Mexican Restaurants in Apache Junction

The culinary team at Los Gringos Locos designs intricate hunger-conquering strategies on a menu brimming with savory Mexican cuisine. Ameliorate food deficits with a house specialty dish, such as the slowly grilled pork carnitas ($11.48) or the steak ranchero ($11.93), a collection of cubed sirloin sautéed with tomatoes, jalapenos, red and green peppers, and onions. A duo of green chile peppers ($10.56) ensconced in cheese, grilled egg batter, and sauce precludes spells of cuisine boredom and can be paired with a margarita or Mexican beer. Los Gringos Locos also serves up an appetite-revving roster of soups, salads, and ala carte items.

Serrano’s extensive menu features a full spread of authentic Mexican appetizers, enchiladas, fajitas, sandwiches, and more. Make the flavorful most of the preprandial course with a combo mini appetizer platter, a delectable spread of beef flautas, chicken and cheese rollups, and stuffed jalapeños ($9.50). For the prand itself, diners can avail their faces of house specialties such as the machaca, shredded beef or chicken with chili, tomatoes, onions, rice, and beans saddled up next to a posse of flour tortillas ($9.75). Seafood lovers, and people who once dropped an engagement ring into the ocean and are searching for it one fish at a time, can explore the seafood favorites, such as the diverse Del Mar Sampler, featuring a shrimp enchilada, halibut steak, and garlic shrimp served with rice and Mexican-style veggies ($14.95).

The authentic offerings hat-dancing across Blue Burrito's menu marinate expectations in garlic and grill them into delicious oblivion (menus vary slightly by location). Appetize yourself with the complex complexion of a Mexican fajita pizza (double-layered tortilla pizza with grilled chicken or steak, pico de gallo, grilled peppers and onions, and melted cheese, $9.95), before boldly moving on to a specialty such as the two flautas and a taco platter, which comes chained to sides of Mexican rice, black or pinto beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and tomato ($7.25).

When you spend 25 years doing one job, you'd better love it. Luckily for LuLu's Taco Shop owners Lulu and Israel Aviles, making the traditional Guadalajaran cuisine of their homeland has always been a labor of love. The duo begins with Mexican recipes passed down through generations and then incorporates Arizona's Tex-Mex influence to create a menu that mixes old with new for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Tacos begin with hand-crafted flour and corn tortillas. Once the tortillas are hot and pressed, staff then fill them with meat or seafood cooked in house-made marinades. Dishes can be prepared in the Mexican fashion?topped with cilantro and onions?or Arizona-style with fire sauce, cheese, and guacamole. Either way, the flavors stay true to the Guadalajara region, as the shop sources its spices and seasonings directly from Mexico. LuLu's even imports Mexican beers to round out the taqueria experience, with margaritas available to get parties started or put out party-related fires.

El Rico's transformed from a humble taco shack into a full-fledged Mexican restaurant that boasts a menu jam-packed with homestyle eats. Mountains of nachos lurk beneath grilled carne asada or pollo asada capped with guacamole, sour cream, and lime ($9.79 for full order; $6.99 for half order). Crispy flautas ($8.99), which come in threes to symbolize each of the hemispheres, conceal shredded beef or chicken, and the grilled-shrimp taco plate hosts its seaworthy morsels atop soft tortillas accessorized with pillows of rice and beans ($11.99).