Nothing says summertime quite like sipping on a salt-rimmed frozen margarita in the sunshine — or one on the rocks. Both are good. The Queen City has plenty of top-notch spots for marg-sippin’, but these are a few of our favorites.

Crown Cantina 326 E. Eighth St., Downtown Crown Cantina serves a self-described mix of “contemporary, authentic Mexican cuisine and cocktails.” Chef Johnny Curiel, recently the executive chef at Nada, brought his years of experience and “modern-meets-authentic” Mexican style to the new restaurant. The cocktail program focuses on mezcal and tequila, featuring more than 50 agave-based spirits. Crown Cantina also carries Mexican coke, Topo Chico and horchata. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Maize OTR 1438 Race St., Over-the-Rhine Maize specializes in a unique fusion menu that honors traditional recipes from across Latin America, with an emphasis on Venezuelan cuisine. The restaurant takes its name from maize, a corn flour dating back some 10,000 years and first utilized by indigenous Mexicans. The flour serves as the basis for the arepas, cachapas and empanadas served at Maize. The restaurant offers up margaritas, sangrias, mojitos and other classic cocktails. Photo: Facebook.com/MaizeOTR
OLLA Taqueria Gutierrez 302 W. MLK Jr. Blvd., Covington Covington’s OLLA Taqueria Gutierrez serves up Mexican-style street food with some extravagant twists. The menu is stacked with your typical street dishes like tacos, burritos and quesadillas as well as loaded nachos and “Guti fries,” which are similar to nachos but made with fries as the base. Enjoy a spicy margarita on the rocks made with tequila blanco, cucumber, jalapeno, triple sec, lime, salt and Tajin. Photo: Mary LeBus
Mazunte 611 Main St., Downtown; 5207 Madison Road, Madisonville Mazunte has been long-hailed as a “hidden gem,” offering a mix of casual order-at-the-counter dining with authentic, high-quality Mexican cuisine. The Madisonville location is the most popular, with typical waits for both dine-in and carry-out. Grab some tacos and a delicious house lime margarita on the rocks or a Mexican beer. Photo: Facebook.com/MazunteTacos
El Barril Mexican Sports Bar & Grill 940 Pavilion Ave., Mount Adams As its name suggests, El Barrill Mexican Sports Bar & Grill is part restaurant — boasting both Mexican street food and bar bites — and part sports bar. The menu ranges from street tacos, piled-high nachos and meat-stuffed burritos to more traditional bar food like loaded burgers, mozzarella sticks and wings. Enjoy your feast and an ice-cold margarita in one of three indoor dining areas, or on the first- or second-floor patios. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Mi Cozumel 3100 Vandercar Way, Oakley; 11700 Princeton Pike, Springdale; 8565 Winton Road, Finneytown; 511 N. Broadway St., Lebanon If you can brave the long wait on the weekends, Mi Cozumel is an amazing place to enjoy a night. Their menu features massive imaginative margaritas (one even comes in a Patron bottle), street tacos and popular flaming fajitas. Photo: facebook.com/Mi Cozumel #3 Oakley
Bandito Food Park + Cantina 3543 Columbia Parkway, Columbia Tusculum Bandito Food Park is a one-of-a-kind restaurant and event venue with an outer park-like atmosphere with fun food and beverages to match. Their menu is stuffed with delicious stuff from barbacoa-topped mac and cheese and stacked nachos to the Dude Seriously taco. Pair that with one of their imaginative margaritas like the Ranch Water, made with Topo Chico, or grab a classic marg made with triple sec and fresh lime. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Best Margarita No. 2: Condado Taco 195 E. Freedom Way, The Banks; 3329 Vandercar Way, Oakley; 7877 Beechmont Ave., Anderson Township; 5070 Deerfield Blvd., Mason Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Gomez Salsa 2437 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills; 107 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine What once began as a humble walk-up window for fueling Washington Park lunch dates and satisfying the post-last call cravings blossomed into a haven for all salsa-adjacent fare in both Over-the-Rhine and Walnut Hills. Gomez’s housemade margaritas and cocktails are the best way to wash down a Turtle — a Frankenstined burrito wrapped around rice and beans, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, meat, veggies, cheese and a crunchy tostada and sealed with a layer of crispy cheese. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Nada’s classic Nadarita Photo: Provided by Nada
Frida 602 602 Main St., Covington Tequila and mezcal come first at this Latin-leaning MainStrasse spot. Served in cute, salt-rimmed cactus glasses, their margaritas start with Frida Kahlo Tequila and fresh-squeezed citrus; flavor options include Passionfruit Punch and Smokey Prickly Pear. Named for the legendary Mexican painter herself, expect to enjoy rounds of cocktails and tacos a-la-carte surrounded by vibrant flare and colorful touches. Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Mita’s 501 Race St., Downtown Chef Jose Salazar is a continent away from his mamita and the hand-cranked mill she used to grind corn for arepas and empanadas, but his restaurant, Mita’s, is a tribute to her spirit and to Spanish and Latin American food. Their bar also happens to make some of the best margaritas in town. A simple concoction of tequila, citrus cordial and fresh lime, it’s a timeless tribute to the well-loved refreshment. The El Luchador adds in ginger and jalapeño for a spicy twist, or try the zero-proof pineapple margarita for a fruity, booze-less libation. Photo: Facebook.com/mitascincinnati
