Have you tried Cozumel on Pendleton Pike, in the new strip mall next to Watsons? So good! The bacon-wrapped shrimp are so indulgent, and the entree includes two full skewers. The menu offers a wider variety of options than some of the other Mexican eateries in town, with a nice choice of seafood entrees in addition to more-traditional burritos, quesadillas, etc. And the margaritas are huge! I ordered a medium-size version and received a glass the size of a fish bowl. The fruit-flavored ones are especially worth sipping--my favorite is the mango. The queso-with-chorizo appetizer is also worth ordering, even if it puts a dent in your appetite!

I'm also a fan of El Jaripeo--one of the few Mexican places I've found with chorizo tacos on the menu. Ummm, chorizo....

I haven't been there but I'll have to try it. Thanks for the tip! A mango margarita sounds awesome.

If you live on the east side, you might try El Azabache - across the street from Washington Square Mall. I really like their fish tacos. They taste very similar to ones I ate in Costa Rica. I also like El Jaripeo but have not been to Cozumel. Mango margaritas sound yummy though!

La Piedad in Broad Ripple is my absolute favorite. You order your food and it's on the table in less than 10 minutes. I always go for vegetarian combo C.

El Azabache is AMAZING!I had no idea anyone else went to that place!

Fountain Square = El Arado. I think.

Right. Thank you.

Really? Maybe plenty of others agreed with you (cough, hater, cough). I loved it, though I could only handle it every once in a while.

I'll have to try Mexico City Grill some time.

Places like El Sol and La Piedad are fine for Hoosier palates. But I definitely wouldn't call them authentic. They're fine, for what they are, but if you want REAL Mexican food you have to venture to West (or East) Washington Street to those little hole in the wall taquerias where people don't even speak English. THAT is real Mexican food.

That was vaguely insulting.

Maybe El Sol wasn't as authentic I would have thought but they did have stuff on the menu that wasn't just tacos, burritos and enchiladas, so I would have put them above some place like Acapulco Joe's.

I guess the only issue for me with (some) of the tiny taquerias is that they don't always have vegetarian options. Like the place in Irvington near Lazy Daze (it might even be called La Taqueria). I know they are supposed to have really great pork tamales but, unfortunately, unless I get a sudden craving for pork, I have to rule that out.

I'd like to get more familiar with more of the authentic places, though.

By the way, I was just kidding with the hater business.

Have ya'll ever tried Qdoba? It's the best burrito in INDY.. I helped vote for it in NUVO..

just in case... /sarcasm

The Mexican food on east and west Washington street is a lot of things (some of it pretty scary), but one thing it isn't is high-brow.

It's a date!

I've heard a lot of people say that Cancun (at 65th St) is crappy, but I never seem to notice much after I've had about 2/3rds of the Cancun Margarita. To heck with the food, I'd go there for that alone. Well worth the $8.00.

I had the Chicken Enchiladas Suizas at Cozumel---what made it stand out is the fact that they serve their enchiladas with fresh steamed vegetables and rice. Nice touch. As for El Sol---negatory. Years ago I was hooked on the tostadas at Acapulco Joe's---odd topppings such as an olive, beet slice, slice of heard boiled egg---that did the job.

Wow. El Sol is really unpopular with some folks on here. It's funny how different tastes and the different ways that restaurants that serve the same general type of cuisine can make for such disparate opinions on what's good and bad.

That tostada sounds good, John (sans the beet slice), but I could never get into Acapulco Joe's too much. I hate that they only give you taco sauce to eat with your chips, #1 (unless you order something like guac or queso off the menu), and their service is slow. At least at the one downtown. I know there's one in Greenwood, too but I've never been there.

Sure it was (wink).

I actually like Qdoba ok for something quick that has beans and rice in it but I can't really think of it as Mexican food, obviously. For one thing, it's way too low in fat.

If you're a fan of Cancun, there is also one on E 82nd a little east of Castleton Square. Cazuelas (there's a chance I spelled that correctly) near Michigan & 86th is also part of the Cancun/Jose Frog family.

