We’ve already given you 11 great Mexican restaurants, as well as the top places for grabbing some quality tacos, but this week we’re turning our attention from food to drink. That’s right, this list is all about the margarita. These eight places are some of the best in the country if you’re in the mood for a classic tequila cocktail, and whether you want the rim salted or not, these drinks are likely to have you asking for “uno mas.”

Broward-Palm Beach

Le Tub

Dear Margarita, We’ve been seeing each other for some time now, and I think we’ve reached a point where we should solidify our relationship. I know I’ve been seeing other cocktails — playing the field, so to speak — but I blame that on capricious youth. They never loved me the way you do; they…More >>

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Inside Florida’s Le Tub Saloon

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Dallas

Iron Cactus

This rooftop patio is hands-down among the best in town. You can sit at the bar under the stars or grab a table at which to enjoy shots of tequila or margaritas accompanied by fajitas, nachos or fish tacos. The tequila selection is vast, from Cuervo on the bottom end to El Tesoro Paradiso and…More >>

Denver

Mezcal and Tambien

Denver drinkers used to be content ordering snifters full of ice, cheap tequila, sweet-and-sour mix that made your teeth squeak, maybe a lime wedge, and all sorts of top-secret (and cheap) ingredients guaranteed to give them a big headache in the morning. If they wanted to get really fancy, they…More >>

Houston

Bodega’s Taco Shop

An unlikely location on the ground floor of a medical building in the Museum District hasn’t stopped the young Bodega’s Taco Shop from making a splash in the already crowded Tex-Mex market. The food itself (think upscale Chipotle) is good, but people flock here for the dazzling array of…More >>

Los Angeles

Ortega 120

Ten years ago, the first sip of any restaurant margarita around these parts that ditched the grocery store sour mix was reason enough to raise your glass for a toast. With the newfound mixology hype, the trick now is finding an affordable fresh lime-juice margarita. Saddle up to the bar at…More >>

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Outside Ortega 120

Nashville

Rosepepper Cantina/FooBar

We can’t say for certain, but we suspect extra lime juice or even a splash of soda is Rosepepper’s secret. While the East Nashville cantina offers a variety of colors and flavors (among them a fluorescent blueberry concoction), a straightforward margarita on the rocks is enough for us to deem…More >>

Orange County

Las Brisas

Over the years, the margarita recipe has remained pretty standard: tequila, orange liqueur, citrus. Hey, some things should never be messed with, and we understand that. But Las Brisas has a cocktail that’s a sweet, welcome twist on an old classic. By adding just a teensy bit of amaretto to…More >>

St. Louis

Lily’s Mexican Restaurant

Don’t let the whirring of the milkshake machine worry you, there was no miscommunication: Salvador Esparza got your order right. You’re not getting some slushy kiddie drink. Lily’s Special Margarita on the rocks is on its way — hand delivered by Esparza himself. Lily’s Mexican…More >>

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The rim is salted at Lily’s Mexican Restaurant

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