Best Authentic Mexican
 

Looking for the best authentic Mexican Restaurant near The Villages.

We like Fiesta Grande because it is close. Luna Azul in Leesburg is very good and not too far away. There are a lot of Mexican places around, good luck choosing just one.

Tequila Cantina | Mexican Kitchen in The Villages, FL


We liked Tequila Cantina.

You asked what is authentic. It’s hard to say what’s authentic because Mexico is a big country and what passes for something up north would not down south.

Having said that, I agree that Tequila is by and far the most authentic because they have real, whole pinto beans. (The beans that are ‘refried’ actually come from a powder) You have to ask for them but if you do be sure to get some tortillas. That, along with chicken soup, makes my meal complete.

We enjoy Los Magueyes on 301 where the post office and Ace Hardware is. You just need to catch them when the Health Department doesn’t have them shut down. :1rotfl:

They have had a bad habit of not keeping up with food sanitation but food is usually very good

What type of Mexican food does the OP want?

Mexico is a country offering a wide variety of foods, largely dependent on local sources. What one finds in Baja is not what one finds in Guadalajara or Oaxaca. In Zihuatanejo one can find bakery products similar to those found in parts of France. Mexico City and Merida offer world quality dining with cosmopolitan dishes. Coastal communities offer seafood. Guaymas prawns are huge and very tasty.

That said I most enjoy Tequila Cantina locally.

Ay Jalisco in Spanish Springs used to be our favorite, but Tequila Cantina (where Crispers used to be) has become our new favorite. Unfortunately, it has become so popular there has been a long wait the last couple times we went there.

Tequila Cantina isn't really an "authentic" Mexican restaurant. It's a combination Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurant. Fajitas are a Tex-Mex invention, they're not on menus or in homes in Mexico.

I wanted steak tacos but they don't offer that, they only offer ground beef or shredded chicken, unless you pay extra for "street tacos" which are actually cheaper to make than the regular tacos. Ground beef on crispy corn taco shells is an American thing, it's not a Mexican thing.

For authentic Mexican I go to the taqueria on 301, called Viva Mexico, up near 42. They make the tortillas to order, the carne asada is not oversalted, it's simple but delicious food, and sometimes a rooster from the farm in the neighbor's yard will come to keep you company as you eat under a tarp on a picnic table.

Their customer base is primarily Mexican. But the women who run the place are English-speakers so you don't have to order in Spanish unless you want to.

They also have a couple of off-menu items, I'm pretty sure I saw one of the customers eating a bowl of pozole, and that's definitely not on the menu.

They're a stationary food truck. They're in the process of moving next door and putting up an outbuilding with an actual kitchen but they were hit with sticker shock when they went to have it built. So that's delayed.

Taco Bell

You are right about Tequila Cantina being crowded, and that can lead to slow service at times and more of a cafeteria feel. I like Ay! Jalisco a lot. I ate there yesterday. I also enjoy Casa Agave, which is on 301 just north of 44. (It’s much better than Los Magueyes and about two minutes away.) Both Ay! Jalisco and Casa Agave attract a lot of Mexican diners, which is a very good sign.

(The people who pointed out that there are a lot of regional cooking styles in Mexico, and they may not be very much like what we consider “authentic Mexican food” are correct. Perhaps the closest to the real thing around here are some of the Taco Trailers you can find along 441 between here and Leesburg.)

We like Tequila Cantina in the Southern Trace Plaza on 466. Everything is always so fresh there.

Being from California i was spoiled with the quality of Mexican food served there. You will be looking for a very long time to find high quality Mexican food in or near the Villages.

HISTORIA | Misitio


I recall we went here when we were in Nogales.

El Ranchito
 

We have tried them all and El Ranchito on 441 is by far the best!

If you don't mind eating unsanitary food.....
 

If you don't mind eating unsanitary food.....

I'd go for the authentic Mexican food. I'll pass on the rooster:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

La Palma in Leesburg is pretty good and probably the cleanest Mexican restaurant I've ever been in.

Fresh Jalapeños on 441.

Campo azul in summerfield
Excellent food & wonderful atmosphere

- Native Californian here as well - good luck finding anything close to “authentic” Mexican in The Villages. The salsa in most places tastes more like ketchup than a good spicy salsa made of fresh ingredients and chilis. There’s a passable Mexican restaurant up in Ocala that is adjacent to a Mexican market. Caters to a Latin clientele, and you hear lots of Spanish being spoken. Good sign! For street tacos there’s a few taco trucks just outside the bubble that serve up good carne asada.

I have been going to El Ranchito in La Plaza Grande for over 20 years. It’s the first Mexican restaurant in The Villages.

Always a good meal and good service at Fresh Jalapeños and El Ranchito (the one near Spanish Springs). I do not know enough about Mexican food to know if they are "authentic" or not, but the chips, salsa and main dishes are always good.

Most of the food I have eaten in Mexico was terrible. So the last thing I would be looking for is AUTHENTIC Mexican food. But that's just me.

Luna Azul
 

Authentic, Very good. in Leesburg. not too far

My choice Mexican at home, I grow my own Chili’s from seeds I save (NewMex Big Jim’s) Rico’s, jalapeños, pimentos and Cajun belle This year. I find nearly all authentic so called restaurants around here all taste same, kinda bland? Or it could be just me…:oops:

Anybody know of a nearby Mexican/Tex-Mex style restaurant serving good menudo, tamales, carne adovada and sopaipillas?

I prefer TexMex but just hard find good one.

Mexican restaurant
 

Los Magueros on 331 by the Ace Hardware is the best IMO.

Who told you that? You are obviously not drom the Southwest or anywhere refried beans are common. You can buy refried beans in giant cans from major food companies, like "real Mexicans" do all the time. What would be the point in making beans into a powder except for hikers or survival packs?

Refried beans - Wikipedia

Taco trucks-

Tacos Rio Verde at the corner of Griffin Ave & Lake Co. 25, north of the Post Office.

Taqueria La Famosa taco truck at the corner of 466 & US 301, behind Pho Sai Gon.

We found a Mexican food truck, yes food truck family run, that is better than any Mexican restaurant around. On the corner of Rt 25 and Griffin rd. in Lady Lake... Street behind Home Depot on 441.

There's a mexican grocery on 301 across from Dallas that serves up some really good authentic food. Prima Market La Poblana Inc. It is not a sit down restaurant.

What is Montezuma'''s Revenge? Symptoms, Treatment


Except for Montezuma's Revenge I do not think there is anything that would fit as authentic Mexican food. You might have dishes from specific cities and/wider areas of Mexico. Those searching for * shows on food do show how regional various dishes are. Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico - Wikipedia

I actually prefer Taco Bell to some sit down restaurants that will only make tacos using chicken or tough steak, and they have no taco sauce except hot sauce. They serve everything with refried beans and tasteless rice, which most people don't eat. I like tacos made with ground beef, I like to add my own taco sauce, and I want the taco small enough that you can pick it up. I don't care if it is authentic Mexican or not.

You gotta try Ay Sonora Mexican Cuisine - 989 US27 in Lady Lake! Excellent food and service.

Some of the roach coaches (food trucks) frequented by the local Latino/Chicano laborers may offer the most authentic street/peasant food from which you might develop a case of Turistas!

WE love Mexican food, but it is a real crap shoot here in Florida. When we go back to Colorado, we are reminded that there really is no great Mexican food in Florida. There is nothing better than a burrito smothered in pork green chili.

You are so right!!

Wow
 

Amazing menu! I haven't been there but the menu offerings are SPECTACULAR! The wife and I will definitely be trying this place out very soon! Thanks for the tip.