Highest-rated Mexican Restaurants in the Gainesville Area by Diners

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Highest-rated Mexican restaurants in the Gainesville area by diners

Just like cuisine from any country, Mexican food is not monolithic. It isn't just combo plates and tacos. (Not that there's anything wrong with that style of food; it's delicious and is responsible for popularizing Mexican food in the United States.) But Mexican food means more than that.

It reflects Mexico's diverse population—shaped by waves of immigration—and has proliferated throughout the U.S., showcasing the cuisine in all its complexity and regionality. Mexico has 32 distinct regional styles of cooking, and thanks to immigrant chefs and the rise of promising culinarians of Mexican descent looking to share their signature dishes, Indigenous foodways, and ingredients from various regions, diners are reframing their idea of "Mexican food."

According to a 2024 Pew Research Center analysis of SafeGraph data, 1 in 10 restaurants in the U.S. serve Mexican food, and nearly 9 out of 10 U.S. counties have at least one Mexican restaurant. The analysis also reveals that California and Texas are home to a majority of the Mexican American population and together host 2 out of 5 Mexican restaurants in the country.

These findings serve as a testament to the influence Mexican cuisine has had and continues to have in America. Which begs the question: Where does one go for the best old-school Mexican restaurants, loncheras slinging tacos out of a half-window, and innovative modern Mexican food pushing culinary boundaries?

To help you out, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Mexican restaurants in the Gainesville area based on diners' reviews on Yelp as of February 2025. Restaurants with at least 20 reviews tagged as "Mexican" on Yelp within a 10-kilometer radius of Gainesville were included. As a result, some restaurants featured may serve other food items besides Mexican food. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 50 locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.

Keep reading to see if your favorite Mexican spot made the list or to discover a new restaurant to try!

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#21. Las Margarita's Mexican Restaurant

- Rating: 3.2/5 (326 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4405 Northwest 39th Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

#20. HURRICANE BTW

- Rating: 3.3/5 (97 reviews)
- Address: 8181 Northwest 39th Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Chicken Wings, Tacos, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

#19. El Indio Real Mexican Food

- Rating: 3.3/5 (90 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5011 Northwest 34th St. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

#18. El Dorado Mexican Restaurant

- Rating: 3.4/5 (81 reviews)
- Address: 4005 Southwest 40th Blvd. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

#17. Boca Fiesta

- Rating: 3.4/5 (386 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 232 Southeast 1st St. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Mexican, Bars
- Read more on Yelp

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#16. Peppers Mexican Grill & Cantina

- Rating: 3.7/5 (159 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7750 West Newberry Road Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

#15. Tijuana Flats

- Rating: 3.7/5 (99 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3205 Clark Butler Blvd. Unit 70 Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Mexican, Tex-Mex
- Read more on Yelp

#14. Burrito Famous

- Rating: 3.7/5 (154 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3412 West University Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Tex-Mex, fast food, Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

#13. El Indio Real Mexican Food

- Rating: 3.8/5 (256 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 407 Northwest 13th St. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

#12. La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant

- Rating: 3.8/5 (144 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 9513 Northwest 39th Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

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#11. Chuy's

- Rating: 3.8/5 (448 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3410 Southwest Archer Road Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Tex-Mex, Mexican, Bars
- Read more on Yelp

#10. La Pasadita

- Rating: 3.9/5 (192 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4126 Northwest 6th St. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Mexican, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

#9. Linda Vista

- Rating: 4.1/5 (207 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7070 Southwest Archer Road Ste 3102 Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

#8. La Tienda Latina

- Rating: 4.2/5 (929 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2204 Southwest 13th St. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Mexican, Specialty Food, Latin American
- Read more on Yelp

#7. Nopal

- Rating: 4.3/5 (125 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5112 Northwest 34th Blvd. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

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#6. Cilantro Tacos

- Rating: 4.3/5 (228 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 12921 Southwest 1st Road Ste 103 Newberry, Florida
- Categories: Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

#5. Cantina Añejo

- Rating: 4.3/5 (28 reviews)
- Address: 1680 West University Ave. Ste 10 Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Sports Bars, Mexican, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

#4. Muñecas Taco Garden

- Rating: 4.5/5 (76 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 317 Southwest 4th Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Street Vendors, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp