mexican restaurants Archives - Page 2 of 4

Molcajete Mexican Restaurant

December 25, 2015

Molcajete Mexican Restaurant is a beautiful restaurant on Lee Highway in Chattanooga, Tennessee that serves delicious Mexican food!
A couple of months ago, I posted on my Facebook page asking what everyone’s favorite Mexican restaurant in the Chattanooga area was. I got a ton of responses-several of which corresponded to my personal favorite (Delia’s, DUH) but lots of which I had never heard of. You’ll forgive me if there’s a disproportionate number of Mexican restaurant reviews for the next few months, right??? I’ve got a lot of work to do!

One restaurant that several people mentioned was Molcajete. Philip actually ended up eating there a couple of weeks ago and really liked it, so we decided to go back last weekend. We went at about 1:30 or 2:00 on Saturday afternoon, and while there were quite a few people in the restaurant, we were seated immediately. Our chips and salsa were delivered quickly and our server, Grace, took our drink orders. We also ordered a small bowl of queso because why not??? I will tell you that one of my readers highly recommended the choriqueso (queso with chorizo) but I didn’t want to go that heavy plus we typically order regular queso so I wanted a point of reference.

The chips, salsa, and queso were all pretty standard Mexican restaurant versions. The chips were thin, very crispy, and not too greasy. The salsa was just slightly spicy and pretty smooth (which is how I like it-I don’t care for chunky salsa) with a decent amount of cilantro. The queso was very thin and not very spicy. ⬅️I feel like these are very bland descriptions. Everything was good, but like I said, pretty standard…so I just don’t have much to say!

I decided to order the taquitos with ground beef. Taquitos are rolled corn tortillas stuffed with meat and fried (flautas are the flour tortilla version). Their taquitos are served with guacamole salad (basically just guacamole and shredded lettuce), shredded cheese, rice, and beans. I have to admit, the taquitos were delicious. The tortillas were very crispy-impressively so-and the meat was very well seasoned. On its own, I found the guacamole to be a little too spicy (it had chunks of jalapeño in it), but scooped onto the taquitos it worked perfectly. The beans were, again, pretty standard. Not bad but not earth-shattering. The rice was well seasoned and well-cooked.

Philip decided quickly on a chimichanga (pretty much his standard order) but then noticed the chimiRica-a chimichanga filled with grilled chicken or steak, onions, chorizo, and special sauce, topped with queso sauce. He ordered the small with beef, and I’m pretty sure that if he had ordered the large we would have been in bad shape. In fact, he didn’t even finish the small! It was pretty gigantic. The meat and onions were well-cooked and the cheese sauce made it super-gooey. He didn’t really notice the special sauce, though. His one complaint was that it didn’t come with rice and beans and that, a la carte, they would have cost $4 ($1.99 each) extra. I had plenty, though, so I shared with him.

The decor at Molcajete is very nice. The servers and other staff were very friendly and the food was tasty and fresh. The menu is extensive. It’s definitely (at least mostly) Americanized Mexican food, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t taste good. They have a full bar as well. The prices were on par with other similar restaurants-our total for the queso and two entrees (we drank water) was $18.00 pre-tip. If you are in the Brainerd/Lee Highway area, give Molcajete Mexican restaurant a try!

Molcajete Mexican restaurant is located at 6231 Perimeter Drive, Suite 127, Chattanooga, Tennessee (in the same complex as Sportsman’s Warehouse and Pin Strikes). They are open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. You can call them at 423-760-8200. You can like Molcajete on Facebook.

Mojo Burrito – St. Elmo

November 11, 2015

Mojo Burrito in St. Elmo (downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee) serves great Tex-Mex food in a fun, casual atmosphere with a focus on local food!

I’ve written about Mojo Burrito before, but the Red Bank location. Besides, it’s been a few years. The original location, the St. Elmo Mojo Burrito moved a few weeks ago into the location that formerly housed Slick’s Burgers and, before that, Sugar’s Ribs. They’ve done quite a bit of remodeling on the location, brightening it up, changing the seating arrangement, and adding an expansive outdoor seating area (both covered and uncovered) for those who like to dine al fresco.

