30 taqueria rooms worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United States.
Black Rooster Taqueria ★ 4.8 · Orlando
mills-50 · 1323 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803
Black Rooster Taqueria on North Mills Avenue in Mills 50 is a counter-service taqueria with house-pressed tortillas, scratch salsas and a rotating short-list.
Nixta Taqueria ★ 4.7 · Austin
east-austin · 2512 E 12th St, Austin, TX 78702
Nixta Taqueria in Austin is Edgar Rico's heirloom-corn taqueria on East 12th, a James Beard Emerging Chef 2022 winner and Michelin Green Star kitchen.
Tip: Tortillas are nixtamalized in-house from heritage corn; order direct from the counter, no booking.
ELEMI ★ 4.7 · El Paso
East El Paso · 13500 Eastlake Blvd, Horizon City, TX 79928
ELEMI on Eastlake Boulevard in east El Paso is the James Beard semifinalist taqueria of chef Emiliano Marentes, built around daily-ground heirloom corn.
Tip: Walk-ins welcome; parties over 10 call ahead. Worth the 20-minute drive from downtown.
La Taqueria ★ 4.7 · San Francisco
the-mission · 2889 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
La Taqueria in San Francisco is Miguel Jara's Mission taqueria, James Beard America's Classic, with no-rice burritos and doubled corn tacos since 1973.
Tip: Cash and card accepted; the line moves fast even at 13:00 because each taquero builds with both hands.
La Chaparrita ★ 4.6 · Chicago
little-village · 2500 S Whipple St, Chicago, IL 60623
La Chaparrita in Chicago is the Little Village taqueria off 26th Street with handmade-tortilla tacos from a small storefront counter, run by the Loera family.
Tip: Cash only. The salsas at the counter are unmarked; ask which is the hottest and start there.
Revolver Taco Lounge ★ 4.6 · Dallas
deep-ellum · 2701 Main St, Dallas, TX 75226
Street tacos at the counter and, through a separate entrance, Purepecha: a prix-fixe tasting menu built on ancient Mexican techniques and corn imported.
Tip: Purepecha runs Thursday-Saturday by reservation only; the counter tacos are available all week without booking.
Los Tacos No.1 ★ 4.5 · New York City
chelsea · 75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Los Tacos No.1 in Chelsea Market has run Tijuana-style hand-pressed tortillas in New York City since 2013. Priced at $. Kitchen leans taqueria.
Tip: Order at the till, eat standing at the counter. The Hudson Yards outpost is less crowded for the same taco.
El Farolito ★ 4.5 · San Francisco
the-mission · 2779 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
El Farolito in San Francisco is the Mission's all-night taqueria, opened in 1980 on 24th and Mission, with the super burrito that set the modern bar.
Tip: Open until 02:30 on Friday and Saturday; the 23:00-01:00 window has the fastest line of the night.
Lloyd Taco Factory ★ 4.4 · Buffalo
north-buffalo · 1503 Hertel Ave, Buffalo, NY 14216
Lloyd Taco Factory on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo is the brick-and-mortar flagship of Buffalo's food-truck-turned-empire, with carne asada and loco fries.
Lloyd Taco Factory ★ 4.4 · Buffalo
north-buffalo · 1503 Hertel Ave, Buffalo, NY 14216
Lloyd Taco Factory on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo is the brick-and-mortar flagship of Buffalo's food-truck-turned-empire, with carne asada and loco fries.
Resident Taqueria ★ 4.4 · Dallas
lake-highlands · 9661 Audelia Rd, Ste 112, Dallas, TX 75238
A chef-driven Lake Highlands taqueria that doubles as one of the best breakfast spots in Dallas. Priced at $$. Kitchen leans mexican taqueria.
Tip: The breakfast taco programme starts at 7:30am. The bar extension added in the most recent renovation makes evening visits much more comfortable.
Resident Taqueria ★ 4.4 · Dallas
lake-highlands · 9661 Audelia Rd, Ste 112, Dallas, TX 75238
A Lake Highlands chef-driven taqueria that starts serving at 7:30am and closes by 9pm. Order the breakfast tacos; slow-braised fillings that change weekly.
Tip: Weekday morning is the quietest window.
La Cumbre Taqueria ★ 4.4 · San Francisco
the-mission · 515 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
La Cumbre in San Francisco is the Valencia Street taqueria credited with the modern Mission burrito format, founded by the Duran family in 1972.
Tip: Pinto over black beans here; the kitchen renders pork fat into the pintos and they sing.
White Duck Taco Shop ★ 4.3 · Asheville
downtown · 12 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
White Duck Taco's downtown Asheville location on Biltmore Avenue runs globally inspired soft tacos: Korean bulgogi, Bangkok shrimp, jerk chicken, smoked duck.
Tip: Order at the counter and take a seat. The Riverside Drive River Arts location is under reconstruction in 2025.
Pueblo Viejo (Riverside) ★ 4.3 · Austin
east-austin · 2410 E Riverside Dr, Ste H-8, Austin, TX 78741
Pueblo Viejo in Austin is Nestor and Margarita's East Riverside Mexican taqueria since 2010, a brick-and-mortar grown from a taco truck and a citywide.
Tip: The Tillery Street trailer and the St. Elmo and Pickle Road locations run the same kitchen with shorter lines.
