Best Mexican Restaurants in Tampa, Florida

While there are several Mexican restaurants out there, and I'm sure many of you have watched a lot of them close down, these few I believe are here to stay. If you're looking for the most authentic Mexican food you can find without traveling to Mexico, then you should give these places a try.

Estella's - There are two locations which offer something different when it comes to atmosphere. These actually aren't too overly done up in a Mexican motif, but the food is quite authentic Mexican. The location on Davis Island in Tampa offers indoor and outdoor seating and is located among a strip center which as of this writing is getting a face lift. Don't expect much of a view as the outdoor seating is fronted by parking and the main drag on Davis Island. The service here is friendly, but I must say the salsa and chips delivered to your table are not the best I've ever had. Let's face it, chips are chips more or less but the salsa can make all the difference and this is very plain salsa which seems to me to contain only crushed tomatoes and green chilies. I guess I could be a little hard on that topic because of my own homemade salsa. I feel salsa should have lots of flavors and colors and this just doesn't. The food portions though are large and the price is just right. I usually get a taco platter which I find to be very tasty and loaded with meat and all the trimmings. The rice here is also very good. There is another location on South Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa which is just north of MacDill AFB. I stopped here for lunch last week for the first time and there was a gentlemen just inside the door playing a guitar and it was only lunchtime which made for a nice change in the middle of the day. All the lunches were are under $10 and and the dinners are slightly more. For more information check out their website at www.estelas.com.