100 Mexican Restaurant Name Ideas, and What the Spanish Means

Short answer: A good Mexican restaurant name is short, easy to say for guests who speak Spanish and for those who don't, and points at what you cook: tacos from a trompo, Oaxacan moles, a fixed-price lunch or Tex-Mex plates. If the name is in Spanish, match the article to the noun (la taquería, el comal) and keep the accents. Below are 100 ideas in 10 styles, what the Spanish words mean, name formulas and the checks to run before you order the sign. Any of these names may already be in use, so search trademarks, business registers, domains, handles and Google Maps before you choose one.

Key takeaways

• Name the food you cook. A taquería, a fonda, a cantina, an Oaxacan kitchen and a Tex-Mex grill each have their own vocabulary, and guests who know Mexican food notice a name borrowed from the wrong one.
• Spanish nouns have a gender: la taquería, la cantina, el comal, el molcajete. Some words also change meaning between countries. In Mexico a torta is a filled bread roll, and in Spain a tortilla on its own usually means an omelette.
• Tequila and mezcal are Mexican appellations of origin, and the EU registered Tequila as a geographical indication in 2019. Keep both words on the drinks list, not in the name, unless a trademark lawyer says otherwise.
• US trademark examiners can translate Spanish words into English when they compare marks, so search the English meaning of your name as well as the Spanish.
• These names are starting points. Any of them may already be trading near you, so check before you commit.

In this guide

• How to name a Mexican restaurant in 8 steps
• 100 Mexican restaurant name ideas
• Kitchen-tool and corn names
• Taquería names
• Fonda and home-cooking names
• Regional Mexican names
• Family and casa names
• Cantina and drinks names
• Market, street and plaza names
• Modern and minimal names
• Tex-Mex names
• Playful and pun names
• Using Spanish words correctly
• Mexican restaurant name formulas
• Checks before you commit
• How Menumigo fits
• FAQ

How to name a Mexican restaurant in 8 steps

The method is the one in our café names guide, adjusted for a Mexican kitchen.

1. Write the concept in one line. "A late-night taquería with a trompo", "an Oaxacan kitchen with three moles and a mezcal list" and "a Tex-Mex grill with combination plates" lead to different names.
2. Decide how much Spanish to use. Words like taco, salsa and cantina are familiar in English; metate and tejolote are not. That doesn't rule those words out, but guests can't recommend a name they can't say.
3. List 20 to 30 words. Take them from the kitchen (comal, molcajete, masa), the region your recipes come from, a family name, your street, and the dish you want to be known for.
4. Combine them with the formulas below until you have 30 to 40 candidates.
5. Cut the hard ones. Drop anything over three words, anything a caller would have to spell out, and anything that sounds like a chain you already know.
6. Say each name to two people: one who speaks Spanish and one who doesn't. The first tells you whether it sounds natural, the second whether it can be said and spelled.
7. Run the availability checks on your shortlist: trademarks, business register, domain, handles and Google Maps.
8. Mock up the last three on the sign, a takeaway bag, a 100-pixel profile picture and the top of the menu. Keep the one that still reads when it's small.

100 Mexican restaurant name ideas

Every name below is an idea to check, not a name that is free to use. Some will already belong to a restaurant somewhere, and some may be registered trademarks.

Kitchen-tool and corn names

The tools of the Mexican kitchen make good names because each one points at something specific. We checked the meanings against the Diccionario del español de México (DEM) from El Colegio de México. Pair a common word with a second word, because a bare comal or masa describes a lot of kitchens.

Taquería names

A taquería is a taco shop, and the name usually says so. Al pastor pork is cooked on a trompo, a vertical spit named after a spinning top.

1. Taquería El Trompo de Oro
2. Taquería La Esquinita (the little corner)
3. Tacos del Callejón (the alley)
4. Taquería Dos Salsas
5. Al Carbón Tacos (cooked over charcoal)
6. La Parada Taquería (the stop, as in a bus stop)
7. Taquería Medianoche (midnight)
8. Tacos Bajo el Toldo (under the awning)
9. Taquería Puerta Azul (blue door)
10. Doble Tortilla
11. Taquería La Banqueta (banqueta is Mexican Spanish for the pavement beside a street)
12. Taquería El Último Taco (the last taco)

Fonda and home-cooking names

The DEM describes a fonda as a modest restaurant with low prices, and comida corrida as a fixed-price meal, usually soup, a guisado (stew) and beans. Sazón is a cook's skill and good taste, the touch that makes food come out right.

