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Phoenix residents don’t need a national list to know that we have some of the best Mexican food around. But it’s nice to get a little recognition. Even if it doesn’t make all that much sense.

Yelp published a list of the best Mexican food spots in the United States and Canada. Considering the list had only 100 spots to cover two entire countries, Arizona showed up strong. Across the Grand Canyon State, 10 restaurants made the cut. Six of those are in the Valley.

The confusing part comes in at what Yelp considers a Mexican restaurant. Some of the recognized Arizona eateries serve typical Southwest menus with some Mexican influence, but are breakfast or brunch spots. In a state filled with stellar Mexican food, seeing these Mexican food-adjacent eateries on the list feels a little out of place.

Yelp’s methodology for crafting the list may be behind the odd picks. According to the review site, “we identified businesses in the Mexican category, then ranked those spots based on the volume and ratings of reviews given by Yelp Elite Squad members for each business.” That category is broad and can be paired with others. For example, the No. 1 spot on the list is Holbox, a restaurant in Los Angeles that is also categorized as Latin American and seafood.

But hey, local restaurants need all the support they can get, so regardless of the category, it’s nice to see Arizona appear so many times on this list. If you’d rather take your recommendations from your friendly local Phoenix New Times food team (which eats at every single restaurant rather than compiling online data), check out our list of the 10 best Mexican restaurants in town.

As for Yelp’s list, here’s which Arizona eateries made the cut.

Yelp’s favorite Valley restaurants

In addition to listing the top 100 spots, Yelp’s list also ranks the eateries. The first Valley spot to make an appearance was The Tamale Store, which came in at No. 41. The Tamale Store serves its namesake steamed treats at its north Phoenix restaurant on Cave Creek Road and Greenway Parkway. The counter-service spot also serves rice bowls and nachos, and functions as a market where customers can pick up packs of tamales, jars of salsa and jam and pantry staples.

The next Phoenix name on the list is Cocina Madrigal at No. 49. The South Phoenix staple is getting ready to reopen in its original home, after a fire damaged the building in 2024. Since then, the Madrigal family has continued serving their loyal customers from a food truck and pop-up restaurant nearby. Soon, fans will be able to return to the main restaurant for steak salads and plates of enchiladas.

The No. 62 spot went to Taco Viva, a bustling, modern taco shop in Arcadia. The taqueria welcomes customers to order at the counter and then slide their way along to pick out their toppings as a large team of taqueros slices tender al pastor from the trompo, heats up tortillas on the flattop and drizzles tacos with spicy habanero salsa.

At No. 86, things got a little confusing. Morning Kick in Gilbert took this spot. And while the restaurant does serve burritos and Southwest staples, it’s a breakfast destination that also serves sandwiches, breakfast nachos with tater tots, and chicken and waffles. Now, we have nothing against a good plate of chicken and waffles, but they don’t scream “best Mexican food.” Yelp, we have questions.

Another Gilbert eatery that fuses Mexican flavors with other offerings took the No. 91 spot. Caldwell County Mexi-Q on Gilbert Road is an offshoot of Caldwell County BBQ, a Texas-style smokehouse. The restaurant’s tagline is “Texas BBQ with a Mexican Twist” and the menu includes smoked meats by the pound as well as tacos, burritos, tostadas and sandwiches loaded with pulled chicken and pork, brisket and chile verde.

The final Phoenix spot to make the list is Tacos Veganos. Coming in at No. 97, this plant-based eatery puts an entirely vegan spin on a classic taco shop menu. And its meat-free menu items, including messy and cravings-worthy jackfruit birria, are outstanding. For Mexican food fans who are skipping animal products, this spot is a winner.

Other Arizona restaurants on the list

Along with the six Valley eateries, another four Arizona restaurants made Yelp’s list. And similar to the Phoenix selections, some picks make more sense than others.

Take, for example, No. 24, Baja Cafe. This Tucson restaurant is a popular staple. But not for Mexican food. Sure, there are some Southwest flavors on the menu, but fans flock to this breakfast restaurant for its famous snickerdoodle pancakes more than they do for huevos rancheros.

No. 42 on the list went to the high-end Mexican and Southwestern eatery, The Elote Cafe, in Sedona.

Tucson’s El Taco Rustico took the No. 71 spot and the pop-up food vendor El Sinaloense Hot Dog Cart rounded out the list at No. 95.