Mexican

Branson’s Mexican dining splits fairly cleanly into two groups, and knowing which you want saves time.

The taquerias are the interesting half: Arandas Tacos, Tacos No 1, Tacos 248, Maria Bonita and Mr. Dogos are small, cheap and closer to what you would eat in Mexico than the strip average. OAXACA Mexican Restaurant out in Forsyth is worth the drive east. The sit-down half runs to Tequila’s and Tequila’s 2, Flaming Margaritas, Pancho Villa Tex-Mex Restaurant, and Little Hacienda, El Poblano and El Patio in Hollister – full menus, full bars, family-sized portions. QDOBA and Moe’s Southwest Grill are the fast-casual chains.

One outlier worth flagging: Arnie’s Barn at Big Cedar serves Mexican food inside a relocated Pennsylvania barn, which makes it the most unusual room on this list by a distance. See also Tex-Mex for the crossover end.