For most people, Mexican food means tacos, burritos, and nachos. In Texas, Mexican food can mean a variety of things—cuisine from the interior of Mexico with savory sauces and various meats, Southwestern-style Mexican food with green chiles and blue corn, or border-inspired Tex-Mex with gooey cheese, seasoned beef, and tortillas.

Though interior Mexican food is certainly worth sampling if you can find an authentic restaurant, it’s Tex-Mex that prevails in Texas, and it’s not hard to find a good representation of this regional comfort food in most cities across the state. In fact, mom-and-pop Tex-Mex restaurants are much like Italian eateries on the East Coast and in the Midwest—the best food is often in the most unassuming spot, like a strip mall or small house.

The main ingredients in Tex-Mex are ground beef, chicken, cheese, pinto beans, and tortillas. These items are combined differently for tasty variations, including a crispy or soft beef taco, a beef, cheese, or chicken enchilada, a bean chalupa, cheese quesadilla, or beef and chicken fajitas. Salsa, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream are typically added as flavorful accompaniments.