The 13 Best Places To Get Tacos In Austin, 2023 Edition

It's not exactly a secret that tacos aren't originally from Austin, Texas. After all, these delicious tortilla-wrapped portions of meat, fish, or veggies famously hail from Mexico, where they were popularized by women during the Industrial Revolution. Nonetheless, Austin has a fabulous taco scene thanks to its location close to the Mexican border. And, fascinatingly, the city is actually said to have contributed to the invention of the beloved breakfast taco.

Breakfast tacos were likely created when Mexican-Americans began using the ever-popular tortilla to scoop up their eggs. However, the commercial concept of the breakfast taco didn't take off until the 1980s when Austin resident Anthony Vasquez decided to open the Tamale House. The establishment, which served tortillas stuffed with freshly-made eggs, soon became a success. Before long, the dish captured the imagination of the wider public, with news of breakfast tacos spreading to other parts of the country via rave reviews from visiting food journalists.

Thanks to this major culinary contribution, Austin became a major player in the American taco scene. To this day, the city is home to a number of wonderful restaurants that serve tacos — both for breakfast and otherwise. From the iconic fare served at Tamale House to the heirloom corn served at ATX Cocina, these are the best places to eat tacos in Austin in 2023.

No Austin taco establishment may be as iconic as Tamale House. This restaurant, which popularized breakfast tacos among Austinites in the 1980s, got started when co-founder Anthony Vasquez took a trip to California. There, in the Golden State, the father noticed that people of all backgrounds enjoyed purchasing tacos from informal eateries, including street-side stands. Inspired by the Californians' openness to Mexican cuisine, Vasquez returned to Texas, where he decided to sell his wife's specialty breakfast tacos to locals. Tamale House was born.

Like many businesses, Tamale House took a while to gain popularity. As Vasquez's daughter, Diana Vasquez-Valera, told Eater, "Breakfast tacos began when they were sold to the public, and they became — not an overnight sensation, but a novelty, a delicioso concept." In time, however, the restaurant became an Austin institution. These days, it continues selling its famous breakfast tacos under the leadership of Vasquez-Valera's nieces and nephews, who are intent on keeping their family's tradition alive.

Because of its commitment to tradition, the Tamale House menu still offers a wide selection of homemade breakfast tacos stuffed with classic ingredients like eggs, potatoes, and avocados. These fillings are served on warm flour tortillas and topped with house-made salsas. If you are in Austin and looking for a place to enjoy a real breakfast taco, this is the place to go.

While breakfast tacos are certainly a local classic, the Austin taco scene offers plenty of other good eats. Taqueria Jessica serves premium quality tacos stuffed with delicious meats, cheeses and veggies. Located off McNeil Drive in North Austin, this casual establishment could very well serve the best tacos in town. Its typical, weekday menu offers freshly made corn tortillas stuffed with slow-cooked beef or pork. However, Taqueria Jessica's pièce de résistance is very much their quesa-birra taco plate, which is available only on Fridays and Saturdays. 

In this uniquely delicious dish, homemade tortillas are served with piles of authentic beef barbacoa on top. But, unlike your typical barbacoa fare, these tacos are made with tortillas that have been soaked in the juices of the meat. This culinary tactic will not only give your tortillas a gorgeous orange color, but it will also infuse them with a rich umami taste. The result is a plate of tacos that is tender, fatty, and deeply flavorful. As an added bonus, Taqueria Jessica sells these tacos with a generous side of the consommé that the tortillas are soaked in. This means that if you want to boost the meaty flavor of your tacos, all you have to do is dunk them in the sauce.

Food trucks have long been a major player in the Texas culinary scene, and not least among them is Top Taco. Founded in 2016, Top Taco quickly became a favorite among folks hungry for authentic Austin tacos. The establishment became especially well-known for its veggie poblano tacos, which are finished in gooey Monterrey Jack. Its sirloin tacos have also become a classic since they are stuffed to the brim with a flavorful and tender cut of steak. 

Because of the high-quality of these eats, Top Taco has taken off, even becoming one of the few local food trucks to turn into a franchise. It even has multiple brick and mortar restaurants in Austin, making it easier to access from all over town.

While some might be suspicious of Top Taco's rapid growth, the restaurant remains popular among locals. In 2019, it won Nextdoor's neighborhood favorite award. Considering just how many Mexican restaurants there are in Austin, earning this recognition was no small feat. 

If you are looking for authentic Mexican food, this is the spot to go. 3 Hermanas Taqueria may be a food truck, but it is hardly representative of the "trendier" Austin taco spots (you won't find tortillas stuffed with more global ingredients like kimchi or poutine). Instead, 3 Hermanas focuses on traditional Mexican cuisine, posting its fare on a Facebook page that is only published in Spanish.

