Best Tex-Mex Restaurants in Scottsdale: Where to Savor Southwestern Cuisine

Old Town Tortilla Factory is located in Old Town Scottsdale in a historic 75-year old Scottsdale adobe home. The restaurant is popular with visitors drawn to the restaurant's Southwestern charm and ambiance--not to mention the 1400 square foot flagstone patio surrounded by green vegetation and the much-appreciated shade from a 100 year old pecan tree. The menu focuses on Southwestern food with a Mexican twist. Menu favorites include Tex-Mex staples such as pork chile verde, slow roasted pork with cilantro, tomatillos, green chiles, onions and potatoes, or the southwestern filet mignon, a grilled filet served with garlic mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and a zesty chipotle mushroom demi glaze.

Fun, festive decor creates a relaxed atmosphere in which to enjoy heaping portions of Mexican favorites. If you're famished, an appetizer of beef gorditas will more than tide you over until the main course arrives. Blue corn crab enchiladas, grilled chicken with spinach in chipotle cream sauce, and to-die-for guacamole are just some of the crowd favorites here. For an exquisite and unforgettable entree, order the lamb adobo, a lamb shank drenched in adobo sauce and served with grilled vegetables, beans and tortillas. After dinner, head to the patio for a change of pace and to tackle a luscious dessert. That's right, with chocolate tamales on the menu, who can resist?

You won't find greasy run-of-the-mill tacos at Blanco Tacos + Tequila. The menu blends fresh ingredients and authentic Mexican recipes for out-of-this-world flavor profiles. Start with the popular house guacamole. It's a creamy, spicy treat made with roasted poblano and Anaheim chiles, caramelized onion and cotija cheese. Entrees include traditional combo platters and a taco menu. The carnitas tacos are stuffed with pulled pork that is slow cooked and topped with fresh condiments, including chopped white onion, cilantro, salsa verde and a squeeze of lime juice. The menu offers many low-fat and gluten-free options for diners looking for healthy yet still-tasty fare.

Habaneros Mexican Grill is a favorite Scottsdale Mexican food eatery for dining in and take out. The menu delivers straightforward Sonoran fare dripping with flavor. A house favorite is the carne asada burrito, which served with fresh guacamole and pico de gallo. Other Habaneros specialties include chicken, steak and shrimp fajitas, flautas, chiles rellenos, tacos (seafood tacos are a specialty here) and the popular "Buenos Nachos," which come with your choice of ground beef, chorizo or chicken. For lighter fare, there are garden salads and taco salad. Flan and sopapilla are available for dessert, and there are a selection of refreshing aguas frescas at the fountain drink station.

Fun, funky and right in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale, Cien Agaves Tacos and Tequila is a favorite stopping point for out-of-towners and anyone with a soft spot for tasty tacos and top shelf tequila. The heart of the menu is The Taco Stand, an expansive taco menu where you can pick and choose from house specialties like the Grilled Ono Taco or zesty Tinga Taco, a crispy corn tortilla stuffed with chipotle-marinated shredded chicken. Can't decide? Choose the dos or tres taco especial, which comes with your choice of two or three tacos. Enchiladas, burritos, and chimichangas are also well-represented here.

Jalapeno Inferno is a Southwestern-Mexican restaurant serving gourmet fare in a stylish modern space with a spacious patio. The family-owned restaurant has two locations in Scottsdale has made a name for itself with its pillowy soft flour tortillas, extra crispy tortilla chips and salsa, and creative margarita menu. For starters, try the "Illustrious" green corn tamales, two steaming hot tamales made with fresh sweet white corn masa and stuffed with a blend of Mexican cheeses and green chiles. The menu spans favorite classic Mexican, Sonoran and Tex-Mex dishes, including the popular West Texas barbacoa tacos, two soft flour tortilla tacos stuffed with grilled chicken that has been simmered in a sweet and tangy mango-chipotle barbecue sauce.

Carlsbad Tavern & Restaurant in Scottsdale embraces New Mexico-style Mexican food and culture, making for one of the most colorful, fun lunch and dinner spots in Scottsdale. Authentic New Mexican grub uses fresh New Mexico chiles in a variety of creative and delectable meals, such as the luscious Crab Stuffed Poblanos, two poblano chiles stuffed with crab, peppers, onions, and cilantro served with smoked cascabell and yellow bell cream sauce with sides of rice and black beans. Or try the inimitable Machaca & Tomatillo Chimichanga, slow cooked machaca beef with roasted tomatillo sauce and pepper jack cheese wrapped in a deep-fried tortilla.

Blue Adobe Grille is the brainchild of Chef and Owner Jose Leyva, who brings traditional "New" Mexican cuisine to Scottsdale with his unique take on such regional favorites as chimichangas, enchiladas and rellenos. The menu branches out into American comfort food staples, with pizza, sandwiches, and even meat loaf making an appearance on the eclectic menu--all infused with traditional Mexican and Southwestern ingredients and flavors. The fire wood grille with pecan wood and 100% Hatch chiles make for a perfect balance of flavor and spice. Try the tasty and authentic pork posole stew, or one of the house favorites, carne adovada.

This family-owned restaurant, tucked into a shopping center in far north Scottsdale, offers an accessible menu of regional Mexican specialties. You'll find everything from nachos to Yucatan-style cochinita pibil. Regional dishes from Mexico City, Cancun, Guadalajara and Puebla, to name a few, are well-represented on the menu, which means there is something here to please pretty much everyone. But you'll also find some Tex-Mex and Sonoran-Mex items. Whether you're craving a silky mole or Baja fish tacos, chances are you will find it here. Dishes are carefully crafted and plated, and the restaurant itself is pleasant and casually upscale, with a full bar offering signature Mexican-inspired cocktails.

La Fonda del Sol is a long-standing north Scottsdale destination for Mexican and American Food. The small, family-owned restaurant has all your favorite Mexican comfort foods, including homemade salsas, chile rellenos, enchiladas, and a menu of signature fajita dinners and skillets. If you love a good chimichanga, make room for the restaurant's hefty, chicken-stuffed house chimichanga â€" it's hard to resist this rendition. La Fonda offers good value (combo dinners come with rice and beans), and a daily happy hour that happens from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. It's hard not to be charmed by this mom-and-pop shop and it's expansive menu of cheesy and hearty Mexican favorites.