Mold Remediation in Columbia, MO

Highest-rated Mexican restaurants in the Columbia, Missouri area by diners

Just like cuisine from any country, Mexican food is not monolithic. It isn't just combo plates and tacos. (Not that there's anything wrong with that style of food; it's delicious and is responsible for popularizing Mexican food in the United States.) But Mexican food means more than that.

It reflects Mexico's diverse population—shaped by waves of immigration—and has proliferated throughout the U.S., showcasing the cuisine in all its complexity and regionality. Mexico has 32 distinct regional styles of cooking, and thanks to immigrant chefs and the rise of promising culinarians of Mexican descent looking to share their signature dishes, Indigenous foodways, and ingredients from various regions, diners are reframing their idea of "Mexican food."

According to a 2024 Pew Research Center analysis of SafeGraph data, 1 in 10 restaurants in the U.S. serve Mexican food, and nearly 9 out of 10 U.S. counties have at least one Mexican restaurant. The analysis also reveals that California and Texas are home to a majority of the Mexican American population and together host 2 out of 5 Mexican restaurants in the country.

These findings serve as a testament to the influence Mexican cuisine has had and continues to have in America. Which begs the question: Where does one go for the best old-school Mexican restaurants, loncheras slinging tacos out of a half-window, and innovative modern Mexican food pushing culinary boundaries?

To help you out, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Mexican restaurants in the Columbia area based on diners' reviews on Yelp as of February 2025. Restaurants with at least 20 reviews tagged as "Mexican" on Yelp within a 10-kilometer radius of Columbia were included. As a result, some restaurants featured may serve other food items besides Mexican food. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 50 locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.

Keep reading to see if your favorite Mexican spot made the list or to discover a new restaurant to try!

You may also like: Highest-rated dessert shops in the Columbia, Missouri area by diners

Where the Missouri Tigers are headed for the first round of March Madness.

In this story:

The Missouri Tigers are going dancing out in Wichita, Kan.

In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers are set to take on the Drake Bulldogs on Thursday, March 20.

Missouri (22-11, 10-8 Southeastern Conference) comes in as a No. 6 seed, taking on No. 11 seed Drake.

Missouri is hoping its journey through the ringer of the SEC will have served as good preparation for the Tournament. Missouri took on 18 quad 1 opponents in the regular season, winning seven of those games.

"With our schedule, we played a lot of great teams in this conference," Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II said in a press conference after the SEC Tournament. "I believe it prepared us for this next season (the NCAA Tournament) we have."

This will be the ninth NCAA Tournament for coach Dennis Gates, and his third as the head coach of a program. From 2011-2019, Gates was an assistant coach at Florida State during trips to the Sweet Sixteen in 2011 and 2019, and the Elite Eight in 2018.

"It's about getting on a winning streak, but you gotta move one game at a time," Gates said of the NCAA Tournament in a press conference after the SEC Tournament. "You cannot underestimate your first opponent, and we're not gonna underestimate anyone."

In his two previous trips as a head coach, one at Cleveland State in the 2020-2021 season and another at Missouri in the 2022-2023 season, Gates' teams fell in the Round of 64 and Round of 32 respectively.

Mar 18, 2023; Sacramento, CA, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates yells during the first half against the Princeton Tigers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

"The tournament is about matchups," Gates said. "It's about paths. It's about the madness that actually upsets teams in that journey."

The Tournament bid is especially impressive for Missouri, who finished winless in conference play last season for the first time since the 1907-1908 season. The Tigers were predicted to finish No. 13 in the SEC this season.

"When you have the big view of our program and players committing how they've committed to just my vision, they may not have seen April, in mind. They may not have seen San Antonio in mind, but I remind our guys in every first meeting where the Final Four is at."

Missouri has not advanced past the second round of the NCAA Tournament since the 2008-2009 season where the Tigers fell to UConn in the Elite Eight. The Tigers have never made it to a Final Four.

The first round of the NCAA Tournament will be held on Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21.

NCAA Tournament: West Regional

Raleigh No. 1. Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State No. 8 UConn vs. No. 9 Oklahoma

Seattle No. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon

Wichita No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 11 Drake No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 14 UNC Wilmington

Providence No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas No. 2 St. John's vs. No. 15 Omaha

This post will be updated with more information.

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

Published Mar 16, 2025|Modified Mar 16, 2025

smspsy // Shutterstock

Highest-rated steak restaurants in the Columbia, Missouri area by diners

The French have their bistros. The English have their pubs. And the Americans have their steakhouses.

Going out for a steak has been a pivotal part of American culture for more than a century, but it wasn't always considered a high-class, expensive meal. In New York City in the 1800s, working-class folks would down pints of ale and feast on slices of beefsteak (usually without utensils and atop white or French bread) for celebratory meals. Sometimes, the "beefsteak banquet," as it was known, would be put on as a political fundraiser.

Soon, fine-dining establishments opened up to take those steak dinners up a notch, like Delmonico's in 1837, Old Homestead Steakhouse in 1868, and Carl Luger's Café, Billiards and Bowling Alley (now Peter Luger) in 1887. One thing has remained the same though: Dining at a steakhouse is still synonymous with celebration. It's the kind of meal used to mark milestone moments on the path to the American dream—get a job, buy a house, go out for steak.

The steakhouse experience has certainly modernized from the days of eating beef with your hands and slugging beers. Ordering a steak involves choosing the best cuts, like rib-eye, filet mignon, and New York strip. Then there are the starters—a shrimp cocktail, oysters Rockefeller, or a classic house salad with your choice of dressing. And of course, you can't forget all of the accoutrements—the potato (baked, mashed, or au gratin?), the vegetable (creamed spinach, sautéed asparagus, or roasted broccoli?), and a slice of classic New York cheesecake to finish it off.

More than a century after the steak dinner got upgraded in New York City, chain steakhouses started bringing this central part of the American culinary tradition cross-country in the 1980s and '90s with spots like Texas Roadhouse, LongHorn Steakhouse, Outback Steakhouse, and The Capital Grille. Today, with so many steakhouses to choose from, it takes high-quality service, top-of-the-line cooking, and of course, the best cuts of beef to stand out from the rest.

How will you choose where to live out this iconic American meal? To help, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated steakhouses in the Columbia area, according to diners' reviews on Yelp as of February 2025. Restaurants tagged as "steakhouses" on Yelp within a 10-kilometer radius of Columbia were included. As a result, some restaurants featured may primarily serve other food items. Only restaurants with at least 20 reviews were considered.

You may also like: Cities with the fastest-growing home prices in the Columbia, Missouri metro area

Kira Kathleen is appointed as Assistant Program Director and afternoon host at CHR KTXY (Y107) and will also handle the evening slot at KCLR (Country Clear 99), both Zimmer Communications outlets in Columbia, MO. Previously, Kathleen was laid off from her position at AC WRRM (Warm 98.5) in Cincinnati due to recent cutbacks at Cumulus Media.

Trevor Morgan, the Corporate Operations Director at Zimmer, commented on the hiring, stating, "Kira brings a level of passion and commitment that is highly anticipated by our team. Her readiness to learn and contribute is commendable, and we look forward to her progress."

Kathleen expressed her enthusiasm about her new role, noting, "I am excited to be part of the Zimmer Communications team. I respect their company culture and values immensely and am eager to continue developing professionally here."

Kathleen's career also includes roles such as co-hosting the morning show at WCTO (Cat Country 96) in Allentown, along with stints at 98.5 KLUC and KMXB (Mix 94.1) in Las Vegas.

Latest Radio Stories