In practice, this means that 3 Hermanas offers way more than your classic beef or carnitas tacos. It also sells tacos campechanos — a unique type of street food that is most usually found in Mexico. These delightful treats often include a mixture of beef, pork, and chorizo to create a taco that is savory, fatty, and satisfying. In addition to this specialty, 3 Hermanas sells egg tacos stuffed with earthy nopalitos — a type of edible cactus leaf often known as a "green steak." Thanks to their light, vegetable flavor, these cactus leaves pair beautifully with spicy salsa and delicate eggs. They are a must-try.

Just as the name suggests, Granny's Tacos prepares Mexican food the way that someone's grandmother might. Unlike other establishments that might buy their salsa or tortillas off the shelf at the local supermarket, this food truck prepares its tacos the traditional way. As explained on its official website, Granny's Tacos is committed to making every one of its ingredients from scratch. In stark contrast to trendier locales that sell newer versions of the taco, this Austin taco spot sticks to the classics. Its salsas, seasonings, and marinades are all made using recipes that have been passed down to the owners from previous generations.

This commendable commitment to traditional taco-making methods is what allows Granny's Tacos to shine above the rest. But, don't just take our word for it. With over 500 positive reviews and a 5-star rating on Yelp, this food truck is already a favorite among Austinites. Try their mole tacos, which are dunked in a delicious, house-made sauce. You might just find yourself heading back up to the counter for more.

If you head to a mainstream U.S. taco spot, you'll likely only find the basic "chicken, beef, or fish" options. At Las Trancas Taco Stand, you get so much more than that. When it comes to taco fillings, this food truck offers types of meat that are only rarely available at North American restaurants. In addition to staples like brisket or pork, Las Trancas serves tacos full of ingredients like beef cheeks, pork stomach, tongue, and even pork skin.

Not only are these elements authentically Mexican, but they are also deeply historical. After all, some of the first tacos to ever appear in Mexico were made with organs rather than meat. In that sense, you can count on Las Trancas to transport you back to the true origins of the ever-popular taco.

Naturally, when talking about the Austin taco scene, it is essential to talk about price. It's no secret that the cost of living in Austin has been on the rise, meaning that there aren't too many places to get a good, reasonably-priced meal close to the river. Las Trancas is the solution to this problem. With its relatively inexpensive tacos and prime location on East Cesar Chavez Street, this taqueria is the perfect place to go after a stroll at Lady Bird Park.

While some Mexican restaurants focus on national cuisine, others focus on regional specialties. Such is the case of Pueblo Viejo, an Austin taco establishment run by brother/sister team Margarita Mendez and Nestor Méndez Martínez. According to the restaurant's website, the siblings originally opened the eatery to bring the flavors of their Mexican hometown to Austin. And, from what we can tell, their decision paid-off. Originally founded as a taco trailer, Pueblo Viejo grew so popular that brick and mortar restaurants were needed. These days, you can enjoy Pueblo Viejo in one of five locations, spread across the city.   

Part of the reason that Pueblo Viejo has become so popular is that its barbacoa tacos are out of this world — and they aren't like anything else you'll find at most other restaurants. At Pueblo Viejo's Pickle Road location, the barbacoa is prepared with lamb instead of beef, and the meat undergoes a unique culinary process that makes it extra succulent and flavorful. Here, the lamb is wrapped in agave leaves before being cooked on low heat for a full eight hours. The result is a fatty, juicy pile of lamb that is so soft it practically falls apart in your mouth. 

If you can't make it to Mexico City this summer, worry not! You need only travel as far as Cuantos Tacos — a food truck normally parked in East Austin. This taqueria stands out from the rest partially because its owner, Luis "Beto" Robledo, perfected his cooking skills at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary school before opening his restaurant. Additionally, as the chef told The Austin Chronicle, he spent a full year learning about different taco varieties before deciding to serve Mexico City-style fare. 

Speaking to the outlet, Robledo recalled how he made that decision. "We're in Austin where there's so many types of tacos that are all really great, but I felt like we are missing that 'standing on the curb at night with one light bulb hanging over you' kind that you really miss when you go back to the family." In his view, the only type of tacos that could really offer that unique feel were the Mexico City kind. 

Thus, on his trip to the Mexican capital, Robledo purchased the same culinary appliances used by vaqueros. He also decided to incorporate traditional ingredients, like beef cheek and pork stomach, onto his menu. In the end, Robledo's quest to bring authentic Mexican fare to Texas has been a huge success. The chef even drives hours every week to secure the right-sized tortillas. After all, as he told the Austin Chronicle, "true street-style tacos have to be really thin, small, and already pre-sealed."

