Mexican Restaurants in Burlington

The dining room at El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant is a kaleidoscope of colors, its vibrant orange and red walls a fitting backdrop for its multicolored margaritas and flavorful Mexican dishes. Sizzling dishes crackle as they emerge from the kitchen, with strokes of red and green salsas sweeping across burritos, tacos, fajitas, and an abundance of traditional meat, seafood, and vegetable specialties. Thirty combo meals group complementary offerings—such as a grouping of chili relleno, enchilada, and chalupa—that fight for throat space with towering margaritas and mugs of beer. Leafy vines dangle from arched doorways, and art pieces speckle the walls, from ornamental suns to impressionist pieces made entirely from hot sauces of different colors.

Citysearchers give Cactus Pear's Jefferson location a 3.5-star average. Nine Yelpers give the Jefferson location an average of three stars, while seven more Yelpers give the restaurant's Kenwood location an identical three-star rating. Seventy-eight percent of 119 Urbanspooners recommend the Cactus Pear on Jefferson, and 76% of 135 additional Urbanspooners like the Kenwood bistro.

Many of the menu's dishes infuse traditional Mexican fare with American flavors. Loco fries come smothered with homemade cheese sauce, pico de gallo, jalapeños, sour cream, and shredded cheese ($6.99, add $1 for beef or chicken). Margarita's famously fresh fajitas are served with rice, beans, tortillas, and salad and pack a meaty punch from marinated steak or chicken ($9.99) or the Cozumel's medley of steak, chicken, shrimp, chorizo and pineapples ($15.99). Chow on chimichangas ($9.99–$13.99), quesadillas ($6.99–$11.99), enchiladas ($11.99–$13.99), burritos ($9.99–$12.99), carne asada ($9.99), and vegetarian combinations ($9.99). Or build your own burger ($6.99) by choosing a beef, chicken, or turkey base and arming it with exotic toppings ($1 each).

Though the family-oriented grill's atmosphere mostly recalls a comfy Mexican restaurant (down to the homemade chips and salsa greeting you at the table), the menu touts tastes from across the globe. Try the signature Hawaiian-style ribs ($13.99 half order, $24.99 whole) marinated and grilled in a secret-recipe Jack Daniel’s barbecue sauce, or take a Bavarian turn with the mett-n-kraut ($12.99), a German-style minced pork with sauerkraut on rye bread. Otherwise, opt for something more Italian such as the homemade meat or vegetarian lasagna ($12.99). Classic Tostado's burgers ($8.49) with your choice of toppings (including mushrooms, bacon, barbecue, and Swiss, Provolone, or American cheese) and reubens ($8.99) bring the around-the-world menu back home. True to its name, though, Tostado’s also serves up Mexican dishes that range from familiar burritos ($9.99–$11.99, depending on filling) and quesadillas ($9.99–$11.99) to the creative Mexican hot dog ($6.99), which comes with sour cream, mustard, and pico de gallo.

Begun by the Fuentes family, who traces their culinary roots to La Piedad, Mexico, El Toro Mexican Restaurant serves up time-tested Mexican dishes that range from tamales and chiles poblanos to chimichangas stuffed with beef tips. Their peppery fajitas can be made either with beef or with selections from the seafood menu, such as a combo of shrimp, crab, and tilapia. Patrons wash down their spicy medleys with drinks that include Dos Equis beer and specialty margaritas such as the Margarona, which adds Corona and acapella renditions of "My Sharona" to the classic beverage. The eatery surrounds its appetite-satisfying food with a similarly bright atmosphere, allowing diners to tear into burritos and tostadas amid sunny-yellow walls and colorful murals.

Rincon Mexicano's resident tortilla technicians channel family recipes to bolster a menu of authentic Mexican dishes. Tune-up appetites with a prelude of house salsa or salsa verde before unlocking clenched jaws with the proper password⎯MichaelJordan&Baseball⎯to imbibe the burrito mexicano, which snuggles pork and vegetables in a flour-tortilla sleeping bag blanketed with cheese sauce. Chefs employ the aid of tender chicken breast smothered in house-made mole sauce to construct mole poblano, while seafood tacos unite shrimp and tilapia, affording diners the privilege of sampling seafaring flavors without the hassle of stealing a mermaid's lunchbox. Diners can enjoy their meals tucked cozily into dark-stained high-backed booths surrounding the original artwork that adorns the golden stucco walls.