The first thing that you notice when you walk in, at least if you’ve ever been to the previous location, is that the line makes sense now. The last time I went into the previous location before it was lunch time on a week day and the line got out of control. No one knew where to stand. That kind of thing stresses me out.

Typically I order nachos when I go into a place like Mojo Burrito. I just have a thing for salty tortilla chips gooey with melted cheese. The fish tacos caught my eye, though, so I decided to order those-fried tilapia tenders, served with remoulade sauce and pineapple salsa, with beans and rice on the side. I ordered black beans with my rice, Mexican-spiced rice. I took my tacos on soft flour tortillas (you can also get crunchy corn tortillas). The fish was cornmeal breaded and fried till crisp, nicely seasoned. The tacos came with lettuce and I also got a little bit of fresh jalapeño. The remoulade was delicious, just lightly spicy with a few capers (if you hate capers, don’t worry…you won’t even taste them). The pineapple salsa was fantastic…pineapple with a little onion and jalapeño, very fresh. Everything worked really well together.

Philip stuck to his usual, a burrito. He’s a traditionalist. He got it with ground chuck, which the guy taking the orders told him was “very garlicky”. He was not lying. He also got rice, black beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, pico de gallo, and a little of the hot salsa. It was quite a burrito, and I am always astonished by the ability of the burrito makers to fold those gigantic things so proficiently. The guy made it look easy! The burrito was huge, very fresh, and delicious. The burritos also come with a side of chips and salsa, plus we ordered a small basket of chips with the mild salsa because I wanted some too. The chips were light and perfectly salted, the salsa garlicky and just a tiny bit tangy with jalapeño.

The thing that I love about Mojo Burrito is their commitment to fresh and local ingredients. Their prices are really very close to similarly structured chain restaurants (e.g. Moe’s) and the portions are generous to say the least. They have a creative, varied menu with something for everyone. For fresh, local, and delicious Tex-Mex in St. Elmo, check out Mojo Burrito’s new location!

Mojo Burrito St. Elmo is located at 3950 Tennessee Avenue, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37409. You can call them at 423-822-MOJO (6656). You can check out their menu and learn more about Mojo Burrito on their website, mojoburrito.com. You can also like Mojo Burrito on Facebook.

Taconooga (Downtown Chattanooga)

February 9, 2015

When I asked readers for Mexican food recommendations, TacoNooga on the North Shore ranked near the top of reader recommendations!

I am embarrassed that it took me as long as it did to get to Taconooga…it’s been around for a while, but that location doesn’t seem to be the best (which makes no sense, given how many people are always crawling the North Shore) so I guess I wanted to wait to make sure they were going to stick around! I’m glad that they did. Mexican food is one of my top “cravings” and, though we don’t eat it as much as we used to, I could probably eat it every night and not get tired of it. I was struck with a craving on Friday and decided that we needed to head to Taconooga this weekend, especially after commenters on my Facebook page raved about it.

This weekend was gorgeous, with nothing but blue skies and temperatures in the sixties. The North Shore was very busy (but then, when is it not?) and when we got to Taconooga around 2:00 it was packed out. No empty tables, though they quickly cleared a table that just had some supplies stacked on it so we could sit. Apparently we hit at the end of the lunch rush, because it wasn’t quite as busy when we left as it was when we arrived, but there were still a lot of people. We were given menus (the food menu, the drink list, and a weekend specials menu, which I wish I’d taken a photo of) and our server took our drink order.

After she brought our drinks it took her a few minutes to get back to us to take our order, for which she apologized, but the place was busy so we were really not upset! She was very friendly and I wish I’d thought to ask her name. After she took our order it only took a few minutes for her to bring out our food, which she told us was all made very fresh.

