
Carnitas Queretaro
Carnitas by the pound since 1986, from a family operation that grew into several rooms across the city without losing the plot.