OT: Best Mexican Food in Buffalo

[Brawndo]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Thats the name of the place!

It’s really good 

[Porous Five Hole]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

Over in Ra-cha-cha, Monte Alban's is pretty good.  Prefer the Penfield location as the one in Ra-cha-cha/Irondequoit can be a bit more hit or miss.

There was an upscale Tex Mex place on/near Alexander called Mex, but haven't been there in ages and no idea if it is still open post-pandemic or not.

Canandaigua keeps getting authentic restaurants to open up but they seem to close pretty quickly disappointingly.  At least 2 have gone under in the past 10 or so years.

I eat tacos weekly and it kind of depends what you’re looking for…but I would recommend Old Pueblo Grill on University for street tacos (second location in Victor), and La Casa in the south wedge for a more authentic experience. 

[Goldseatsaud]

10 hours ago, bg17 said:

Las Brasas in East Aurora is very good. 

I’ve eaten there. In the plaza 

[ubkev]

I haven't lived in Buffalo for over 19 years, so I have nothing of value to add to this conversation. Selfishly, I will say, any burrito that is the size of a football can ***** right off!

[JoeSchmoe]

2 hours ago, ... said:

It would get ugly. Yankees are incapable of good BBQ. That's a fact after decades of testing.

My brother has done a lot of traveling throughout the south but he still puts Dinosaur BBQ against the best of them. Granted I find the Buffalo and Rochester locations aren't as consistently good as the Syracuse one... Even still on a bad day they're good.

But between the two of us, we've always found the Syracuse location to be nothing less than excellent.

[SabresVet]

13 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

Also, it bears mentioning, that a short drive down 90 to Batavia/Genesee County and/or a pop up north a bit into Orleans County will yield several fantastic taquerias. I don't even know the names off the top of my head. I've been to at least 3. One in Batavia for sure. Another in Albion, maybe? Anyway, the agricultural character of those areas (and its reliance on migrant workers) has given rise to excellent, authentic Mexican/Central American food options.

 

13 hours ago, Weave said:

Medina has an amazing Mexican restaurant.  Forget its name though.  Worth the drive.  Albion has one as well, but I haven’t made an excuse to eat there yet.

Batavia has 3.  One right off the thruway, Los Compadres is great street food style mexican, and 2 sit down restaurants that are also high quality.  All 3 are run by Mexican families.  Batavia has Puerto Rican place now too.

Genesee and Orleans counties really do benefit from the season immigrant work force, Between the restaurants and Spanish markets.

I like That Taco Place in Batavia.  Just get it and eat in the parking lot. LOL. 

5 hours ago, Brawndo said:

As is Aguacates in Lockport and Mariachi De Oro in Medina 

Ate at Mariachi de Oro today. So many superlatives to describe that restaurant, but outstanding every single time.  And service is excellent as well.  Highly recommend! 
 

 

[ubkev]

6 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

My brother has done a lot of traveling throughout the south but he still puts Dinosaur BBQ against the best of them. Granted I find the Buffalo and Rochester locations aren't as consistently good as the Syracuse one... Even still on a bad day they're good.

But between the two of us, we've always found the Syracuse location to be nothing less than excellent.

That's because the food in central New York is just plain better. There's literally no other culture there. They have to do something well. They chose food.  😉

[Weave]

6 hours ago, SabresVet said:

 

I like That Taco Place in Batavia.  Just get it and eat in the parking lot. LOL. 

The most not Mexican place in Genesee Co.  lol

[Kr632]

18 hours ago, matter2003 said:

Are you kidding me??

This is the WORST "Mexican" Restaurant in WNY...just terrible and unauthentic as can be.  They had no idea what Queso Fundido was that I regularly order in most other places, so I told them what it consisted of and it looked like they brought me watered down macaroni and cheese sauce with some weird looking sausage in it.  Then I asked for hot sauce and they brought me Louisiana Hot Sauce in a generic ketchup type squeeze bottle...no Cholula, no El Yucateco...Louisiana Hot Sauce. Food was bland and the salsa was runny like it was out of a jar.  So bad that we almost got up and left mid meal.  Left half the food and was the only Mexican restaurant that we didn't even want a box to take the leftovers, it was that bad.

I would rather never eat Mexican food again than go back to that joke of a place.

IMO, the best place was El Caporal which was on Union Rd near Galleria Dr but that closed many years ago when it got busted by federal immigration officers for having illegals working there...now La Tolteca(Williamsville-hired many of the workers from El Caporal), El Palenque(Amherst), Aguacates(Lockport) and El Amigo(Lancaster) are all good choices.

Gramma moras was good 10-15 years ago. Idk what happened but it went down hill fast. 

[matter2003]

Also forgot to add Papi Grande to the list of decent places...out off Maple Road next to Regal.

[SabresVet]

2 hours ago, Weave said:

The most not Mexican place in Genesee Co.  lol

It's fast...that's what I got. 😉 

[Pimlach]

17 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Also forgot to add Papi Grande to the list of decent places...out off Maple Road next to Regal.

Blech.  Not authentic and poor quality IMO.  Dirty kitchen.  

[Night Train]

Conclusion on most Mexican food...

 

[SwampD]

On 10/20/2023 at 11:33 AM, Night Train said:

Conclusion on most Mexican food...

