TacoProject

taco documentation

Los Dos Compadres

Two brothers, one truck, zero chairs.

A white truck with a hand-painted menu of eight items and a generator you can hear from the street. The carne asada is chopped fine, salty and charred; the carnitas hit the crisp-to-soft ratio every time.

Bring cash, patience and a napkin strategy. The best dinner you will eat off the hood of your own car.

A taco truck parked on a city street
Photo: Paul Sableman / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

At a glance

Price

$

Type

Taco truck

Neighborhood

Northside

City

Houston, TX

💵 Cash only. There is an ATM nearby, but it charges a fee.

Ratings

Tortilla /5

4

Salsa /5

4

Meat /5

5

Value /5

5

Vibe /5

3.5

Overall /5

4.5

Must order

Carne asada, chopped fine

Skip

The quesadilla

Hours & location

Hours

Tue–Sun 6 p.m.–1 a.m.
Closed Mondays

Address

Parking lot at Airline Dr. & Tidwell Rd.
Houston, TX 77022

Signature salsas

📝 Read our full review: Review: Los Dos Compadres Taco Truck

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Tacos La Güera

Suadero bubbling in a pan of its own fat since 1987.

A street stand built around a single choricera: a domed steel pan where suadero, longaniza and tripa confit slowly in rendered fat. Tiny tortillas, double-stacked, dipped briefly in the pan juices.

Stand, eat, point at the next thing, repeat. Salsas live in molcajetes on the counter and are refilled constantly.

A street taco stand in Mazatlán
Photo: Rick McCharles / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

At a glance

Price

$

Type

Street stand

Neighborhood

Centro Histórico

City

Mexico City

💵 Cash only. There is an ATM nearby, but it charges a fee.

Ratings

Tortilla /5

4.5

Salsa /5

5

Meat /5

5

Value /5

5

Vibe /5

4.5

Overall /5

4.8

Must order

Campechano (suadero + longaniza)

Skip

Nothing. Order more.

Hours & location

Hours

Daily 7 p.m.–3 a.m.

Address

Calle República de Uruguay 47
Centro Histórico, CDMX

Signature salsas

Written by

Birria Boss

Gorgeous tortillas, a consommé that needs work.

Crackly, glossy red tortillas with lacy edges of fried cheese, and tender, well-seasoned beef. It photographs beautifully.

The consommé is the weak link: more salted beef broth than chile-rich stew, and lukewarm by the time it lands. Pretty, filling and fine.

Crispy red birria tacos
Photo: T.Tseng / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

At a glance

Price

$$

Type

Counter / walk-up

Neighborhood

East LA

City

Los Angeles, CA

💳 Cards accepted.

Ratings

Tortilla /5

4.5

Salsa /5

3

Meat /5

4

Value /5

3

Vibe /5

3.5

Overall /5

3

Must order

Quesabirria, eaten immediately

Skip

Ordering more than four at once (they go soggy)

Hours & location

Hours

Daily 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

Address

4410 Whittier Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90022

Phone

(323) 555-0187

Signature salsas

📝 Read our full review: Review: Birria Boss (3/5)

Written by

Mariscos El Faro

Battered fish, cold cabbage, and a view of the harbor.

A fry stand near the fish market where the batter is thin, the oil is hot and the fish was swimming this morning. Every taco gets shredded cabbage, crema and a spoon of pico.

The toppings bar is the whole point: pico, crema, chipotle crema, pickled onion, three salsas and lime wedges. Build it yourself.

An Ensenada-style battered fish taco
Photo: Tomascastelazo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

At a glance

Price

$

Type

Street stand

Neighborhood

Malecón

City

Ensenada

💵 Cash only. There is an ATM nearby, but it charges a fee.

Ratings

Tortilla /5

4

Salsa /5

4.5

Meat /5

5

Value /5

4.5

Vibe /5

5

Overall /5

4.6

Must order

Taco de pescado + taco de camarón

Skip

The pre-made coleslaw (dress your own)

Hours & location

Hours

Daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Address

Blvd. Costero & Calle Miramar
Ensenada, B.C.

Signature salsas

Written by

Juanita’s Breakfast Tacos

Flour tortillas, eggs and potatoes, 6 a.m. sharp.

An Austin breakfast-taco counter where the flour tortillas are rolled and griddled all morning. Egg and potato, bean and cheese, migas, chorizo: the classics, done right.

Order at the window, grab your foil-wrapped bundle and eat on the picnic tables out front.

A breakfast taco with egg
Photo: Missvain / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

At a glance

Price

$

Type

Counter / walk-up

Neighborhood

Bouldin Creek

City

Austin, TX

💳 Cards accepted.

Ratings

Tortilla /5

5

Salsa /5

4

Meat /5

4

Value /5

4.5

Vibe /5

4

Overall /5

4.4

Must order

Migas taco with a side of salsa verde

Skip

The drip coffee

Hours & location

Hours

Daily 6 a.m.–2 p.m.

Address

2201 S. 1st St.
Austin, TX 78704

Phone

(512) 555-0199

Signature salsas

Written by

Taquería El Trompo Feliz

A trompo that spins like it has somewhere to be.

A corner lot in East Austin, wedged between a tire shop and a yoga studio. The star is the trompo: a lacquered cone of adobo pork crowned with pineapple and carved to order.

Tortillas are pressed in-house all day, the salsa bar has pickled carrots and jalapeños, and on weekends the line wraps around the building until 2 a.m.

Al pastor tacos topped with pineapple, onion and cilantro
Photo: City Foodsters / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

At a glance

Price

$

Type

Taquería (sit-down)

Neighborhood

East Austin

City

Austin, TX

💳 Cards accepted.

Ratings

Tortilla /5

4.5

Salsa /5

4

Meat /5

5

Value /5

4

Vibe /5

3.5

Overall /5

4.2

Must order

Al pastor, extra piña, with the salsa roja

Skip

The horchata (too sweet)

Hours & location

Hours

Mon–Thu 11 a.m.–11 p.m.
Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–2 a.m.
Sun 10 a.m.–10 p.m.

Address

1811 E. 7th St.
Austin, TX 78702

Phone

(512) 555-0142

Signature salsas

📝 Read our full review: Review: Taquería El Trompo Feliz (Austin)

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