McAllen eats early and stays up late. Delia's sells tamales from 7 a.m., El Rodeo serves Monterrey-style tacos until 1 a.m. on weekends, and in between you'll find brisket, mesquite-grilled cabrito, aguachiles and wood-fired pizza. This guide covers 20 local restaurants, and every address and phone number below was checked against the restaurant's own website or business profile in October 2026. Hours are listed only where the restaurant publishes them, so call ahead for the rest. Nobody paid to be on this list.

Barbecue

Black Diamond BBQ · 104 N. Bicentennial Blvd. · (956) 484-8004

Smoked brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, turkey and sausage since 2018, with daily lunch specials, curbside pickup and catering. Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sat. noon to 4 p.m., closed Sundays.

Ramos BBQ & Catering · 10801 N. 10th St. · (956) 386-1818

Pit-smoked, Texas-style barbecue in the Valley since October 2000: brisket, ribs and chicken, plus full catering.

Aces BBQ · 111 E. Nolana Ave. · (956) 627-4648

Brisket, pulled pork, ribs and sausage next to Mexican plates and tacos, with sandwiches like The Ace and a brisket torta. Other Aces locations are in Mission and Edinburg.

Reyna's BBQ & Cocina · 7912 N. 10th St. · (956) 807-3962

Texas-style barbecue smoked over oak and pecan, with breakfast, tacos, brisket sandwiches, wings and Bar-B-Q botanas. Other Reyna's are in Harlingen and Weslaco.

Mexican kitchens

Rebecca's Mexican Restaurant & Catering · 2200 W. Nolana Ave. · (956) 631-9997

Home-cooked Mexican food for breakfast, lunch and dinner since January 2016. Two sisters run it in honor of their mother, Rebecca Cisneros Jasso, and the cabrito asado spends two hours over mesquite.

Costa Messa · 5248 N. 10th St. and 4013 W. Expressway 83

Mexican and Tex-Mex in McAllen since 2002: a 9-ounce churrasco, mollejas doraditas, whole red snapper and tacos de trompo. Weekday lunch specials run 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Its website lists no phone number.

Don Pepe's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina · 306 N. McColl Rd. · (956) 631-8516

A family-owned kitchen serving chile poblano, Pollo Pepito, Camarones Rebecca and fajita tampiqueña. Open every day, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Poncho's Mexico Nuevo · 601 W. Expressway 83 · (956) 630-2237

Breakfast from 7 a.m., and on weekends the kitchen stays open until 2 a.m. Mon.-Thu. 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri.-Sun. 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Koko's Mexican Restaurant · 6100 N. 10th St., Ste. A · (956) 630-5656

Known for its chile relleno, parrillada, mole and fish tacos, and it serves breakfast. Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., closed Sundays.

Hacienda San Miguel Mexican Grill & Bar · 6101 N. 23rd St., Ste. D · (956) 994-9495

Opens at 8 a.m. on weekends and stays open until midnight Thursday through Saturday. Sun. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mon.-Wed. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thu.-Fri. 11 a.m. to midnight, Sat. 8 a.m. to midnight.

Los Asados · 1620 S. Ware Rd. · (956) 627-2160

Mexican food on South Ware Road; its sister restaurant in Harlingen has been open more than 30 years. Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Tacos and tamales

Delia's Specializing in Tamales · 3400 N. 10th St. · (956) 627-2532 · and 4800 S. 23rd St., Ste. 5 · (956) 630-3502

Delia and her sister started out selling tamales door to door almost 30 years ago. Today there are 15 kinds, from spicy pork to sweet cream cheese. Mon.-Sat. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

El Rodeo Taco Express · 6300 N. Ware Rd. · (956) 661-0870

A family taqueria cooking Monterrey, Nuevo León-style tacos in the evening. Tue.-Thu. 5 p.m. to midnight, Fri.-Sat. 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., Sun. noon to 10 p.m., closed Mondays.

Seafood

La Costa Grill · 3300 W. Expressway 83, Ste. 1235 (Palms Crossing) · (956) 630-9928

Mexican seafood at Palms Crossing since November 2015, known for aguachiles and ceviches, with lunch specials daily 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sun.-Wed. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thu.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Steak, Italian and a night out

SALT - New American Table · 210 N. Main St. · (956) 627-6304

Chef Larry Delgado and Jessica Delgado cook with Rio Grande Valley ingredients and global influences downtown. It's known for its fried chicken, churros and Baked Alaska. Mon.-Sat. 5 to 9 p.m., closed Sundays.

Il Forno a Legna · 3817 N. 10th St., #5 · (956) 688-9528

Wood-fired pizza and Italian classics: arancini, carbonara, gnocchi, lasagna and tiramisu, with happy hour Mon.-Thu. 5 to 6:30 p.m. Mon.-Thu. 5 to 10 p.m., Fri. 5 to 11 p.m., Sat. 2 to 11 p.m., closed Sundays.

Santa Fe Steakhouse & Cantina · 1918 S. 10th St. · (956) 630-2331

A steakhouse with a casual cantina, a patio and a wine list of more than 600 bottles. Restaurant hours: Mon.-Thu. 5 to 10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 5 to 11 p.m., closed Sundays.

Prime Steak & Seafood · 3400 W. Expressway 83, #140 · (956) 304-1438

Steak and seafood, with Linz Heritage Angus beef cooked in a Josper charcoal oven.

Lunch and casual

Blue Onion · 925 Dove Ave. · (956) 682-9884

Salads, pizzas, wraps and po' boys, including the Smoked Fajita Salad and an al pastor pizza. Two friends, Gary and Eric, started it. Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. A second Blue Onion is in Weslaco.

City Café & Catering · 2901 N. 10th St. · (956) 682-8737

A cafe and caterer on North 10th Street. Mon. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tue.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed Sundays.

Own one of these restaurants? Claim your free listing to add your hours, menu and photos.

Last checked Oct. 7, 2026. Spotted something that changed? Reply to any issue of The 956 Rundown and we'll fix it.

Header photo: Photo by tom davis on Pexels.

Get McAllen's best picks, and the rest of the Valley's, every Tuesday. Free.