# Does Tex-Mex exist anywhere outside of Texas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785 "2009-07-12T21:12:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/1 "2009-07-12T21:12:20Z")
I guess the thread title is pretty self-explanatory. I’ve been craving Tex-Mex lately. I realized I’ve never seen a Tex-Mex restaurant outside of Texas. Are there any? ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/2 "2009-07-12T21:19:49Z")
Sure, lots, though they often advertise themselves as just plain Mexican. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/3 "2009-07-12T21:22:46Z")
I seem to recall a few in New Mexico, from a visit there a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/4 "2009-07-12T21:40:12Z")
I love the food in New Mexico, but I’ve never had anything close to Tex-Mex there. Maybe in southern New Mexico? The food in El Paso is to die for, so maybe that extends to Las Cruces? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/5 "2009-07-12T22:08:33Z")
Uhh… there are THOUSANDS of Tex-Mex restaurants around. It’s a rather commonly enjoyed type of cuisine. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/6 "2009-07-12T22:35:33Z")
“Tex-Mex” is such a subjective term, I’m not sure how to help. Added–to the OP–how do _you_ define “Tex-Mex?” ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/7 "2009-07-12T22:41:38Z")
Chi Chi’s used to have Tex Mex on the menu, but they went out of business several years back. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/8 "2009-07-12T23:15:40Z")
There’s the Austin Grill restaurants around Washington DC. ---
**Author:** ![Elyanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5ac83/32.png) [@Elyanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elyanna)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/9 "2009-07-12T23:49:34Z")
There is a place called Jake’s Tex Mex in town, and I am definitely not in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/10 "2009-07-12T23:54:25Z")
In my experience, the truest test of Tex-mex is to order some queso. If they bring you a plate of shredded cheese, you know you’re in the wrong place. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/11 "2009-07-12T23:59:41Z")
Yeah, “Tex Mex” is one of those terms that has probably lost it’s true meaning for most people. I’m not even sure what it originally was, but the food I see advertised as Tex Mex is typically the Qdoba/Chipotle/Salsarita’s/Moe’s -style place. Quesadillas, burritos, tacos, etc. I have, unfortunately, probably never had proper Tex Mex. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/12 "2009-07-13T00:13:19Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Uhh… there are THOUSANDS of Tex-Mex restaurants around. It’s a rather commonly enjoyed type of cuisine. Yeah, I’ve always thought of Tex-Mex as pretty much what most Americans think of when they think of Mexican food: basically Northern Mexican cuisine fused with (United States of) American influences. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/13 "2009-07-13T00:42:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, I’ve always thought of Tex-Mex as pretty much what most Americans think of when they think of Mexican food: basically Northern Mexican cuisine fused with (United States of) American influences. It’s a proper Tex-Mex restaurant if they sell both burritos (good ones) and steaks. Fast food like Taco Bell isn’t “Tex Mex” in the sense I think most people mean it. For good Tex-Mex in the Toronto area (or Kingston or Ottawa) I suggest Lone Star Cafe. Actually founded by an expatriate Texan. Their salsa is addictive. I have tried to get the recipe to no avail, and I went as far as dating the company controller. No dice. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/14 "2009-07-13T00:51:59Z")
Texan I Used to Know: Dammit, queso isn’t just cheese! ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/15 "2009-07-13T01:11:29Z")
> [@Elyanna](#): > > There is a place called Jake’s Tex Mex in town, and I am definitely not in Texas. I believe we are from the same place. ha ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/16 "2009-07-13T01:15:23Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It’s a proper Tex-Mex restaurant if they sell both burritos (good ones) and steaks. Fast food like Taco Bell isn’t “Tex Mex” in the sense I think most people mean it. > > For good Tex-Mex in the Toronto area (or Kingston or Ottawa) I suggest Lone Star Cafe. Actually founded by an expatriate Texan. Their salsa is addictive. I have tried to get the recipe to no avail, and I went as far as dating the company controller. No dice. Burritos are a California thing–although some Houston Tex-Mex restaurants sell them. Even some of our Mexican places do. Steaks are often on the menu–this is Texas, after all. But they aren’t strictly Tex-Mex, either. I tried to google “Lone Star Cafe” in Toronto but kept getting the [Lone Star Texas Grill](http://www.lonestartexasgrill.com/Menu/Category/6). “Panhandle Tilapia?” nope. Lots of Houston Tex-Mex & Mexican places serve seafood–but we’re on the Gulf. No need for tilapia. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/17 "2009-07-13T01:55:29Z")
Very slightly amusing anecdote: Years ago I went to Europe on a Rick Steves (Europe Through The Back Door) tour. I’m a Texan and I’ve traveled across the U.S. a fair bit, but this was my first international trip (not counting short visits to some of the Mexican border towns). So I’m much, much further away from home than I’ve ever been before. One of the stops in Italy was a small Tuscan hill town (Civita, I think). Our bus parked in a designated area at another small village nearby, and then there was a bit of a walk to get up the hill to Civita. So we’re walking up a dirt road past these old earthen brick homes and the beautiful countryside is all around us and it’s just this perfect, authentic visage of old-world Italy. As I’m soaking all this in and walking on toward the path that leads up the hill, I see that one of these old buildings is a restaurant, and hanging in the window is a bright red neon sign that reads, “TEX-MEX.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/18 "2009-07-13T02:15:20Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I love the food in New Mexico, but I’ve never had anything close to Tex-Mex there. Maybe in southern New Mexico? The food in El Paso is to die for, so maybe that extends to Las Cruces? The Tex-Mex in Las Cruces is much better than the Tex-Mex in El Paso, IMHO. They don’t call it Tex-Mex there, though, but rather “New Mexican cuisine”. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/19 "2009-07-13T02:36:44Z")
I’m still waiting for someone in authority to tell me what “Tex-Mex” is or isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785/20 "2009-07-13T03:01:04Z")
I’m no authority. (Moved to Texas from Kentucky at the ripe old age of nine. Thirty years ago.) To me, Tex-Mex is VERY beef-centric. Chicken is not the fajita chicken breast meat chicken but the shredded in everything else. A pollo asado taco truck? Yes. Black beans? No. Pinto beans? Yes. Jalapenos pickled and fresh. I like a Hula Hut (austin, part of Chuy’s) sweet salsa but Tex-Mex isn’t sweet. To me, it’s a lot of lime. I love fish tacos, but that’s Baja-cali-mex. (From my experience.) My .11 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-tex-mex-exist-anywhere-outside-of-texas/502785.md?page=2)