1. Fonda Doña Remedios
2. Fonda del Mediodía (midday)
3. Sazón de Casa
4. El Sazón de Tía Ofelia
5. Casa Guisado
6. La Mesa Larga (the long table)
7. Sobremesa Cocina (sobremesa: the conversation after a meal)
8. Fonda Siete Cazuelas (seven clay pots)
9. Cocina de la Abuela Tere
10. La Comida de Hoy (today's meal)
11. Cocina Puertas Abiertas (open doors)
12. Fonda La Ventanita (the little window)

"Fonda" sets an expectation of home cooking and fair prices. Use it only if that's what you serve.

Regional Mexican names

Mexico's regions cook very differently, and a regional name tells guests what to expect. Use one only if your recipes come from that region: a guest from Oaxaca will look for tlayudas on a menu called Casa Tlayuda.

Family and casa names

The DEM defines don as a title of respect placed before a man's first name; doña is the same for a woman. So it's Doña Lupe, not Doña García.

1. Casa Zavala
2. Doña Cata
3. Don Aurelio
4. Tía Licha (Licha is a nickname for Alicia)
5. Las Tres Hermanas (the three sisters)
6. Cuatro Primos (four cousins)
7. Hermanos Benítez (the Benítez brothers)
8. La Casa de Mamá Leti
9. Abuela Chayo (Chayo is a nickname for Rosario)
10. Los Compadres Villaseñor (compadres: close friends; the word began as the bond between a child's parents and godparents)

Before you put a relative's name on the sign, agree in writing who owns the name if the business is ever sold or the family splits.

Cantina and drinks names

The DEM defines a cantina as a place that serves alcoholic drinks and some food.

1. La Última Ronda (the last round)
2. Cantina La Barra Larga (the long bar)
3. Sal y Limón (salt and lime)
4. La Copita (a small glass)
5. Cantina Salud (salud: cheers, literally "health")
6. Agua Fresca Bar (aguas frescas: chilled drinks of fruit, flowers or seeds blended with water)
7. Jamaica y Horchata (hibiscus water and the sweet rice drink)
8. La Chela Fría (chela: beer, in popular Mexican Spanish. Fría: cold)
9. Cantina del Portal (portal: the arcade along a town square)
10. Pulquería Media Luna (a pulquería serves pulque, a drink fermented from agave sap. Media luna: half moon)

Market, street and plaza names

1. Mercado Siete (market seven)
2. Tianguis Taquería (tianguis: a market of temporary stalls, usually set up on a fixed day each week)
3. Barrio Viejo Cocina (old neighbourhood)
4. Plaza Chica (small square)
5. Callejón Azul (blue alley)
6. Pueblo Chico (small town)
7. Frente al Zócalo (facing the main square)
8. La Nopalera (a patch of nopal cactus)
9. Huerta Verde (green kitchen garden)
10. Portón Rojo (red gate)

Modern and minimal names

1. Elote (fresh corn on the cob)
2. Copal (an aromatic tree resin burned as incense)
3. Barro (clay)
4. Rescoldo (embers kept alive under the ash)
5. Ceniza (ash)
6. Nopal
7. Epazote (a pungent herb cooked with beans and in quesadillas)
8. Chile Seco (dried chilli)
9. Cacao

One-word names need help elsewhere. "Copal" on its own could be a spa or a candle shop, so put "cocina" or "taquería" on the awning, the profile and the bag.

Tex-Mex names

Tex-Mex is a regional American cuisine that grew out of the cooking of Tejanos, and the name blends "Texas" and "Mexico". If you cook Tex-Mex, an English name built from its own dishes may fit better than borrowed Spanish.

1. The Combination Plate
2. Queso Hall
3. Sizzle Platter
4. Breakfast Taco Co.
5. Borderland Kitchen
6. Red Chili Kitchen

Playful and pun names

1. Guac Star
2. Salsa Verdict
3. Masa Appeal
4. Elote of Love
5. Lime and Punishment
6. Taco the Town
7. Nacho Ordinary Taquería
8. Queso Closed

About pun names: taco and guacamole puns are easy to think of, so expect some of these to be trading already, which makes them harder to register and easier to confuse. They also don't survive translation: a Spanish-speaking guest won't hear "a lot of love" in "Elote of Love". Keep the joke on the food. Leave out names built on stereotypes about Mexican people, such as siestas, sombreros or bandits. They describe a cliché, not your kitchen.

Using Spanish words correctly

A Spanish name is read by Spanish speakers too: guests, staff and suppliers. A few rules cover most restaurant names.

Match the article to the noun

One exception catches people out: feminine nouns that start with a stressed a take el in the singular. It's el agua fresca, but las aguas frescas. Adjectives agree with the noun: la cazuela honda, el molcajete rojo, las tres hermanas.

Mistakes that show up on signs

Words that change meaning between countries

If you open in Spain, or anywhere your guests come from several Spanish-speaking countries, check how each word reads to them.

