El Azteca/La Palapa (Too) restaurants have authentic mexican food out in Howard County, which is pretty good. They would probably rank closer to third. Blue Agave in Federal Hill is probably the best I've had.

I suspect part of the reason this T3 is untackled is the dearth of choices. That said: Holy Frijoles (not as good as it was but still), Golden West (not sure that counts), and Austin Grill (chain, but local). People rave about Nacho Mama's but i personally don't see it. Also, if anyone's out Cecil County way check out Newark's La Tonalteca (nee La Tolteca). Wouldn't this have been better closer to Cinco de Mayo?

Agreed on El Azteca; definitely the best in Howard County.

Lista's was great for New Mexican when it was in Fells Point; I haven't been to their new location.

Golden West in Hampden used to be top notch, but since they jacked up their prices, I haven't been back much.

3 amigos on Harford Road is great. I went there 2 weeks ago and greatly enjoyed my meal.

La Tolteca in Bel Air is great!

Los Portales near BWI is the best I've had ANYWHERE!

Blue Agave - still good, but change of ownership, seemed to correspond with change in level of service.
Tio Pepe - old standby is still good.
Lapalapas - solid enough, best Cinco de Mayo
Rub - Have not been, is this more Texas bbq vs Tex-Mex?
Arcos Restaurant
Carolina's Tex Mex
No Way Jose
Taco Fiesta in Harbor East - nothing fancy, but solid for quick bite or drink
Nacho Mamas
El Salto
Nino Taco - local fast-food caliber Mexican.

I remember being very happy with Zapata's in Columbia's Harper's Choice Village Center. They had both the familiar burritos and the like as well as seemingly more traditional Mexican entrees.

Darn...it's only 8:30 AM, I've eaten my breakfast and now I'm hungry. This blog is dangerous...

Jalapeno's in Annapolis. Hands down. Some might consider it more Spanish then Mexican. But, I don't care. This place is the best.

Mari Luna of course. And I will be sorely, sorely disappointed if HOly Frijoles makes this list. The food there is utter dreck.

My mexican grandmother loves her some Baja Fresh!

La Tolteca in Bel Air. They do such amazing business they are opening a second location in Churchville. They have amazing margarita's, chile rellenos, homemade salsa....yum!! I know they have some other locations like Rehoboth and Salisbury too...

Blue Agave is definitely up there, but I have to give some love to Mari Luna in Pikesville. Just too bad they finally got their liquor license and don't have the BYOB option anymore...

As someone who has visited Mexico frequently, I can tell you that La Palapas' food is nowhere near authentic. Tasty, yes.

Agree about Blue Agave in Fed Hill - fantastic food.

Let's get some seriously authentic (read: real) Mexican:

Hermanos Navarro - Eastern Avenue
Wonderful conchas (almost as good as Bondy in Polanco, DF) and tasty chilaquiles.

Tortilleria Sinaloa - Eastern Avenue
Freshly made corn tortillas (none of that flour nonsense) and some of the best tacos in Baltimore. Plus very tasty Pozole and Menudo.

El Patron - North Charles Street
The regular menu is not really noteworthy but the Mole Poblano and Chiles Rellenos off the "authentic" menu were very good indeed.

Fiesta Mexicana - Philadelphia Road
One of my personal favorites. A true mom and pop kind of operation. Wonderful antojitos and I can't seem to get enough of the Enchiladas de Mole and the quesadillas are as good as the lady in front of the supermarket in Mexico City.

Los Amigos - Harford Road
One of the "older" Mexican joints in Baltimore with a serious Americanized twist to their menu. Not too bad. I just wish it were more authentic, but I always enjoyed their chips and white dip.

MariLuna - Reisterstown Road
Haven't been there in awhile, but I remember positive thoughts about the food. Tasty and worth revisiting.

Pollo Amigo - York Road
While a Peruvian restaurant by design, they have a small Mexican tacos menu and since I work in Towson, this is where I go when I really need a Tacos de Carnitas fix. Pretty decent, just wish I could order one or two at a time instead of the platter with three tacos, rice and beans. It's a bit much when you just want a mid-afternoon snack.

El Salto in Parkville has the best lunch specials around. Its a nice change up from the Chipotle/Qdoba/BajaFresh lunch and is cheaper as well.

One Mexican food lover's top 3:

3. Arco's in Fells Point: Great homemade chips and salsa, good and reasonably priced margaritas, great outdoor/indoor atmosphere, and enchilada plates are well presented with tasty cheese and sauces (verde is very good).

