50 Best Mexican Restaurants in Knoxville

“First time in and it was amazing! Great food, drinks and service.“

“On brief vacation with my lovely wife, our hotel clerk suggested Monterrey which was close by. Visited of Friday evening and the place was packed. Many of the patrons appeared to be of Mexican descent, always a good sign of good, authentic food. We were quickly seated in a super clean, delicious smelling dining room and immediately greeted by a lovely young lady who brought us hot, fresh tortilla chips and a wonderfully tasty, fresh salsa which must have been made in house with chunks of fresh tomato and the perfect blend of chillies and herbs. We noticed that everyone was super clean and superbly efficient in doing their assigned tasks without being in the way, all the while appearing to be genuinely happy! This is a sign of an excellently managed business. A handsome, well I groomed gentleman (who I think is a part of the nuclear family who has operated this business for 35 years) stopped at our table to greet us and express his genuine appreciation for our patronage. He recommended a house specialty 'POLLO MONTERREY'. What a magnificent dish! Perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked chicken with spinach and some secret ingredients and spiced most excellently. Sizzling hot dancing sauces made this dish visually stunning and aromatically enticing. I cannot recommend this dish too highly. It was so delightfully good that we came back today, Saturday, for a repeat performance. This restaurant shows me how well an establishment can be operated. Nothing but excellence, unpretentious class, and the utmost in genuine customer service and satisfaction. Just so you know, my wife and I are not food critics, just common folks who appreciate being so well cared for in every respect. I forgot to mention the prices! We found the entire experience to be a tremendously good value. Do yourself a favor and visit this place. I expect you'll become regulars. We would be except that we live on Jane beautiful west (best) coast of Florida. Once again, Monterrey is in our decades long experience, right at the top of restaurants we would chose to frequent. Alan & Jane“

“WOW! What a gem Caza Brava Mexican Restaurant is! My friend Jason was craving Mexican food to celebrate his birthday. I just googled nearest restaurant to us and this came up first. So glad we decided to give it a try! From the moment Xavier graciously and enthusiastically greeted us at the door, we had the most scrumptious meal served by our most attentive waitress, Mary Bell. What a lovely person and hard worker! Oh, right! You want to know about the food! Fantastic! Jason had nachos and I was torn between a shrimp dish and their vegetarian dish which had more and varied vegetables than you see on most Mexican restaurant menus. I asked Xavier if he could add shrimp, and he came up with a solution immediately, which turned out to be SO FLAVORFUL And the presentation was truly beautiful! I never take pictures of my food at restaurants, but last night I did! And I’ve never written a review of a restaurant, not ANY restaurant…ever. Xavier and the rest of the staff, the quality of the service, and the tastiness of the food deserves five stars plus plus plus! I’ll be bringing more of my friends here!“

“Really glad it’s finally open. Food is great. Disappointed they do not serve whole wheat tortillas.“

“Excellent food and service. Highly recommend.“

“We had our new place set up for internet today. Our installer highly recommended Pepo’s Burrito Bar. We visited for dinner tonight and everything was absolutely delicious!!! We all loved our food!!! We will be back time and time again!!!!“

“We had a group of 30 Jeeps stop in there after the Halls Christmas parade and our entire group had 1 server. At first I was a bit concerned but he was phenomenal! All of our orders were taken correctly, the food was hot and amazing, and it all came out together! I’ve eaten there a bunch and always had excellent services and delicious food!“

“this place was amazing !! the food was very good and they had some of the best cheese dip and margaritas i've tasted. also our waitress bella was so sweet and friendly and made our experience even better. definitely would recommend this place!“

“Great food, friendly service.“

“Wonderful food, fabulous craft Margaritas, attentive service, and the outdoor patio was perfect!!“

