1) What to avoid

Stay away from texmex nomexican bland places like El Toreo or Ashley's Pub. That is as close to real mexican food as domino's pizza is to a trattoria in downtown Rome.

2) What is acceptable

Texmex style like On the Border, Don Pablo's or Chipotle are Ok because they have quality. On the Border or Don Pablo's is specially good for large parties or fancy dates and Chipotle is great for lunch time. The flavor and style is very acceptable, although it is not 100% authentic, it is texmex, which is what came out from 200 years of tortillas and chile being smugled across the texan-arizonian border. That does not mean is bad, it is just different.

3) What is the real thing

Las Margaritas is my favorite, they have a great bar with real tequila (not only cuervo style poisonous distilates) and the cooks are one hundred percent "guerrerenses", i.e people from Guerrero, the state I am from. The amount of food is usually enough for getting full and save some in a box for the next day's lunch. I reccoment the mexican specialties like Mole Poblano or Chicken Acapulco, which are real mexican dishes. Be aware that because this is more like the South Mexico style, corn tortillas are highly preferred over flour tortillas.

If you are up for a more esoteric experience then go to La Tienda, on SW 13th st . Yep, same owner as Las Margaritas, but this is rather a mexican informal lunch place, with authentic mexican sandwiches which are made with a bread called "bolillo" which is like a wide, short baguette. They have also real tasty tacos, from all sorts of meat (beef chicken etc) including the infamous beef tripe, which is kinda nasty but it is also a good training for the aftermath of a nuclear war when you will have to eat anything to survive. They also prepare the best mexican hangover remedy, which is called "Pancita", i.e. chunks of cow stomach in a very spicy broth with giant corn kernels and lime. Guaranteed to absorb the worst tequila guilt.

I'll wait for you to wipe the keyboard.

La tienda also has a very impressive variety of sodas and beer from all countries in Latin America, so if you wanna get drunk/sugar-high with something different, this is the place to go.

Oh, and If you are a beautiful girl don't go there in hot pants or miniskirt, because the clientelle is made of construction workers who know all sorts of poetic phrases like "Mamacita chula a que horas vas al pan?" or "Que bonito perrito, me lo prestas?", or "que paso gringuita cuando nos casamos y tenemos hartos escuintles?".

Ahem.

The other good option is "El norteno" which is one side from Napolatanos, behind the Oaks mall. They also have a full bar, full real mexican food menu and the taste from the north of Mexico, a bit milder, with a preference for flour tortillas.

La Cabana is almost in front of La Tienda, and is an Ok place, although it is more caribbean style. Here you will find a mixture of centroamerican, south mexican and cuban food. BTW I heard that the parties they organize on friday nights are really good.

Finally, el Indio and Burrito Brothers are local businness, which we as students have to support against the franchise machinery, so visit them sometime, they have also very tasty (and cheap!) options.

Finally, say no to Taco Bell, unless your lunch money is really short.