2. El Azteca in Columbia: Best Chicken Tortilla soup, very good cheese enchiladas and good spicy salsa. Nice atmosphere, only good Mexican in Columbia and one of the last non-chains to survive in the town.

1. La Paz in Frederick: Both salsa and con queso are very unique, tomatoey, and incredibly good. Highly recommend the cheese enchilda which comes with tons of cheese and is covered in a sauce, which like the salsa and queso, has an unusual emphasis on tomato flavor. Another great location in downtown Frederick.

Blue Agave. Very good food and the menu won't look anything like a chi chis or taco bell.

I'd second the nod to La Palapa in Ellicott City. El Salto (we go to their Parkville location) and Plaza Tapatia (on the Eastern Shore) both offer delicious Mexican food at astoundingly low prices.

Nino Taco is the best around. I heard they moved to a bigger place in Owings Mills, but there was no topping the original in a hole in the wall in Randallstown (Liberty Road, near Offut). The prices were inexpensive, the portions were huge, and the food was mouth-watering. I haven't been to the new location, but from what I've heard, the prices are up a bit, but the rest is just as good.

Checkout one of the El Salto Restaurants, there's one in Brooklyn Park on Rt. 2 and one in Parkville off of Joppa Road. El Salto is cheap and good. Their cheese is amazing.

La Sirenita-Easter Blvd.
Food is amazing and you get plenty of it with each meal, lots of choices, try the camerones de coctel!

Holy Frijoles-Hampden Hon

Cinco De Mayo-Eastern Blvd
try their huge tortas! also is a small grocery store too!

I don't understand why people rave about El Salto, except for the prices. Although it still seemed expensive for an enchilada platter that was essentially a plate of lettuce and salsa that tasted like it was squeezed directly out of a Heinz 57 bottle.

Loco Hombre's chimichangas (sp?) satisfy my Mexican cravings. Try the ones with scallops and shrimp. Plus, the black bean soup and cabo fish tacos for lunch.

Plaza Garibaldi in Glen Burnie is the best Mexican food I've had since moving to Maryland.

Mari Luna and La Palapa are decent, but Plaza Garibaldi is definitely better.

And yes, Holy Frijoles does not even come close to being good Mexican food. The only reason I ever eat there is because it's around the corner from my house and convenient.

I've probably sampled most of the Mexican/ tex-mex joints in the city. I give props to Blue Agave for keeping it authentic, but it is pricey.

Best place in Baltimore is La Sirenita in Highlandtown, 3928 Eastern Ave. They have the best tacos (7 different meat types including goat, salty beef (cessina), pork rib with the bone in). The soups are awesome: sopa de mariscos with scallop, shrimp, tilapia, half a blue crab; also their Posole soup (hominy soup) is good on a cold day. The La Bistec Mexicano, Pescado Frito (Fried Fish), and burritos (9 different types) are also favorites. Fresh ingredients and great prices. Try it once and I think you'll be back.

UMMMMM.......HEY !!! A little credit here perhaps?

Did I not suggest this very topic last week when you were looking for one?????

Although, my idea was to do it around Cinco de Mayo.

Here are my top 3 faves:

El Aztec in Howard County --along with both of the Lapallapa's in HoCo. All 3 restaurants are owned by the same group, and the menu is the same at each. Great food all around.

Nacho Mamma's in Canton. If for nothing else, the Elvis decoratrions, the old Natty Boh sinage, and the Baltimore sports memorabilia from yester-year are definitely worth a trip.

Mari Luna. As good as any I've been to in Southern California (where I used to travel frequently for work).

You are absolutely right. I went back and checked. And it would have been a good cinco de mayo topic. I was thinking of it in terms of Kiko's closing, and I forgot that. Maybe we should do just Tex-Mex this time and Mexican on April 29? (Cinco de Mayo falls on a Monday this year.) Or places that aren't authentic but we love their Mexican food anyway? EL

I had the good fortune to live in Jalisco, Mexico for three years. I infrequently eat Mexican out because I got spoiled. Locally, Mari Luna and El Azteca are good. La Tolteca is a chain that I ate at twice and regretted going to the first time, but gave them a second chance with equally poor results. Some authenticity but, quality poor. (Though I got to practice my Spanish.) I will try Blue Agave based on the previous posts. I enjoyed South by Southwest when it was open in Fells Point. Great veg options. If anyone has the recipe for their stuffed squash send it.

I just caught where someone mentioned La paz in frederick. I didn;t know we were going out that far (it;s realy not cconsidered the "Baltimore" area), but if we are expanding out that far west, it gets my nod ad one of the best.