"Three: La Hacienda on E. Washington St. - nothing adventurous, just good traditional Mexican fare at cheap prices. And the restaurant is in this really weird lime green building that looks like some little kid's idea of a space station circa 1956."

I've lived on the east side for most of my life... and I seem to recall it being a KFC, before they were called KFC... and it was painted up with the red and white panels to look like a bucket of the Colonel's chicken... maybe it some kind of odd dream.

BTW, it's one of my favorite "cheap Mexican" restaurants around Indy.

There's another La Hacienda at Graham and Binford on the Northeast side ... I assume they're related and since I live nearby to that one, I can heartily agree that it's yummy basic Mexican food.

Try the Mexican baked goods at Merry's Bakery, 4107 W. Michigan St. Breads, cakes, cookies, sweet rolls -- it's all good. Pick up a tray and tongs and serve yourself from the cases then take your selections to the register to pay.

Our La Haciendawe eat there prob 2-3 times a month. It is like 5 mins from the house. We also love Cancun (formerly Cazuella's) near 86th and Michigan... they have great seviche.

Ooh, I've definitely got to visit them. Thanks!

Yeah. I'd probably eat there 3 or 4 times a month, too if I lived closer to it. I normally only go there when I'm visiting my Irvington friends.

Cancun's seviche is da bomb. (Hee. I tickle myself when I use outdated hip-hop slang, yo.)

Oh, this Hoosier has dinner at La Piedad just as often as I possibly can. It's fab, and I'd be willing to wager that it would hold up in the Southwest, too. I'm just glad it's so close to home.

Pancho's Taqueria is located just south of 71st on Michigan Rd. It is an authentic taqueria that has outstanding guacamole, a salsa bar, and cheap, quick, awesome food. Their steak tacos are yummy and you can dress them up with pico de gallo, cilantro, cabbage, lime, and your choice of 6 or so different salsas, all from the salsa bar. This is a place where you order at the counter and then they call your number when the food is done. Frequented by mexican folk, which gives it the seal of approval in my book. You can get beer there, but no mixed drinks, so don't expect to go there and tank up on margheritas! My family and I eat there fairly regularly - it is worth the drive from Meridian Kessler area. Pancho also opened another restaurant in Fisher's (96th and Allisonville).

La Piedad is pretty good, but their guacamole is not near as good as Pancho's.

El Sol is overpriced, in my opinion.

I'm with Kimiko. Once you go to one of those taquerias where you have dig back in your brain archives for your old high school Spanish-speaking skills, there's no turning back. Believe me, I've tried. It's hard to beat real tacos on soft corn tortillas with shredded (not ground) meat and cilantro and lime on the side -- all this and better taste for the same price or less than the price of Taco Bell item that pales in comparison. And then there's sopes, pupusas, empanadas, huaraches...all amazingly delicious. Folks, these places will turn Cancun, El Rodeo, Taco Bell, Chi Chis into a faded, bland memory. Okay, Jayro. Where can I get these wonderful things? Here's a couple good spots: Guatelinda (formerly La Guanaquita), 3107 Lafayette Road. - this place has a nice mix of Mexican and El Salvadorean food items, like pupusas, sopes and empanadas, along with standard taqueria fare. Good service, twice as good food. Pancho's Taqueria, 7023 N. Michigan Road A lot of the foodies dig this place. Great selection of authentic entrees, good service and the wonderful hot salsa bar. Give 'em a shot and see what you think.

...and don't be afraid to try the lengua (beef tongue)! It just tastes like really good pot roast.

I have to agree. I have eaten lengua. Not by choice, though. On principal, it weirds me out. But I didn't know what it was and it was DELICIOUS.

Back in my carnivorous days, I loved pot roast so I would've been all about lengua, if I could've gotten over the fact that I was eating beef tongue. I was never a big fan of organ meats.

I love me some empanadas, though.