14 Mexican Restaurants Along Route 66 That Are Worth The Stop
Since 1926, people from across the globe have flocked to Route 66 for many reasons. Some hit America's Mother Road for new opportunities or adventures; for roadside kitsch and small-town charms. For others, food is what fuels the ultimate road trip on one of America's most famous highways. Along with classic restaurants on Route 66, like diners and BBQ joints, travelers today can find a variety of cuisines along the drive, including some of the best Mexican restaurants in the U.S.
Technically speaking, Route 66 no longer exists as an actual highway. That said, these restaurants can be found in the towns and cities the the road historically ran through. In mapping out the best Mexican restaurants on Route 66, I tapped into my own extensive experiences on the drive. As someone who traveled full-time in an RV for two years, criss-crossing Route 66 frequently, and who now lives right on Route 66 in Oklahoma City, this is a part of the country that I am very familiar with — and very passionate about. On the dozens of Route 66 road trips I've done, I've visited countless restaurants, including numerous Mexican restaurants. By combining my experiences with critical acclaim, national accolades, user reviews, and unique Route 66 history I've honed in on these 14 Mexican restaurants as the best on Route 66.
Cariño
The best Mexican restaurant in Illinois, Cariño, is a Michelin-starred fine dining destination, named one of The New York Times' top restaurants in the U.S. in 2025. Helmed by chef Norman Fenton, a nominee for Best Chef: Great Lakes at the 2026 James Beard Awards, the Uptown restaurant features a variety of dining options, including tasting menus, a chef's counter experience, and even a taco omakase, with artful items like lamb al pastor tostadas.
No matter which route you choose (pun intended), the menus showcase some of the most inventive flavors — Mexican or otherwise — along Route 66, from oysters with Clamato pearls and beer foam, to chicken liver tacos, huitlacoche ravioli, and lamb with beets, hibiscus, and sour orange. Even something as familiar as chips and salsa gets a refresh, here served with salsa verde, tortilla crumb, and licorice.
(312) 722-6838
4662 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640
El Molino del Sureste
In St. Louis, El Molino del Sureste is pushing the envelope with contemporary craft and bold interpretations of classic Mexican flavors. The chef, Alex Henry, was a semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest at the James Beard Awards in 2026, for his locally sourced approach to Mexican traditions. And a common thread of his ever-changing menus is a focus on the Yucatan Peninsula where he was born.
At El Molino del Sureste, which translates to "the mill" in Spanish, Henry makes masa and tortillas in-house from local heirloom corn. He curates a menu filled with innovative flavor combinations and creative swings, like chile poblano stuffed with lamb picadillo and goat cheese-walnut sauce, masa dumplings with smoked oyster mushrooms and carrot-habanero salsa, and smoked venison shank with olives and prune relish. The restaurant has been named among St. Louis' best by local publications like Feast Magazine, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and St. Louis Magazine.
(314) 925-8431
5005-5007 S. Kingshighway Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63109
Cesar's Old Mexico
The Missouri city of Springfield is not only the birthplace of Route 66, but home to the top Mexican restaurant in the state. Feast Magazine calls Cesar's Old Mexico — owned by Sandra Gonzalez Ortiz — a staple for real-deal Mexican and Salvadorian food in Springfield. The restaurant is known for its pupusas in particular, which Gonzalez Ortiz makes by hand, while other dishes include a variety of classic crowd-pleasers: tacos, tortas, sopes, enchiladas, and more. One novelty item, "so-pusas," is a Mexican-Salvadorian combination of pupusas topped with meat, ranchero sauce, and cotija cheese.
Since its opening in 2015,Cesar's Old Mexico has established itself as a must-stop restaurant for road-trippers. The restaurant is so popular that it's frequently at standing-room-only capacity, necessitating expansion, but customers line up for it, praising its excellent service, fresh tortillas, and authentic Mexican dishes on par with the best in the nation.
(417) 881-8252
2627 E. Sunshine St, Springfield, MO 65804
Lion Rojo
With just 12.8 miles of the Mother Road, Kansas may contain the shortest stretch of Route 66, but the state's roadside restaurants are as big and bold — and pit stop-worthy — as anything else on the drive. Case in point: Lion Rojo. This Mexican restaurant has larger-than-life lore befitting the iconic route. Located in a former bank building from 1870, Lion Rojo serves locally sourced dishes in a space that was rumored to have been robbed by infamous outlaw Jesse James.
The menu is larger-than-life too, covering a variety of Mexican and Tex-Mex classics, like tortilla soup, pork carnitas, tortas, enchiladas, and a very California-esque Kansas Burrito stuffed with beef tips, rice, beans, queso, and fries. Customers call the food some of the best Mexican dishes they've had, adding points for friendly service and the history of the building.
www.lionrojomexicanrestaurant.com
(620) 304-2061
1101 Military Ave, Baxter Springs, KS 66713
Noche Woodfired Grill and Agave Bar
Among the most celebrated restaurants in Oklahoma, Tulsa's Noche Woodfired Grill and Agave Bar has racked up its fair share of accolades and awards since its opening in 2023. Regarded as the best Mexican restaurant in the state by Tasting Table, The New York Times also named Noche one of the best new restaurants in the U.S. in 2024, and in 2025, it was a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant at the James Beard Awards.