BTW--Holy frijoles has gone way, way downhill. It was awesome when it was just a narrow little hole in the wall, but when they yuppified and expanded, the quality and the authenticity took a turn for the worse.

Also, I forgot to mention Habereno Grill on Eastern Ave. A friendly small place. If you go, check out their monster burritos!

Zevonista-
When you say "New Mexican" are you talking about the American state and their seminal cuisine or are you talking about "Nuevo Mexicano" cuisine a la Aguila y Sol and Izote in Mexico City?

LizBeth-
I'm all for making this week a Tex-Mex Week but rather against a Cinco de Mayo listing - especially since Cinco de Mayo isn't really a significant moment for celebration in Mexico. It's a bit a ways away, but a "Mexican Independence Day" list the week of September 15th would seem more apropos.

Plus it gives me more time to check out places like Sirenita, Garibaldi and Portales.

Mari Luna in Piikesville. it's a bit out of the way and parking can be a hassle - BUT.. The food is all outstanding, very authentic. The staff is friendly if a little light on English and they have many unusual dishes on the menu to keep gringoes like me coming back.

Plaza Garibaldi across from Marley Station mall is delicious!

We really enjoy Zen West on York & Belvedere.

Ok, being from the southwest, I am partial to Sonoran and New Mexico styles of cooking. I find that most places that consider themselves to be "Mexican" in Baltimore are horrible (hello Nacho Mama's!). That said, I think Mari Luna and Zapata's are pretty good.

Tortilleria Sinaloa in Fells Point on Eastern Ave.
Nino Taco (2 locations)
Los Portales (near BWI)

Blue Agave is fantastic. Best chile relleno I've ever had, hands down.

La Palapa is just... OK. Most of the dishes I've seen go way, way overboard on cheese and just look like gastrointestinal discomfort waiting to happen. The best thing about La Palapa is the patio.

La Pachanga in HoCo is surprisingly good, particularly the margaritas. I'd compare them favorably to Blue Agave and they're quite a bit cheaper.

One of my old favorites is a place that I'm pretty sure doesn't exist anymore.

Does anyone remember the old "La Hacienda" on Belair Road in the city, somewhere between Moravia Rd and Frankford Ave.

We actually ate at Hacienda quite a bit back in the 80's and early 90's, and for years it was the only game in town (unless you wanted microwaved meals at Chi-Chi's).

The food was good, authentic enough for that time, and they and a great bar with great margarita's.

I haven't been down that stretch of Belair Rd. in ages, and I'd be surprised that it's still there. I had heard a number of years back that its owner had sold it and opened up what was Rothwell's in Cockeysville (which is now under new ownership as Christopher Daniels--that space had been about 50 different restaurants over the years).

Mari Luna - Chef Luna brings to the table the street food of Mexico along with upscale dishes. Don't miss the lamb shanks.

If their parking lot is full, you can park across the street at the RiteAid.

I absolutely agree with everybody who's mentioned Mari Luna, and also with Rosebud, who just brought up Zen West. I go there all the time. The service is sometimes a little spotty, but the food's good and the margaritas are excellent.

I also want to second Mitch's suggestion - Jalapenos in Annapolis. It's tucked away in a kind of random shopping center, but it's so pretty inside and the food is absolutely amazing.

When I lived in Annapolis, about 10 years ago, I used to go to the Mexican Cafe on Bay Ridge Ave. all the time, too. I've heard some mixed reviews since, but back then the food was good and the margaritas were outrageous. S outrageous that no one I know could drink more than one without facing down a night of extreme intoxication...

In an attempt to keep score at home, this is "the top ten Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants in all of Maryland that EL hasn't necessarily visited", right?

new place, Papa Joe's in downtown Westminster. Very good for authentic mexican, though they also have "tex mex" options if you're not into the real stuff. Also, I would recommend Holy Frijoles in Hamden, as long as you don't get anything with steak, which is typically just strips of roasted beef fat.

All the La Palapa's are NOT good.

El Nayar in Elkridge just south of Rt. 100 hands down is the best regional Mexican around.

Sorry, Donny B, but Hacienda closed years ago. It reopened about a year after a kitchen fire gutted it, but never recovered. Hacienda's owner opened Armadillo's (?) in Fells Point, but it's gone too. I think the guy who owns Foreign Motors owns the Hacienda building.

I LOVE Nacho Mama's, but have to admit I don't love the renovation. I'm warming to it, though. And while in no way Mexican, they have the best crab dip in the city.

No Way Jose has the best salsa I have ever had. The rest of the food is ok. It'll satisfy your fix in a pinch.

