Tostada Masters

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Gone are the days when Tex-Mex ruled the land and you could find only hulking burritos and cheesy quesadillas on menus at Mexican restaurants. Instead, a new wave of talented Mexican chefs have landed in the U.S.—and have brought with them a different idea of what Mexican food really is. Restaurant by restaurant, they’re introducing a refreshing and sophisticated take on their native cuisine. Meet the players.

Enrique Olvera

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Enrique Olvera was born and bred in Mexico City, and after opening his wildly popular Pujol, he went all in with his New York City debut, Cosme. He dazzled critics with dishes like uni tostadas served with bone-marrow salsa and crispy octopus with hazelnut mole. It’s all earned him a rare three stars from the New York Times and a packed house every evening.

Gabriela Cámara

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Across the country, another Mexico City native, Gabriela Cámara, is shaking up San Francisco with Cala. A collaboration with legendary Mexican food authority Diana Kennedy, Cala turns out fresh takes on Mexican cuisine, like halibut ceviche verde and tamal de cazuela with uni and charred habanero-leek relish.

Roberto Santibanez

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“Real Mexican cooking gets the ‘haute treatment,’” Zagat raves of Fonda’s three locations in New York, all run by Roberto Santibanez. Also born in Mexico City, he grew to love cooking after years of cooking alongside his grandmother. So it wasn’t long before he joined the team at Rosa Mexicano in New York City and then dreamed up the trio of Fonda restaurants.

Beyond these chefs, there are countless others reimagining their native cuisine, from Benjamin Gonzales of Nuestra Cocina in Portland, Oregon, to Richard Sandoval, whose empire of restaurants spans the world from D.C. to Dubai.

So save the burrito for another day and book a reservation at one of these game-changing Mexican restaurants.