The 14 Best Taco Spots in America

Guests are welcomed in like extended family at Fonda Rosalinda’s, and the food is certainly home-style, cooked by mother-daughter owners no different from their own meals after closing time. Everything is made from scratch on-site, and their tacos are hands down some of the best we’ve tasted in the South. They need little explanation: these are classic meat, fish, and veg street tacos, and are topped with cilantro. They’re healthy yet outrageously good, so zero guilt for doubling down on lunch.

Get a real taste of Oaxaca just outside Los Angeles’ Larchmont area. Tlayuda LA handmakes all their corn tortillas, dripping with mole that’s the perfect blend of sweet and savory. Choose between the Two Mole Sauce Taco, a chicken mole topped with queso fresco, and the Two Vegan Mole Tacos, hibiscus flower with house mole sauce topped with red onion. They’re both equally delicious and the portions are always generous—expect very sticky fingers.

Taquería Los Puñales is a proudly queer-owned Mexican taqueria, helmed by third-generation taquero David Madrigal and his business partner Brian Aster. A number of the menu items come from David’s mother’s recipes, including the standout dish, the Chicken Tinga Taco. It’s made of shredded chicken sautéed with caramelized onions, braised in a house-made chipotle sauce, and drizzled with Mexican sour cream. The menu also features an impressive selection of vegan and vegetarian tacos, and there’s a vibrant full bar on-site.

We’ve all seen smash burger tacos go viral on TikTok, but you can get it done by the pros, too. Cactus Cantina’s Alabama restaurants offer Smash Burger Tacos, flour tortillas with a smashed ground beef patty, topped with lettuce, cheese, and tomato, and a squirt of their signature homemade sauce. The result is a bite-sized burger, of which you’ll definitely want to order the three-piece selection over the two.

You’d think that the best Tex-Mex would be in Texas, but Idaho has a mighty challenger to the title. That could be down to Tin Roof Tacos’ owners hailing from Dallas. Sisters Susan and Sandy moved to the Gem State but missed the staple food of their home. They decided to bring BBQ Brisket Tacos, Pulled Pork Tacos, and other Tex-Mex treats up north, and the rest is history. If y’all are feeling extra indulgent, don’t miss their Fried Chicken Taco, breaded chicken breast, with cilantro coleslaw and jalapeño ranch dressing.

Since 2019, José and Jesús Moreno’s Birria-Landia food trucks have been rolling New Yorkers’ eyeballs to the backs of their heads, even earning acclaim from NYT critics. The star taco here is centered on the brother’s love for Tijuana-style birria de res, a beef dish marinated in adobo and slow-cooked for five hours. The meat, combined with their corn tortillas, results in a deep flavor profile and smooth texture with every mouthful. Add a side of their brothy consomé if you just can’t get enough.

The West Coast does both Japanese and Mexican food so well that it only makes sense to marry the two cultures in a taco. That’s exactly what the clever cogs at Lucky Tacoshi did, putting fresh seafood in a crispy seaweed shell. Guests can get their crunch into delights such as the Tempura Shrimp Sushi Taco, the Salmon Sushi Taco, and even the Fried Oyster Sushi Taco. The restaurant makes tasty sushi burritos, too.

Founded in Falls Church, Virginia, by Chef Victor Albisu back in 2013, Taco Bamba has since become a regional sensation, with multiple outposts in VA, plus DC and NC. It’s all down to the creativity—each location comes up with its own special take alongside classic shells. Richmond’s our fave as it has the slightly out there Bamba Sailor, a taco stuffed with pastrami-spiced beef tongue, grilled knackwurst, cheese, rye mustard, jalapeño, onion, and pickle chips.

Last but not least, we had to round the list off with something sweet. Empellón is an upscale Mexican restaurant in Midtown that has the perfect grand finale. The Corn Ice Cream Taco takes a waffle cone, folds it into a taco shape, and fills it with corn-flavored ice cream. It’s then topped with a creamy corn-infused sauce and sprinkled with freeze-dried corn streusel. If that doesn’t satiate your corniness, nothing will.