• Torta. In Mexico, a bolillo or telera roll split in half and filled (DEM). Check that guests from elsewhere will read it the same way.
• Tortilla. In Mexico, the flat corn or wheat bread. In Spain, tortilla on its own generally means an omelette, and the potato one is tortilla de patatas.
• Horchata. In Mexico, the most common horchata is made from rice. In the Valencia region of Spain, horchata de chufa is made from tiger nuts.
• Masa madre. Sourdough starter. "Masa Madre" on a sign reads as a bakery.
• Chela. Beer, in popular Mexican Spanish (DEM), so a name with chela in it reads as a bar.
• Cantina. In Mexico, a place that serves drinks and some food (DEM). In Italian, cantina means a wine cellar.
• Fonda. A modest, low-priced restaurant (DEM). It suits home cooking and sends a mixed message on a tasting-menu room.

Protected names to keep off the sign

• Tequila. A Mexican appellation of origin. Mexico's foreign ministry says the EU registered "Tequila" as a geographical indication on 20 March 2019.
• Mezcal. Also a Mexican appellation of origin, recognised since 1994.
• Why this matters for a restaurant. In 2021 the EU Court of Justice ruled in Case C‑783/19 that protected designations of origin are protected for services as well as products. The case was about Spanish tapas bars named "Champanillo", challenged by the champagne producers' committee. The same reasoning could be used against a bar name built on another protected term, so ask a trademark lawyer before you put either word in your name. On the drinks list, simply describe what you pour.

Mexican restaurant name formulas

Selling tacos from a truck? The food truck names guide covers names that have to read on the side of a vehicle. If your cantina is mostly a bar, see the bar names guide, and for the morning trade, café names. We also have lists of Italian restaurant names and Chinese restaurant names, and name ideas written in Spanish in our Spanish list of restaurant names.

Checks before you commit

Run every check on your final three names.

1. Trademarks

Search for identical and similar names. Trademark offices use the Nice classification: class 43 covers restaurant services, and class 30 covers goods such as tortillas and sauces, which matters if you ever sell your salsa in jars.

Search the translation too. Under the doctrine of foreign equivalents, USPTO examiners may translate a foreign word into English to compare it with existing marks, when the language is familiar to an appreciable share of American consumers. The examples in the USPTO's examination manual include Spanish phrases such as "Buenos Días" and "El Sol". So search "The Last Round" as well as "La Última Ronda".

The generic part doesn't count. The USPTO explains that generic terms, the everyday names for what you sell, can't be registered. "Taquería" or "cantina" won't set you apart; the rest of the name has to do that.

A trademark lawyer can tell you how close is too close before you spend money on signage.

2. Business register

In the US, search your state's business entity records and check whether you need a DBA ("doing business as") filing. The SBA notes that registering a DBA doesn't give legal protection by itself. Elsewhere, check the national company register.

3. Domain

Most people type web addresses without accents or the ñ, so "Doña Cata" becomes donacata and "Taquería" becomes taqueria. Check that the result still reads well and doesn't spell something you didn't intend.

4. Social handles

Search Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for the handle. If the exact name is taken, adding your city or "tacos" is fine, as long as the handle stays easy to type.

5. Google Maps

Search the name in your city and the next towns over. Google's Business Profile guidelines say the name on your listing must match your real-world name as used on your storefront, without extra keywords. If you want "Taquería" in the listing, it has to be part of the name on the sign.

6. Pronunciation

Words such as tlayuda, tejolote or molcajete belong to the cuisine, but some guests won't know how to say them. That's fine on a menu. On the sign, the name has to be one people can repeat to a friend.

7. The sign test

Look at the name from across the street, on a takeaway bag and as a 100-pixel avatar. Long names and thin script fonts fail all three.

How Menumigo fits

Once the name is chosen, the menu is where guests read it next.

• Menumigo is a free digital menu with a QR code. Guests scan it at the table or the counter and read the menu on their phone.
• The free plan covers 1 venue, unlimited dishes, one menu QR code, 2 menu languages, 5 AI menu imports and 10 AI translations a month, and all 14 EU allergen tags. It needs no card.
• Menus can be translated by AI into 21 languages, so a taquería can publish its menu in Spanish and English on the free plan. Our menu translation guide covers which dish names to keep in Spanish and how to check a translation.
• Moles often contain nuts or sesame seeds, and cheese and crema are milk. All three are among the 14 allergens you can tag on each dish.
• Pro costs €19 a month or €180 a year. See pricing.
• Menumigo is browse-only. It takes no orders or payments, so guests still order from your staff or at the counter.

See how it works for a Mexican restaurant, or create your menu free.

FAQ

What is a good name for a Mexican restaurant?

A good Mexican restaurant name is one to three words, easy to say for guests who do and don't speak Spanish, and points at what you cook. It should also be free as a trademark, business name, domain and social handle where you trade. Examples from this list: Comal y Brasa for a tortilla-led kitchen, Taquería El Trompo de Oro for al pastor, and Fonda Siete Cazuelas for home cooking.