Lloyd Taco Factory (Elmwood) ★ 4.3 · Buffalo
elmwood-village · 492 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222
Lloyd Taco Factory on Elmwood Avenue is the 2025 Elmwood Village expansion of the Buffalo taco-truck institution, with the original Lloyd menu and a full bar.
Pink Cactus ★ 4.3 · Charleston
upper-king · 100A Spring St, Charleston, SC 29403
Pink Cactus in Charleston runs Mexican tacos, tortas and enchiladas from a Spring Street walk-up window since 2021. Kitchen leans mexican, tacos.
Tip: Counter only; no reservations. Lunch is the easier window Walk-ins usually OK.
Big Star ★ 4.3 · Chicago
wicker-park-bucktown · 1531 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Big Star in Chicago is the One Off Hospitality taco room at Six Corners on Damen, with an outdoor patio, a frozen margarita machine and tacos al pastor.
Tip: The patio queue is long in summer. The walk-up window pays out a perfectly good takeaway dinner in five minutes.
Revolver Taco Lounge ★ 4.3 · Dallas
deep-ellum · 2701 Main St, Dallas, TX 75226
The street-taco counter of one of Dallas's most creative Mexican operations. Kitchen leans mexican taqueria. Open tue-sun 5pm-10pm, mon closed.
Tip: Sunday brunch buffet at the Elm St Gastro Cantina runs 11am-3pm. The main counter is more casual and faster.
Taqueria El Rey ★ 4.3 · Detroit
mexicantown · 3400 Bagley St, Detroit, MI 48216
Taqueria El Rey on Bagley Street in Mexicantown serves al pastor and carnitas tacos in Detroit. Moved 2024 from West Vernor to its current Bagley home.
Tip: Walk-in counter, cash and cards. Late-night kitchen runs through 23:00 most nights.
Tacos Tierra Caliente ★ 4.3 · Houston
montrose · 2003 W Alabama St, Houston, TX 77098
Tacos Tierra Caliente in Houston is the long-running taco truck on West Alabama in Montrose, with al pastor sliced from the trompo and an ice house next door.
Tip: The truck is parked next to the West Alabama Ice House; bring your tacos inside for a beer. Cash and card.
Tin and Taco ★ 4.3 · Orlando
downtown · 40 W Washington St, Orlando, FL 32801
Tin and Taco on West Washington Street downtown is the homegrown street-taco counter with flour and corn tortillas, loaded queso and build-your-own tacos.
La Gloria ★ 4.3 · San Antonio
pearl · 100 E Grayson St, San Antonio, TX 78215
La Gloria brings Mexican street food to the Pearl's River Walk patio, where a shared spread of tacos, ceviche and elotes beats ordering individual entrees.
Tip: The patio is the seat to want on a warm evening. Order a spread of antojitos rather than entrees and share.
Taqueria Cancun ★ 4.3 · San Francisco
the-mission · 2288 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Taqueria Cancun in San Francisco is the Mission taqueria on 16th and Mission, the baseline burrito mojado the city falls back on, open late every night.
Tip: Mission and 16th is the busiest of the three locations; the 24th Street branch at 3211 Mission has a shorter line at lunch.
Tacos Chukis Capitol Hill ★ 4.3 · Seattle
capitol-hill · 219 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102
Tacos Chukis Capitol Hill in Seattle is the Broadway taco counter that opens until 22:00: al pastor off the trompo, adobada, mulitas and salsas built fresh.
Tip: Cash and card; the al pastor turns out fastest between 17:00 and 19:00 when the trompo is hottest.
White Duck Taco Shop ★ 4.2 · Greenville
downtown · 20 South Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601
White Duck Taco runs creative tacos on Main: Korean bulgogi, banh mi tofu, buffalo chicken. Asheville-born, fast-casual, ten dollars and you're full.
Tako Tiki ★ 4.2 · Orlando
winter-park · 201 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789
Tako Tiki on West Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park is the Hawkers-group tropical-taco bar with Korean short-rib tacos, frozen mai tais and tiki-bar cocktails.
Bartaco Inman Park ★ 4.1 · Atlanta
inman-park · 299 N Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
Bartaco's Inman Park location in Atlanta runs taco-and-cocktail service with a paper-menu ordering format. Kitchen leans tacos and tropical.
Tip: Order off the paper menu with a pencil; the tablet only handles the bill. Reservations on Resy; the West Midtown location closed in May 2025.
Tacos La Banqueta (Deep Ellum) ★ 4.1 · Dallas
deep-ellum · 1305 N Carroll Ave, Dallas, TX 75204
Dallas street taco at its baseline best: $1.50 per taco, suadero and al pastor off the spit, counter service, and plastic trays. Located in Deep Ellum.
Tip: The Carroll Ave location is the original. Order at least eight tacos per person. The salsas are the secret.
Tacos La Banqueta (Deep Ellum) ★ 4.1 · Dallas
deep-ellum · 1305 N Carroll Ave, Dallas, TX 75204
The $1.50 street taco counter that makes every best-cheap-eats list in Dallas. Suadero, al pastor, counter service, and plastic trays. Located in Deep Ellum.
Tip: Order ten minimum per person. The salsas are the differentiator; try all three.