Mexican Food and Cooking

First Look: Gringo Offers Taco Options Like Al Pastor, Octopus and Grasshopper in the Central West End [Photos]

From the formidable forces behind the successful pizza empire that is St. Louis chain Pi Pizzeria comes a new concept called Gringo (398 North Euclid; 314-449-1212), which opened its doors in the Central West End last week with a full menu of tacos, margaritas and more. See also: - Pi Pizzeria Te ... More >>

Gut Check's Guide to Drinko Cinco de Mayo in St. Louis: 26 Food and Drink Specials

Whether you observe Drinko de Mayo, or its less quippy counterpart Cinco de Drinko, we all unite this Sunday, May 5, to drink fishbowl margaritas in the streets of St. Louis. It might not be a real national holiday in Mexico or America, but that doesn't halt our revelry, and in the spirit of al past ... More >>

Cinco de Cherokee: An Updated Guide to Restaurants on Cherokee Street

St. Louis' neighborhoods are gems in their own right: full of history, great people and, as far as Gut Check is concerned, fantastic food. Each week we'll take you into a specific neighborhood and point you in the direction of the best places to grab some bites. Cherokee Street is the epicenter of ... More >>

Ask a Mexican: Are burritos supposed to explode?

Vaya Con Dos: Two new Mexican-ish restaurants in less-than-likely locales

Slideshow: Photos of Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina

Review Preview: Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina and Arcelia's

After six years, this gig still manages to surprise me. This week might seem like a no-brainer. On the one hand, you have the return of a beloved St. Louis restaurant: Arcelia's (1928 South 12th Street; 314-241-1378). On the other hand, you have a chain Mexican restaurant in a shopping mall: Vida ... More >>

El Toro Mexican Restaurant Now Open in North Hampton

We learned just last week that a new Mexican restaurant was soon to open in the shopping center at the northeast corner of South Kingshway Boulevard and Chippewa Street: El Toro Mexican Restaurant (3710 South Kingshighway Boulevard; 314-772-2888). El Toro is now open. I ducked inside this morning t ... More >>

First Look: Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina Opens in the St. Louis Galleria

Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina (South Brentwood Boulevard & Clayton Road, Richmond Heights; 314-863-1150) opened its doors this week at the St. Louis Galleria. Gut Check spoke with head chef Chris Swinyard to get the low-down on everything from the restaurant's "traditional guacamole" to its margari ... More >>

The Treats of Laredo: Tex-Mex returns at last to the corner of Park & Mississippi

Slideshow: Laredo on Lafayette Square

South of the (St. Peters) Border: Craving Tex-Mex in a sleek contemporary setting? ¡Vamos a Chesterfield!

Review Preview: Fiesta! Modern Mexican Cuisine

This week I visit Fiesta! Modern Mexican Cuisine (185 Hilltown Village Center, Chesterfield; 636-536-0002). It's not your typical Mexican restaurant -- though maybe not for the reasons its name might lead you to believe.

New Mexican: La Cantina seeks to carve a unique niche in Webster Groves

Mexican Metamorphosis: If you thought Half & Half's name refers to breakfast and lunch, you don't know the half of it

Gut Check's Guide to Cinco de Mayo

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 5, is Cinco de Drinko Mayo. Though at best a regional holiday in Mexico, we here in the U.S. of A. can't get enough reveling on Sabado 5 de Mayo. Don't get us wrong, we at Gut Check also enjoy indulging in margaritas on the rocks and Mexican food, and thus have compiled a lis ... More >>

The Ten Best Places to Grab Tacos in St. Louis

In this week's RFT cover story "One Nation, Under Tacos," writer Gustavo Arellano shares the evolution of Mexican food in the U.S., chartering its history from the American Southwest and the California coast to the Midwest and everywhere in between. With temperatures cresting 80 degrees in St. Louis ... More >>

Great Moments in Mexican-American Restaurant History: Casa Gallardo

One Nation, Under Tacos: How Mexican food conquered America

Ask a Mexican: Are there different kinds of Mexican food?

Fish Fry Frenzy: Week 4, St. Cecilia Parish

St. Cecilia Parish (906 Eichelberger Street, 314-351-1318) is the unofficial church for Mexican-American Catholics in St. Louis. Families come together for its fish fry events and cook up incredible, authentic Mexican cuisine. Its most famous dish is the Chile Relleno, or stuffed pepper, a giant pe ... More >>

Seven Heaven: Siete Luminarias burns bright — even amid the many Mexican marvels of Cherokee Street

Review Preview: Siete Luminarias

This week, I visit the new Mexican restaurant Siete Luminarias (2818 Cherokee Street; 314-932-1333). While the menu includes tacos and other taqueria staples, there are also some less familiar dishes. To the catalogue of essential sandwiches we must now add the pambazo. This is essentially the clas ... More >>

Devils in the Details: Diablitos Cantina aims to stand out in a very crowded culinary field

The Five Best Taquerias in St. Louis

Selecting Riverfront Times' Best of St. Louis 2011 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. In this Gut Check series, we are chewing our way through notable runners up in a number of categories. To see hundreds more winners and finalists a ... More >>

Adobe Reds brings a taste of New Mexico to Midtown

Dear Chuy Arzola's: Please Don't Change Lunch.

