Authentic Mexican food is vibrant, complex, and regional—but not every restaurant gets it right.
Some dishes are watered-down for timid palates, while others pack serious firepower.
Here’s what to skip (and what to order with caution) if you want the real deal.
1. Chimichanga
Deep-fried burritos might sound like heaven, but these caloric grenades pack a whopping 1,000+ calories per serving! The innocent burrito gets dunked in sizzling oil until the tortilla transforms into a crispy, fat-soaked jacket.
Skip this diet destroyer and opt for its unfried cousin, the burrito, which saves you nearly half the calories while delivering the same flavor profile without the oil slick.
2. Nachos Supreme
Hold the phone before ordering that mountain of nachos! These crispy triangles arrive buried under an avalanche of mystery meat, processed cheese product, and sad, wilting lettuce – a far cry from authentic Mexican cuisine.
Restaurant portions typically serve four but get demolished by one determined diner. The result? You’ve just inhaled two days’ worth of sodium and enough preservatives to embalm a small animal.
3. Queso Fundido
Cheese lovers beware! This molten cheese trap masquerades as an appetizer but delivers a main course’s worth of saturated fat. Bubbling hot cheese mixed with chorizo creates an oil slick that would make BP nervous.
One serving contains roughly 1,200 calories and 3 days’ worth of cholesterol. Your arteries will file for divorce if you make this a regular indulgence.
4. Sizzling Fajita
The theatrical sizzle might fool your eyes and ears, but your taste buds know better. Those dramatically smoking platters often hide pre-cooked, reheated meat strips that spent more time in a freezer than with a chef.
Restaurants frequently douse fajita meat in commercial marinades packed with sugar, MSG, and enough sodium to preserve a mammoth. That signature sizzle? Just water sprayed onto an overheated plate for dramatic effect.
5. Chili Con Carne
Surprise! That hearty bowl of “authentic” chili con carne has about as much Mexican heritage as a leprechaun. This Tex-Mex invention rarely appears in actual Mexican homes and varies wildly in quality from restaurant to restaurant.
The worst offenders serve up a mysterious meat slurry with kidney beans from a can, drowning in a sauce that’s 90% tomato paste and cumin. Genuine Mexican cuisine uses complex moles and fresh chiles instead of this simplified American adaptation.
6. Taco Salad
That edible bowl might as well be a deception delivery system! Taco salads seduce the health-conscious with promises of vegetable goodness, then ambush you with a fried tortilla vessel containing more calories than a double cheeseburger.
Beneath the token lettuce garnish lurks a battlefield of refried beans, seasoned beef, sour cream, and enough shredded cheese to carpet a small apartment. The nutritional math is brutal: 1,400 calories and 70% of your daily fat intake in one seemingly innocent meal.
7. Enchiladas
Behind those innocent corn tortillas hides a sodium and fat catastrophe! Restaurant enchiladas swim in sauce that’s often more salt than substance, with sodium counts reaching tsunami levels of 2,000+ mg per serving.
The filling frequently features pre-shredded chicken that’s been sitting in a warming tray since yesterday’s lunch rush. That mysterious red sauce? Likely from a commercial can with more preservatives than actual chilies.
8. Quesadilla
Cheese, tortilla, more cheese – what could go wrong? Plenty! Restaurant quesadillas transform this simple snack into a grease-laden cheese delivery system that would make a cardiologist weep.
The tortillas get slathered with butter or oil before hitting the griddle, creating a fat-soaked exterior that leaves napkins translucent. Inside, you’ll find a hockey-puck quantity of cheese – often the processed kind that contains more chemicals than a sophomore chemistry lab.
9. Burrito Bowl
The “healthy alternative” marketing is pure fiction! These deconstructed burritos seem virtuous without the tortilla wrap, but the kitchen compensates by doubling down on every other ingredient.
