<p class="ingestion featured-caption">Pati Jinich said that some Mexican restaurants are more authentic than others.Leo Caman/Shutterstock</p><ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/celebrity-chefs-then-and-now-photos">Celebrity chef</a> Pati Jinich knows how to spot a good — and bad — Mexican restaurant.</li><li>Cold salsa and premade guacamole are both <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/red-flags-bad-manicure-signs-from-salon-owners-2024-10">bad signs</a>, according to the Mexican chef.</li></ul><p><a target="_blank" href="https://patijinich.com/">Chef Pati Jinich</a> — known for programs like PBS' "La Frontera" and "Pati's Mexican Table" — has dined at countless Mexican (and Mexican-inspired) restaurants.</p><p>Although she's had good meals at spots where she now lives in Washington, DC, and across the US, she can also sense when an establishment isn't doing her home country's cuisine justice.</p><p>Here are the five red flags she looks out for at Mexican restaurants.</p>