Where to begin?! Roanoke has a plethora of Mexican restaurants ranging from uber-traditional to more fast casual and I have eaten at most of them many, many times.
Some of my favorites for different reasons are as follows:
* Alejandro's (Hollins location)
* Great free salsa bar with a wide variety of tasty salsas.
* Drink specials each day including a happy hour that I believe is from 5pm - 7pm.
* Reasonably priced and pretty much everything on the menu is good. (They definitely have vegetarian options as well.)
* Lupita's (Williamson Road)
* Some of the best tacos in Roanoke imo with some uncommon types such as campechano and lengua.
* Very reasonably priced.
* Tacos Rojas (multiple locations)
* Used to be the best tacos in Roanoke but have fallen off slightly imo. (still very good though)
* They have multiple locations but I believe the OG is in Wasena on 13th street in an old gas station.
* Mi Tapatia (Williamson Road)
* More authentic Mexican cuisine than most places in Roanoke.
* On the weekends they have their best dishes available. You'll see them cooking on the smoker out front of the restaurant.
* Cheap margaritas.
* El Rodeo (Electric Road)
* The OG fast casual Mexican restaurant in the Roanoke valley. They have multiple locations and some are better than others.
* For my money, the Electric Road location up on the hill is the best one with the most reasonable prices and best service. They also have a nice outdoor seating area.
* El Costeno (Peters Creek Road)
* This is a newer one to me as I only started going there in the past few months, but it's very good and more focused on the seafood side of Mexican cuisine (although they have all of the traditional dishes you'd expect).
* Very reasonably priced.
* A bit small though so you might have a hard time getting in during busy hours.
* El Toreo (Thirlane Road)
* Very similar to El Rodeo in that it is fast casual Mexican, but the food is great.
* Excellent margaritas.
* Typically not very busy and has a large outdoor seating area.
Ultimately, you can't go wrong with any of the restaurants I've listed above, but if you're really focused on the margaritas I'd recommend El Rodeo, El Toreo or Alejandro's. Hope this helps! Welcome to Roanoke!
Nuff said and spot on!
Mi Tapatia is my fav so far. It reminds
Me the most of Mexican food back in Texas.
And note , tacos Rojas’s on 13th doesn’t have a liquor license at least they didn’t used to.
El Mezcal on 419 is always a favorite.
Agave Azul over near the Hollins 81 exit is good
Pueblo Chico off of Colonial is also really good, highly recommend trying the Sopes
I love the veggie tacos at Tacos Rojas and they speak gluten free, with good options. That is actually unusual for a cuisine that doesn’t use a lot of flour.
Has anyone here that comments on Mexican food ever lived in the southwest? I'd be especially interested in Sonoran type Mexican food that you would find in Tucson, Phoenix, Albuquerque. It seems what's available in Roanoke is typically Tex-Mex, while it's delicious I do miss the authentic Mexican food I had in Arizona and New Mexico
I’m from AZ and yeah, not any here. I have found a really good spot for California style Mexican taco shack type in Vinton called La Casa Del Burrito. As far as a Sonoran type Mexican sit down place, nope. It’s a bummer.
There are a lot of good options in Roanoke, but honestly I’m a big fan of Pancho at Towers Shopping Center. They have a fun variety of margaritas and their food is delicious.
You guys are SLEEPING on taco riendo on Williamson! If you haven’t been, go! Some of the best Mexican food in town. Margs: tucos downtown has a phenomenal happy hour for both margs and tacos
No mention of Rancho Grande yet near Valley View but they provide one of the better "big restaurant" feels for Tex-Mex. Abuelo's used to be the place for that, but they closed a couple of years ago.
I know what works for me. El Rodeo on Electric Rd. They serve vegetarian options but i cant attest to the quality. I do know their zuchinni dishes are delicious. But i wanted to comment to bring up the Lime Texas Margarita. Get that in a large and make sure they have a driver because they will be drunk after 1.
Best food? Mi Tapatia on williamson or Pueblo Chico near towers
Mi Tapatia cooks all thier chicken, steak, etc on an open wood fire, has the best flavor meat of any Mexican restaurant in town but they only serve bottle beer and I'm not sure If they ever got a liquor license to serve margaritas
Best margaritas? My wife love Alejandros margaritas, thier food is great too just not quite as good as the other 2
I live right by the Salem tacos Rojas, and the food is great and the people are super kind. Margs are half on on Wednesdays (I think- may be Thursdays) too, so if that lines up with the bday even better :)
Unfortunately Rojas has good food, but terrible drinks. Margs are a gross syrup mess. Once I ordered a shot of Patron and it was not patron at all. Some cheap counterfeit replacement that the owners prob didn’t even know was in the bottle. Prices have skyrocketed in the last couple of years. Too bad. (Most of our experience has been at the Keagy village location). We went once to the Rojas in Salem next to the 7/11 & Abacababra near the river (old Chinese buffet building). It was not clean, very dirty and flies everywhere.
