Nashville is known for hot chicken; Chicago is known for deep dish; Houston is known for tacos. National Taco Day is October 4th, but Houstonians celebrate the warm tortilla-wrapped dish 365 days a year. The city’s culinary landscape is saturated with taco trucks, Tex-Mex restaurants, and taquerias on every street corner: a true taco utopia. 

While every neighborhood in the area has a place to get tacos, these three Houston neighborhoods embody everything tacos stand for: culture, tradition, and community.

Montrose

Montrose neighborhood of Houston

In Montrose, laid-back dive bars and tattoo parlors dwell beside upscale eateries and high-fashion boutiques. The taco scene in Montrose is no different. From trendy to traditional and award-winning to unassuming, Montrose’s taco options reflect the neighborhood’s charming eccentricities.

Most Innovative

Dallas import Velvet Taco takes popular dishes from across cuisines (think chicken tikka masala) and asks “what would this taste like in taco form?” Montrose is a mish-mash of cultures so it makes sense that neighborhood natives fawn over Velvet Taco’s culinary fusions. Besides the spicy chicken tikka taco, the shrimp and grits taco and the red curry coconut queso are area favorites.

Sure, Torchy’s is an Austin-based chain, but that doesn’t make the tacos any less delicious. Montrosians pack onto Torchy’s patio for their midday queso fix and taco creations as imaginative as their namesake like the Trailer Park (with fried chicken, lettuce, pico, and cheese), Alabama Shake (cornmeal-crusted catfish and poblano slaw), and Mr. Orange (blackened salmon, grilled corn, and black bean relish).

Goodnight Charlie’s is another offbeat option. The menu features a combination of traditional street tacos like cochinita pibil (slow-roasted pulled pork) alongside modern renditions like the fried Hot Chicken taco—all of this in a honky-tonk that’s in a neighborhood where denizens would only wear cowboy boots ironically. Somehow, it works.

The Neighborhood Hangout

Ask 10 random Houstonians to name their favorite taco truck in the city, and a majority will say Tacos Tierra Caliente. The white and orange truck with faded lettering sitting in a convenience store parking lot would be easy to miss were it not for the crowd lined up in front. Grabbing a handful of tacos and grubbing at West Alabama Ice House next door is a neighborhood tradition.

Award-winning

Hugo’s dishes have been lauded in local and national publications, and renowned chef Hugo Ortega’s received a prestigious James Beard Award in 2017. The restaurant’s scratch-made tacos marry Ortega’s Mexican roots with Montrose’s foodie future.

Greater East End

Ninfa's photo courtesy of JaseMan

The Greater East End is a culture-rich neighborhood and one of Houston’s historic districts. While the city has no shortage of taco spots, The East End’s options are innumerable, cherished, and representative of the community.

Best Breakfast Tacos

Brothers Taco House opens its no-frills shop at 5 a.m. on weekdays. Heavy-lidded locals stop in on their way to work for breakfast tacos stuffed with eggs, bacon, potatoes, and chorizo. Don’t worry—the line moves quickly.

Villa Arcos is a quaint red and white building on Navigation Boulevard. The menu includes 19 variations of breakfast tacos—available all day and served on handmade flour tortillas. Residents enjoy the taqueria’s warm and welcoming vibe and the homestyle familial cooking.

The Heart of the Community

Ninfa’s is a longstanding East End institution that helped popularize fajitas as a Tex-Mex staple. Families and other neighborhood dwellers gather at Ninfa’s for celebrations, meetings, and brunches after the weekly East End Farmers Market.

Tasty & Traditional

A chili rub gives Taco Keto’s red tortillas their distinct coloring. Tacos from the matching red trailer are piled with traditional meat treats like lengua (beef tongue), cuerito (pig skin), and tripe. The Chavez family and their “koketadas” are beloved by East End inhabitants.

Northside

Northside neighborhood of Houston

Northside is an affordable residential neighborhood directly above Downtown. The area’s quiet streets lined with standalone cottages draw families and professionals looking for low-key digs. Tacos in the area consistently rank highly on citywide lists.

Top Street Tacos

La Macro slings their signature trompo tacos from a truck stationed at Raven Tower, a sky box bar, patio hangout, and music hall. Feasting on La Macro’s tender spit-spun al pastor tacos is a communal experience.

Old School Joint

Gerardo’s Drive-In is a Northside classic and has been a source of community comfort food since 1977. Juicy beef-cheek barbacoa tacos are Gerardo’s specialty.

Late Night Bite

El Taconazo, located near Moody Park, is a perfect option for afternoon picnics. Locals line up in front of this cash-only truck for barbacoa, lengua, and trompo tacos. On Fridays and Saturdays El Taconazo stays open until 2:30 a.m., a greasy beacon for late night bar crawlers.