10 Mexican Restaurants In Columbia, Missouri

mexican restaurants in columbia mo
Franchesca
Franchesca 
Updated
| 4 min read

Home to many universities, famous landmarks, and captivating nature, Columbia is a city situated at the central part of Missouri. This beautiful and welcoming city has been named as one of the best towns to live in the United States and the top place to retire. With its rich culture, artistic scene, and lively community, this city begs to be discovered by travellers like you. It is a place where it makes you want to roam around a little more to get to know it better like how the locals do. Not to mention, they have several restaurants dispersed across and Mexican diners are the prominent ones. From all your walking and exploring, here is a curated list of Mexican restaurants in Columbia, to satisfy your hunger and savoury food cravings.

1. Las Margaritas Columbia

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Prepared with the finest ingredients that bring out the most authentic tasting Mexican food, Las Margaritas is a must try. Opened back in 2012, this restaurant immediately gained its reputation for its wide range of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines. From meat to seafood choices, this place will never disappoint you. A few of their notable dishes are Camarones a la Diabla, made with tiger shrimps and a signature spicy ranchero sauce.

For people with a big appetite, the giant Burrito Gonzalez is stuffed with sirloin steak. Lastly, tacos are a staple meal in a Mexican place, Tacos Al Pastor beautifully prepared and served to fill up your appetite. For beverages, you can never go wrong with their popular lime margarita.

Las Margaritas Columbia

Address: 10 E Southampton Blvd Ste B Columbia, MO 65203

Website: Las Margaritas Columbia

Opening hours: Sun-Thu: 11 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 11 AM - 10:30 PM

Average price: 11 - 30 USD

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2. Jose Jalapenos Authentic Mexican Restaurant

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Posted by Jose Jalapenos on Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Classic family-owned restaurants are known to serve the tastiest food. Jose Jalapenos Authentic Mexican Restaurant is one of them, genuinely prepared and cooked, every bite tastes like home.

This restaurant is suitable for family dinners or friendly gatherings, they serve Mexican favourites and they even have Jose’s Fajita Specials on the menu, there are also vegetarian options or you can make your own combination dinners of your choice. For dessert, their Mexican Fried Ice Cream and their Mexican custard flan are a must try.

Jose Jalapenos Authentic Mexican Restaurant

Address: 4103 w Vawter school Road Columbia, MO 65203

Website: Jose Jalapenos Authentic Mexican Restaurant

Opening hours: 11 AM - 10 PM

Average price: Under 10 USD

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3. El Rancho

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

El Rancho is open late at night for your midnight Mexican cravings. Nobody likes to wait when they are hungry, here at El Rancho, they serve you authentic handmade Mexican food as quickly as possible. As the traditional recipe has been passed down from generations, the taste remains the same same, it is delicious and unforgettable. Try it for yourself, El Rancho boasts Mexican Style Steak Tacos with fresh Cilantro, Taco Loco, and Guadalajara Special.

El Rancho

Address: 1014 E Broadway, Columbia, MO 65201, USA

Website: El Rancho

Opening hours: 11 AM - 2 AM

Average price: under 10 USD

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4. El Jimador Mexican Restaurant

el jimador
Source: Photo by Flickr user Bradley Gordon used under CC BY 2.0

If great tasting tequila is what you’re looking for, El Jimador is home for the best tequila in town. They put their heart and soul into their craft that made them gain the top-selling, 100% agave tequila in Mexico. Their top drinks on the list are Spicy Sandia, Bubble-rita and Habanero Margarita. Aside from their top-notch drinks menu, they serve the best Mexican food for a very inexpensive price and who doesn’t love an unlimited salsa refill? El Jimador’s chips, cheese quesadillas, and burritos keep the customers from coming back.

El Jimador Mexican Restaurant

Address: 3200 Penn Terrace #101, Columbia, MO 65202, USA

Website: El Jimador Mexican Restaurant

Opening hours: 11 AM – 10 PM

Average price: 11 - 30 USD

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5. La Terraza Mexicana Grill

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Mexican Street Tacos!! longaniza, tripa, buche, barbacoa, lengua, asada, pollo, chorizo. #LTMakeTacosNotWar #saboramexico

Posted by La Terraza Mexicana Grill on Sunday, July 18, 2021

Another family-owned restaurant, La Terraza brings out their famous homemade flavours right to your plate. Their dedication to enliven the authentic Mexican flavour is outstanding, they use all traditional ingredients and queso fresco to produce the best Mexican food in Columbia. La Terraza offers the typical Mexican menu and their house special includes Super Don Julio Plate served with chicken, steak, and shrimp with two chorizo quesadillas. Chimichanga Texas that consists of two deep-fried burritos topped with ranchero cheese sauce.