The restaurant takes a contemporary approach with its Mexican cooking, drawing inspiration from the culture and cuisine of Mexico City. Nixtamalized corn tortillas are made by hand, paired with dishes like crushed tamale queso and wood-fired fajitas, while other novelties include birria ramen, cheese enchiladas with parmesan crema, and pecan-smoked short rib. The agave bar rounds out the menu with agave flights, margaritas, and an extensive selection of mezcals and tequilas.
(918) 574-8407
110 N. Elgin Ave Ste 140, Tulsa, OK 74120
El Coyote
One of the requisite Route 66 restaurants in Oklahoma, El Coyote is an edible homage to another city further west on the Mother Road: Santa Fe. At his Oklahoma City restaurant, chef Jonathon Stranger marries New Mexican and Mexican cuisines with serious style and a commitment to authenticty (the menu is rooted in New Mexican Hatch chile), with dishes including green chile queso, sorghum-glazed beef tacos with salsa macha, posole with pork adovada, and red chile rib tips with housemade blue corn tortillas.
Stranger is among the most lauded chefs in Oklahoma City, having appeared on Food Network multiple times. As a big fan of Santa Fe, and someone who spends lots of time both there and in Oklahoma City, I've eaten at El Coyote numerous times and absolutely love it. And diners agree, calling it a must-visit in Oklahoma City.
(405) 849-5218
925 W Britton Rd, Oklahoma City, OK 73114
Jorge's Mexican Bar & Grill
In the Texas panhandle, many Route 66 road-trippers make a pit stop for super-sized steaks. But in Amarillo, a city known for its Tex-Mex, go beyond the touristed hot spots and try your steak with a side of ranchero sauce. Jorge's Mexican Bar & Grill is a widely acclaimed Mexican restaurant that was voted the Best Mexican Restaurant, Best Margarita, Best Lunch, and Best Happy Hour, by the Amarillo Globe News.
Customers love the restaurant too, highlighting its crave-worthy queso, zesty salsa, and sizzling fajitas. The something-for-everyone menu covers all the Mexican and Tex-Mex staples, from chicken flautas to tacos al pastor and nachos heaped with queso, as well as original creations like beef fajitas fries and spicy steak tips enrobed in ranchero sauce. Look out for seasonal specials too, like red pozole with hominy and pork.
(806) 354-2241
6051 Bell St, Amarillo, TX 79109
Chicos Tortas y Piñas Lokas
Chico's Tortas y Piñas Lokas is a family-run restaurant in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, whose owners — husband-wife team Carlos and Juany Chico — hail from the Mexican state of Guerrero, and which New Mexico Magazine calls a quintessential Route 66 pit stop. All the recipes, the magazine adds, come from their family, including freshly made salsas, guacamole, and ceviche, along with more esoteric ingredients like tripe and tongue.
Diners love the colorful restaurant and fun atmosphere, raving about the street tacos and tamales in particular, and calling it the best Mexican restaurant in New Mexico. Other popular menu items include red chicken enchiladas, smothered burritos, and tres leches cake. Even the water goes above and beyond, infused with the likes of cucumber and chia. And don't miss the namesake torta, stuffed with a Cubano-inspired medley of pork, sausage, ham, cheese, and avocado.
(575) 472-2181
2306 U.S. Route 66, Santa Rosa, NM 88435
Zacatlán
The most acclaimed Mexican restaurant in New Mexico, Zacatlán is a passion project for chef Eduardo Rodriguez, and a culinary love letter to his upbringing in the Mexican state of Zacatecas. And that passion paid off, as buzzy Santa Fe restaurant landed Rodriguez a nomination for Best Chef: Southwest at the 2024 James Beard Awards.
Skewing contemporary, the menu includes a kaleidoscopic assortment of singular Mexican dishes, like pork belly carnitas with rhubarb and strawberry tamal, bone marrow with Hatch green chile and foie gras nuggets, and lamb shank barbacoa with refried black beans, housemade tortillas, and mole Colorado (a type of red mole made with several kinds of red chiles). Customers love the restaurant, citing its unique combination of New Mexican and Mexican flavors and its warm ambience and service, while also praising the mole sauce as some of the best in the U.S.
(505) 780-5174
317 Aztec St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
Mac's La Sierra
I visit Albuquerque a lot, and on one of my most recent return trips to New Mexico's largest city, locals pointed me in the direction of a classic Route 66 diner with a Mexican twist. I ate at Mac's La Sierra when I was road-tripping Route 66 this summer, and loved everything about it, from its history to its food.
