Tequila Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

Order the Birria Quesadilla. That is the short version of this page. At Tequila Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, the Journal Gazette's restaurant reviewer singled it out for a reason: slow-stewed beef folded into a crispy thin tortilla with grilled onions, the kind of plate that rewards the drive out to the southwest side.

The restaurant sits at 6328 W. Jefferson Blvd., tucked into the Covington Plaza shopping center. It is a full-service, sit-down Mexican spot, not a counter you order at and carry away. That matters for how you plan the visit: this is a place to settle in, not to grab and go.

What It Actually Is

Tequila runs a wider menu than the "Mexican restaurant" shorthand suggests. It splits its kitchen between two traditions: authentic taqueria-style dishes on one side and the Tex-Mex staples most Fort Wayne diners already know on the other. So a table can order in both directions at once, the familiar plates for one person and something closer to a street-taco stand for the person sitting across from them.

One signature is worth calling out before you sit down: the guacamole is made fresh at the table. There is a small piece of theater to it, and it means the guac shows up at the ripeness and salt level of that moment rather than out of a walk-in.

What to Order

Beyond the Birria Quesadilla, the Journal Gazette review also flagged a Huarache topped with Cochinita Pibil, the Mayan-style slow-roasted pork. If you have only had birria and carnitas around town, the cochinita is the plate that shows this kitchen is reaching past the standard lineup.

The crowd on Yelp and other review sites keeps landing on a few favorites of its own:

• The birria tacos, the taco cousin of the quesadilla that keeps getting the top billing
• Chips and salsa, the table-opener people mention by name
• The house-made margaritas, which is what the "Cantina" half of the sign is promising

If you are building a first order, a round of margaritas, the tableside guac, and the birria in either form is a fair read of what this place does best.

Who It's For

The full-service, cantina setup points at a certain kind of night: a sit-down dinner, a table of friends working through chips and margaritas, a date that is not in a hurry. It is less obviously a fast solo lunch than the taco trucks and counter spots elsewhere in town, though the taqueria side of the menu is there if a quick plate of birria is all you want.

The southwest-side address puts it in easy reach if you are coming from the Covington or Aboite direction, and worth the cross-town trip if birria is the thing you are chasing.

If You're Comparing Mexican Spots

Fort Wayne has a deep bench of Mexican kitchens, and part of choosing one is knowing what each does. If you are weighing options, it is worth looking at Bandidos Mexican Restaurant and Don Taco Mexican Grill as well, and Santos Tacos if the taqueria side is what pulls you in. What sets Tequila apart on this list is the pairing of that tableside guacamole with a birria the local paper went out of its way to praise.

Go for the Birria Quesadilla, stay for the margaritas, and let someone make the guacamole in front of you while you decide on the rest.