We’ve repeatedly been asked by visitors and locals alike to create a tour that shows off Milwaukee’s best tacos, chips, salsa, margaritas and churros. We rose to the challenge, visiting every authentic Mexican restaurant in the city. Where are our favorite tacos in Milwaukee?
Tacos & Tequila, Oh My!
Guadalajara Restaurant
901 S 10th St, Milwaukee
Opened in 1987 by Genoveva and Felipe Losada after they moved to Milwaukee 25 years ago from their hometown of Guadalaraja, Mexico. This cozy, family restaurant has our favorite sopes in all of Milwaukee! Sopes are thick tortillas made with fried masa, the perfect combination of texture and flavor! We love to top ours with refried beans and chicken. Yum.
Cielito Lindo
733 S 2nd St, Milwaukee,
Everyone knows the sweet Mexican love song titled, Cielito Lindo. The restaurant, Cielito Lindo captures the essence of the song in their love of preparing delicious authentic Mexican food. Whether you are looking for a traditional Mexican breakfast dish or a few tacos after an evening out in Milwaukee, this the place to go!
La Canoa
1520 W Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee
This festive cantina specializes in Mexican seafood dishes. You know you’re somewhere special the minute you are seated at your table because each table includes not only traditional salsas but also their famous seafood salsa!
Tsumani Restaurant
2001 W Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee
Their location is tiny, seating a mere 20 or so diners, but offers big tastes with some of the most authentic food Mexican cuisine. This is the spot that locals in in Milwaukee’s Latino community visit when they are hungry.
Las 7-estrellas
112 E Dakota St, Milwaukee
This food truck turned restaurant is home to our favorite quesadillas in Milwaukee. Las 7 Estrellas homemade corn tortillas crisp up perfectly – stuff with cheese and the meat of your choice to create this Mexican favorite.
Chilango Express
7030 W Lincoln Ave
After many years of being housed in a tiny gas station restaurant, this extremely popular taco stand moved to a beautiful new location with plenty of room for everyone. Chilango Express has the freshest corn tortilla in Milwaukee. They press their corn tortillas right before frying them and putting them on your plate!
Taqueria Buenavista
6000 W Burnham St, Milwaukee
Looking for a Mexican restaurant that has it all? Look no further! Taqueria Buenavista’s extensive menu includes everyone’s favorites plus more!
El Senorial
1901 S 31st St, Milwaukee
El Senorial is the best place in Milwaukee to pretend you’re in Mexico and escape from the mid-winter blues! An evening at El Senorial doesn’t just include a great meal but also a fantastic performance by the restaurant’s roaming mariachi band!
So What about Margaritas?
A plate of tacos without a margarita? That’s crazy! Of course, all of our favorite restaurants serve great margaritas! Whether you like them on the rocks, frozen, strawberry flavored or the traditional lime they have got you covered!
We are often asked, “Is there a tequila made in Milwaukee?”
The is no Milwaukee-made tequila! Tequila is a protected name and can only be produced in certain states of Mexico. (We’ll actually be offering some trips to Mexico delving into the tequila making tradition, so check out those trips HERE!) Some of our favorite Milwaukee distilleries that we feature on our Craft Breweries & Distilleries tour could make the same thing, but they could not call it tequila.
Made from the blue agave plant, the spirit is made primarily in areas surrounding the city of Tequila, and in the Mexican state of Jalisco. This is similar to Chianti wine, which can only be called that for wine made with grapes in Chianti Italy, or with Champagne, which can only be produced in Champagne France.
Mariachi band serenade at El Senorial 
The decor at El Senoria transports us to Mexico.
Churros, anyone?
According to churrisimo.com, Churros are traditional Spanish desserts developed centuries ago by Spanish shepherds. Up high in the mountains, fresh baked goods were impossible to come by, so the ingenious, nomadic folk of the hills came up with a delicious cake-like, cylindrical, daily staple which they could easily cook in a pan over an open fire. This was the birth of the churro.
Today, no authentic meal is complete without this dessert, so be sure to check out this location for delicious churros:
La Flor de Trigo
1321 W Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee
This is a small family owned bakery. The husband spent most of his life growing up in a Mexican bakery and takes the time to create everything from scratch, including their churros. on the weekends, they make some of the best tamales you have ever had as well – but come early before they sell out, because when they are gone, they are gone.
Taqueria Mr. Churro
2333 W National Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53204
This is another small bakery with plenty of delicious treats at amazing price points.
Taco ‘Bout A Good Time
If you want to get serious about visiting the best taquerias in Milwaukee, simply reserve seats on the Tacos & Tequila Tour Bus. Departing from the United Community Center (UCC) most Saturday nights, we’ll stop at 4 hidden gems in Milwaukee’s Latino community. During the 3-hour tour you’ll sample some of the best in the city with a local Milwaukeean ready to take you to some of our favorites. The per person price includes transportation, food, drinks, dessert and trivia about Milwaukee’s tacos scene that you’ve never before known. It’s become a popular tour to celebrate birthdays and Bachelorettes too, and therefore available as a private tour for groups of 15 or more any date of choice.