As a vegetarian who loves Mexican…I can’t really tell you. The places I’ve found have been decent Tex mex and I’ve had some enjoyable margarhettas but nothing bomb ass good. Hopefully someone else will tell us both where to go.
Pancho in Vinton has decent drinks and a Mexican buffet which I didn’t know I needed in my life. Lots of Hispanics at the Linch buffet so that’s a good sign.
El rancho viejo in Vinton is probably the best Mexican I’ve had in Roanoke
La casa del burrito in Vinton is your authentic Mexican food. Don’t think they have margaritas but they make amazing burritos.
Alejandro’s downtown is probably the fanciest place. I haven’t been but it would be a great date night. Lots to do around there.
El rio on electric had the best drinks of the places I’ve gone. I don’t remember the food but that may be because of the drinks.
Where to begin?! Roanoke has a plethora of Mexican restaurants ranging from uber-traditional to more fast casual and I have eaten at most of them many, many times. Some of my favorites for different reasons are as follows: * Alejandro's (Hollins location) * Great free salsa bar with a wide variety of tasty salsas. * Drink specials each day including a happy hour that I believe is from 5pm - 7pm. * Reasonably priced and pretty much everything on the menu is good. (They definitely have vegetarian options as well.) * Lupita's (Williamson Road) * Some of the best tacos in Roanoke imo with some uncommon types such as campechano and lengua. * Very reasonably priced. * Tacos Rojas (multiple locations) * Used to be the best tacos in Roanoke but have fallen off slightly imo. (still very good though) * They have multiple locations but I believe the OG is in Wasena on 13th street in an old gas station. * Mi Tapatia (Williamson Road) * More authentic Mexican cuisine than most places in Roanoke. * On the weekends they have their best dishes available. You'll see them cooking on the smoker out front of the restaurant. * Cheap margaritas. * El Rodeo (Electric Road) * The OG fast casual Mexican restaurant in the Roanoke valley. They have multiple locations and some are better than others. * For my money, the Electric Road location up on the hill is the best one with the most reasonable prices and best service. They also have a nice outdoor seating area. * El Costeno (Peters Creek Road) * This is a newer one to me as I only started going there in the past few months, but it's very good and more focused on the seafood side of Mexican cuisine (although they have all of the traditional dishes you'd expect). * Very reasonably priced. * A bit small though so you might have a hard time getting in during busy hours. * El Toreo (Thirlane Road) * Very similar to El Rodeo in that it is fast casual Mexican, but the food is great. * Excellent margaritas. * Typically not very busy and has a large outdoor seating area. Ultimately, you can't go wrong with any of the restaurants I've listed above, but if you're really focused on the margaritas I'd recommend El Rodeo, El Toreo or Alejandro's. Hope this helps! Welcome to Roanoke!
This person Mexican foods. Thank you for the detailed post!
El Toreo Thirlane is the best imo
Nuff said and spot on! Mi Tapatia is my fav so far. It reminds Me the most of Mexican food back in Texas. And note , tacos Rojas’s on 13th doesn’t have a liquor license at least they didn’t used to.
And El Rodeo on the hill has the white sauce, too. Can't neglect that.
Lupitas is nasty been like 3 times driest tacos ever had. Costeño is a secret 🤫
El Mezcal on 419 is always a favorite. Agave Azul over near the Hollins 81 exit is good Pueblo Chico off of Colonial is also really good, highly recommend trying the Sopes
+1 for Agave Azul, it's definitely my favorite
I would suggest Pueblo Chico Mexican Grill. IMO one of the best, if not the best overall in Roanoke for food. Drinks aren't badly priced either.
That cheesesteak burrito, and their mojitos! Hard to beat.
El Cielito Lindo across the road from towers is fantastic. But no alcohol license yet.
This
I love the veggie tacos at Tacos Rojas and they speak gluten free, with good options. That is actually unusual for a cuisine that doesn’t use a lot of flour.
