Whatcom and Skagit counties are known for their abundance of delicious Mexican food restaurants. So much so that even our friends from Canada cross the border to experience our local Mexican cuisine. With Cinco De Mayo coming up, it’s time to find your new favorite taco place. From Blaine to Mount Veron, here are some options for when you want to have a tart margarita, some quality tacos, or a juicy birria dish.
Photograph by Ava Boorn
Margaritas
After a long day, it’s nice to kick back with some friends and a refreshing margarita. Created in the 1930s, this sweet-and-sour beverage is mainly made from tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. The word margarita is Spanish for “daisy,” relating to a category of cocktails popular in the 20th century made with citrus juice, syrup or liqueur, and a base spirit.
If you’re looking for a classic margarita, El Sueñito Brewing Company has you covered. El Sueñito opened in February 2023 and is a community-centered brewery located in the Sunnyland neighborhood. Their house margarita is made from tequila, lime, and agave, and finished with a salt rim. They even have their Beergarita made with their flagship Alebrijes Mexican Lager.
Photograph by Anne Godenham
For more flavor variety, Jalapeños Mexican Restaurant & Lounge is great for premium and non-traditional margaritas. The strawberry basil is a good alternative if you’re looking for a drink that’s sweeter than tart. This margarita is blended with Luna Azul Blanco, house made strawberry puree, and fresh basil. If strawberries aren’t your thing, Jalapeños offers other fruit-flavored margaritas, including blackberry, peach, raspberry, and mango.
Lilia’s Mexican Cuisine is also great if you want to try different varieties of margaritas. Their very own margarita, Lilia’s Margarita, is a fruity margarita with an acidic touch. It contains Don Julio reposado tequila, sweet and sour, peach Schnapps, and a splash of cranberry juice. Perfect for when you want something different but still have the classic sweet-and-sour margarita flair.
Tacos
The origin of tacos is still widely unknown. According to one theory, Mexican silver miners were most likely the people who invented tacos: to them, tacos were charges made from pieces of paper wrapped around gunpowder, which were then inserted into holes carved in the rock. The first mention of tacos in the United States was in 1905, according to history professor Jeffrey Pilcher. In Mexico City, tacos were the food of the working class, with variations of style and taste coming from the women who migrated to the city from all over Mexico.
Photograph by Briana Tuvey
Mi Rancho Meat Market is a one stop shop with a taqueria, butcher, and bakery. Located off Northwest Ave., it’s one of Bellingham’s classic Mexican taquerias. With their $1 tacos, you can order as many tacos as your stomach and heart desires.
If you’re farther north, Bordertown Mexican Grill in Blaine has you covered. Whether you want breakfast, lunch, or dinner, Bordertown has an array of options for you. Their menu includes fish tacos with grilled fish, sour cream, lettuce, and pico de gallo. They’re open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Sundays 10 a.m. to 7p.m.), so you can also stop by before or after your international travels. Hard-shell tacos are to thank for the rise of fast-food tacos, but unlike what Taco Bell Founder Glenn Bell would have you believe, the hard-shell taco originated and was patented in the U.S. by Mexican restaurateurs. If you are craving that crunch, head over to Ay Chihuahua Cantina for hard-shell corn tortilla tacos with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, and your choice of meat.
Photograph by Briana Tuvey
Birria
Originating from Mexico, specifically the state of Jalisco, birria is a braised meat dish made with either goat, mutton, or beef and served with a cup of the braising broth for dipping. This slow-cooked meal history is connected to the Spanish colonizers who brought livestock over from Europe, mainly goats, who began breeding rapidly. The Spanish didn’t enjoy the gamey taste of the slow cooking method used for goat meat; they used an old Spanish word for it, a word that meant” of no value,” and “birria” originates from that term. As time has passed, different styles and methods of birria have emerged throughout Mexico.
One popular birria style is the Tijuana beef birria, which substitutes the goat for beef and uses more liquid in the braising. At Birrieria Tijuana you are guaranteed to have mouthwatering Tijuana-style birria in an inviting atmosphere. At the El Toro Loco food truck, you’ll be in for a finger-licking good time with the family recipe birria. The quesibirria tacos come with lime, onions, cilantro, cheese, and a cup of braise broth for the tacos to be dipped in—some even drink the broth like a soup. The taco dipping variation became popular in Los Angeles and has spread like wildfire.
Photograph by Ava Boorn
Craving a heftier serving of birria? Tacos Tecalitlan has you covered with the option of a birria beef burrito. With an average cooking time of 3 to 4 hours, birria is worth the agonizing wait if you cook it yourself, but one of the many benefits of ordering from one of these great local restaurants is that you get all the deliciousness with no long wait!
From fun, fruity margaritas at Jalapeños to Ay Chihuahua Cantina’s hard-shell tacos to juicy birria at El Toro Loco, Whatcom and Skagit County have so many amazing Mexican food options.