La Terraza Mexicana Grill

Address: 1412 Forum Blvd, Columbia, MO 65203, USA

Website: La Terraza Mexicana Grill

Opening hours: Mon - Thu: 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM; Fri - Sat: 11:00 AM - 10:30 PM; Sun: 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Average price: 11 - 30 USD

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6. Pancheros Mexican Grill

Chicken Soft Tacos from Panchero's
Source: Photo by Flickr user Elizabeth used under CC BY 2.0

Perfect for a quick bite but still a loaded meal, Pancheros is going to be your next favourite. They specialise in creating the best tortilla as they believe that it is the solid foundation of a good burrito. Their tortillas are freshly made with the finest doughs and ingredients which makes it satisfyingly tasty. Pancheros serve all Mexican classics from Burritos, Tacos, Quesadillas and their vegetarian special that has gathered the attention of many, it is called Tofusada.

Pancheros Mexican Grill

Address: 421 N Stadium Blvd, Columbia, MO 65203, USA

Website: Pancheros Mexican Grill

Opening hours: 10:30 AM - 10 PM

Average price: Under 10 USD

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7. Carlito's Cabo

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Lomo Saltado (200-0049)

Posted by Carlito's Cabo on Thursday, June 6, 2013

Carlito’s Cabo is a family-owned Mexican restaurant that is also overflowing with tastes of Latin America. They are the only restaurant that serves Peruvian-inspired Mexican dishes in the Midwest so these are the flavours that you’ll keep coming back for.

You definitely get more than what you paid for, the dishes from Carlito’s Cabo reflects its traditional backgrounds and only made with natural ingredients and their specialities include, Pollo a la Brasa from the city of Lima and Lomo Saltado a Peruvian dish. Typical Mexican foods such as enchiladas, tacos, and tostadas are also served here.

Carlito's Cabo

Address: 12-A Business Loop 70 E, Columbia, MO 65203, USA

Website: Carlito’s Cabo

Opening hours: 11 AM – 7 PM; closed on weekends

Average price: Under 10 USD

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8. La Siesta

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Introducing our brand new Barbacoa Tacos! Three tacos Mexico City style on soft corn tortillas, topped with chopped cilantro and onions. #tacotuesday

Posted by La Siesta on Tuesday, August 3, 2021

With an extensive range of menu and imported drinks, La Siesta is a local favourite restaurant for many. La Siesta embodies its Mexican heritage through their plates, they serve daily lunch, dinner specials and they offer the finest selection of tequilas. What makes their dinner platters special is that you get a little bit of everything in one plate, Mucha Hambre is served with a steak, chicken breast, and shrimp.

They also have a list of specialities such as Burrito Supreme Steak, Camarones a la Diabla a very spicy shrimp, and Chile en Nogada which is only served on weekends.

La Siesta

Address: 3890 Rangeline St #115, Columbia, MO 65202, USA

Website: La Siesta

Opening hours: Mon - Wed: 11 AM - 10 PM Thu-Sat: 11 AM - 10:30 PM Sun: 11 AM - 8 PM

Average price: 11 - 30 USD

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9. Taco John's

Taco John's
Source: Photo by Flickr user Dan Keck used under CC0

For a quick fix, Taco John’s is a go-to Mexican fast-food chain. They infused American flavours onto their recipe, creating their signature menu while their tacos and in-house tortilla chips are freshly prepared with quality ingredients. Taco John’s serve all types of taco from soft shells, crispy tacos, and grilled tacos. They also have a Meat Potato Burrito that contains beef and their famous Potato Oles. Other specialities that are a must try includes Mexi Rolls and Super Potato Oles.

Taco John's

Address: 2300 Bernadette Dr Space 716, Columbia, MO 65203, USA

Website: Taco John’s

Opening hours:10 AM – 9 PM

Average price: Under 10 USD

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10. Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Posted by RIO Grande Mexican Restaurant on Monday, September 15, 2014

Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant is one of the exceptional family-owned Mexican Restaurant here in Missouri. Suitable for big family eat-outs or dining out with your friends, this place has a nice atmosphere and an outdoor seating area.

The Rio Grande serves all your desired Mexican bites and they house specials that could be your new staple Mexican food. It features Fajita Platter Dinner Special, Rio Grande Seafood Enchiladas, and Steak San Lucas. They also invite everyone on their Taco Tuesday promotions so better be there to get your taco cravings fix.

Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant

Address: 3306 W Broadway Business Park Ct, Columbia, MO 65203, USA

Website: Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant

Opening hours: Sun-Thurs: 11 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 11 PM - 11 PM

Average price: Under 10 USD

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A taste of Mexico in Columbia

001 Tacos de carnitas, carne asada y al pastor
Source: Photo by user Larry Miller used under CC BY-SA 2.0

For Mexican food lovers, Columbia will not disappoint you. These restaurants serve authentic Mexican flavours that will leave you full and pleased.

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Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!
Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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Franchesca is a 20 year old Filipina who currently resides in Singapore. She has a deep appreciation for anything that is art-related and she finds excitement in documenting her trips through...Read more

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