Mac's La Sierra has been a family-owned institution on Route 66 since 1952, specializing in New Mexican and Mexican food like tamales, burritos, enchiladas, sopapillas, and Mexican hamburger steaks with green chile. The Albuquerque Journal calls it a mainstay on Central Avenue and online reviews echo my sentiments exactly — raving about the restaurant's friendly service, historic atmosphere, and classic menu items, like the freshly fried sopapillas. Don't miss the steak fingers, a house specialty made with slices of beef that are battered and fried.
(505) 836-1212
6217 Central Ave NW, Albuquerque, NM 87105
El Corral
In the Arizona town of Williams, El Corral stands out as a local favorite for Mexican cooking and immersive Wild West decor. Customers flock for the food, including menu items like menudo that denote a dedication to authenticity. From fresh salsa to creamy horchata, diners say that food and drinks are served with care and pride.
Since El Corral opened in 2016, the owners — Aladio and Debbie Ramirez — have exhibited a passion for the open road, emphasizing how they strive to be an enduring pit stop for Route 66 travelers. Their food reflects that commitment, including all-day Mexican fare meant to fuel a road trip, like chile rellenos spiced with green chile stew, asada fries flecked with pieces of steak, succulent beef liver with grilled onions and jalapeños, and machaca con huevos — aka a shredded beef dish served with eggs and warm tortillas.
(928) 635-0707
320 W Rte 66, Williams, AZ 86046
El Palacio of Kingman
Recommended by Arizona Highways as a legendary place to eat on the Mother Road, El Palacio of Kingman is equally renowned for its historic building on Route 66, as well as its food. The restaurant has been open since 1995, but its building dates back over a century. And on a highway like Route 66, famed for its kitsch, there's something apt about a super-sized dish like the El Bandito burrito — a road trip bucket list behemoth stuffed with sirloin, chicken tenders, a tamale, chile relleno, rice, beans, onions, avocado, and tomato.
But El Palacio of Kingman is so much more than roadside kitsch. The restaurant has also won awards for its tacos, salsa, and guacamole, and customers endorse those accolades, calling El Palacio of Kingman a homespun classic with great food, and the top Mexican restaurant in the area.
(928) 718-0018
401 E Andy Devine Ave, Kingman, AZ 86401
Mitla Cafe
You know a Mexican restaurant is good when it influences the creation of a giant taco chain. A family-owned roadside requisite in San Bernardino since 1937, Mitla Cafe grew from its earliest days as a humble lunch counter into a community cornerstone with serious staying power — and a whole lot of influence. Over the years, the cafe attracted hordes of road-trippers, politicians, celebrities, and entrepreneurs, including Glen Bell, who is said to have drawn inspiration from Mitla Cafe when he founded Taco Bell.
For a frills-free eatery on Route 66, such inspiration is a testament to the cafe's popular tacos dorados, which are fried tortillas loaded with cheese, ground beef, and diced tomatoes. Tacos are still a fixture on the menu, and the crispy shredded beef versions are as enduringly popular as ever, along with tostasas, enchiladas, chiles rellenos, carne asada, and much more.
(909) 888-0460
602 N Mt Vernon Ave, San Bernardino, CA 92411
La Paloma
As Route 66 winds its way into La Verne, in the foothills of the San Gabriel valley, a beacon emerges. Follow the neon glow to La Paloma, a landmark restaurant as revered for its homey Mexican recipes as it is for its luminous architecture on the Mother Road. The family-owned restaurant has been in business for over half a century, offering a menu of seasoned staples and inventive dishes alike.
Fresh guacamole, piping-hot fajitas, Mexican shrimp cocktail, cheesy enchiladas, and beefy burritos are all on deck, alongside novelty items like Buffalo chicken quesadillas, churro sundaes, and Pizzadillas — aka crispy tortillas topped with cheese, bell peppers, onions, green chiles, tomatoes, and ground beef. La Paloma is a hit with customers as well, calling it some of the best Mexican food in all of California, and an enduring pit stop on Route 66, beloved by many.
(909) 593-7209
2975 Foothill Blvd, La Verne, CA 91750
Methodology
Ever since I spent two years traveling the U.S. in my RV, I've come to love Route 66 and all the Americana it represents. Today, living literally on the iconic road in my adopted home city of Oklahoma City, Route 66 is more than a highway, but a token of local pride. And the more time that I spend traversing the route, across Oklahoma and well beyond, the more I fall in love with the restaurants that call it home.
In mapping out the best Mexican restaurants on Route 66, I looked for standout destinations that represented geographic diversity, as well as a diverse variety of dining styles and concepts. This includes tasting menu restaurants and James Beard Award-winners, alongside family-run institutions and places that boast their own distinctive Route 66 history. The through-line for all of these restaurants, though, is quality and consistency. By pairing my own extensive Route 66 dining experiences with professional reviews, customers, and local and national accolades, I've determined that these 14 Mexican restaurants stand out as the best on the Mother Road.