My mom probably makes some of the best Mexican food around. Since there are many Mexican restaurants in Kansas City, I set out to find if any serve better food than my mama.

The first restaurant was Margarita’s. This restaurant has three different stores and is okay for Tex-Mex. The atmosphere makes you feel like you are around Mexico either in Texas, or any other southwestern state. It depends on what you order, though. For appetizers I would recommend getting the Margarita dip. It is a mixture of white cheese with different kinds of peppers and spinach. It’s kind of like the espinaca dip from Jose Peppers, but they put their own twist on it.

When I went to the location on Southwest Boulevard, I got a chicken chimichanga, and it was delicious. There was just enough spice to the chicken and, when I added the margarita dip on top of it, it was a cheesy delight. They were not as good as my mom’s chimichangas though.

I next went to Ninfa’s Tortillas and Taqueria (964 Kansas Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66105-1238 (913) 621-1743). This little restaurant is located in Kansas City, Kan. in what my family likes to call “Little Mexico.” It is a hole-in-the-wall place, and you actually feel like Mexico is right across. The authenticity of the food makes it irresistible. Every Saturday they make homemade tortillas and sell them to the public. They make them every other day of the week, but they are only for the customers ordering from the menu. When I went I ordered chorizo con papas. It is basically pork sausage with potatoes. It was delicious, especially when you put the freshly made tortillas with butter on top. Simply Magnifico.

I would definitely rank Ninfa’s higher than Margarita’s. The atmosphere with both restaurants was great, but with Ninfa’s being where it was located, it made you feel like you could’ve been in Mexico. Ninfa’s gave off that real feeling where Margarita’s made me feel like I was in Texas, but close to the border. Both of these restaurants are good, but I still like my mama’s cooking better.

Margarita’s receives two chimichangas out of five.

Ninfa’s gets four chimichangas out of five.