Top 10 Most Popular Mexican Restaurants In the United States

The Most Famous Mexican Restaurants In The US

Mexican cuisine is a widely enjoyed global culinary tradition that incorporates fundamental elements like corn masa, beans, and meat, along with a diverse array of complex sauces, garnishes, and slaws.

Mexican cuisine is a delectable fusion of tangy, spicy, sweet, and savory tastes that has flourished into a multibillion-dollar chain restaurant industry in the United States.

Many Mexican chain restaurants in the United States classify their cuisine as Tex-Mex, as they combine Mexican flavors with American ingredients such as cheddar cheese, hard-shelled tacos, and flour tortillas. Additionally, they significantly reduce the level of heat and spice found in traditional Mexican salsas.

Regardless of whether you prefer traditional Mexican cuisine or Tex-Mex dishes, you can easily find a Mexican restaurant that caters to your preferences anywhere in the United States. Simply refer to the list of top Mexican chain restaurants provided below.

Learn more: Top 10 Best Mexican Restaurants In New York City

Top 10 Most Famous Mexican Restaurants In The US

1. Chipotle

Chipotle - The Most Famous Mexican Restaurant In The US

Year founded: 1993

Headquarters: Newport Beach, California

States with a location: 43

Specialty Dish: Carnitas Burrito

The aroma of fresh ingredients greets you as you enter Chipotle. The first thing you notice is the line where you can add all of your favorite toppings to your burrito or burrito bowl. Chipotle has something for everyone.

The restaurant's cleanliness and brightness are the next things you'll notice. You can see the fresh ingredients being prepared for your meal in the open kitchen. When you order your meal, you will see a team member prepare it fresh in front of you.

Chipotle is one of the best Mexican restaurants because it deviates from the fast food stereotype. The food is fresh and healthy, and the restaurant is clean and bright.

What are some of the most popular Mexican dishes? Burritos, tacos, and enchiladas are popular dishes in Mexican restaurants in the United States (although burritos are not very common in Mexico and are typically only eaten in specific areas in northern Mexico). There are numerous other popular traditional Mexican dishes, such as mole, sopes, carnitas, and tostadas.

2. Taco Bueno

Taco Bueno - The Most Famous Mexican Restaurant In The US

Taco Bueno has approximately 150 locations in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Taco Bueno first opened its doors in 1967 in Abilene, Texas, more than 50 years ago.

Taco Bueno's menu covers all of the Mexican fast-food staples, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and salads.

Taco Bueno also offers six different types of combo meals, allowing you to pair your favorite menu items with a drink of your choice.

3. Torchy’s Tacos

Specialty Dish: Trashy Torchy’s Tacos

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Torchy's Tacos has over 90 locations across the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Torchy's Tacos was founded in Austin, Texas, by taco enthusiast Mike Rypka.

Rypka used to ride his red Vespa around town with a taco food trailer.

His tacos were so popular that he was able to open more than 90 Torchy's Tacos locations!

Torchy's menu is built around tacos.

Torchy's tacos come in a variety of flavors, including blackened salmon, smoked beef brisket, jalapeno cheddar sausage, fried avocados, and even Beyond Beef.

4. Taco Bell

Founded: 1962

Taco Bell is the world's largest Mexican fast-food chain, known for its low prices, late-night hours, and extravagant twists on classics such as tacos, burritos, and quesadillas.

There are over 7,000 Taco Bell locations in the United States, so you're probably not far from one.

Taco Bell was founded in 1962 by Glen Bell.

Bell ran Bell's Drive-In and Taco Tia, a Mexican fast-food restaurant in San Bernardino, California, before opening the first Taco Bell in Downey, California.

5. Fuzzy’s Taco Shop

Year founded: 2003

Headquarters: Fort Worth, Texas

States with a location: 17

Fuzzy's Taco Shop first opened its doors in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2003.

Fuzzy has always been known for his Baja tacos and chips and queso.

Fuzzy's menu includes a variety of Baja tacos in tantalizing flavors like tempura shrimp, shredded brisket, spicy pork, grilled Mahi, and fried avocado.

They also sell three varieties of chips with queso: plain, beef, and chorizo.

