Best road-trip restaurants in Texas
Start here: 238 route-useful dining stops in Texas, grouped by town and filtered by cuisine or price. This is the curated road-trip layer, not every restaurant in the state.
Updated 2026-07-01. Check current hours, reservations, and seasonal closures before you go.
51 spots of 238 · Clear filters
Austin10Town guide →
Old-school migas-and-biscuits institution with LBJ history. (East Austin)
Sleek modern Mexican downtown with a plant-filled atrium.
Mexico City-style mini tacos from a beloved trailer. (East Austin)
Oaxacan cooking and mole from chef Iliana de la Vega. (Rainey Street)
Hacienda-style interior Mexican, gorgeous and long-running. (North Loop)
Family Tex-Mex breakfast institution since 1962. (East Austin)
Beloved Tex-Mex institution since 1952, home of the Bob Armstrong dip. (South Lamar)
James Beard-winning taqueria reinventing the taco with masa mastery. (East Austin)
Masa-driven interior-Mexican cooking, one of Austin's best tables. (East Austin)
Sisters' taqueria with the migas taco that launched a following. (East Austin)
Dallas7Town guide →
Founded in 1918, the cornerstone of Dallas Tex-Mex heritage. (Downtown)
Old-school Oak Cliff Tex-Mexican eatery with hand-painted booths and eclectic early-2000s decor serving generous, satisfying combination plates.
Longtime family-run neighborhood spot on Maple leaning into homestyle Tex-Mex, beloved for tamales, tacos and a relaxed no-frills atmosphere.
Coastal Mexican seafood bar from two chefs named Hugo. (Bishop Arts)
Family-run Dallas legend since 1981, a brisket-taco pioneer. (Oak Lawn)
Chef Omar Flores, a five-time James Beard nominee, delivers upscale takes on greasy, spicy Tex-Mex favorites in an energetic modern room.
West End Tex-Mex and interior Mexican spot pairing traditional dishes with elevated plating and a lively margarita-fueled dining room.
El Paso11Town guide →
Longstanding family restaurant serving traditional Juarez-style Mexican dishes, a local favorite for classic combination platters and regional border cooking.
El Paso icon since 1953 famous for rolled flauta-style tacos in soupy tomato broth topped with shredded cheese, a nostalgic hometown ritual.
Old-school neighborhood cafe pouring classic border breakfasts and Mexican plates, a dependable local haunt for menudo and hearty gorditas.
Beloved Fort Boulevard spot where the gordita is the staple, stuffed with fillings like chicharrones, deshebrada, and nopalitos in fresh masa.
James Beard-nominated chef Emiliano Marentes makes heirloom-corn tortillas fresh to order for elevated regional Mexican cooking rooted in Oaxacan technique.
Humble local favorite specializing in griddled gorditas split and stuffed with slow-cooked fillings, a go-to for authentic no-frills border comfort food.
Family-run neighborhood favorite operating since the 1970s, beloved for its green chile enchiladas, brisket machaca, and rotating daily specials.
El Paso institution near Concordia Cemetery serving border Mexican fare since 1927, long a locals-first answer to where to eat first.
Canutillo institution since 1975 celebrating fifty years of handmade gorditas, tortillas, and traditional border Mexican cooking in a tiny roadside setting.
Popular local taqueria known for creative tacos and gorditas, with the green chile shredded beef gordita a standout among regulars.
Contemporary taqueria celebrated for fresh masa and bright regional fillings, a modern take on El Paso's deep taco tradition drawing steady crowds.
Fort Davis1
Fort Stockton1
Fort Worth3
James Beard-recognized restaurant elevating Northern Mexican cooking with cabrito, succulent steaks and nopalitos fritos in an elegant setting.
Joe T's family bakery-cafe beloved for fresh tortillas. (Near Southside)
Cash-only garden-patio institution famous for margaritas. (North Side)
Houston6Town guide →
Ortega's coastal-Mexican seafood house celebrating Mexico's coastal states. (Uptown)
Laurenzo-family Tex-Mex dynasty with generous mesquite-grilled fajitas and stiff margaritas. (Montrose)
Houston's oldest family-owned Mexican restaurant (since 1941), a comfort-food institution. (Greenway)
Beloved food truck hand-pressing warm flour tortillas all morning for classic street tacos. (Montrose)
The 1973 birthplace of the sizzling fajita, still family-run and packed on Navigation Blvd. (East End)
Hugo Ortega's James Beard-honored temple to Oaxacan moles and heirloom corn downtown.
Kerrville1
Marfa2
Presidio1
Round Rock1
San Antonio6Town guide →
Southtown gem from Morelia native Alejandro Paredes serving Michoacan-style carnitas with house-made tortillas and vibrant salsas.
Family-owned since 1978 and nationally featured, serving the other legendary San Antonio puffy taco alongside classic Tex-Mex combos.
Chef Johnny Hernandez's Pearl restaurant celebrating Mexican street food with bold tacos, antojitos and an impressive tequila and mezcal list.
Market Square institution open 24 hours since 1941, drawing over a million visitors a year with mariachis and an epic panaderia.
Family-run Tex-Mex spot since 1978 near downtown, beloved for generous breakfast taco platters, fideo loco and gorditas.
West Side institution since 1956 where the puffy taco was born, still frying its signature shells to order.
Terlingua1
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