Perhaps the one downside to Taconooga is that the chips and salsa are not complimentary, but in my opinion it is mandatory to have tortilla chips with something in a Mexican restaurant so we were willing to pay. There are a lot of options: queso, freshly made guacamole (which is supposedly out of this world…we saw a couple order it and it was a huge bowl that looked delicious), choriqueso (queso with chorizo), and several others. We decided to just stick with the basics and get chips and salsa. You get to choose two of the three salsas: we chose the house salsa and the spicy chili salsa (the third was tomatillo). Both tasted very fresh. The spicy chili was not so spicy that I couldn’t eat it, but it definitely had a strong kick. The house salsa had some sort of herb or spice that I didn’t recognize that set it apart from others. The chips were thick, hot, and freshly fried. Perfect.

I decided to get the tacos al pastor and the pescado especial (fried tilapia tacos). The al pastor tacos had chunks of pineapple from the marinade, which I’ve never had in a taco al pastor before, but it definitely gave a tangy sweetness to the tacos. They had tons of cilantro, which in my opinion is always a good thing, and lots of red onion….which I would usually hate but for some reason I like raw onion on tacos. The pescado especial had a large piece of battered, fried fish on double corn tortillas and was topped with lettuce, mango salsa, and jicama for crunch. There was a side of a mayo-based sauce that I added to the fish taco. It was very fresh and the sauce, though I couldn’t place the flavors, was a great complement. There were large chunks of mango and jalapeño in the salsa, but it wasn’t overly spicy. I loved the addition of jicama.

Philip decided to get a chorizo (Mexican sausage) taco and a taco lengua (that’s right…tongue). Like my taco al pastor, both of his tacos were topped with ample amounts of cilantro and onions. He liked the chorizo and said that it was some of the best that he’d had-in competition with Taqueria Jalisco and Delia’s-not greasy, spicy but not too much so. The lengua was perfectly spiced, falling apart, shredded finely. I know the idea of tongue scares people, but it is really just like a very tasty pot roast. I PROMISE. I would tell you if it was bad! It was very tasty.

We ordered two sides: frijoles charros (pictured above with Philip’s tacos) and Mexican street corn (which you can order on the cob or loose…neither of us likes corn on the cob). The frijoles charros are pinto beans cooked with bacon, onions, and garlic. They were very smoky, tender, and flavorful….but if I had to choose one side to eat here for the rest of forever, it would be the Mexican street corn: yellow corn with queso fresco, spicy mayo sauce, and chili seasoning. There was just enough mayo sauce to make it a little creamy. The seasoning on top made it nice and smoky, and the queso fresco gave a salty bite. Everything we ordered was delicious, but the Mexican street corn was the highlight of the meal. By the way, the sides are big enough for two people, so next time we’ll probably just order one Mexican street corn and forego the beans.

Taconooga is definitely a contender for a spot among the best Mexican restaurants in Chattanooga.

The food is fresh and delicious and the staff is friendly and amazingly quick. It was a good value, too-a ton of food for just around $21 pre-tip. It’s great to see restaurants like this full to the brim with customers. I’ll be back as often as I can get back!

Taconooga is located at 207-A Frazier Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405. They are open Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. You can call them at 423-757-5550 or email them at taconooga@gmail.com. Check out Taconooga’s website and like Taconooga on Facebook.

El Kyoto Mexican and Japanese Restaurant

November 24, 2013

El Kyoto, now closed, was a restaurant in Hixson, Tennessee (Lakesite) that served both Hibachi-style Japanese and Mexican food.

So, when I wrote some time back about Kyoto (then spelled Kioto) Japanese restaurant just down the street from my Lakesite-area home, I told you guys how I had to laugh just a little when I first saw it. I was apprehensive, needlessly so since it turned out to be quite good. So, I’ll admit that I laughed again when Philip and I were driving down Hixson Pike and saw the new sign hanging on the side of the building for El Kyoto Mexican and Japanese Restaurant. I’m really not sure why; the owners of the restaurant are of Mexican descent, and in my opinion-and many others of which I’m aware-our other nearby Mexican option is lacking these days (I won’t name names but if you are familiar with this area you know what I’m talking about….I haven’t written about them).

