50 Best Mexican Restaurants in Knoxville

“Hayden was our server and he was so friendly and got the the entire order correct! We had a party of 18+ ladies Highly recommended !“

“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.“

“👍Great place to eat love Mexican food my favorite place to eat. Friendly staff looking for flavor then take Mexican food this is the place to go so many things to choose from.“

“Amazing food at the cafe and a great selection in the market. We stopped in, not expecting anything special but we were wrong. This place is extremely special and definitely will become one of our new favorites.

The cafe was busy but well organized and ultra clean with tables promptly bussed. The food was excellent, freshly made to order, and plentiful. Excellent salsa with hot chips also.

I very highly recommend La Esperanza!“

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

“Great food, friendly service.“

“Excellent food and service. Highly recommend.“

“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.“

“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“

“First time there. The food and service was very good. We will be back and bring some friends with us .“

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

“Don’t live anywhere near this location but was in the area. Enjoyed our lunch there and had the best waiter who said he was new. He didn’t seem new but very professional and he took good care of us. He knew to leave us be when we were all in a serious conversation and made sure we had what was needed. Food is excellent and place is clean. Nice owners. Would go back.“

“They have the best tacos and homemade cheese dip. You need to try it, you won't be sorry.“

“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.“

“Siete mares! Great people. Great food.“

“This place is fantastic. Service was excellent-Brian took great care of us. Food was delicious-we split chicken fajitas and there was plenty to share. The yummy frozen margarita topped off the visit. Interior and exterior are well designed making the atmosphere warm and welcoming. I definitely recommend this restaurant and will go back. It’s my new favorite.“

“Great guys and great food. I highly recommend checking them out! Tacos were only $2 for Taco Tuesday and the quality for the price was amazing. Give these guys a try!“

“An excellent locally owned, operated, and patronized Mexican restaurant. The vibe is friendly and unpretentious. The fare includes standard Mexican and tex-mex favorites, but really stands out in two areas: they have 4 frozen drink machines so you can select from 4 delicious flavors of frozen margarita. And despite the east TN location, 8 hours from the coast, their shrimp entrees are excellent. I am Maryland born and raised; I know good shrimp. I've tried almost all the offerings here, and every one has a great portion of large, properly cooked shrimp with the perfect amount of seasoning.“

“If you’re ever in Knoxville do yourself a favor and try this place. The food is INCREDIBLE!! Worth every penny.“

“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“

“Wonderful staff and amazing food!“

“Do not get the regular margarita! Order the top shelf. It was the absolute worst margarita I have ever had. They replaced it with the top shelf which wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but was way better (especially after adding the lime). Granted, I am a bit picky about my tequila. The food was pretty good, but we didn’t get our queso until after we got our food, it was worth the wait though. Our server was very friendly, and other than the delay of the queso, was very good. It reminded me of a cantina in Cozumel.“

“The service was phenomenal! As soon as we walked in we were kindly greeted and welcomed. The food was delicious. I got the steak burrito, and my boyfriend got the barbacoa quesadillas. I also got the Piña Colada frozen margarita, and it’s one of the best that I have had! Overall, great first time experience, and we will be back!“

“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“

“Probably the best food in the local area. The food is always delicious and on point! I’ve never been disappointed and am consistently impressed. The service is always fast and friendly, there’s a salsa bar with many fresh and delicious options, and the drinks are high quality at a fine price. The variety and flavor of their options for ice cream and other frozen desserts are amazing too! This will be your new favorite restaurant!“

“I’ve been to 20+ mexican restaurants in East Tennessee. I’ve never experienced such a warm family welcome like at Dos Agaves! Good food! Big Portions, high protein meals and fairly priced! We will be returning for many more years!“

“Great food, friendly service.“

“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!“

“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.“

“I mean the stars speak for themselves. Food was delicious, service was excellent, shout out to Alfredo, and there was just something to be said of eating fajitas, watching the world series in what feels like a true cantina. The architecture of the building is something I could nerd out on alone. Highly recommend!“

“Always loved the Salsaritas on Chapman until their latest management took over. When he first took over, 2 tables had people outside (7 ppl) and 2 tables inside (6 ppl) when it became closing time. We were almost done but the other tables recently sat. This new manager locked the doors. The table next to us needed napkins and refills on their drinks and his response was....we are closed. He had no problem selling us food but didn't tell anyone we would be locked out. He was even rude about it. Especially when we asked about it. The people inside, they mopped around them even as much as near their feet. One group got up and left. So, I haven't been back there in months. Left a corporate voice mail instead. Went back tonight, and OMG same manager ever worse. I live 20 minutes from the store and asked if I could have everything separated as to not have soggy tacos when I got home. First 2 ppl said yes but 2nd person ignore it and piled my ingredients together. then had very small amount of chips so I asked for more, offered to pay for more. (the girl put about 6 more chips in the bag and I said, can I please have more? I will pay for them. Then my next ingredient was added on top of another from a girl who came from the back. I said, I wanted everything separated please, she just stared at me. I said, forget it. I a ll just go elsewhere. It was clear, that I was not going to get the food how I wanted. So, I left. However, manager walked up behind me as I was turning to leave.....I decided not to make a scene and called instead. he was cocky from the first 30 seconds like he was the last time I was there. While I was explaining he said: "Are you finished?" The banter started between us and his excuses were: Customers don't order this way. I am a customer and I did. She had just come from the back. I said she was the final nail for me when it was clear I would not get what I ordered. then he said. "Just finish, we are not upset you left! I don't have time to argue with you!" I used horrible language and hung up on him. I lost my cool...shouldn't have but this guy has been a jerk not once but twice. Even the employees aren't happy like they used to be. He will be happy to learn, I won't go back but others should know that he is not someone you want to have to address. Went for real Mexican food...service and food was amazing! Must add, manager also excused behavior by telling me about food costs.“

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

“Fantastic service! Everyone was so attentive and kind. The food was absolutely delicious. Best salsa and guacamole we’ve had in a long time.“

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

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

“Good food and friendly service.“

“Great food, friendly service.“

“Great food, 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“

“Great food, friendly service.“

“Riquísima comida auténtica mexicana y de buen precio y buen sabor“

“Absolutely handsdown the BEST Mexican Cusine in Knoxville. You WILL NOT be disappointed!“

“This is a place you go for great food, not fancy atmosphere! The floor was dirty, but tables were clean. Tekemundo was on and the jukebox was blasting in Spanish. The corn tortillas are outstanding! Don’t be afraid to get off the beaten path, even though it might look a little sketchy! It was great!“

“After being on the road, decided to stop by as from Knoxville, but hadnt been here before. Food was really good, but the service was not the best. Waited a long time to take our order, but once the order was in, it got better. Small atmosphere so if there is a game or a large group, it can get noisy.“

“🐙 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 service and great food!“

“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.“

“I ain't mad at Victor's taco shop and neither should you. Decent street tacos, fast service. All the salsa you want.

Oh and they skimp hard on those lime wedges though...come on man, fatten them up a bit!

Not the best street tacos I've ever had but definitely worth stopping if you got a hankering for some.“