Red Flags to Look Out for at Mexican Restaurant, From a Chef

Salsa is a staple at any Mexican place, but Jinich told Business Insider that she’s skeptical when it’s served cold.

“Mexican salsas are best when they’re freshly made and when they’re either hot or lukewarm but not cold,” she said.

Even if the salsa is made in big batches ahead of time, which is common, the chef said it’s best to either bring it to room temperature by taking it out of the fridge or warm it up by simmering it on the stove.

“The cold temperature makes salsas less flavorful,” Jinich said. “When they are lukewarm or warm, their flavors are unlocked.”

Though Jinich chef said serving a basket of chips before the meal is primarily an American invention, it’s now common in restaurants across the US and Mexico.

But not all tortilla chips are created equally.

“On the Mexican side of the border, the topos, or tortilla chips, tend to be made at the restaurant and with fresh corn tortillas, and they’re thicker, too,” she said.

She’s not a fan of the thin, easily cracked chips found in many Mexican restaurants in the US.

If there’s one thing Jinich can’t stand, it’s low-quality, premade guac.

“Premade guacamole is a disgrace,” she said. “It just doesn’t taste at all like the guacamole that I know and that I love and that’s so easy to make.”

In Jinich’s eyes, a good restaurant should always make fresh guacamole, ideally tableside, if it’s on the menu.