Best Mexican restaurants in Toronto

Steven Molnar's team cooks nearly everything on one 10-metre wood and charcoal grill.

• MICHELIN 1 MICHELIN StarSource ↗

  A lively room where wood-fired grills and hearths give the food a smoky character. The inspector praised the house-made corn tortillas, the tasting menu and the agave cocktails.

  Standout dishes: empanada oaxaqueña, lamb chops with black garlic mole negro

• 50 Best #8Source ↗

  Steven Molnar's upscale regional Mexican cooking uses Canadian ingredients over a custom eight-metre indoor fire pit, and the bar is noted for mezcal and tequila cocktails and non-alcoholic options.

• Canada's 100 Best #4Source ↗

  An upscale Mexican restaurant built around a 10-metre wood and charcoal grill, where nearly every dish is cooked over flame; the room is lively, service professional and the drink list strong.

  Standout dishes: house-made tortillas, Newfoundland scallops with green garlic butter, Patagonian squid with fermented corn miso, empanada oaxaqueña with lamb neck

• La Liste 76/100

Rafa Covarrubias cooks contemporary Mexican food in a small room; cooks often bring the plates out.

• MICHELIN 1 MICHELIN StarSource ↗

  An intimate, dimly lit room with an open kitchen serves an elegant modern tasting menu with Mexican touches. The inspector praised the attentive staff and enthusiastically poured unusual wines.

  Standout dishes: tamale with salsa roja and snow crab, scallop with mole verde, dry-aged roasted duck

• Canada's 100 Best #10Source ↗

  A small chef-driven room with an open kitchen where a new executive chef moved the single 24-seat tasting menu to contemporary Mexican cooking, backed by a praised cocktail program.

  Standout dishes: bluefin tuna tostada with salsa macha, kampachi with sea-buckthorn leche de tigre, Pekin duck with chilmole negro, spring scallops in rhubarb aguachile

• La Liste 81.5/100
• Canada's Best New #11
• enRoute Best New #1

Rafa Covarrubias's open kitchen in a bright room over Oakville's Towne Square.

• Canada's 100 Best #14Source ↗

  Rafa Covarrubias draws on his Mexican heritage and international influences in a bright open-kitchen room, with a steadily improving wine program.

  Standout dishes: dry-aged kampachi aguachile, hirame carpaccio rolled around ceviche, dry-aged Pekin duck, corn-stuffed agnolotti

Taco spot that presses and griddles heirloom corn tortillas every day.

• MICHELIN Bib GourmandSource ↗

  Tortillas made fresh daily from traditional Mexican corn anchor a tight, focused menu. The inspector enjoyed the lively, unpretentious room and quick, hot service.

  Standout dishes: smoky barbacoa with jalapeño salsa, beer-battered haddock, sautéed mushrooms with double-smoked bacon

Small Mexican spot on Gerrard leaning on seafood, such as crisp tostadas.

• MICHELIN Bib GourmandSource ↗

  A small, unassuming Gerrard Street kitchen with a compact Mexico-inspired menu centred on seafood in crisp tostadas and generously filled tacos. The flavours are bold and layered, finishing with a traditional sweet dessert.

  Standout dishes: wera tostada, tuna tostada, sautéed shrimp taco, charbroiled octopus taco