Salem is fortunate to have many residents from Mexico, some recent immigrants, and some families who have spent generations in Oregon. With our large Latin American community, finding great Mexican and Mexican-inspired food is an easy task. From more traditional Mexican restaurants to a Mexican-American brewery and Mexican-inspired dessert truck, Salem has an outstanding variety of delicious options for those wanting to explore the flavors of Mexico.
La Hacienda Real
3690 Commercial Street SE, Salem
La Hacienda Real has multiple locations in Salem and a devoted following of fans. Built in an adobe style, with tile and painted scenes inside, the restaurant has a festive atmosphere and fast service. The expansive menu features many versions of classic Mexican-American staples like nachos and fajitas.
The seafood section is very lengthy, focusing on prawns and shrimp. They also offer more traditional Mexican dishes, like Chile Colorado, birria, and mulitas. Margaritas are large and icy and a great complement to many of the dishes.
La Margarita Express
515 Chemeketa Street NE, Salem
Favorite downtown lunch spot La Margarita Express offers fantastic deals for its Salvadoran and Mexican food. During the nice weather, diners flock to the outdoor tables for lunch and dinner. The restaurant’s interior is charming, with different scenes of rural towns painted on the tables and chairs.
One menu page features Salvadoran food, including fried plantains, yuca, and pupusas with various fillings. Their giant burritos with sauces are outstanding, and the menu also includes street food staples like huaraches and sope.
Xicha Brewing
576 Patterson Suite Northwest, Suite 120, Salem
Advertised as a Latine brewery and restaurant, Xicha Brewing offers both Latin American-inspired food and tasty cocktails and beer brewed on the premises. Their large patio is a big draw for families in the summer, and the contemporary style of the site definitely has a vastly different vibe than most of the Mexican restaurants in Salem.
The menu features dishes that go well with the drinks, including multiple crispy fried appetizer choices, from croquetas to empanadas. Tacos are the menu’s centerpiece, including meat and vegetable options. The cocktail menu is strong, with a focus on margaritas in different flavors. The beers, the reason most people come to Xicha, are ales and lagers inspired by the Americas, from a guava golden ale to Mexican-style beers.
Don Bigote
3260 Portland Road NE, Salem
Cult favorite food truck Don Bigote started in Salem and now has locations in Albany and Portland. Serving churros, crepes, and ice cream shakes (and sometimes combinations of two), this food cart draws people from all over. Some of the flavors are standard American choices – Oreo or Pumpkin Spice – while others are Mexican-inspired, including the different desserts featuring gansitos, a classic Mexican snack cake with strawberry, cream, and chocolate.
All of the churro filling flavors are standard dessert flavors in both Mexico and the United States (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, caramel, eggnog). The postres (desserts) are the most Mexican-inspired section of the menu, with fried plantains and esquites (toasted corn). Visitors to the cart wanting a really decadent dessert can get a shake with churros in it, ice cream surrounded by churros, or a crepe with scoops of ice cream on it. In addition to its other locations, Don Bigote hosts a large booth at the Oregon State Fair and typically has long lines of visitors eager to try these outstanding creations.
In addition to Salem’s outstanding restaurants and carts, we are lucky to have a Mexican creamery that serves up some excellent quesadillas with Don Froylan Creamery. Located near Don Bigote on Portland Road, the area is also home to tortilla maker Don Pancho. Salem is an excellent location for any Mexican or Mexican-inspired food – many more restaurants are worth mentioning.
