Food

McKinney [1] has several top-notch Mexican restaurants, and one of the city’s finest is El Juarez Mexican Restaurant (311 E. Louisiana St., 972/548-9181, open daily, $10–20). El Juarez has lured families, antiquers, and businesspeople to its cantina-esque location on the downtown square for several decades. Traditional Tex-Mex is the main draw here—you can’t go wrong with the chicken enchiladas, fajitas, or carne guisada.

The regional chain Aparicios (216 E. Virginia St., 214/733-8600, open daily, $8–17) has earned a fine reputation for serving tasty Tex-Mex. Although the sports bar atmosphere at this location can be somewhat distracting, the food is worth enduring the increased decibels. Aparicios has its own tortilleria, so anything wrapped (tacos, burritos) or stacked (enchiladas) have that extra burst of homemade flavor. This is a safe place to get adventurous—try your taco á la carte with pork and pineapple or savory and tender lengua (tongue).