“Siete mares! Great people. Great food.“

“I do recommend Country Burrito. However…today I visited your Town Center location, and my experience wasn’t great. The food was fantastic, bathroom was very clean, atmosphere was nice, but it seems the hostess waited on us, and unfortunately she was not attentive to our table, kept forgetting us it seemed like. We didn’t even get a check back for a refill on our drinks until towards the end of the meal. Then, out of nowhere she straight up left work. We sat there for 30 minutes trying to flag down another waiter who was busy with what seemed like all the tables in there. I’m not sure they know, but staff shouldn’t leave work unless all of their tables are closed out. If our table was meant to be taken over by another server, we should have been told. There was no communication. I have never not tipped for service, but in this case there was literally no service. My only recommendation would be to have your front of house employees be more structured and responsible. Sadly, this also isn’t our first experience with something like this happening before, either. We may have to just get our food to go from now on. I’d hate to see the company fall under because of no service. Please do something about it.“

“Not only does this place have amazing tacos, they also have the best meats in town and the best avocados. I went to a hundred places trying to find good avocados, and this is the place! Their grocery section has high quality food that you just can't find anywhere else.“

“rude, blamed me for my sea food allergies after they poisoned me with seafood when I ordered chicken. rude nasty people. offered to pay for the free chips and drinks, got sworn at even after they saw that we only ate 2 bites of our food. they cross contaminate the sea food with everything else. good luck to all who dare enter, the waiter was a jerk, his boss was even worse. when asked if they cooked seafood with everything else (after my allergic reaction) he said why wouldn't we. & his boss said that it was our own fault for getting sick for going there. my advice don't go there unless if you don't care about your safety or your life“

“Great food, friendly service.“

“Best tasting Mexican I have had in my commute to Nashville. I will remember this place in my travels and look forward to returning. I got the Burrito Pinata with rice on the side, and a tall Dos Equis. The food is not expensive and worth the exit if you are searching for good eats on your commute on I40. I consider myself a connoisseur of Mexican restaurants, and this one, although humble on the outside has all the love on the inside. You won't regret it.“

“Yes great food and cold beer. I recommend eating here. The staff was on it.“

“One of the best food I’ve ever tried loved it so much I would definitely will visit a thousands times. Fenomenal services“

“I’ve been to a lot of Mexican restaurants in the area, but they have the BEST street tacos! My husband loves their posole. Very authentic“

“Spinach queso and the Margaritas!!!“

“We were pleased to find that the food, drinks, and service of Don Gallo's was as it used to be when it first opened in Hardin Valley. We'd had some rather disappointing drinks and meals on several occasions from 2019 to 2022, so we stopped eating there. Gave it another try for dinner and we were very pleased with everything. We will return.“

“The energy in the restaurant is very vibrant and the waiters are still very attentive whether it's busy or not. The only thing I have to say is that the salsa isn't the best but every other food item I've had here so far is pretty good.“

“rude, blamed me for my sea food allergies after they poisoned me with seafood when I ordered chicken. rude nasty people. offered to pay for the free chips and drinks, got sworn at even after they saw that we only ate 2 bites of our food. they cross contaminate the sea food with everything else. good luck to all who dare enter, the waiter was a jerk, his boss was even worse. when asked if they cooked seafood with everything else (after my allergic reaction) he said why wouldn't we. & his boss said that it was our own fault for getting sick for going there. my advice don't go there unless if you don't care about your safety or your life“

“We had the new Hawaian Shirmp Appetizer which was great if you like pineapple I would definitely recommend. Had a pastor meat sope and some barbacoa tacos. They only have barbacoa on weekends and it’s definitely worth the wait to Saturday and Sunday.
The service is great, our waiter Evila is super nice and helpful when ordering.

Kid-friendliness: My kids love the arroz con pollo and the portions are great“

“After going to the margarita festival and the amazing drink along with staff, I couldn't wait to visit the restaurant. I took a group of ten Friday evening for a celebration.. all I can say is Amazing. The food was so good the service was great, and the drinks were perfect. Thank you all we will return again.“

“Sat at the bar. Great service. Attentive staff and management. Above average food and margaritas. Live music on Tuesday and the molcajete is our favorite.“

“El Charro catered our daughter's wedding. Guests LOVED, LOVED the food!!! I cannot say enough great things about Juan and his team. They are professionals and made the process so easy. Even with hurricane impact at the venue, El Charro team made it work at excellence. I would recommend them for any catering event!“

