Ten Best Mexican Restaurants in St. Louis

Come for the combo plates, stay for the brandy margaritas. | Madelaine Azar

Lily's Mexican Restaurant (4601 South Kingshighway; 314-352-1894)

Lily's Mexican Restaurant sits unassumingly on the corner of Kingshighway and Devonshire Avenue, and when you walk into the homey environs, you feel like you've been invited to a big family get-together. The menu features exceptional dishes like those you'd find at taquerias, plus more conventional Mexican restaurant eats: tacos, tortas, burritos, tamales, enchiladas and chiles rellenos. With so many options, we suggest combination plates in addition to the several varieties of homemade salsa. Weekends feature posole, menudo and fantastic huevos chorizos. But your visit to Lily's wouldn't be complete without ordering one of the city's best margaritas: the Special includes brandy, tequila and your choice of amaretto, Grand Marnier or Kahlúa.

See also: - Best Margarita - 2009

       Mission Taco's Chorihuevo torta with chorizo, fried egg, pickled jalapeno, smashed black        beans, Chihuahua and garlic lime mayo. | Jennifer Silverberg

Mission Taco (6235 Delmar Boulevard; 314-932-5430)

Don't let the name confuse you. Mission is far more than just a "taco joint." Focusing on all facets of Mexican street fare, the tacos are served taqueria-style on corn tortillas with the traditional garnishes of chopped onion and cilantro as well as lime to squeeze to taste on the side. One of the more intriguing tacos might be the one made with nopal: strips of roasted cactus flesh with poblano chile, caramelized onions, goat cheese and a roasted-jalapeño salsa. And then of course you also have tortas, burritos and freshly fried tortilla chips with salsa or guacamole or queso spiked with chorizo, cerveza and serrano chiles. The standout meat at Mission is the brisket, available in a taco or the "Cowboy" burrito. The meat is luscious, beefy and, thanks to an arbol-chile salsa, smoky and spicy. To top it all off, Mission serves one dessert: freshly fried churros with chocolate sauce for dipping -- it's the only dessert you'll ever want.

See also: - Mission Taco Joint's "Piscojito": Gut Check's Hump Day Cocktail Suggestion - Mission Accomplished: Mission Taco Joint spices things up in the Loop

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