Got a case of the Mexican munchies? Good news, we've rounded up the best places all across the country to get your taco fix.
From the standard ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, chili, and cheese, to gastronomic delights to double starchy rice-filled tacos with fresh veggies and carnitas, these taquerias are well worth the drive.
1. Simplicity is key here with these no frill tacos from El Rancho Grande. Real Mexican tacos with a home-cooked aroma fill the air as you walk past their restaurant in Miami Beach.
2. How about fusing some caribbean flavor into your Mexican snack. These tacos from FUEL Cantina Charleston feature some jerk chicken with green chile aïoli and were even a top pick by Guy Fieri on his show Diners Driveins and Dives.
3. Tacos and tequila? Me gusta! Taqueria del Sol in Atlanta not only serves "cross-cultural" tacos but also has a special barbecue sauce laced with tequila.
4. The Windy City may not be the first place that comes to mind when you need your taco fix satiated, but Tio Luis Tacos seems to be on to something. As described by Phil Vettel for the Chicago Tribune, "The fresh veggies, soft tortilla, and Key lime all came together in wonderful harmony."
5. L.A. Has got a handle on this "soul taco" from Los Cinco Puntos. Corn tortilla wraps are made fresh everyday and their choices of fill-ins are mixed to such tangy perfection, you won't even need to add hot sauce to them.
6. Zagat singles out this taco as one of its top favorites. The unique mix of seafood by Chef Adan Trinidad give the tuna tacos at Sancho Pistola in Philadelphia a seaside taco experience like no other.
7. Move over corn tortilla, jicama is where it's at! And Lolo in San Francisco has discovered that thinly slices jicama make for the most excellent taco wraps you've ever tasted.
8. The Nation's capital also has a taco joint gem. Try out the carnitas tacos at Oyamel, topped with crispy pork rinds to add that extra salty crunch to every bite.
9. It's hard to find an honest to goodness real taco on Providence Rhode Island, but Gail Ciampa of The Providence Journal found her secret spot at La Lupita Tacos Mexicanos. Half-grocery store and half mexican eatery, you'll never know you weren't south of the border when you have a bite of their pulled pork crispy tacos.
10. The Shed in Santa Fe is famous for its blue corn tortilla dishes. When tourists aren't filling up the seats at the height of tourist season, locals also flock to this joint all year round.
11. The avant garde pastry chef Alex Stupak is the brains behind Empellon Taqueria in New York's West Village. Light and flaky fish tempura tacos are their signature dish.
12. Tacos and the Tropics are the perfect mix that you can't believe you've never thought of before. The Painted Burro in Boston has created the ultimate flavor fusion taco with their Mahi Mahi A La Plancha Taco. Pineapple and avocados? Si!
13. The Taco Guild in Phoenix was built on the site of a former Methodist Church. And their old world and new school taco concoctions are most definitely a taste of the divine.
14. Mmm is right when you step into Mi Mero Mole in Portland. Their nixtamal tortillas are filled with nothing but the best eclectic mix of meat or all-veggie options you can dream of. Potatos and cactus? Who knew they would go so well together?
15. The lines can sometimes go around the block when you have a craving for Tito's Tacos hard shelled tacos. The little eatery in Culver City, California has been around since 1959 and with their old-school shredded beef tacos with iceberg lettuce; it's not very hard to see why.
16. Las Vegas is more than just casinos and over-the-top shows. Tucked away amidst the bright lights is Border Grill from chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken. Their fried crispy potato rajas made with real Yukon Gold potatoes is one taco fix on the strip you will not want to miss.
17. Where better to find some real Tex-Mex flare than good old, Dallas, Texas? Gonzalez has been a staple food joint since 1973 and makes most of their ingredients in-house.
18. Chef Ricardo Valdes' Taco and Tiki Tuesdays has everyone scurrying to Essex in Seattle to grab a bite of his hand-made flour tortillas and fish tacos.
19. The Reyes Deli and Grocery has been named as one of Brooklyn's must-sees (must-eats). Ligaya Mishan, columnist for the New York Times "Hungry City" singles out their carnitas in the special issue dedicated all to tacos.
20. And finally, even the posh neighborhood of Greenwich in Riverside, Connecticut needs their taco fixes once in a while. Good thing they've got El Charito to find some authentic Mexican take-out right in their city.
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Photos:
Ari Helminen | Flickr Luca Nebuloni | Flickr
