![\"Six](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SAC_0286_PK_20260623_VALLARTAPRIME.JPG\" "\\"Six")
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Six of the greatest Mexican restaurants in the United States can be found in California, The New York Times says.<\/p>\n
PAUL KITAGAKI JR.<\/p>\n
pkitagaki@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
Craving Mexican food? California has some of the best spots for tacos, burritos and more in the United States, according to a new ranking.<\/p>\n
The New York Times recently showcased 41 of the greatest Mexican restaurants across the country, from taco trucks to elegant eateries with tasting menus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has never been a better time for Mexican food in the United States,\u201d Times staffers wrote in an Aug. 13 article. \u201cA culinary renaissance over the last 15 years has expanded the American palate well beyond Tex-Mex, tacos and game-night nachos.\u201d<\/p>\n
See which Mexican restaurants in California landed on the New York Times list:<\/p>\n
What are greatest Mexican restaurants in Bay Area?<\/p>\n
Baracoa Mej\u00eda in Richmond was among six California restaurants highlighted by The New York Times.<\/p>\n
Restaurant owner Omar Mej\u00eda, who hails from the Mexican state of Hidalgo, serves up family recipes including \u201ctender pit-roasted lamb, delicious consom\u00e9 and regional salsas such as a salsa verde that includes … prickly pear,\u201d The New York Times said.<\/p>\n
The best time to go to the food stand at a Richmond flea market is on Sundays, when Omar Mej\u00eda serves pancita blanca, a beef tripe soup, and ximbo, featuring whole spatchcocked chicken wrapped in maguey leaves, slathered in adobo and covered with pork rinds.<\/p>\n
Baracoa Mej\u00eda is open at 716 West Gertrude Ave. in Richmond on Saturday and Sunday.<\/p>\n
Also in the Bay Area, Californios conjures up “mesmerizing \u2018aha\u2019 moments with each plate on the tasting menu,\u201d The Times said.<\/p>\n
The restaurant at 355 11th St. in San Francisco has three Michelin stars.<\/p>\n
\u201cCombining a passion for Mexico\u2019s rich heritage, an electric jolt of imagination and masterful technique, Chef Val M. Cant\u00fa has created a truly singular gastronomic destination,\u201d the Michelin Guide said, offering a \u201cdizzying variety of Mexican flavors\u201d in a \u201cfestive\u201d space.<\/p>\n
Menu highlights at Californios include a mezcal-battered black cod with a \u201cpillowy\u201d sourdough tortilla, smoked quail in mole and a cocktail that uses California strawberries, a tajin rim and cactus foam to mimic the color and look of a strawberry, according to its Instagram.<\/p>\n
Where are best Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles?<\/p>\n
Three Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles were highlighted by The New York Times.<\/p>\n
Tucked inside the Maydan Market at 4301 West Jefferson Blvd., Lugya\u2019h is inspired by the Oaxacan community in southern Mexico.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe term \u2018lugya\u2019h\u2019 translates to \u201cthe face and heart of the plaza\u201d in Zapotec, capturing the essence of the bustling street markets throughout the Oaxaca highlands,\u201d the restaurant says on its website.<\/p>\n
Lugya\u2019h earned the Michelin Guide\u2019s Bib Gourmand Award in 2026, awarded to restaurants that serve high-quality food for affordable prices.<\/p>\n
The menu includes moronga blood sausage, memela masa cakes and traditional Oaxaca chips.<\/p>\n
Another Los Angeles restaurant featured on the Times list was Holbox, serving specialities from coastal regions of Mexico.<\/p>\n
The restaurant inside Mercado la Paloma at 3655 South Grand Ave. has a service counter and offers an eight-course tasting menu on Wednesdays and Thursdays.<\/p>\n
The restaurant\u2019s menu has six different ceviche options, including bluefin tuna, wild Mexican shrimp and halibut.<\/p>\n
In 2025, Holbox was named one of Yelp\u2019s top 100 places to eat in the United States, the Sacramento Bee previously reported.<\/p>\n
Holbox is among the greatest Mexican restaurants in California, according to The New York Times. Screengrab from Holbox’s Facebook <\/p>\n
Another Michelin-recognized restaurant in Los Angeles was featured on The New York Times list.<\/p>\n
With multiple locations, Mariscos Jalisco is known as being a \u201crite of passage,\u201d according to Michelin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe menu is the same everywhere, limited to tostadas piled with various lime-kissed ceviche and the signature fried shrimp taco tinged with spicy salsa and avocado,\u201d the Michelin Guide said.<\/p>\n
Mariscos Jalisco has a restaurant and food trucks around the Los Angeles area:<\/p>\n
Restaurant: 753 East Holt Ave., PomonaFood truck: 1830 South La Cienega Blvd., Mid-CityFood truck: 3040 East Olympic Blvd., Boyle HeightsWhat makes Southern California Mexican restaurant a favorite?<\/p>\n
In Southern California, Valle serves up \u201caward-winning contemporary Mexican cuisine,\u201d according to its website.<\/p>\n
The restaurant at 222 North Pacific St. in Oceanside has three Michelin Stars.<\/p>\n
Valle draws on traditions from Mexico\u2019s Baja California region to create a tasting menu that includes dishes with Imperia Royal Ossetra caviar, San Diego bluefin tuna and Santa Barbara rock crab minilla.<\/p>\n
Signature dishes include \u201clocally caught fish in mole chichilo, a rolled etixtamal set over a red pipi\u00e1n (and) a Pueblan Wagyu chancla,\u201d according to The New York Times.<\/p>\n
What are New York Times\u2019 favorite Mexican restaurants?<\/p>\n
The New York Times featured Mexican restaurants across the nation.<\/p>\n
The list included these Mexican restaurants in the western United States:<\/p>\n
How did The New York Times rank top spots for Mexican food?<\/p>\n
A team of New York Times reporters, editors and photographers traveled the United States for more than a year to identify their favorite places to eat.<\/p>\n
The resulting list is not a ranking but \u201ca mosaic of great places to eat, from food trucks to corner restaurants to tasting-menu counters,\u201d The Times said.<\/p>\n
Loading\u2026<\/p>\n
Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alexiah Syrai Olsen<\/p>\n
The Tribune<\/p>\n
Alexiah Syrai Olsen is a service journalism reporter for The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, California. She earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in journalism and design from The New School in New York City.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Six of the greatest Mexican restaurants in the United States can be found in California, The New York Times says. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com Craving Mexican food? California has some of the best spots for tacos, burritos and more in the United States, according to a new ranking. The New York Times recently showcased 41<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[259],"tags":[415,416],"class_list":["post-24806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mexican-restaurants","tag-mexican-restaurant","tag-mexican-restaurants"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dnc\/117243162425081074","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}