Most criminal is the sodium content – a single bowl contains roughly 2,300mg, your entire daily allowance. This seemingly innocent option leaves you bloated and wondering why your “healthy choice” feels like you swallowed a bowling ball.
10. Flautas
These cigar-shaped time bombs spend so long in the deep fryer they practically qualify for oil rig employment! The tortilla becomes nothing more than a grease delivery system, absorbing oil like a sponge at a spill site.
Inside these crispy tubes lurks mystery meat that’s often been recycled from yesterday’s menu items. The meat-to-oil ratio skews heavily toward the latter, creating a caloric catastrophe of approximately 850 calories per serving.
11. Churros
Sugar-coated lies! These seemingly innocent dessert sticks spend more time bobbing in rancid oil than a deep-sea fishing lure. Many Mexican restaurants reuse their frying oil for days, giving churros that distinctive “everything we’ve fried this week” undertone.
The sugar coating hides a multitude of sins – primarily that the dough often comes from a pre-made mix full of preservatives and artificial flavors. That chocolate dipping sauce? Likely from a squeeze bottle containing more corn syrup than actual cocoa.
12. Refried Beans
Behind that innocent side dish lurks a lard conspiracy! Traditional refried beans use lard as the primary cooking fat, but restaurant versions take this to extremes – some containing up to 25% fat by volume.
Many establishments use canned refried beans, which contain preservatives, excess sodium, and artificial flavors that would make a chemist uncomfortable. The worst offenders reheat these beans multiple times throughout the day, creating a paste that’s barely recognizable as legumes.
13. Sopapilla
These puffy pillows of fried dough make donut holes look like health food! Sopapillas spend their brief existence bathing in oil before being drowned in honey and cinnamon sugar – a trifecta of dietary regret.
Many restaurants recycle their frying oil until it’s darker than motor oil, giving these treats a rancid undertone that the sugar coating barely masks. The honey-like substance drizzled on top? Often corn syrup with artificial honey flavoring.
14. Spanish Rice
That innocent-looking orange rice has a dirty secret – it’s typically loaded with enough sodium to preserve a whale! Most restaurants use commercial flavor packets containing MSG, artificial colorings, and sodium levels that would make the Dead Sea envious.
The vibrant color doesn’t come from tomatoes but from Yellow #5 and Red #40. Many establishments prepare huge batches that sit in warming trays for hours, growing progressively mushier and less flavorful.
15. Chile Relleno
Imagine taking a perfectly healthy poblano pepper and transforming it into a cardiac event! These cheese-stuffed peppers get dipped in egg batter, deep-fried until buoyant, then smothered in sauce and more cheese.
A single chile relleno packs approximately 650 calories and 45 grams of fat – more than a double cheeseburger. Your stomach will be sending distress signals to your brain long after this cheesy grenade detonates in your digestive system.
16. Combo Plate
The “little bit of everything” platter is a caloric carpet bombing! These massive plates feature the greatest hits of everything you should avoid – typically enchiladas, tacos, and burritos arranged in a circular firing squad aimed at your arteries.
These combination disasters typically clock in at 1,800-2,500 calories – your entire day’s worth in one sitting. The worst part? Each item uses lower-quality ingredients than if ordered individually, as kitchens often reserve combo plates for using up less-than-fresh components.
17. Deep-Fried Ice Cream
Ever wonder if combining a frozen treat with hot oil could be a good idea? Deep-fried ice cream is just that—a paradoxical dessert that often leaves diners puzzled.
Though it sounds intriguing, the dish is typically loaded with calories and sugar, making it a less-than-ideal choice for those watching their diet.
18. Tostada Pizza
Imagine your favorite pizza turned into a tostada—a concept that sounds promising but often falls flat. Tostada pizza is typically overloaded with toppings and cheese, resulting in a soggy bottom and a messy eating experience.
While it might seem like a creative fusion, the combination often lacks the satisfying crunch and balance of flavors you’d expect from either dish.