Bakersfield 1213 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Bakersfield OTR has been a hot spot for tacos, tequila, whiskey, PBR served in a glass boot and old-school Western ambiance since 2012. Frequently touted as having some of Cincinnati’s favorite margaritas, Bakersfield serves them the old-fashioned way with fresh-squeezed lemon and lime. Stick with the classic house margarita, try flavors like pineapple and ruby grapefruit or swap out tequila for mezcal for a smoky twist on this crowd favorite. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Cactus Pear 3215 Jefferson Ave., Clifton As the 2019 Best of Cincinnati winner for Best Margarita, Cactus Pear is the top reigning community-voted spot to grab a marg in the city. Accentuated by a cute back patio and menu chock full of fajitas, tacos and plenty of additional Mexican specialties, this eatery is just a hop, skip and a jump from the University of Cincinnati is a surefire way to get your tequila fix Taco Tuesday or anytime the mood strikes. From the standard house margarita to peach, cucumber, strawberry and melon, Cactus Pear has a whopping 17 flavors to choose from. Get them frozen, on the rocks or half and half. Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Lalo 26 W. Court St., Downtown Lalo refers to itself as “Chino Latino” cuisine because Asia has a lot of Spanish and Latin influence. The menu ranges from tacos and burritos to rice and noodles, with dishes like Mexi Spicy Miso Ramen or Mexi Pad Thai. Favorite tacos include curry chicken, beef barbacoa and drunken brisket. Head over to their Court Street location and grab some delicious and refreshing margaritas. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Zapata Cantina 801 Madison Ave., Covington Slated to open early this September, Zapata Covington will offer a modern take on Mexican cuisine, with small plates and street-style eats like tacos. Every dish will be made in-house, including their two-toned tortillas. In addition to bites, the cantina’s beverage program will focus on tequila and mezcal, with popular bourbon-based cocktails swapped out for agave-based liquors. Photo: Provided by Zapata Cantina Photo: Provided by Zapata Cantina
Drunken Tacos 200 W. McMillan St., Corryville Situated on the edge of the University of Cincinnati’s main campus, Drunken Tacos is a monument to what you get when a late-night eatery meets a college town. A-la-carte tacos combine Latin and Asian inspiration and are best matched with signature cocktails and seven types of house margaritas. The traditional margarita is more tart than sweet, which may surprise a few ’rita rookies who are accustomed to overly sweet drinks. Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Taqueria Mercado 100 E. Eighth St., Downtown; 6507 Dixie Highway, Fairfield After being in the game for 30 years, you’d be right to think Taqueria Mercado knows a thing or two about Mexican food: they’ve been gracing customers with classic family recipes, housemade desserts and specialty drinks since 1990. Margaritas start at just $8.75. Try fun flavors like jalapeño-lime, peach and raspberry or choose a classic house version, frozen or on the rocks. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Agave & Rye 635 Madison Ave., Covington; 3825 Edwards Road, Norwood; 7125 Fountain View Drive, Liberty Township Diners flock to Agave & Rye to enjoy its vibrant murals and funky decor while chowing down on unique tacos, with proteins including kangaroo, lobster, crispy cauliflower, fries and mushrooms — in addition to more familiar bases like steak, pork carnitas and mahi mahi. If you’re having tacos, you’ve got the have a margarita and Agave & Rye has tons of great options from the classic lime to blackberry. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Veracruz Mexican Grill 3108 Price Ave., Price Hill Family-owned and operated since 2010, this informal spot in the Incline District has a full bar and tons of space for customers to be treated to housemade ingredients and Mexican and Guatemalan specialties. An ice cold cerveza could suit you just fine, but just as refreshing are their massive margaritas, poured in cute glasses dressed with salt rims, limes and paper umbrellas. Photo: Facebook.com/VeracruzMexicanGrill
La Mexicana 642 Monmouth St., Newport A short trek across the Ohio River into Newport will land you at La Mexicana, possibly the most dependable one stop shop for a wide-ranging menu of inexpensive Mexican eats and truly enormous margaritas. Whether you like ‘em frozen, on the rocks and with or without salt, a large marg takes two careful hands to hold. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Tostados Grill 3500 Eastern Ave., Columbia Tusculum This Columbia Tusculum dive is a casual spot for Mexican and American eats, neighborhood hangs and big-ass margaritas. Get a round of liquid courage in before their ever-popular karaoke starts Photo: Facebook.com/TostadosGrill4Real
Best Margarita No. 7: El Rancho Grande Multiple locations Photo: Facebook.com/ElRanchoMason
Best Margarita No. 4: El Coyote 7404 State Road, Anderson Township Photo: Facebook.com/ElCoyoteCincinnati
Tahona Kitchen + Bar 1100 Summit Place, Blue Ash Tahona Kitchen + Bar is a Mexican-inspired eatery with two locations. It offers a menu of tacos boasting fresh, colorful ingredients, as well as tortas and shareable bites like pineapple mango guacamole and queso blanco. In addition to the food menu, it also offers a bar menu of craft beers, wine and signature cocktails like margaritas and seasonal sangrias. Photo: Facebook.com/TahonaKitchen
Mesa Loca (Temporarily Closed) 2645 Erie Ave., Hyde Park Mesa Loca is situated right in Hyde Park Square. Serving expertly prepared Mexican fare in a cool, contemporary setting, they also don’t skimp on the cocktail list. Instead of the standard salt rim, Mesa Loca accents margarita glasses with Tajin, a mild chili/lime/salt mix. Flavors include the classic ‘rita, blood orange, mango and pomegranate. Photo: Hailey Bollinger