Although the Austin taco scene is full of genuine Mexican eats, not every restaurant is concerned with whether or not its offerings are authentic. Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ proudly touts its "Tex Mex" status in its name. And, while this certainly is not the spot to order, say, pork skin tacos, it is the perfect place to go enjoy another Texas favorite: BBQ. 

At Valentina's you can indulge in classic smoked meats, like pulled pork, spare ribs, and brisket. Prepared by Aaron Franklin (a "barbecue master," says Time Out), these meats are so succulent and tender that they could only have been made by a true professional. The brisket tacos are especially delicious: Flavorful, salsa-topped meat on a taco shell with a dash of lime, a pinch of sea salt, and plenty of guacamole. Here, the acidity of the citrus in the dressings helps cut through the heavier flavors of the rich barbecued meat. The result is a taco that is beefy yet balanced. 

Just because Valentina's specializes in BBQ meat, however, does not mean that it does not serve great Mexican fare, as well. The restaurant prepares its own flour tortillas in-house. These freshly-made carbs provide the perfect balance to the fattier meats, like the brisket.

Joe's Bakery and Coffee Shop might be considered a breakfast joint, but that doesn't mean it doesn't offer great tacos. This neighborhood gem makes homemade flour tortillas that are produced with the level of care that you can only get from bakers who have been in the business forever. Indeed, Joe's has been up and running in one form or another since 1935 when Sophia and Florentino De La O founded it together. To this day, the restaurant remains in the hands of the same family that created it, allowing the newer generation to continue the tortilla-making traditions of the past.

To get a taste of the De La O family classics, order a round of homemade bacon and egg breakfast tacos. In this delectable combination the fresh, clean flavor of the tortilla offsets the fattiness of the bacon, leaving you with a bite that's both savory and smooth. The eggs round out the dish even further, providing a mild yet rich taste that helps draw the other two flavors together. We cannot imagine a better way to start the day.

While there are plenty of awesome food trucks in Austin, not every place offers a genuine sit-down taco experience. The good news is that El Alma Café y Cantina seeks to bring people to a dinner table, where they can "break tacos" and relax. Head chef and partner Alma Alcocer-Thomas created the locale with a strong vision in mind: She wanted the restaurant to have a lighthearted atmosphere, where people could enjoy the Mexico City specials that she was raised on. Her project was successful.

El Alma Café y Cantina offers delicious tacos filled to the brim with authentic Mexican ingredients and served on handmade corn tortillas. Particularly enticing are the lamb barbacoa tacos, which stand out from the beef barbacoa that's all too common in the Austin taco world. Served with a portion of habanero pickled onions and carrots, these tacos are so sour yet spicy that they completely balance out the fattiness of the lamb. Here, the pickled veggies serve as something of a palate cleanser that prevents patrons from becoming overwhelmed by the barbacoa's intensity. The result is a type of taco that you can sink your teeth into time and time again.

Many taco fans love washing their food down with a refreshing beverage, but let's face it — not all Austin taco spots serve amazing margaritas. The good news is that, at Licha's Cantina, this is not a problem. There, chefs put just as much care into their cocktails as they do their house-made tortillas. As explained on the restaurant's website, Licha's Cantina is against serving the pre-made juices that abound at other taco establishments. Instead, they craft all of their cocktails with freshly-squeezed juices. This makes their margaritas and sangrias even more flavorful than your typical fare.

Just because Licha's serves incredible cocktails doesn't mean that their tacos are an afterthought. Al contrario. Just like the restaurant's juices, its tacos are made from scratch. The tortillas are made fresh every day, guaranteeing that every patron will get to experience that perfectly soft first bite. Similarly, the tacos' meat fillings are also prepared at Licha's Cantina via traditional methods like brining. While the locale does have options for vegetarians, it also embraces some of the most classic taco ingredients that traditionalists expect. Overall, with its flavorful cocktails and homemade tacos, this restaurant is the perfect spot to spend an incredible evening. 

Corn is a central part of Mexican cuisine, and ATX Cocina knows it. Indeed, corn is the star of this upscale eatery, which serves all of its tacos on homemade corn tortillas. To ensure the quality of this essential ingredient, ATX Cocina only purchases "heirloom varieties of corn grown by small family farms in Mexico," the restaurant's website confirms. This guarantees that the tacos burst with the fresh flavors of true maíz, bringing the taste of Mexico to Austin. It also makes the establishment ideal for folks with any kind of gluten intolerance — the restaurant is completely gluten-free. 

Just because ATX Cocina specializes in corn does not mean that it does not offer other incredible, high quality taco ingredients. None of the chilies or beans used in their recipes contain GMOs. On top of that, meat ingredients, like fish and beef, are only procured from reputable sources. This ensures that every element of your tacos will be fresh, flavorful, and perfectly-balanced. If you are interested in experiencing tacos on a fine-dining level, this is the ideal restaurant for you.