Photo: VisitDallas

Essential Stops on the Margarita Mile in Dallas

Dallas-Fort Worth
by Jennifer Prince Feb 20, 2020

The frozen margarita machine was invented in Dallas in 1971. Today, you can find one of the frosty beverages just about anywhere in the country, but there’s nothing quite like enjoying one in its original home city. And to try the best of the best, there’s a self-guided Dallas frozen margarita tour with a dedicated app and signature cocktails called the Margarita Mile.

The term “mile” is a bit of a misnomer. As the walk has grown in popularity, the number of participating restaurants and the area they encompass has increased. There are more than 20 stops along the trail, so seeing them all would be a multi-day affair. However, it’s easy to pull up the app and pick and choose the ones closest to you that seem more interesting. What’s more, you can earn rewards by checking in at each restaurant you visit.

To help get you started on narrowing down which places to visit, you can’t go wrong with these stops.

Beto and Son

The margarita highlight at Beto and Son is a liquid nitrogen concoction that’s part cocktail and part science experiment. The margarita is constructed tableside. A cart topped with glasses and a metal mixing bowl is rolled to your table along with a range of tequilas, fresh lime juice, agave, and orange liqueur, as well as a few less-conventional ingredients. Once the liquids are added to the mixing vessel, they’re then covered with liquid nitrogen. The mixologist whisks the margaritas as smoky condensation billows out of the mixing bowl. It’s a pure delight to watch. Classic, blue-rimmed Margarita glasses are then filled with the icy mix, and topped with fruit-flavored pearls.

Beto and Son: 3011 Gulden Ln #108, Dallas, TX 75212

Taqueria La Ventana

There is just one margarita on Taqueria La Ventana’s menu. And that’s just fine, as the restaurant hits a home run with its signature drink. La ventana translates to “the window,” perfectly describing this outdoor, street-food-inspired restaurant. Patrons can enjoy a margarita, frozen or las rocas (on the rocks), at a wooden table on the open patio. Although just one location is on the Margarita Mile app, you can taste the Taqueria La Ventana take on the Margarita at any one of the chain’s four locations throughout Dallas.

Taqueria La Ventana: 1611 McKinney Ave Dallas, Texas 75202

El Fenix

The specialty margarita from El Fenix has won the “D’s Best” award voted on by readers of the city’s D Magazine multiple years. El Fenix has been in business since 1918 and claims that its founder, Miguel Martinez, created not just Tex-Mex style of food but also the tortilla machine, which he sold to Herman Lay before his Frito-Lay fame.

Served on the rocks or frozen, the “original” is possibly the simplest Margarita you can sample. Still, the straightforwardness of this drink is a subtle nod to El Fenix’s 100-year-old history serving classic Tex-Mex fare.

El Fenix: 1601 McKinney Ave Downtown #1, Dallas, TX 75202

Meso Maya

Featuring fresh lime juice, agave, blanco tequila, and Oaxaca sea salt, this stop on the Margarita Mile has a stellar classic marg. For those who adore creative cocktails, the Remolino Swirl also mixes a frozen Margarita with sangria for a fruity twist.

The best part of Meso Maya is that if you want to cross two locations off of your list at the same time, you can incorporate El Fenix, as it is right next door. With two stops completed, you’ll be dubbed a “‘Rita Rookie” and claim a signature Margarita Mile pin as your reward.

Meso Maya: 1611 McKinney Ave, Dallas, TX 75202

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