The Sacramento region’s most underrated Mexican restaurants, as chosen by readers
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What gem of a local restaurant doesn’t receive its fair level of acclaim? You told us, now we’re telling the world.
The Sacramento Bee asked readers to submit names of the region’s most underrated restaurants throughout 2023, and received more than 100 responses. In 2024, we’ll share those answers in a monthly series divvied up by cuisine.
First up: Mexican food. Readers raved over a Citrus Heights cantina, a Foothill Farms taqueria and longtime neighborhood institutions in Northgate, South City Farms and Orangevale, among others.
These are the Sacramento region’s most underrated Mexican restaurants, as nominated by readers.
3 Hermanos Taqueria: Maria Velazquez’s family-run taqueria in Lincoln’s Sterling Pointe shopping center (another location is in Wheatland) has a deep menu of seafood items, including the quesadilla marina stuffed with shrimp bell peppers and onions and topped with sour cream, guacamole and fresh salsa.
900 Sterling Parkway, Suite 10, Lincoln; (916) 253-9107.
524 Mexican Food: Dora Amalia Gomez and Luisa Fonseca keep this longtime Sacramento staple running with asada tortas, enchiladas rancheros and chile verde plates.
3830 Northgate Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 920-8640.
Caballo Blanco Restaurante: Originally opened in 1961, this expansive restaurant at the Franklin Boulevard-Fruitridge Road intersection has endured thanks to flagship dishes such as the chiles rellenos or chicana res (skirt steak cooked in salsa española).
5604 Franklin Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 993-8411.
Cantina Azteca: Founded by Ismael Pantoja in 2005, this colorful Carmichael Oaks Shopping Center restaurant delights customers from breakfast (green chile omelets, machaca burritos) through dinner (vegan stuffed pasilla peppers, crab-shrimp-tilapia chimichangas).
6400 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael; (916) 993-8411.
Cilantro’s Mexican Restaurant: A easygoing taqueria with locations in downtown Sacramento, North Natomas and Waterman Plaza, Cilantro’s story began in 2004, when the Cervantes family opened their first restaurant after immigrating from Michoacán.
705 J St., Sacramento; (916) 441-4300 | 4160 Northgate Blvd., Suite 1, Sacramento; (916) 564-2500 | 9304 Elk Grove Blvd., Suite 150, Elk Grove; (916) 686-2575.
East Patio Mexicano: Family dinners featuring housemade tamales and chicken fajitas are a common affair at this East Sacramento restaurant, opened in 2021 by Maria Estela Munoz Martinez.
5100 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 662-7099.
El Mercadito Mexican Market: Manuela Luna Gomez’s Northgate grocery store and taqueria is best known for its masa, used in-house to produce sopes, tamales and tortillas.
2868 Northgate Blvd., Suite 101, Sacramento; (916) 927-3161.
La Placita: Eileen Hernandez’s beloved Orangevale strip mall restaurant has been serving customers favorites such as the “Patrick burrito” (carne asada, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, rice, beans and cheese, all sautéed in a red chile sauce) for more than 35 years.
9272 Greenback Lane, Orangevale; (916) 988-2940.
La Rosa Blanca: First opened on Auburn Boulevard along Capital City Freeway in 1990, La Rosa Blanca now serves cochinita pibil tacos and loaded vegetarian burritos to customers in Arden Arcade and Folsom.
2813 Fulton Ave., Suite 5103, Sacramento; (916) 484-6104 | 402 Natoma St., Folsom; (916) 673-9085.
Mezcal Grill: Mireya Godinez-Valencia first opened Mezcal Grill’s South Natomas location in 2009, then brought Impossible al pastor tacos, loaded seafood molcajetes and mini mole negro tostadas to Tahoe Park a decade later.
1620 W. El Camino Ave., Suite 172, Sacramento; (916) 646-4826 | 5701 Broadway, Suite C, Sacramento; (916) 619-8766.
Mezcalito Oaxacan Cuisine: Oaxacan food has become increasing popular in the U.S. since Blanca Garcia and Ruben Regalado opened their Rocklin restaurant in 2017, and Mezcalito is one of the best place around to try tlayudas, tasajo or mole estovado-covered chicken.
5065 Pacific St., Rocklin; (916) 251-7153.
R Vida Cantina: A full-service restaurant and cocktail bar from the family behind Casa Ramos Mexican Restaurants, R Vida debuted in 2019 in Citrus Heights’ Copperwood Square shopping center with tacos alambre, aguachile and more.
7040 Sunrise Blvd., Citrus Heights; (916) 560-9019.
Taqueria Mi Familia: Hearty bowls of pozole and birria bring customers to this simple but popular Foothill Farms taqueria, along with 13 choices of tacos and 10 torta varieties.
5607 Hillsdale Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 418-4124.
We’re still collecting nominations for underrated restaurants of other cuisines, with a future article featuring those that serve Southeast Asian food (Thai, Vietnamese, Laotian, Burmese, Cambodian and Filipino). Let us know what Southeast Asian restaurants don’t get their deserved shine.