Philip and I decided to go over there Tuesday night of this past week when I wasn’t really in the mood to cook and we knew that we had to squeeze in a restaurant review at some point. It’s been a month, you guys! I’ll be playing catch-up in my time off from work for the upcoming holidays; I have some reviews planned. We have tended to avoid the restaurant because of the less than desirable parking right on Hixson Pike, but then we realized that they have spaces on the side of the building as well, so problem solved. There were several other people in the restaurant but it wasn’t crowded per se so we were seated immediately.

Our server, who was very friendly (but unfortunately, I didn’t catch his name) quickly took our drink order and brought us chips and salsa, which are complimentary upon request. The chips were good (not as good as Delia’s, though), fresh (not stale, which, unfortunately, seems to be a problem at some other establishments of late) and warm, and the salsa was fresh-tasting, not overly chunky, and a little spicier than what you typically get. We also ordered queso dip, which was a little thicker than that served at a lot of other Mexican restaurants, with just a tiny bit of spice.

The menu of Mexican items is a lot smaller than most other local Mexican restaurants, but that is fine with me. I got my standard-traditional Mexican tacos (known in some other restaurants as Mexico City tacos or street tacos), served on corn tortillas (doubled up!) with meat, chopped onions, and chopped cilantro. I got one tilapia (grilled, not fried), one steak, and one al pastor (pork)-they come in an order of three. All three were very good, though the al pastor was my favorite, just a little bit crispy, very well seasoned. The steak was a little bit tough compared to what I’ve had at Delia’s, but the flavor was good. The fish was nice with a light seasoning on it and cooked just right-not dried out as overcooked fish would be.

We got a laugh out of the “100% American Chimichanga” listed on the menu, which is what Philip decided to order since that is pretty much his standard Mexican restaurant order. He ordered it with chorizo (Mexican sausage) which he always orders it if it is available (at some restaurants it is not). There were two chimichangas that were a little bit smaller than the usual Mexican restaurant chimichanga, with grilled peppers and onions stuffed into the tortilla with the meat (this is not the standard) and queso sauce on top. There were refried beans on the side as well as lettuce, tomato, and sour cream. He was disappointed that there was no guacamole on the side, though I’m sure that they would have brought him some if he had asked. He liked the chimichanga a lot and thought that the chorizo was very good, though not the best he’d had, and not overly greasy. He was not, however, able to eat both of the chimichangas. It was definitely a very large portion!

So, I guess you have probably figured out my position on El Kyoto. Just like comparing it to Ichiban for Japanese….it’s not the best Mexican food around (in this area, Delia’s still takes that honor, and if I’m willing to drive downtown, of course, Taqueria Jalisco reigns supreme) but for a weeknight dinner when I just can’t even bring myself to think about leaving the Lakesite area, it’s definitely a worthy dinner option. The food was not fantastic, but it was good and the prices were decent (especially since we had a buy one get one free coupon!).

El Kyoto was located at 8719 Hixson Pike, Hixson, TN 37343 (in the Lakesite/Dallas Bay area). You can call them at (423) 521-8444. They do not have a website or Facebook page.

More Mexican Food: Delia’s in Soddy-Daisy or Dayton, El Metate, Taqueria Jalisco, Taco Roc

Taqueria Jalisco-August 3, 2013

August 4, 2013

Taqueria Jalisco is a tiny Mexican restaurant just off of Main Street in Downtown Chattanooga. They serve delicious authentic Mexican food.

If you’ve read much of Chattavore, you probably know of my love for this little place in Soddy-Daisy called Delia’s. It’s pretty much ruined me on other Mexican joints in the area. I’ve been hearing so many awesome things about Taqueria Jalisco, just off of Main Street, that I knew I was going to have to check it out and soon. I went to a Mexican restaurant that shall remain unnamed (not Delia’s!) for lunch yesterday (yes, my friends….it’s that time again. School starts back Thursday!), kind of thinking, “Well, I guess I’m going to ruin my appetite for Mexican” but that didn’t happen, so after scooping up a couple of awesome finds at McKay, we headed on over to Taqueria Jalisco.

