Mexican food in Madison, WI: taquerias, birria, tamales and sit-down restaurants

Taquerias and taco counters

• Bandit Tacos & Coffee (640 W. Washington Ave.): tacos on corn tortillas made from corn nixtamalized in-house, including the Bandito, plus patatas bravas and escabeche. Breakfast is served daily, and there is a coffee bar and a full bar of tequila and mezcal. Turn in at Motorless Motion Bicycles to find the entrance.
• Tacos El Capi (2810 E. Washington Ave.): tacos de carnitas, gorditas, pambazos, tortas like Capi's Steak Torta, cheesy birria tacos, enchiladas verdes or mole, and tamales with rice and beans. A separate menu runs on Saturdays.
• Taco Madre (2827 Atwood Ave.): Baja California-style tacos and fresh Mexican food at breakfast, lunch and dinner, with dinner specialties and a kids' menu.
• Burrito Drive (310 S. Brearly St.): burritos and quesadillas in what it calls "Mid-Wexican" style, with food and sauces made fresh in-house every day. Dine in, take out or get it delivered.
• Tex Tubb's Taco Palace (2009 Atwood Ave.): Austin-style Tex-Mex tacos and burritos on the east side, with house-made limeade and horchata, margaritas and Mexican beer.
• Enrique's Grill (3050 Cahill Main, Fitchburg): tacos on corn tortillas with your choice of meat, onions and cilantro, large flour-tortilla burritos, and street corn finished with mayonnaise, lemon, salt and chili powder.
• Breakfast A La Brasa (45 S. Bassett St.): Mexican-style breakfast and burritos, with vegetarian options listed on its ordering page.

Markets with a kitchen

• Mercado Marimar (2102 S. Park St.): a Mexican and Hispanic grocery open since 2001 with a restaurant inside. Look for tamales and carnitas on weekends, tortillas made fresh, tacos de barbacoa, steak tortas, menudo and quesadillas de huitlacoche.
• Zavala's Market & Taqueria (805 S. Gammon Rd.): a west-side market and taqueria with quesabirria tacos, lengua tacos, a birria burrito, pozole, tortas Cubana and shrimp tostadas, plus dried chiles to take home.
• Taqueria Jalisco (2606 Allen Blvd., Middleton): a menu of tacos, sopes, gorditas and tortas, plates of carnitas, barbacoa and carne asada, quesabirria and birria pizza, soups like menudo and pozole, tamales, and meat sold by the pound.

Sit-down Mexican restaurants

• Casa Zaragoza (1824 S. Park St.): a family-run restaurant in a converted warehouse with molcajetes, enchiladas suizas and mole enchiladas, tortas, menudo, and a mushroom al pastor. There is a cantina-style bar, and mariachi and karaoke are on its calendar.
• La Mestiza (6644 Odana Rd.): traditional cooking from many regions of Mexico, including dishes rarely found on menus north of the border. Dine in or carry out.
• Gloria's Mexican Restaurant (610 Junction Rd.; also Sun Prairie): opened by the Ugalde family, with fajitas that include a cactus version, birria tacos, carne asada, shrimp ceviche and a breaded chicken cemita.
• El Rancho 2 Mexican Grill (4527 Cottage Grove Rd.): family recipes from Puebla, including Milanesa and Cubana tortas, beef tongue tacos, Mexican street corn and flan.
• Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant (117 S. Butler St.): downtown, with fajitas Garibaldi, enchiladas Jalisco, chori pollo and quesadilla gringa.
• Tapatios (2990 Cahill Main, Fitchburg): a cocina mexicana with house fajitas, quesatacos de birria with consome, enchiladas, burritos, and a vegan taco and vegetarian fajitas. The lunch menu adds chilaquiles and huevos rancheros.
• Señor Machetes (121 E. Main St.): known for the machete, a big, shareable Mexico City-style dish larger than a taco or huarache. Order online for pickup or delivery.
• Los Atlantes Mexican Restaurant & Bakery (5706 Raymond Rd.): a Mexican restaurant and bakery serving burritos, tacos and fajitas.

Cantinas and creative tacos

• Canteen (111 S. Hamilton St.): a Mexican grill and tequila bar off the Capitol Square with "Tacos by the Twos" like carnitas, beef birria and chile roasted cauliflower, griddled burritos, and Mexican street corn. Weekend brunch brings chilaquiles and churro French toast. The menu marks vegetarian, vegan-modifiable and gluten-sensitive items, and notes the fryer is shared.
• Luchador Tequila & Taco Bar (558 State St.): creative tacos, like a gyro taco, an open-faced pulled pork taco and a sweet potato and bean taco, plus a Cali burrito with carne asada and spicy margaritas.
• Bartaco (464 N. Midvale Blvd.): "upscale street food & cocktails," with tacos like chicken tinga, mojo pork carnitas, mushroom and roasted cauliflower, plus duck birria and street corn fritters.
• Big Sur Cantina (7436 Mineral Point Rd.): a west-side cantina with a Tower Margarita, a 3 lb. burrito, quesa birria tacos, birria fries and fajitas. Weekend brunch is on the menu.

Around the area

• Oregon: Corralejo II Mexican Grill (135 S. Main St.), with enchiladas mole and verde, molcajetes, quesabirria tacos, ceviche and a vegetarian section.
• Verona: AzTec Taqueria (160 Keenan Ct., Suite 5), a fast-casual taqueria inspired by the founders' Fresno upbringing, with al pastor shaved from a trompo, hand-made salsas including the avocado Salsa AzTeca, and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-sensitive options.
• Sun Prairie: Guimo's Mexican Restaurant (239 E. Main St.), with house-made tortillas, salsas and aguas frescas.
• Waunakee: Centenario (107 Baker St.), a family-owned restaurant that opened in 2024, with enchiladas, burritos, homemade guacamole and seafood dishes.
• McFarland: Palenque Mexican Bar & Grill (5906 US-51), serving the area since 2014, with a menu of appetizers, lunch and dinner plates and house specials.

Looking for Peruvian? Estacion Inka (616 University Ave.) serves pollo a la brasa and lomo saltado near campus. Browse every Mexican restaurant in the directory, or see where to eat in Madison.