Readers' Choice Mexican Restaurant Winner: Pure Tacos

With 853 total votes in our poll this week, it's clear that Ocean City is pretty passionate about its Mexican food. But perhaps a few fiercely loyal patrons are a bit too zealous?

We had a bit of a "Taco-gate" scandal with our ballot box this week — with dueling allegations of stuffing more than just burritos.

Patch allows readers to vote only once in the Readers' Choice polls and programs them to prevent multiple votes, but no online poll is foolproof. Some dramatic spikes in the vote tally may have come from individuals trying to work around the system. But the bumps may also have been a result of the restaurants promoting the poll on their Facebook pages (which is certainly OK).

Regardless, we ask our readers to remain true to the spirit of Patch commenter "Steve":

"I would like to go once to each restaurant and sample some of their best food in one sitting (for a reasonable fee ), so I could make an informed decision."

Or to the attitude of Patch commenter Steve Grady:

"I was having a really bad day today and just about fell off my chair reading this thread ... Thanks to all of you for making me laugh."

Ocean City is fortunate to have four excellent Mexican restaurants (and, yes, your humble editor, a well-practiced eater, has sampled them all) — none part of a tex-mex chain and each unique in its own way. 

Read the user recommendations in the comments section below, and sample the restaurants:

With that said, the winner of this week's poll in a close race is . The seasonal Boardwalk restaurant topped the poll with 377 votes. was close behind with 321 votes. (86 votes) and (69 votes) rounded out the poll.

Pure Tacos is on the Boardwalk near 11th Street (and plans to open a second location in Philadelphia in April). The restaurant is scheduled to open for the season in May.

Patch commenters gave Pure Tacos kudos for its gluten-free options and an authentic menu that includes things like orange-glazed fish tacos, barbecued pulled-pork tacos with corn salsa, and bacon-and-chicken ranch nachos.

"We here at Pure Tacos are excited and honored to accept this award," Marketing Manager Josiah Andrews said. "We've done our best to offer the best in fresh and delicious flavors, while keeping true to our gluten-free and allergen-friendly roots. So whether you're just down for the weekend or here for life, we're proud to serve you. It just goes to show you — everyone loves a good taco. We're coming back to you soon, Ocean City! Check us out on Twitter and Facebook to find out when."