El Norte Restaurant Lodi, Lodi

El Norte Restaurant’s owners use their more than 35 years of experience working at restaurants in Texas and Northern Mexico to create authentic Mexican dishes to their exact specifications. Surrounded by Aztec-inspired paintings and sombreros hung on the walls, diners dig into pork carnitas, enchiladas suizas, and bowls of chopino. Whether bellied up to one of the restaurant’s two bars or seated at a table blanketed by a colorful tablecloth, guests enjoy the serenades of a mariachi band or the sound of a live harp player politely ordering a burrito. On weekends, karaoke and DJ-fueled dance sessions take over the restaurant’s spare room.