Gridskipper

This spot specializes in Oaxacan dishes, so it's not the Americanized Mexican or Tex-Mex we're normally used to. But fear not, the margaritas ($9) are plenty strong and just as you'd imagine them to be. Everyone… raves about the mango margarita with fresh mangos and lotsa tequila — so park yourself downstairs in the lounge with the bar and drink up with a side of homemade guacamole. Get there early, cause happy hour comes fast and furious. If you're looking for something to soak up the alcohol, head upstairs to the dining room for the tamales of the day. [link]

Yeah, yeah, so this is Murray Hill territory and not so much midtown, but come on, you can definitely hoof it down to El Rio Grande for their tableside-made Citysearch-ed Best Margaritas (2004). It's good to know… the margs ($8.50) haven't changed in four years, and while the crowd is loud and usually drunk by six pm, you're in good company for losing your inhibitions and probably your money over the course of the tequila-fueled night. The restaurant has a huge, huge outdoor patio and is perfect for the warm summer months, pomegranate or wildberry margarita in hand. [link]

This vegetarian-friendly spot was like my second home during my college years, not because they substitute jack cheese with soy cheese or offer tofu switch-ins, but because the margaritas are $3. Yes, you saw right.… And not just little sad glasses of margarita, but ungodly fishbowl margaritas. Sure, flavor mix-ins are an extra 0.50, but please, you've got that on you, don't tell me you don't. Unlimited chips and salsa and hours of $3 dollar margs later, and they just may be offering you free shots of tequila as a plea to vacate the premises... not like I'm speaking from experience or anything. [link]

You can order their food via Fresh Direct now, but Rosa Mexicano's signature pomegranate margaritas (a steal at $10) are still a house specialty — just not your house (unless you're so inclined — and… if so, invite me over). It's hard not to love Rosa's highly stylish and colorful atmosphere and to drink up their delish drinks. [link]

This pink-heavy location looks like a place Barbie would go to meet a Midtown-douche and lose her top, but I really can't hate. They had me at "Prickly Pear Margarita". Not sure at all what that is, or honestly,… really what it tastes like. It's like a deluge of awesomeness hitting all tastebuds at once, with some strawberries and cactus fruit thrown in for good measure. They'll get you, too, so be careful. While they may be $11 dollars each, they're quite strong and overwhelming: chances are your bill will arrive quite top-heavy, with the alcohol outmeasuring the food, 4:1. With over 100 tequilas representing on the menu, chances are good you'll lose your top at some point, too. (photo) [link]

Chocolate margarita, anyone? Don't know if this is on your list of things to get to before you die, but, with a listing of 25 flavors of margaritas, you're likely to find something worth sipping up. Or lapping up,… whichever comes first. And with the cheap prices, you may just want to blow your paycheck on these cocktails. [link]

Get a pen and mark this down: 4—7 pm is buy one drink, get one half-price at Arriba Arriba, and Mondays are Margarita Madness days — just as God decreed it. Also note the three sizes of margaritas that… can apparently drive you insane: el bebe, el papa and the largest, la mama, which is 27 ounces of tequila and frozen sweetness. That's like a friggin big gulp. Too bad you can't get a plastic to-go cup to wander Times Square all wasted-like. [link]

This is the place to be when you want to pretend that you're a grown-up and maybe find someone to be grown-up with. Toloache is a flowering plant used in Mexican love potions. While as gorgeous and lovely as this… place's decor, it's unfortunately not an ingredient in any of the restaurant's margaritas. You can however, sip on Toloache's signature Frida Kahlo Blanco tequila-drenched margarita ($12) — a yummy, serene blend of hibiscus, blueberries, and fresh lime. It may not make you want to stop plucking your brows, but it's bound to make you remember how strong a woman Kahlo was when you make it through one and order up another. (photo) [link]

Between 5pm and 7pm, Happy Hour turns Zona Rosa into a crazy-cheap margarita haven, and what better place to down your daytime sorrows but this a sleek, glowing spot? It's truly hot in a neighborhood of awkward… choices, and with little cactuses dotted around the restaurant, how can you hate? They've got an encyclopedia full of tequilas and liquors, and you can taste-test them all. The Zona Rosa Margarita is the restaurant's fave drink: hibiscus flowers and tequila. [link]