El Salto is just cheap, good tex-mex. If you order queso dip, they're like, "do you mean cheese sauce?" That makes me like it more.

Blue Agave is probably the best Mexican around.

Zevonista-
When you say "New Mexican" are you talking about the American state and their seminal cuisine or are you talking about "Nuevo Mexicano" cuisine a la Aguila y Sol and Izote in Mexico City?

I'm referring to cuisine from the forgotten state of New Mexico! Different from Tex-Mex, and great use of green chiles. I lived out there for several years, and miss the chicken enchiladas with blue-corn (a BLUE FOOD!) tortillas smothered in green chile...

El Salto is just cheap, good tex-mex.

There's more authentic stuff at El Salto, if you stay away from the lunch specials, etc.

Try the Tacos El Salto. The chile d'arbol salsa that comes with it is great stuff, especially with the chorizo in the filling.

El Nayar in Elkridge just south of Rt. 100 hands down is the best regional Mexican around.

Wow, I live nearby and have never heard of this place! Just googled it...looks good, gotta try it out!

Just visiting from MS.

You've got to try the Peruvian Chicken at Perchi's in Glen Burnie. Best I've had since El Pollo Rico in Wheaton burned down...

...No, I did not burn down El Pollo Rico.

Los Portales
La Tolteca
El Salto

I grew up in the neighborhood by La Hacienda but never ate there. That area used to be so nice. Zen West is very good and El Salto is a good too.

Ye gods! Who'da thunk there were so many Mexican or even Tex Mex places around here?

And Lady Elizabeth was worried about coming up with 10! Hah.

I'm interested that Rosebud and others like Zen West. I've never heard from anyone who has liked it, so we have stayed away. Since Rosebud and I were separated at birth, I may have to rethink that one.

Mari Luna is one of my favorites!

I don't get the whole El Salto thing either, the food is marginal at best and their salsa tastes like ketchup.

I am surprised at the positive posts about Zen West. I thought the food was mediocre at best, although I've only been once because after my first visit, I didn't want to go back.

We have been looking for a good place for a Mexican fix since moving away from our beloved El Salto. We also used to go to Blue Agave for an upscale experience. We have tried Nino Taco a few times and disliked it each time. We tried many different menu items and didn't like one of them. After hearing all of the raves I'll definitely try Mari Luna soon.

I agree with Tortilleria Sinaloa. Excellent tacos, those fresh tortillas are lovely. They are good at dealing even with the most clueless Anglos.

Tijuana Tacos has three restaurants. I go to the one at S. Potomac and Baltimore. Haven't had a bad meal from there yet. The torta al pastor (marinated crispy pork bit sandwich) I got last weekend was tasty. The cestina plater is delicious.

Holy Frijoles...ate there yesterday. Boring. Very, very boring. Bad but very sweet service (which is far worse than just bad). Expensive for what you get. Nice selection of hot sauces on the table, decent salsa with generic, store bought chips. Loud. Smells like old mop. Yech.

Hasn't anyone been to any of the myriad places on the fringes of Fells Pt? I'm hoping there is some authentic good stuff around there, given all the latino immigrants, but haven't tried any yet and wouldn't know where to start.

Seriously folks, I grew up in Texas, and Nacho Mama's isn't tex-mex or mexican, and it has seriously declined in quality in the past 5 years. Holy Frijoles isn't either, and the food was way better when it was a BYO hole in the wall. Austin Grill comes closer to the real thing than either of these places, though it still falls way short.

El Salto and Los Amigos are more authentic than others (at least they get the spices right), but the quality of ingredients is poor (beware lettuce, tomato, meat, guac) - it's relatively bad if you know what the good stuff tastes like. They could make it though if they spent more on quality ingredients. They have the basics right.

The closest place I know that does tex-mex right is the Rio Grande in Bethesda. They make their own tortillas on site, and it's real tex-mex, with quality ingredients. But it's really, really loud in there, even if you have high noise tolerance.

LJ-
If you're seriously interested in sampling some authentic foods, just go for it. That's what I do. I just head down and pick whichever restaurant I haven't tried yet and see what comes up.

Unfortunately, many of the places mentioned above fail as either Mexican or Tex-Mex cuisine (and I wish we had a New Mexican restaurant here) and offer fare that's just terrible and designed to please the uninformed palate.

But if you're looking for some tasty and authentic cuisine along the Fells Point/Highlandtown corridor, I highly recommend Tortilleria Sinaloa, Hermanos Navarro, El Rinconcito, Chicken Rico and that El Salvadorean joint on Fleet Street across from the S&H Bakery.

