Tacos, tapas and tortillas ... olé!

Tarrah Matthews tends the bar at España. The Spanish restaurant offers a 20 percent discount on all tapas if you show your Creighton ID.

We’re all guilty of jumping in our cars at 1 a.m., driving to 38th and Dodge, rolling down our windows and proclaiming, “I’ll have one cheesy gordita crunch, one chicken quesadilla, an order of nachos and a large Pepsi, please!”

Yes, we’re all guilty of indulging in the “fourth meal” of the day at Taco Bell. But, have you ever thought of treating your taste buds to a real, authentic Mexican meal? If so, you’re in luck. Omaha has an extensive variety of authentic Mexican and Spanish restaurants that are located across the city. Whether you live in west Omaha, midtown or downtown, there is plenty of food that is sizzling for the taste buds and cool on the checkbook.

España

España is a family-owned restaurant whose menu is centered around traditional foods from Spain. The restaurant is famous for its tapas, which are small dishes of Spanish foods.

At España, they offer an extended menu of many different kinds of hot and cold tapas: Pan con Tomate (a sliced baguette with tomato rub and olive oil) and Ajo y Guindillas (pickled garlic cloves and Guindillas peppers in olive oil). These tend to run as low as $3.75, all the way up to $10.50 per tapa.

The restaurant also serves paella, which is a traditional Spanish dish. Paella Sacramento is a favorite at the restaurant, which combines pork, chicken, shrimp, calamari and mussels in saffron rice. Paella dishes range from $16 to $22, and are big enough to share with another person.

España offers many dishes with snails, rabbit, mussels, calamari, tuna, chicken and lamb. Every Friday night there is live dancing after 10 p.m. They serve dinner Tuesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to close and are located at 6064 Maple St.

Guaca Maya

If you’re in the mood for a friendly, warm, inviting atmosphere, head to Guaca Maya, located at 5002 S. 33rd St. This family restaurant offers plenty of food and entertainment. Complete with pool tables, a full bar, live entertainment and a large party room, Guaca Maya is open for a late breakfast, lunch and dinner.

To start your day off right, enjoy Huevos a la Mexicana (Mexican eggs) for only $5.99. For lunch and dinner, there are more than three pages of menu items to choose from, including tostadas, burritos and fajitas. Guaca Maya offers shrimp, chicken, pork chops, steak, clams, lobster, duck, rabbit, octopus and an extensive variety of vegetables and Mexican sauces. There are dozens of seafood recipes. They even accommodate picky eaters by offering an American tradition: hamburger and fries only. For dessert you can enjoy some fried ice cream or sopapillas for only $2.99

Guaca Maya is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.

Roja Mexican Grill

Alex Tomes, sous chef at Roja, whips up an authentic Mexican dish.

Located at 17010 Wright Plaza, it’s worth the drive. Complete with fire pits, waterfalls, an open patio and mariachi performers who perform on a catwalk above the dining room tables, the atmosphere is just as good as the food.

Roja’s margaritas are a staple of the restaurant. Roja offers more than 80 different tequilas to mix-and-match the perfect margarita. On Mondays, margaritas are only $1.99 — all day long! They also offer an extensive variety of wines and beers.

Two of the restaurants owner’s are originally from Texas, so the food has a tex-mex feel and taste. For an appetizer, they have shrimp- and crab-stuffed jalapenos, beer- battered oysters and chili-crusted calamari — just to name a few of the tantalizing options. Appetizers can range from 99 cents (yes, you read correctly — no typo here) all the way up to $29.99. For the main course, Roja offers tacos, chimichangas, tostadas, tamales, burritos, fajitas and many different combination platters. Main course prices are $7.99 to $28.99.

Roja is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sundays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Happy hour is every Monday to Friday 3 to 6:30 p.m. The bar stays open as long as there is business.

Other Mexican restaurants in the west Omaha area include Hector’s West at 1201 S. 157th St., Pink Pinata at 2533 S. 174th Plaza, and Moe’s Southwest Grill at 17607 Gold Plaza.