The Tortilla Green Flag To Look Out For When Dining At A Mexican Restaurant

Italian, Mexican, and Chinese food jostle for the title of most popular ethnic food in the United States, with the cuisine from south of the border having an edge with younger generations. You can find Mexican restaurants anywhere and many people have their own neighborhood favorites that keep them coming back. But when trying someplace new, you have to rely on things like friends' recommendations, checking out the menu, and the vibe when you walk in. Justin Mosel, chef and executive culinary director at Rubio's Coastal Grill, shared with The Takeout that one  green flag to look out for at Mexican restaurants is if the tortillas are made in-house.

"Any restaurant that makes tortillas from scratch is worth supporting because it means they have a passion for quality and authenticity," he told us. Tortillas made in the restaurant's own kitchen add freshness and flavor, a good sign that the food will be good. Not offering house-made tortillas isn't necessarily a red flag like cold salsa at a Mexican restaurant or sour cream on the plate. Restaurants may order their tortillas from local companies that make and deliver them fresh to restaurants every day instead of using mass-produced ones.

It's common for Mexican restaurants not to make their own tortillas for practical reasons, especially considering how many corn and flour tortillas they go through every day. It's time-consuming to make, press, and griddle them, and takes up limited kitchen space, particularly if they're using machines that bring automation to the process.

Corn tortillas are the norm in most of Mexico, while flour tortillas are more prevalent in the northern part of the country and in the Southwestern United States. They're also what indigenous Mexicans ate, as flour tortillas weren't created until after the conquest by the Spanish who brought wheat flour with them. However, Mosel said it's not necessarily a negative if a Mexican restaurant only uses flour tortillas. "I don't think it's a red flag, as it depends on the location and the concept." He further explained, "Generally, Tex Mex may only serve flour tortillas, while Central and South American restaurants are partial to corn tortillas. But there are always exceptions, and again it depends on the concept and target demos."

Flour tortillas are made with flour, water, lard (or another shortening), and salt. However, you need a special type of instant corn flour called masa harina for corn tortillas. This flour, which is mixed with water and salt, is made from nixtamalized corn. In this traditional process, dried kernels are soaked in an alkaline solution made with powdered limestone or wood ash. This softens the corn, makes it more flavorful, and releases nutrients.

Corn tortillas are firmer with more of a bite. They're used for dishes asking for both soft and hard tacos, including taquitos, quesadillas, tostadas, chips, and the Mexican breakfast staple, chilaquiles. Softer and more bendable flour tortillas have a milder flavor. Burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, soft tacos, and fajitas are all wrapped with these stronger tortillas.