Readers’ Pick:

Macayo’s Mexican Kitchen

Multiple locations

Readers went with Macayo’s this year, and our guess is that’s because it serves the Mexican equivalent of comfort food. There’s no weirdness going on — just the kind of Mexican food most Americans grew up eating — and that accessibility, coupled with the accessibility of its multiple locations, is a sure appeal. Ricardo’s is a close second.

Our Pick:

Dona Maria

910 Las Vegas Blvd. South 3205 N. Tenaya Way

We love Dona Maria for a lot of things, but first and foremost for the tamales, which have a light casing and savory fillings. They are, you might say, both real and spectacular. But we also love the other Mexican specialties served at Dona Maria, plus the kick-your-butt margaritas and the sometimes-raucous audiences for televised futbol games.

Guest Pick:

Kyle Busch, Nascar Driver; Macayo’s Mexican Kitchen, 4457 W. Charleston Blvd.

Kyle Busch won 20 NASCAR races last year and more than $33 million for his teams. He certainly could afford to eat in the swankiest, most expensive restaurants in town.

But when the Las Vegas native and Durango High School grad returns to his hometown, he prefers the family style of the Macayo’s Mexican Kitchen that is less than a couple of miles from where he grew up.

“Their food has one of those tastes that you remember and want to go back for,” says Busch, 24, who recalls eating there from the time he was 6.

“It’s just good, hole-in-the-wall Mexican food. I’m not saying it’s a hole-in-the-wall, it’s just that the food isn’t too fancy,” says Busch, who now lives in Concord, N.C.

He still prefers Macayo’s chicken and cheese enchilada, and “TCTs” — toasted cheese tortillas.