“Wonderful staff and amazing food!“

“We could eat here every night!“

“Apparently, it is more important to have your employees sit at a back table and roll silverware into a napkin then it is to take care of your customers in your dining room. This was on a Saturday afternoon at 12:30 PM. This is now the second time this has happened. I am so disappointed. When I moved to Knoxville in 2019 La Fiesta was my place. I guess I need to find another place for my Mexican food fix. We certainly have choices in Knoxville and surrounding area.“

“Fantastic tacos, fabulous service, and a nice welcomed change from all the “Tex-Mex” style restaurants in town. Highly recommended!“

“Prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious! I had asada and carnitas tacos and enjoyed every bite!“

“honestly salsarita's is better than any other Mexican restaurant I've been to“

“🐙 seafood menu is extensive. my octopus + shrimp was cooked delightfully. the many salsa options was excellent. I am a queso afìcionado. the queso was delicious. next trip I will get the grilled whole octopus. Happy to have found an authentic Mexican seafood place 🤍 good service.“

“Great food, friendly service.“

“Have eaten there three times and had one to go order. Very pleased each time with the food and service. Very reasonably priced also.“

“I do recommend Country Burrito. However…today I visited your Town Center location, and my experience wasn’t great. The food was fantastic, bathroom was very clean, atmosphere was nice, but it seems the hostess waited on us, and unfortunately she was not attentive to our table, kept forgetting us it seemed like. We didn’t even get a check back for a refill on our drinks until towards the end of the meal. Then, out of nowhere she straight up left work. We sat there for 30 minutes trying to flag down another waiter who was busy with what seemed like all the tables in there. I’m not sure they know, but staff shouldn’t leave work unless all of their tables are closed out. If our table was meant to be taken over by another server, we should have been told. There was no communication. I have never not tipped for service, but in this case there was literally no service. My only recommendation would be to have your front of house employees be more structured and responsible. Sadly, this also isn’t our first experience with something like this happening before, either. We may have to just get our food to go from now on. I’d hate to see the company fall under because of no service. Please do something about it.“

“I had this location cater for my daughter’s baby shower and the food was amazing. Everyone kept talking about how great it was. I was super pleased with how it turned out. Great job!! Thank you!!“

“Great food, friendly service.“

“Good food and friendly service.“

“Wife and I have always enjoyed it. I just miss the beep beep beep beep beep beep song that they use to play a few years ago.

Parking: In a small strip mall so parking isn't an issue.

Wheelchair accessibility: They have a few tables that work fine for some one in a wheelchair“

“El Chico is my favorite mexican restaurant in Knoxville BY FAR. Their salsa is to die for, the best restaurant salsa out of anywhere. It has a hint of sweetness to it, which sets it apart from others. I’ve never had a bad thing from here! You also have to try their apple pie, I tried it for the first time tonight and it was unbelievably good. They bring it out on a hot skillet and pour a sauce over the top!“

“Great food, friendly service.“

“I love, love, love that every time I come here the staff are kind, the food is good and it is CLEAN!!! The staff are even clean and well groomed and welcoming. You can’t get that just anywhere in Knoxville. They have it together better than some of the pricier establishments. And for that I will l become a regular on days I eat out.“

“I love the food here!! 😋 the food was so fresh and testy! I tried the soup call Menudo for the first time and it was amazing 🤩 if you are the big fan of cow meat I would say this is the best soup ever 🥣 definitely recommend and the waiter was so nice 👍 and good service 💯 and go back.“

“great service and great food!“

“We can’t wait to come back to this restaurant. Next time we come to town. Our waitress was Dori, she was personable, attentive, and still professional. She gave great recommendations. I had Bistek à la Mexicana, which is steak with onions, tomatoes, and jalapeños. Beyond delicious.“

“This is their second location , the first one is by The University of Tennessee. I had the tacos , chicken , carne asada and carnitas , tacos were fantastic and portions was satisfying. Price point was also reasonable. Dining area clean and inviting. I will be back for sure“

“Always great service and food. Treated like family. "Go to" for 9 years!“