Mexican restaurants have a variety of dishes that include traditional ingredients. Next is a list of Mexican menu food items that are available at most restaurants, and may be prepared at home by people who enjoy cooking.
Popular Mexican Food Menu items
Burritos
Burritos are large wraps. They usually have flour tortillas, and beans, rice, meat, and lettuce and tomato and cheese inside of them, but there are many variations that lack certain ingredients, or use additional ones. Burritos are some of the most popular Mexican food items in America.
Enchiladas
An enchilada is a small, thin wrap, that uses a corn tortilla which encloses chicken, rice, cheese, and sometimes other ingredients. Enchiladas are usually oven cooked. These are often served covered in mole sauce and alongside rice and beans.
Fajitas
Fajitas are made from flour tortillas which are filled with hot meat, rice, beans, cheese, and vegetables. In most Mexican restaurants, meat and grilled vegetables are brought out hot, while lettuce, tomato, fresh guacamole, and salsa are brought out cold on another plate. Plain flour tortillas are then filled with the desired ingredients by patrons.
Flautas
A flauta is a large corn tortilla wrap which is fried in oil. Chicken, pork, or beef, and sometimes other ingredients are placed in the middle of the tortilla before it is tightly wrapped around its filling, and deep fried. These are usually longer and thinner than enchiladas, which are not deep fried.
Tacos
A taco is a corn tortilla which is filled with meat and vegetables (lettuce, tomato, onion, and peppers), and sometimes rice and beans. For authentic Mexican tacos, radishes and cilantro are often used instead of lettuce and tomato. The tortilla used in a taco may be hard (fried in oil) or soft (uncooked). This is one of the most popular Mexican food menu items in America.
Tamales
Tamales are made with corn dough, which is filled with meat and vegetables, before being wrapped in corn husks and steamed. Chicken and tomato combine for a popular tamale filling, although other meats, vegetables, and sometimes, fruits can be used to fill these tasty Mexican foods.
Taquitos
A taquito is a small corn tortilla wrap that has meat and sometimes other ingredients. Essentially taquitos are flautas that use smaller tortillas. Chicken, pork, beef, or chorizo sausage may be used as filling, before the tortilla is wrapped and deep fried in oil.
Tostadas
A tostada is a fried corn tortilla with rice, beans, meat, lettuce and tomato piled over it. Tostadas are similar to taco salads, except the other ingredients are piled onto flat, fried corn tortillas instead of being placed in edible bowls.
Quesadillas
A quesadilla is a cheese sandwich that uses two (flour or corn) tortillas. Cheese is placed between the two tortillas, and the sandwich is cooked in a frying pan or skillet. Other ingredients, such as meat, cilantro, and tomato may also be added along with the cheese.
There are many types of Mexican food meals that use similar ingredients, or are entire dishes themselves, but these are some of the popular sandwich-type items that often appear on menus at Mexican restaurants.
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