Now, this place is seriously tiny. We found a parking spot on the street (there’s no parking lot but street parking was pretty abundant) and walked on in. There’s a screened in patio and a small dining room…we grabbed the last table in the dining room and were handed menus. The menu is simple….appetizers, tacos, a handful of entrees, and tortas (Mexican sandwiches). All of the drinks are bottled-bottled water, Pure Sodaworks sodas, Mexican Coke (real sugar!) and Jarritos. Actually, if I had realized that the water was bottled, I would have ordered a Jarritos…I love that stuff!

We also ordered chips & salsa for $3.00. Some of the other appetizers included guacamole and pupusas. The salsa was pretty spicy, but not unbearably so, and very smooth (i.e. not chunky) which is just how I like my salsa. The chips were nice and crisp, unsalted (as they are in most Mexican restaurants). The chips were good, but they did not beat the thick and always freshly cooked chips at Delia’s.

I decided on tacos Mexicanos, with corn tortillas, onion, cilantro, and choice of meat. You can also order tacos Americanos, which are served (obvi) in the American style with cheese and sour cream. For my meat I requested al pastor, which is chunks of pork marinated in a whole bunch of delicious spices, and barbacoa, basically slow-cooked shredded beef. Each taco was served on two corn tortillas with a good portion of meat, plenty of chopped cilantro, and diced white onions. Now, another thing that you know if you read my blog much is that raw onions pretty much reduce me to tears…except here. Don’t ask me why, but for some reason raw onion in Mexican-style tacos does not bother me, and in fact I feel like ordering them without would take away from the flavor. So I leave them on and I’m glad I do. Both meats were delicious, the pork perfectly seasoned and cooked perfectly, not dry in the least, and the barbacoa shredded and seasoned, tasting like the best pot roast you’ve ever eaten. Actually, the special was two tacos with rice & beans for $5.50, so we ordered that and found that their rice and beans were also excellent, very fresh (no skin on top of the beans-score!) and seasoned just right. Delicious.

Philip ordered the same thing as me, except that he ordered his standard chorizo as well as a lengua taco. Yes, that’s right. Beef tongue. He has been wanting to try beef tongue for quite some time and, as it is not exactly an easy-to-find meat…this was his first opportunity. While I do tend to be a bit freaked out by unusual meats (Philip is not and will try anything once), I was adventurous and gave it a try…and it was good! Looking at it you would definitely know that it was not your run-of-the-mill meat, and the texture was different in a way that I can’t really describe (but, in my opinion, not an off-putting way at all) but it was delicious…like the barbacoa, tasting like a great pot roast. Philip really enjoyed it, but his real treat came when he took a bite of the chorizo, immediately proclaiming it to be the best he’d ever had. I tasted it as well and indeed it was delicious and I was a little jealous that I hadn’t ordered it, though I would have had to eat three tacos because no way would I have given up the pastor or the barbacoa taco.

So, we both pretty much licked our plates and then we asked for the one item on the dessert menu: tres leches cake (cake with three milks, duh and yum). Alas, they were out and tears were nearly shed (and we had to have a consolation treat of Biscoff cookies with our afternoon coffee) but our server assured us that it was delicious (thanks for rubbing salt in that wound, buddy!). We’ll have to go back soon to sample it. At $17 and some change pre-tip, it was a pretty good bargain too.

So the verdict….well, it’s a toss-up. Delia’s wins in the chips and salsa category and the location category (you know, since it’s ten minutes from our house) but when I compare their al pastor, barbacoa, and chorizo to Taqueria Jalisco, well….sorry Delia’s. Taqueria Jalisco edges you out by a nose. I’m so glad for some great authentic Mexican restaurants in our area and I can’t wait to visit Taqueria Jalisco again. Go. There.

Taqueria Jalisco is located at 1634 Rossville Avenue (not Boulevard!!!), Chattanooga, TN 37408. You can call them at 423-509-3430. You can also “like” them on Facebook.

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