There are many different places in the United States where you can get an authentic meal from a culture that is not your own heritage. In fact, we, as Americans, pride ourselves on being able to have such a wide variety of cuisine available to us on a daily basis.

Depending on where you live in the country, you may have a better chance of coming closer to the authentic dishes you are looking for if you are looking for something specific. Namely, you are probably more likely to find an authentic Mexican restaurant in south-west Texas than in, say, Maine. But, just because it is more likely that you will find one in Texas does not mean there isn’t a fantastic one in Maine; you just might have to look a little harder.

In the United States, we have a great number of restaurants that claim to be authentically Mexican. However, just because you have a burrito on the menu, as 67,391 American restaurants do, does not mean your restaurant is truly Mexican. Here are three ways you can be sure that the restaurant or catering company that claims to be authentic actually is truly Mexican.

1.) The recipes have a familial connection to Mexico.

When it comes to Mexican food, so much of what makes it authentic is found in the recipes. Mixing ingredients together in a certain way, combining them and cooking them in the manner in which someone from Mexico would do and has done for generations is a good sign that you are in the neighborhood of something truly real.

When the owner, the cooks, and the rest of the staff have a familial connection to Mexico, there is something more than a basic restaurant happening. There is a sense of desire, and maybe even urgency, on the part of the employees that comes from wanting to share something special with the people who come through the doors to eat.

2.) The restaurant purchases authentic produce and ingredients.

Whether you are looking for a Sunday afternoon lunch, a Friday night dinner, a Mexican catering option, or anything in between, an authentic Mexican restaurant will always insist on serving the most authentic produce and ingredients, no matter the cost. Salsa, chips, beans, tortillas, and everything you can think of that makes a Mexican restaurant Mexican is authentic because the people of Mexico have bought, and continue to buy, the exact same things in their homeland to make truly Mexican dishes.

3.) The restaurant revises their recipes from time to time.

The mark of a truly authentic restaurant and catering company is the desire on their part to keep recipes and other aspects of their business steeped in the integrity of their homeland. A restaurant that has a deep desire to share with its customers a true taste of what it means to actually eat as someone actually does in the land from which the restaurant claims to be will do everything it can to give an authentic experience to the customer.

From time to time, the best authentic restaurants will change up recipes, giving diners something new to try. It might be a seasonal change or maybe simply something new added to the dessert tray.