How do I come up with a unique Mexican restaurant name?

Write your concept in one line, list 20 to 30 words linked to it (kitchen tools, corn, your region, a family name, your street), and combine them with formulas such as "tool y fire word", "Fonda + doña + first name" or "number + object". Then search trademark registers, the business register, domains, handles and Google Maps to see whether anyone nearby already uses it.

Should a Mexican restaurant name be in Spanish?

It doesn't have to be. A Spanish name suits a taquería, fonda or regional kitchen, but it should be grammatically right and easy for your guests to say. Tex-Mex is a regional American cuisine with its own dishes, so an English name often suits it.

Can I use "tequila" or "mezcal" in my restaurant's name?

Be careful. Both are Mexican appellations of origin, and the EU registered Tequila as a geographical indication in 2019. The EU Court of Justice has also ruled that protected names are protected against use for services, in a case about tapas bars, so ask a trademark lawyer before you build a name on either word.

What are some funny Mexican restaurant names?

Puns on the food work best: Guac Star, Salsa Verdict, Masa Appeal, Elote of Love and Queso Closed are on the list above. Puns are often reused, so check that nobody near you trades under the one you like, and keep the joke on the food rather than on stereotypes.

What is the difference between a taquería, a fonda and a cantina?

A taquería is a taco shop. The Diccionario del español de México describes a fonda as a modest restaurant with low prices, and a cantina as a place that serves alcoholic drinks and some food. Pick the word that matches your room, because guests read it as a promise.

How do I check if a Mexican restaurant name is already taken?

Search the USPTO in the US, EUIPO and TMview in the EU, and your national trademark office (IMPI in Mexico, OEPM in Spain) for similar names in class 43, restaurant services. Then check your state or national business register, domain availability, Instagram and TikTok handles, and Google Maps in your area.

Sources

• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: comal. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/comal
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: molcajete. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/molcajete
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: metate. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/metate
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: nixtamal. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/nixtamal
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: milpa. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/milpa
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: fonda. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/fonda
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: comida (comida corrida). https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/comida%20corrida
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: sazón. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/saz%C3%B3n
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: sobremesa. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/sobremesa
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: cantina. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/cantina
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: chela. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/chela
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: tianguis. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/tianguis
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: banqueta. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/banqueta
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: torta. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/torta
• El Colegio de México, Diccionario del español de México: don. https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/don
• Wikipedia, Al pastor (trompo; origin in Puebla and Mexico City). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_pastor
• Wikipedia, Mole (sauce) (mole poblano ingredients; Oaxaca, "the land of the seven moles"). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_(sauce)
• Wikipedia, Flour tortilla (a staple of the northern Mexican states). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour_tortilla
• Wikipedia, Tlayuda. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlayuda
• Wikipedia, Cochinita pibil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochinita_pibil
• Wikipedia, Birria. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birria
• Wikipedia, Torta ahogada. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torta_ahogada
• Wikipedia, Café de olla. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_de_olla
• Wikipedia, Tex-Mex cuisine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tex-Mex_cuisine
• Wikipedia, Spanish omelette. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_omelette
• Wikipedia, Horchata. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horchata
• Wiktionary, masa madre. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/masa_madre
• Wikipedia, Mezcal (appellation of origin since 1994). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezcal
• Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (Mexico), Protection of Tequila. https://portales.sre.gob.mx/globalmx/en/economic-relations/protection-of-tequila
• Court of Justice of the European Union, press release on Case C-783/19 (Champanillo), 9 September 2021. https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2021-09/cp210154en.pdf
• USPTO, Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure §1207.01(b)(vi), doctrine of foreign equivalents (October 2017 edition, via BitLaw). https://www.bitlaw.com/source/tmep/1207_01_b_vi.html
• USPTO, Strong trademarks (generic and descriptive terms). https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/basics/strong-trademarks
• USPTO, trademark search. https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/search
• IMPI, Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial. https://www.gob.mx/impi
• EUIPO, eSearch plus trade mark database. https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/
• TMview, trade mark search across participating offices. https://www.tmdn.org/tmview/
• UK IPO, search for a trade mark. https://www.gov.uk/search-for-trademark
• WIPO, Nice Classification, class 43. https://nclpub.wipo.int/enfr/?class_number=43&lang=en&menulang=en&mode=flat&explanatory_notes=show
• WIPO, Nice Classification, class 30. https://nclpub.wipo.int/enfr/?class_number=30&lang=en&menulang=en&mode=flat&explanatory_notes=show
• U.S. Small Business Administration, Choose your business name. https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/choose-your-business-name
• Google Business Profile, guidelines for representing your business. https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177