There are plenty of reasons to love food in New Orleans. That’s what makes it especially meaningful when this city chooses to celebrate your restaurant. We’re excited to share that New Orleans voters recognized Felipe’s Mexican Taqueria across eight categories in two 2026 readers’ choice programs, including three No. 1 finishes in Gambit’s Best of New Orleans and two more in Where Y’at’s Best of the Big Easy.
In Gambit’s Best of New Orleans 2026, Felipe’s was voted No. 1 Best Mexican Restaurant, No. 1 Best Happy Hour and No. 1 Best Margarita. We also earned second place for Best Tacos. In Where Y’at’s Best of the Big Easy 2026, readers named Felipe’s No. 1 Best Taco/Burrito and No. 1 Best Happy Hour, along with second place for Best Mexican Restaurant and third place for Best Place to Get a Margarita.
We are proud of every one of those honors. To be recognized for the food, the drinks and the experience guests have when they spend time with us says something bigger than any single award. It speaks to the work our team puts in each day and to the guests who have made Felipe’s part of their New Orleans routines.
| Readers’ choice program | Category | Felipe’s placement |
| Gambit Best of New Orleans 2026 | Best Mexican Restaurant | No. 1 |
| Gambit Best of New Orleans 2026 | Best Happy Hour | No. 1 |
| Gambit Best of New Orleans 2026 | Best Margarita | No. 1 |
| Gambit Best of New Orleans 2026 | Best Tacos | No. 2 |
| Where Y’at Best of the Big Easy 2026 | Best Taco/Burrito | No. 1 |
| Where Y’at Best of the Big Easy 2026 | Best Happy Hour | No. 1 |
| Where Y’at Best of the Big Easy 2026 | Best Mexican Restaurant | No. 2 |
| Where Y’at Best of the Big Easy 2026 | Best Place to Get a Margarita | No. 3 |
New Orleans has no shortage of places to eat, drink and gather. The city knows good food, and its guests know when a restaurant makes them feel welcome. That’s why being named the top Mexican restaurant, happy hour and margarita in Gambit’s reader vote feels so special to us. Where Y’at’s No. 1 votes for taco/burrito and happy hour make the celebration even sweeter.
These are also awards across several parts of a visit. A guest might stop in for a quick lunch, bring friends for tacos, meet coworkers for happy hour or settle in with a margarita after a long day. Each visit gives us another chance to create value through hospitality. We’re grateful that voters recognized the full experience, from the first greeting to the last bite.
It’s particularly exciting to see Felipe’s happy hour reach No. 1 in both 2026 programs. A great happy hour is about more than the time on the clock. It’s about the moment when the day slows down, friends pull up a seat and an ordinary afternoon turns into a story they’ll tell later. Our team helps create that feeling every day, pairing scratch-made food with drinks worth gathering for.
At Felipe’s, we believe a great meal begins in the kitchen. We prepare our food in small batches and build it around the traditional Mexican flavors our guests love. From tacos and burritos to bowls, nachos and our rolled quesadillas, the idea is simple: choose what sounds good, make it your way and enjoy food prepared with care.
Our Super Burrito has become a guest favorite for a reason. It’s a satisfying, customizable meal that fits a lunch break as easily as it fits a postgame craving. Tacos offer the same freedom in a different form. Pick a protein, add your favorite toppings and find the combination that feels like yours. Want guacamole? Guac is not extra. Your first cheese on an entrée is on us, too.
We love that voters recognized both the broader Mexican restaurant category and the taco and burrito categories. Those honors reflect the range of reasons guests choose Felipe’s. Some come back for the meal they’ve ordered for years. Others try something new each time. We want both guests to leave feeling glad they came in.
Winning No. 1 Best Margarita in Gambit’s 2026 vote means a lot to a team that takes its bar program seriously. Felipe’s is known for hand-squeezed Key Lime Margaritas and a bar experience that belongs alongside the food, not off to the side. Whether you prefer a margarita on the rocks or something frozen, a taco and a margarita make a pretty good New Orleans afternoon.
Our margaritas are part of Felipe’s history here. New Orleans helped shape the way we think about hospitality, celebration and gathering around the bar. The city has shown us that a drink can mark a reunion, a win, a birthday or simply the end of a busy workday. Being recognized by Gambit readers for Best Margarita, and placing among Where Y’at readers’ top three places to get one, tells our bartenders that their craft is being noticed.
Of course, the best pairing is your own. Try a margarita with a taco, share nachos with friends or stop by during happy hour and make an afternoon of it. We’ll have the lime ready.
Our team members are the reason these honors feel real. They prep ingredients, squeeze citrus, cook, mix drinks, welcome guests and keep the restaurants moving through the busiest rushes. Managers coach and support them. Everyone has a part in making a visit feel easy and inviting.
An award announcement captures a moment. The work behind it happens shift after shift. It happens when someone notices a guest needs help deciding what to order, when a bartender takes care with another round of margaritas and when a kitchen team keeps its standards high on a packed night. That work deserves to be celebrated.
So to the entire Felipe’s team: thank you. These awards are a reflection of your energy, skill and commitment to hospitality. We’re proud to share this news with you because you helped make it happen.
Felipe’s is proud to be family-owned and based in New Orleans. Since opening in the city in 2006, we’ve grown alongside the guests and neighborhoods that welcomed us. Today, our New Orleans-area restaurants serve guests in Uptown, Mid-City, the French Quarter and Metairie Road, each with its own rhythm and regulars.
We have also been fortunate to receive recognition from local voters over several years. Our 2025 Best in New Orleans celebration marked honors for Mexican food, margaritas, happy hour and tacos. The 2026 results continue that story. We never take repeat votes for granted. Every year brings new restaurants, new choices and a new chance to earn the trust of guests who care deeply about where they eat.
That’s the part we’re most grateful for. We get to be a New Orleans restaurant in a city that loves to gather around food. Whether Felipe’s is your lunch spot, your pregame stop, your family dinner choice or your place to meet friends for happy hour, you have helped shape what this restaurant is today.
To everyone who voted in Gambit’s Best of New Orleans and Where Y’at’s Best of the Big Easy, thank you. To every guest who has brought someone new to Felipe’s, tried a different taco, raised a margarita or made us part of a celebration, thank you. And to our team, thank you for showing up for our guests and one another.
We’re honored by the 2026 results, and we’re already looking forward to your next visit. Find Felipe’s in Uptown New Orleans, Mid-City, the French Quarter or on Metairie Road. Explore our locations and hours and stop in for award-winning Mexican cuisine, a hand-squeezed margarita or the happy hour New Orleans voters named No. 1 twice.
From our family-owned, New Orleans-based team to this city: thank you for making Felipe’s part of your story. We’ll keep creating value through hospitality, one guest, one taco and one margarita at a time.