Welcome to Lunch Bucket List, a recurring feature in which Gut Check checks out the many lunch specials available at restaurants around town. Know a lunch special we should check out? Drop us a line.Robin WheelerThe Austin from Chuy Arzola's​The Place: Chuy Arzola's (3701 Lindell Boulevard; 31 ... More >>

# 88 Quesadilla Azteca from Tower Tacos

Liz MillerYou won't find Tower Tacos' Quesadilla Azteca on the menu at Applebee's.​The many restaurants that line Cherokee Street feature menus full of sizzling fajitas, deliciously cheap tacos and other Mexican standards. One dish, the quesadilla, tends to be passed over at these authentic es ... More >>

Green Tamale at Nachomama's

​Summer in Texas must be hotter, steamier, sunnier and all around more disgusting than around here. And yet Texans continue to consume vast quantities of sour cream and cheese and fried tortillas. Clearly they are people of greater fortitude than we Midwesterners. Because when Gut Check droppe ... More >>

Battle Limited-Time Tacos: Taco Bell Pacific Shrimp Tacos vs. Qdoba Mini Street Tacos

​Fast-food chains became America's sixth food group by mass-producing cheap, gut-filling, handheld eats with indulgent, uncomplicated flavors the public could depend on. It's dietary crack, and it works every time. Occasionally, though, fast-food and fast-casual chains mix it up by introduci ... More >>

Tacos al Pastor and Chicken Fingers, Together at Last: A Visit to El Porton Mexican Restaurant

Ian FroebTaqueria los Tarascos is now El Porton Mexican Restaurant.​When I visited El Porton Mexican Restaurant (4444 Woodson Rood, Woodson Terrace; 314-890-8668) in December of last year, it was still in the process of changing over from its previous existence as Taqueria los Tarascos. The new si ... More >>

Rosalita's Cantina takes a shot at spicing up the loft district

La Tejana lets its tacos do the talking

What's Cooking: What do Mexicans mean when they want "Mexican" food?

Taqueria los Tarascos to Become El Porton Mexican Restaurant

Ian FroebTaqueria los Tarascos to become El Porton​Taqueria los Tarascos in Woodson Terrace soon will change its name to El Porton Mexican Restaurant. And by soon, I mean maybe before I finish writing this blog post. When I drove past yesterday afternoon, workers had already put up the ON MEXICAN ... More >>

¡Ask a Mexican! Special Comida Edition

An Open Letter to Taco Bell Concerning the New "Cantina Tacos"

​Dear Taco Bell,I doubt you remember me. We haven't seen each other in a while. Not since college, I believe, when one of your burritos, plucked from beneath the heat lamp at your outlet inside the University of Maryland's student union and liberally doused with hot sauce, was the only sustenance ... More >>

Milagro Modern Mexican has ambitions far beyond south-of-the-border same old

Where Can I Find Great Tamales?

Image viaWhere are the good tamales hiding?​John writes:I am a transplant from Seattle and although I love El Maguey's tamale deluxe I would love to try more. So many mexican restaurants refuse to serve tamales. Any help you can give would be appreciated. I even tried Cherokee Street and found non ... More >>

Taqueria Durango is further proof that the county's got it going on

Taqueria los Tarascos Revamps Menu, Loses Favorites

Ian FroebTaqueria los Tarascos in Woodson Terrace​When I reviewed the Woodson Terrace Mexican restaurant Taqueria los Tarascos (4444 Woodson Road; 314-890-8668) in March 2008, I began by praising the lamb barbacoa:The meat is tender and slightly fatty, the flavor undeniably lamb: rich, with a gamy ... More >>

Enchiladas de Maplewood: Ian turns up a southern offshoot of the popular north-county spot Las Palmas

Ask a Mexican: Cut It Out: Why do Mexican madres get short haircuts?

¡Uno, Dos, Tres! How many Mexican and Tex-Mex spots can Ian review in a single week?

Review Slideshow: Taqueria la Monarca, Amigo Joe's and Latitude 26°

Jennifer Silverberg​My review of three new Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants -- Taqueria la Monarca in University City, Amigo Joe's on Southwest Avenue and Latitude 26° in Dogtown -- is now available online. In this week's Back of the House slideshow, Jennifer Silverberg takes you into the kitchen ... More >>

Review Preview: "¡Uno, Dos, Tres!"

​In this week's review, I visit three recently opened Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants: Taqueria La Monarca, Amigo Joe's and Latitude 26°.Taqueria la Monarca is the latest addition to the unlikely Murderers' Row of restaurants at the intersection of Olive Boulevard and Woodson Road. Across Woodson ... More >>

A Chip Off the Old Chuy: This ain't your father's Chuy Arzola's. Or is it?

Muy Caliente Summer Edition: The Mexican explains why salsa (the music and the sauce) is so bland in America

Dining Under the Influence: Downtown sure could use a standout Mexican restaurant. Is El Borracho it?

Taco the Town: Taqueria el Jalapeño scores another point for north county in the geographical battle for local Mexican restaurant supremacy

Tortilla Road: Tower Tacos stakes its claim a little farther up Cherokee Street