I'll second, third or maybe it's even fourth Garibaldi in Glen Burnie. We frequently adjourn there for lunch after my wife has run amok at Costco. The food is terrific -- I'm particularly partial to the huevos con chorizo (which for some odd reason, reminds me of the lox and eggs of my Manhattan youth.) My wife likes the abundant chicken tostada. The prices are welcome after a Costco splurge. And the atmosphere is easy and relaxed. Hope it makes the top ten cut.

El Toro Bravo in downtown Annapolis!

How come no one has mentioned Taco Bell ????? ;-)

Costco and Mexican food -- ahh, two words that make my heart go pitter patter. Anyway, I've heard rave reviews of the uncooked tortillas that Costco sells (in their refrigerator section).

Plaza Garibaldi and El Toro Bravo are owned by the same family. If you like one you'll like the other. Most of their food is quite good--though not what I would call authentic--and it's always fun (and inexpensive) to eat there.

The thing is, Mexico is a huge country with lots of wonderful regional food that usually doesn't make it to the menus of restaurants here. I think what people here are accustomed to is the border food, or maybe what they have had at Mexican beach resorts. And there's nothing wrong with that. (unless it involves cheezwiz and canned jalapenos) So, it's hard to declare authenticity when what we have here is usually a combination of familiar Mexican food(cooked by Salvadorean kitchen workers!) interpreted for the American palate and with an eye on convenient preparation in the American kitchen. There are many restaurants that do better than that of course and some of the upscale variety are actually offering the more complex regional dishes. And, lucky for us, the many little places run by Latinos in the Fells Point/Highlandtown area sell great food that is prepared the way they make it at home for their families. Real (authentic) food.

Azgal (and Dahlink) - try Zen West again. I've been there a LOT of times (it's close to my house and wildly kid-friendly) and some visits are better than others, but I'd say that on the whole, the food is good.

It's no Mari Luna, but it's really not bad.

Plus, it's extra fun if you go with Loyola alumni, so they can reminisce about the Gators days.

Jalapenos is more of a Spanish then Mexican restaurant in my estimation, but they have 2 other sister restaurants... Restaurante Serrano is the Mexican of the two. Still have to get there but if it's anything like the quality I've had at Jalapenos I'm sure I'll be happy.

For Mexican the less expensive way I prefer Plaza Garibaldi. Very nice.

And another honest plug for Baja Fresh. I prefer California-Mexican to TexMex any day. Just seems cleaner, less sauced up.

I keep on wanting to try Zen West, but I'm not sure it could be called a Mexican restaurant. It seems more like a Texas Road House. One of their big items is a chicken fried steak.

Plus, it's extra fun if you go with Loyola alumni, so they can reminisce about the Gators days.

Ewww!!! Gators was the kind of place that could only be appreciated by college students.

Jalapeños is indeed a weird name for a Spanish restaurant, which it seems to be, especially since heir logo is a jalapeño pepper in a Mexican sombrero with a bandito bigote. You won't find any hot peppers in Spain.

"I prefer California-Mexican to TexMex any day"

I agree, but only when the "California-Mexican" is from places like El Taurino in East L.A. or Monte Alban on Santa Monica in West L.A.

The I.D. policy at the old Gators was a little...ummm...suspect. So, are we talking about reliving days from Loyola College or Loyola High School?

Oh Robert

It must be high school after all most Baltimore people in their 50's still talk about high school not college!

It seems that most people prefer the American-Mexican rather than real Mexican in the these posts. There are so many mom and pop type places in Fells Point that are soooo much better than most of the places mentioned previously. For one, The Tortillaria on Eastern, has some of the best "real" tacos in town. Try the carnitas (pork), they're awesome. The posole soup from La Taqueria on Eastern if terrific, as well as the mole. I've tried the tacos at Cinco de Mayo, and they were only so-so.

Don't be afraid, everyone speaks English in these places-go out and try something new and different.

Hello guys, newcomer here. I’ve lurked about here for a little while and decided I’d join in! Appears like you’ve got quite a good place here

El Torro Bravo (in downtown Annapolis) is wretched. We go there anyway, but the food is not good. The food at Mexican Cafe is much better (and much closer to what you would get at a Mexican restaurant in Arizona, where I grew up). I'm hoping their new location opens soon and is much cleaner than their old location.

Jalapenos (in Annapolis) is also very good, but it really isn't Mexican or even Tex-Mex.

Also - I went to Holy Frijoles for the first time this weekend and maybe it was an off day, but nothing I consumed there was good.

Uh... just noticed this post is from 2 years ago. Weird. Sorry.