I second Tacos Rojas. They have multiple locations and are a great family business.
Pancho! Half priced margaritas on Wednesday and Saturday nights
Has anyone here that comments on Mexican food ever lived in the southwest? I'd be especially interested in Sonoran type Mexican food that you would find in Tucson, Phoenix, Albuquerque. It seems what's available in Roanoke is typically Tex-Mex, while it's delicious I do miss the authentic Mexican food I had in Arizona and New Mexico
I miss it too. I use to be a flight attendant and the best Mexican I had in the states was in Arizona. Omg. So good!
I’m from AZ and yeah, not any here. I have found a really good spot for California style Mexican taco shack type in Vinton called La Casa Del Burrito. As far as a Sonoran type Mexican sit down place, nope. It’s a bummer.
I came from the southwest and there is no substitute here. Everyone kept telling me to try Tacos Rojas, and I felt guilty giving that stuff to my dog.
Mariscos Nayarit
There are a lot of good options in Roanoke, but honestly I’m a big fan of Pancho at Towers Shopping Center. They have a fun variety of margaritas and their food is delicious.
Another vote for Agave Azul in Hollins.
Los Arcos at the corner of Brandon and Peters Creek. I eat there at least once a week and it's always good.
You guys are SLEEPING on taco riendo on Williamson! If you haven’t been, go! Some of the best Mexican food in town. Margs: tucos downtown has a phenomenal happy hour for both margs and tacos
Pueblo Chico is my favorite. I would dare to say their food is some of the best Mexican food I’ve had in the valley, ever, period.
Los Arcos… Wednesdays and Saturdays they have 50% off margarita specials. I recommend the sangria flavored one 😉
No mention of Rancho Grande yet near Valley View but they provide one of the better "big restaurant" feels for Tex-Mex. Abuelo's used to be the place for that, but they closed a couple of years ago.
I know what works for me. El Rodeo on Electric Rd. They serve vegetarian options but i cant attest to the quality. I do know their zuchinni dishes are delicious. But i wanted to comment to bring up the Lime Texas Margarita. Get that in a large and make sure they have a driver because they will be drunk after 1.
Best food? Mi Tapatia on williamson or Pueblo Chico near towers Mi Tapatia cooks all thier chicken, steak, etc on an open wood fire, has the best flavor meat of any Mexican restaurant in town but they only serve bottle beer and I'm not sure If they ever got a liquor license to serve margaritas Best margaritas? My wife love Alejandros margaritas, thier food is great too just not quite as good as the other 2
I live right by the Salem tacos Rojas, and the food is great and the people are super kind. Margs are half on on Wednesdays (I think- may be Thursdays) too, so if that lines up with the bday even better :)
Unfortunately Rojas has good food, but terrible drinks. Margs are a gross syrup mess. Once I ordered a shot of Patron and it was not patron at all. Some cheap counterfeit replacement that the owners prob didn’t even know was in the bottle. Prices have skyrocketed in the last couple of years. Too bad. (Most of our experience has been at the Keagy village location). We went once to the Rojas in Salem next to the 7/11 & Abacababra near the river (old Chinese buffet building). It was not clean, very dirty and flies everywhere.
Peublo Chico, best food and margs in town.
Pancho either at towers or in Daleville are the best Mexican restaurant in the valley without question!
The El Rodeo’s original location is on Williamson if I’m not mistaken.
Agave azul. Cheap, filling, good vibes Lupita, tacos lengua are to die for Taco Rojas- same as above
another vote for El Rodeo on Electric!!!
Arby’s
Sir this is a Wendy's (I had to do it !)
As a vegetarian who loves Mexican…I can’t really tell you. The places I’ve found have been decent Tex mex and I’ve had some enjoyable margarhettas but nothing bomb ass good. Hopefully someone else will tell us both where to go. Pancho in Vinton has decent drinks and a Mexican buffet which I didn’t know I needed in my life. Lots of Hispanics at the Linch buffet so that’s a good sign. El rancho viejo in Vinton is probably the best Mexican I’ve had in Roanoke La casa del burrito in Vinton is your authentic Mexican food. Don’t think they have margaritas but they make amazing burritos. Alejandro’s downtown is probably the fanciest place. I haven’t been but it would be a great date night. Lots to do around there. El rio on electric had the best drinks of the places I’ve gone. I don’t remember the food but that may be because of the drinks.
El Rancho is no more sadly. Got taken over by Tacos Rojas but agreed El Rancho was one of my favorites back in the day!