Coming to Winston-Salem from south Texas, I was curious to see how the Mexican food would match up with what I was used to back home. After sampling many local Mexican restaurants over the past four years, here is what I have found:

Taco Riendo 3:

Yes, the best Mexican restaurant in Winston Salem is located in a gas station. It seems a little sketchy at first when looking at it from the outside, but once inside I was realized everything was just right. You immediately feel like you’re somewhere in south Texas, with a TV in the corner playing Spanish music videos, Spanish-speaking families, and Jarritos sodas. Everything is completely authentic.  The food, for its value is excellent.

The ingredients are good and they make everything the right way. One of the best things about Taco Riendo 3 is how cheap it is; I’ve never gotten so much food for so little money. Lucky for us, they even give Wake students a 10% discount, so you pay very little for incredible Mexican food.

I’m not sure why it’s Taco Riendo “3”; maybe because third time is the charm? Taco Riendo doesn’t try too hard like the other restaurants on this list and that’s what makes it so great.

Rating …………………………………………… A+

The Porch:

When I first ate here, I knew something was not right. The fajita meat tasted perfect, the guacamole was good, the tortillas were made correctly–all the little details of the food were perfect.  I thought: there is no way that people from North Carolina can make Mexican food like this, then I looked up at the wall and saw that Texas flag and realized that someone from Texas must be involved.

It turns out the owners are from Texas, which explains why the food was so good. Overall, this is the best Mexican food you will get in Winston Salem. The only downside is that it takes forever to get your food and it’s probably more expensive than other places.

Rating ……………………………………………  A

Tijuana Flat’s:

Probably the best thing about Tijuana Flats is that they have a cool mural on the wall of the Deacon shooting lightning out his cane. The food is nothing to get too excited about. It’s a chain, so the food is not genuine at all, but it is still stomachable if you’re hungry. Its like an better version of Taco Bell.

Rating …………………………………………… B-

Tequila: 

Tequila is a really trying to be a genuine Mexican restaurant. The interior looks like a classic Mexican restaurant, the menu looks like a Mexican restaurant menu, and the food is presented the way it would be at a traditional Mexican restaurant.

The problem is that the food just does not deliver. The meat is extremely dry and flavorless and many of the other ingredients do not impress at all. People who go here to get a genuine Mexican restaurant experience must not know what good Mexican food is.

Rating …………………………………………… B-

Mi Pueblo:

The food at Mi Pueblo is frankly a disgrace; I would even say it is the worst Mexican food I’ve ever had. Somehow they manage to make something as simple as rice taste bad. Guacamole is my favorite food and I’ve never encountered a guacamole that I didn’t like; however, I couldn’t even eat the guacamole here because it was so bad. I don’t even think the guac had real avocados, it was just a mushy green paste.

But Mi Pueblo gets bumped up to “F+” because they let you order a pitcher of margaritas.

Rating …………………………………………… F+