Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. The day, which falls on Friday, May 5 in 2023, is also known as Battle of Puebla Day. While it is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. You can learn more about the history of the holiday here.
If you're looking for a great meal to celebrate Cinco, we've got you covered. Our friend and Gwinnetian, Jose Martinez Ramirez, created a list of some of the county's most authentic Mexican restaurants. His suggestions include:
- La Mixteca Tamale House (Suwanee)
- Agavero Cantina (Lilburn)
- La Michoacana Loca (Lilburn)
- Taqueria El Dorado (Duluth)
- Talpa Supermercados (Lilburn)
- Taqueria Tsunami (Peachtree Corners)
- Taqueria Oaxaquena De La Guelaguetza (Norcross)
- La Social Taqueria Fonda (Lawrenceville)
- Dulces Sueno Cakes (Norcross)
See the full post and Jose's suggestions of what to order here.
Want to celebrate at home? Order a Street Taco Kit from Strange Taco Bar, the "original unauthentic taqueria." The kit includes everything you need to build the perfect street tacos: fresh pico, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, and flour tortillas. Serves 8-10 people.
LOCAL LOVE
Highlighting Local Mexican Businesses
Through our local love series, we make an effort to promote local minority-owned businesses. Be sure to check out the two features below and plan a visit to each place ASAP. You'll thank us later.
Local Love: Beto's Tacos
Nicknamed "Beto" by his parents, Roberto has been serving tacos to hungry Gwinnettians since 2019.
Local Love: Plaza Las Americas
Located in Lilburn, this building is an adaptive re-use of a vacant Lowe's storefront turned indoor/outdoor market.
Beto's Tacos
As far as events go, you can find Cinco celebrations all over:
- Downtown Norcross will celebrate all weekend with margaritas, live music, and more.
- Braselton will feature COCO as their Friday night movie.
- Find festivities at Cosmo's on Crogan, Cultivation Brewing, and StillFire Brewing.
- See our calendar for more.
This post was updated May 2023.