In addition to their signature tacos, chips, and queso, Fuzzy's menu includes burritos, bowls, nachos, quesadillas, salads, and breakfast.

Is Mexican food always spicy? A common misunderstanding about Mexican food is that it is always very spicy... But this couldn't be further from the truth. In Mexican food, both fresh and dried chiles are used in a lot of salsas, sauces, and meat braises, but they usually add flavor rather than spice or "heat." The amount of heat in Mexican food is often up to the person eating it, and a lot of Mexicans like heat. If you want to make Mexican food with chile, you can take out the pith and seeds, which are what give the pepper its heat. If you want your food to stay mild, you can leave out the chile.

6. On the Border

The menu at this full-service chain was influenced by both Mexico and Texas. It includes homemade tortillas, tacos, fajitas, and tasty grilled proteins. For people over 21, there are also a bunch of fun margaritas to choose from.

Restaurant Business Magazine says that the 40-year-old restaurant chain had trouble with sales from 2006 to 2021 because they tried to cut costs in ways that hurt the quality of the food. Last year, though, the company made a big comeback thanks to a new menu and investments in technology that made the experience of guests better, like a new website and digital waitlist.

These days, there are lots of happy customers who rave about the food and service.

7. Baja Fresh

Over 150 Baja Fresh locations can be found in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Baja Fresh was founded in 1990. They have always made an effort to use fresh, unprocessed ingredients.

Because of this commitment to freshness, Baja Fresh restaurants lack freezers, microwaves, and can openers.

Tacos, burritos, and salads are among the traditional Tex-Mex dishes on the Baja Fresh menu.

8. Qdoba Mexican Eats

Qdoba has over 750 locations in 44 states and the District of Columbia.

The first Qdoba restaurant, Zuma Fresh Mexican Grill, opened in Denver, Colorado, in 1995.

In 1997, Zuma Fresh was renamed Z-Teca, and Qdoba was introduced in 1999.

Popular Mexican dishes on the Qdoba menu include burritos, bowls, quesadillas, and tacos.

Qdoba, on the other hand, offers numerous customizable options, including the ability to build your own burrito, bowl, loaded quesadilla, nachos, salad, or taco plate.

Qdoba offers a wide range of proteins, from classic ground beef or pulled pork to Impossible Meat and Cholula Hot and Sweet Chicken.

9. Moe's Southwest Grill

Moe's Southwest Grill - The Most Famous Mexican Restaurant In The US

Year founded: 2000

Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia

States with a location: 37

In addition to cute and catchy ads and menu items, Moe's is proud to use fresh ingredients and high-quality meat products that are raised without steroids and in a humane way.

Moe's is a fun and healthy place to eat, with dishes like the Homewrecker Burrito and the Funk Meister tacos.

They also have a lot of vegan options that don't use rice and beans as the main protein, but instead use tofu.

The stack is a one-of-a-kind menu item that looks like a Mexican calzone. It is made of a soft grilled tortilla inside a corn-chip shell that is filled with meat, gooey cheese, sour cream, black beans, tomatoes, and cilantro.

10. Chuy's

In 1982, Michael Young and John Zapp opened Chuy's in Austin, Texas.Chuy's is the most creative and unique Tex-Mex chain on our list. It stays true to its hometown motto of "Keep Austin Weird."

The restaurants are decorated with Elvis and other old-school items, as well as traditional Mexican items and brightly colored vinyl booths and chairs from the 1950s.

Some of the things you can order are enchiladas, fajitas, chile Rellenos, quesadillas, burritos, and baskets of chips, salsa, and their famous creamy jalapeno dip.

The Chimichanga, a deep-fried burrito with a perfectly crunchy outside and your choice of creamy queso or creamy jalapeno sauce on top, is one of the most popular items on the menu.

Conclusion

If you have a strong desire for Mexican cuisine, you have arrived at the appropriate location. Our compilation of Mexican franchise eateries provides an extensive assortment of delectable tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, enchiladas, fajitas, and additional options.

Moreover, these restaurants have multiple branches across the United States, ensuring that regardless of your location, you will have no trouble locating a Mexican restaurant that will fully satiate your appetite.

What is the reason for your delay? Visit those restaurants to savor the finest Mexican cuisine!

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