What are the main constituents of a good Mexican restaurant? Well as in any other restaurant Mexican restaurant has three main criteria: food (its quality and wide range of dishes in the menu), atmosphere (that is mostly created by the interior) and service.
As Mexican cuisine is very widespread nowadays, there is a great spectrum of Mexican restaurant varieties in the world. Fast food restaurants have occupied a very profitable position lately, and as some quick and easy Mexican recipes suit perfectly for fast food, Mexican cuisine has been successfully adopted in this sphere. In fast food Mexican restaurant one is sure to get quick and cheap service and nutritious food, but do not expect a wide range of dishes: taco, burrito, tortillas, totopos and salsas usually make all the assortment. And in fact most Mexican fast food restaurants serve Tex-Mex (Mexico-Southwestern US) food, that facilitated Mexican dishes to the American and European consumer.
If you are inclined to taste authentic traditional Mexican food you should visit Mexico, and as the notions of traditional food vary with region you will have to visit four main regions to have a clear picture of genuinely Mexican food. The key dish in any Mexican restaurant in Puebla will be turkey with sweet and thick mole sauce. In Veracruz you are sure to be treated with fish dishes, flavored with chiles, tomatoes and olives. Yukatan is famous for its fruit-based sauces and a vivid way of serving the dishes, using banana leaves as plates. Oaxaca restaurants will welcome you with their incredible coffee grown in the region and prepared with cinnamon and sugar for several hours.
As for the atmosphere of a Mexican restaurant, it is always very heartwarming and homely. Wooden furniture, clay pots, bright colourful glassware make you feel relaxed and free, and weird but so cute Mayan-Aztec style drawings or patterns create an atmosphere of joyful adventure and mystery. Anyway you are sure to be unwilling to leave this magic place of everlasting fiesta!