 

So, don’t take your recommendation, then? Gottit. 😂

On 10/19/2023 at 4:57 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Mighty is awful.  

Absolutely. That’s why we love it.

I miss Colloso Taco. Not sure if I’ve ever been in there before 1 AM.

Does anyone remember Mitch’s Del Taco in NT?… Mama Mitch behind the counter?

[Quint]

I haven't been home since 2004 but my favorite was the recently-closed Tex-Mex Lone Star Cafe on Hertel. Oh those steak fajitas...I once got food poisoning from it (not fun) but I was back because I couldn't resist and it was so cheap.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, SwampD said:

 

I miss Colloso Taco. Not sure if I’ve ever been in there before 1 AM.

 

I remember that place, had not thought of it since about 1978.  Can't even recall the street it was on??  

My Niagara County buddies told me over and over, "its better than Mighty".   I think the algorithm is like this:  

NT -> Woodshed -> Colloso

Buffalo -> Gabels -> Mighty Taco

[Broken Ankles]

55 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I remember that place, had not thought of it since about 1978.  Can't even recall the street it was on??  

My Niagara County buddies told me over and over, "its better than Mighty".   I think the algorithm is like this:  

NT -> Woodshed -> Colloso

Buffalo -> Gabels -> Mighty Taco

So true.  Corollary

Mid town Buffalo -> Coles -> Elmwood Taco and Subs.

Mighty was definitely frequented after Gabels.  I didn’t know what Mexican food was until I moved to SoCal after college.  

[Slack_in_MA]

On 10/19/2023 at 11:32 PM, SabresVet said:

Ate at Mariachi de Oro today. So many superlatives to describe that restaurant, but outstanding every single time.  And service is excellent as well.  Highly recommend! 
 

 

I second this. I grew up in Medina and make it a point to go there every time I go back to see my folks. Never disappoints and the staff are great.

[PickaPecaPickles]

On 10/19/2023 at 5:14 PM, matter2003 said:

I am flour tortillas only, I can't do corn...I try and I just don't like the taste of them.  But yeah, if they don't know how to wrap the tortillas properly to keep them in a good state prior to eating or have the little round tortilla holder thingy that keeps them fresh and warm then it's probably not going to be a good experience.

woooo boy, you just lost all (Mexican food) credibility with that one!

🤣

[GASabresIUFAN]

La Hacienda

[Zamboni]

2 hours ago, PickaPecaPickles said:

woooo boy, you just lost all (Mexican food) credibility with that one!

🤣

While the first tortillas were made out of corn, when the Spanish Conquistadors discovered and conquered the Aztec empire in central Mexico, news of this strange new bread spread quickly. It wasn’t long before wheat was brought over to the New World from Spain and the birth of flour tortillas happened. Flour tortillas are the most common and a are a favorite of many people today in Mexican restaurants all over the world.

[PickaPecaPickles]

10 hours ago, Zamboni said:

While the first tortillas were made out of corn, when the Spanish Conquistadors discovered and conquered the Aztec empire in central Mexico, news of this strange new bread spread quickly. It wasn’t long before wheat was brought over to the New World from Spain and the birth of flour tortillas happened. Flour tortillas are the most common and a are a favorite of many people today in Mexican restaurants all over the world.

As a purist: for a burrito or fajitas, yes; for a taco, no. 

I do accept that flour can be a substitute when you can't find good corn tortillas that allow for a soft shell. In fact, it was near impossible to find good corn tortillas in WNY for a long, long time.  When Lloyd's first started their taco truck, I asked where they got their corn tortillas from, and the guy said he couldn't (as in wouldn't) tell me, as the secret to great tacos is a warm, soft corn tortilla (it's why La Divina's are so good).  Making a filling is the easy part. 

[matter2003]

13 hours ago, PickaPecaPickles said:

woooo boy, you just lost all (Mexican food) credibility with that one!

🤣

Haha...can't force myself to think something tastes good when it tastes nasty.  And has a gritty weird texture to boot.

[msw2112]

On 10/19/2023 at 1:45 PM, matter2003 said:

I know I am going to get killed for this but I also don't like Mighty Taco.  Chipotle and Moe's any day of the week over that place for me. Honestly, I think Taco Bell is better than Mighty Taco and way cheaper.

I can't say I disagree with you.  Mighty Taco is a part of my teenage years and somewhat of a cultural icon for me and my peers.  It's part of the local fabric.  I know people that love it and go out of their way for it.  Objectively, the food is pretty bad.

[Doohickie]

On 10/21/2023 at 7:56 PM, PickaPecaPickles said:

woooo boy, you just lost all (Mexican food) credibility with that one!

🤣

Corn versus flour:

Falls apart - Holds together
Gluten free - Glutenous
Wonderful corn flavor - Wonderful flour flavor
Cheap (less than a penny apiece) - Pricey (incurs extra charge at most taco trucks)

But flour tortillas are legit Mexican.  There is a tortilleria near my house that cranks out flour tortillas by the hundreds.  I've had breakfast burritos there and half the attraction is the intoxicating smell of fresh cooked flour tortillas that are wrapped in paper while still warm and put into coolers to keep them warm.  While eating at a table I watch as people from local restaurants and food trucks come in and take a cooler or two full of those great flour tortillas and will later server them, still warm, to their customers.