FOLIO
Words by Ambar Ramirez and Carmen Macri
Flying Iguana
Located in the heart of the busy Beaches Town Center is Flying Iguana, a taqueria and tequila bar that has won “Best Margarita” in the “Folio” Best of Jax contest. And while we are all for taking Jacksonville’s advice (and votes) to heart, it would have been a disservice not to include this “Good Vibes Only” restaurant in our hunt for the best spicy margarita in Jacksonville. It would also be a disservice to lie to you all reading this and say that this was our first time having the spicy margarita at Flying Iguana because frankly, we’ve had it many, many times. But any excuse to have a margarita is good enough for us.
The Spice of Life margarita is a lovely combination of spicy pepper-infused Cazadores Tequila Blanco, triple sec, organic agave nectar and housemade sour mix. Flying Iguana always has a great presentation when it comes to their plates and cocktails, but what is more important is the flavor. And low and behold, the flavor did not disappoint. The Spice of Life is definitely on the spicy side, but paired with the organic agave nectar the drink was well-balanced. Sweet and salty is out, spicy and sweet is in. Still, it’s not a drink we could consume heavily. One sip left our mouths’ burning for the next … which, we guess, is the point.
Atmosphere: 4/5
Margarita: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Perfect for people who frequent the beach bars and enjoy crowded spaces.
Anejo Cocina Mexicana
Located in Brooklyn, Anejo Cocina Mexicana is on the fancier side of Mexican restaurants in Jacksonville. This family-owned and operated restaurant specializes in traditional meals with a modern twist. The restaurant itself offers great views with its full floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around the space and well-decorated interior. But, of course, we weren’t there for the atmosphere (though they definitely are getting some bonus points for that): We were there for their spicy margaritas.
To add some variety to our palettes, we ordered the Cucumber Jalapeño Margarita. This margarita is a concoction of 21 Seeds Tequila Blanco, lime, agave and, naturally, cucumber. The only difference between the spicy cucumber marg and their regular spicy marg is that the spicy marg uses Monte Alban Respasado (and has no cucumbers). Now, we thought the cucumber would act as a great desensitizer to the jalapeño, but one sip had my mouth burning to the point that I could barely taste the cucumber. Usually, I can down a spicy marg in just a few minutes, but when I say we were at the restaurant for over an hour, lightly sipping these spicy margs, I mean it. Granted, one cocktail had us feeling a little bit more than buzzed but for $13.25, we’re not quite sure if the pain brought us any gain.
Atmosphere: 4/5
Margarita: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Perfect for people who have just made a lot of money at work and want to spend it.
Taqueria Cinco
Disclaimer, we may be a little biased with this review because Taqueria Cinco is one of our favorite taco spots in Riverside. Despite it being a bit small for a restaurant, this spot always seems to have a table available, great food and amazing service. Owners Eddy Escriba and Matt Kemper opened up Taqueria Cinco with the goal of creating a space that feels like you are having dinner with family. And needless to say, with the tightly packed tables that feel more like a long dinner table, they did just that. But back to the point of our visit.
The Margarita Picante consists of jalapeño-infused El Guitarron, triple orange, lime agave with a salt rim. Yum, right? This spicy margarita felt the most balanced out of those we tried. The flavor of the margarita itself was delicious and then the little kick of spice after each sip kept us going back for more. To be completely honest, we CHUGGED this margarita. One second it was there, the next it wasn’t. As it should be.
Atmosphere: 5/5
Margarita: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Perfect for people who don’t like personal space and want to feel like they are sitting at a large dinner table with friends.
Lola’s Burger and Burrito Joint
We don’t know what it is about Riverside, but it seems to be a hotspot for Mexican restaurants. Not that we are complaining, just stating a fact. And of course, there are many Mexican joints situated throughout Jacksonville, but for the sake of our livers and gas, our final stop in this hunt for the best spicy margarita in town is Lola’s Burger and Burrito Joint. This is one of the first restaurants I [Ambar] ate at when visiting Jacksonville and something about their eclectic decorations and flavorful menu keeps bringing me back. Oh, also, the fact that their margaritas only cost (roughly) $8.
Now, here is where things got exciting. Lola’s has not one, but two options for a spicy margarita. So being the method journalists we are, we ordered one of each. Carmen went with the Jalapeño-ville and I ordered the Pablo Cucumbian. The Jalapeño-ville consists of tequila, jalapeño vodka, lemon-lime juice, sour mix, a dash of Tabasco and salt rim, garnished with pickled jalapeños. The Pablo Cucumbian is similar to the Jalapeño-ville but consists of tequila, lemon-lime juice, a splash of sour, dash of Tabasco, garnished with fresh cucumbers and topped with a classic salt rim. Both of these were surprisingly really good! The “dash” of tabasco was a bit intimidating but offered a level of spice that was comfortable and familiar (as this is both of our go-to hot sauces). The additional ingredients, though, were a bit overwhelming. It was more of an experimental cocktail than an actual spicy margarita. Overall, we left with a more than satisfied buzz.
Atmosphere: 5/5
Margarita: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Perfect for people who frequent dive bars and like to become friends with the bartender.
Follow FOLIO!