Vamos a escribir este artículo completamente en español. ¿Bueno?
Fine… (Guess we really aren’t gonna use all those years of high school Spanish.)
If you love El Rancho, there’s a good chance you know _exactly_ why you love El Rancho. And it probably has something to do with “mucha cerveza” and “tres in the morning.” But what about all those other restaurantes? MOVE lets some other local Mexican joints throw their sombreros in the ring. (Pardon us for excluding Chipotle, but its Mexican heritage is questionable and we know you’re just gonna eat there anyway.)
El Rancho
1014 E. Broadway
Alright. You know what this place tastes like when you’re hammered, but what’s it taste like when you haven’t been pounding all those Coronas? Pretty great, actually. The servings are muy grande, and every last bite is delicioso. Plus, the employees are amazing, if you think about all they have to put up with. Long story short: El Rancho is the one thing you _are_ right about when you’re drunk. But let’s see how it stands up to competition…
La Siesta
33 N. Ninth St.
If you’ve never ventured far enough down Ninth Street to check out La Siesta, you’re not missing out on too much. Your typical Mexican restaurant, La Siesta is more legitimate than a Taco Bell, but not as satisfying as an El Rancho type. Although, we have heard they have some pretty great margaritas if you’re so inclined. Other than that, however, it’s pretty appropriate that it’s called La Siesta, because this one’s a snooze.
Baja Grill
Bingham Commons
Not really sure how Mexican this place really is. Although, the huevos rancheros and tilapia tacos are worth a taste. However, when the best thing on a Mexican eatery’s menu is its double chocolate chip cookies, that’s all you really need to know. Then why are we including it? Why do you continue to use your meal points to eat it?
Taqueria El Rodeo — Winner
808 E. Nifong Blvd.
When it comes to Mexican food, we care more about taste than authenticity. Luckily, Taqueria El Rodeo doesn’t make you choose. The authenticity is hard to ignore: as if the presence of fried ice cream and mole sauce (Pronounced moe-lay. Not related to the rodent. We don’t think…) on the menu weren’t enough evidence for you, this place serves cactus. That’s right, mother-freaking cactus. The spikes aren’t included, but we’re pretty sure you deserve to have some slipped into your enchilada if you question this place’s authenticity. Hell, it’s even located right next to an El Maguey (just down the road from Wal-Mart on Grindstone), as if it were like, “Come at me, El Maguey. We know who’s got the _real_ Mexican food.” Now, we’re not saying you should drive here next time you’re hammered instead of walking to El Rancho, but jeez, you should at least try to convince STRIPES you live there or something. It’s that good. Which is why it gets our billing for top Mexican comida in CoMo.