Rule number one at El Si Hay: bring cash. This spot stands out from its more high-end neighbors and has received lots of buzz for its Mexico City-inspired street tacos. You’ll find day laborers, lawyers, bartenders, artists, motorcyclists, and more at this red, white, and green outpost during the lunch rush, and often, a long line that snakes into the parking lot. Which brings us to rule number two: get in line early so you have plenty of time to finish your tacos in your car.

El Ranchito is at the top of the city’s Tex-Mex food pyramid. It’s the type of casual, down-to-earth spot that you can show up to in sweatpants and sandals, and yes, you will see a mariachi band play no matter what day you’re there. There are a ton of Tex-Mex options in Oak Cliff, but El Ranchito’s fajitas, mole, and pechuga are big highlights. Finish the meal with a serving of their flan while “La Negra” is sung in the background.

Hidden in the back of Xamán Café, this date-night hideaway smells like palo santo and looks like a Mesamerican altar, with thick candles dripping into pools of melted wax. Ayahuasca lives up to its name with ritual-inspired cocktails like the pulqueloma, an earthy, fermented blend of smoky mezcal, pulque, and grapefruit honey, served in a Oaxacan carved coconut bowl over a single sphere of ice. The true showstopper is the tuétanos.

Pepe’s & Mito’s has been a Deep Ellum mainstay since 1994. It’s homey, laid-back and exactly where you want to be for lunch. Everyone’s here for the stewy Tacos Norteños: fajita meat simmered in chipotle wine sauce that lands on a bed of four, street-sized corn tortillas. That saucy, smoky first bite will have you hooked. You won’t find them anywhere else, and they’re the reason first timers become lifers. Add a frozen margarita and you have the perfect Dallas leisurely lunch.

The caviar, chilled seafood platters and foie gras might get the spotlight here, but the best things on the menu come from the Mexican coast. Squeeze into the knee-to-knee bar and start with a showy oyster shooter. It’s a punchy, citrusy shot of aguachile spiked with vodka or tequila, crowned with a roe-garnished oyster in a faux half shell. But if you order one thing, make the Ultimate Hugo’s Tostada. It piles hunks of aguachile-tossed Australian octopus, Hokkaido scallops, and tiger shrimp.

Off a busy stretch of Greenwood Lane in the Lake Highlands, Resident Taqueria is fast-casual as it was meant to be: sensational food served lightning fast. Grab a seat on the patio or perch at the bar to watch the cook on the flat top, and start with the stretchy cheese fundido served in personal-sized cast-iron pans. The menu changes monthly, and the tacos range from classic to quirky. Important: Margaritas are available to go by the gallon.

La Victoria is an East Dallas go-to for a long, thin, ruler-sized (and hearty) breakfast burrito and meaty tamales that draw crowds every morning. The foil-wrapped Zack Attack breakfast burrito is what you’ll be waiting up to 20 minutes for, and it’s worth it: bacon, potato, egg, refried beans, and jalapeños rolled tight into a griddled 10-inch flour tortilla, each bite a totally different texture. Seating is limited, but these burritos are built for eating on the go anyway.

The food here is more interesting than you might expect from a place where the bar takes up half the real estate, and it’s a masterclass in contrasting flavors: sour and sweet (the al pastor), spicy and cooling (the mint-infused chicken tinga). It even translates to the weather—when it’s hot and humid, get an ice-cold frozen paloma. Plus, there’s Dorilocos: pile of hot, cheesy nachos served in a torn open chip bag, which is fun at any time of year.

There’s nothing like a welcoming patio and an ice-cold margarita in humid Dallas weather, and at José you get that with incredible Mexican food and a lot of Texan heart. The design is modern and the food traditional, down to how the heirloom corn tortillas are made and nixtamalized in-house. The pozole verde, with hominy, tomatillos, and serrano peppers, is spicy enough to clear the cobwebs from the mind while the ceviches are lip-smackingly sour. No order should go without the shrimp cocktail.

This bar stocks one of the country’s most extensive collections of Mexican spirits. It’s also a great place to grab a casual dinner, and that’s important once the mezcal flights start hitting the table. If you’re snacking, there’s fresh guacamole with housemade chips, or the esquites, which combines springy corn with crema, cotija, and a bright-red pile of spicy, crunchy Takis on top. When you want something more substantial, get the chicken tinga tacos and the carne asada quesadillas.

The menu hop-scotches across Mexico, offering everything from caviar-topped beef tartare to luscious chicken mole. The $99 tasting menu is a rundown of the greatest hits, including chilled crab claws and the El Machete, a large blue corn tortilla stuffed with wagyu and cut to order at the table. Meanwhile, cocktails like the La Famosa (sotol, blood orange, Strega, and Aperol) transport you to a patio in Mexico City.

Tacos El Metro is a step above your average taco joint. There’s full service and a fully stocked bar. And while tacos are in the name, the tortas and quesadillas are what keep us coming back. Our favorite is the chicken tinga quesadilla: a masa pocket stuffed with adobo-simmered chicken, deep fried, then piled with shredded lettuce, crema and queso fresco. For bigger appetites, there’s two-handed pierna de puerco adobado torta. Wash it down with cinnamony, creamy agua de horchata.

Coco’s Fire & Ice is for when you want celebratory sit-down dinners reinforced with margaritas and live music. Like the name, the menu is a study in contrasts, with bright ceviches, earthy huitlacoche quesadillas, and tender chicken bathed in deep, dark mole. The restaurant is tucked behind a series of shops, so keep your eyes peeled for the billowing papel picado and “besos papi” in big blue letters next time you stroll down Bishop Ave.

Post up on the front or back patio at Taco y Vino and order one of the best shareable food-and-drink deals in town: six tacos and a bottle of red, white, or rosé, for just $50. All day, every day. Can’t-miss taco options include tender brisket, barbacoa, and carnitas, as well as lighter stuff like ahi tuna with pineapple pico de gallo and avocado. If a whole bottle of wine is too tall an order, the bar also has a nice frozen kalimotxo and 24-ounce Oak Cliff Brewing Co beers.

A night at Purepecha means finding the almost-hidden door at Revolver Taco Lounge between rowdy bars in Deep Ellum, walking into the kitchen, and sitting at a communal table for a few hours. Warm corn tortillas and hand-ground salsa molcajeteada start things off homestyle, but rather than a family meal, you’re in for a seven-course tasting menu that highlights the traditions of Michoacán for $180. (There’s a $120 four-course option in the front room, but we’d recommend going for the big one.)

There’s a sense of nostalgia at Tipico’s that you don’t get anywhere else in Dallas, and it's filled with generations of families laughing over tortilla chips and plastic ramekins full of warm salsa. You’ll smell the huevos con chorizo before you see them and they come with refried beans, crispy diced potatoes and buttery flour tortillas. And nothing beats the tacos al carbon at lunch, juicy and perfectly seasoned, no onions or even salsa required to enjoy.

Don Artemio is where you want to go when you want to eat a good taco with your pinky up. It’s in Fort Worth, and dinner for two can easily surpass $200, but Dallasites happily make the drive, especially for the nopalitos fritos. Delicate, crispy slivers of fried cactus are tossed with bacon bits and served with warm blue corn tortillas and two salsas. (The serrano green salsa comes with a warning, and rightfully so.)