Yelp recently released its annual Best Taco Spot in Every State for 2024 collection, which lists the best restaurants to grab a taco in each state across the U.S.
Tacos, and Mexican food in general, have risen in popularity all over the country. Yelp searches for “tacos” are highest in the expected states of Texas, California, and Arizona, but they’re also increasing in unexpected areas like North Dakota (up 51%), West Virginia (up 37%), and Maine (up 23%).
Trending in Tacos
Amidst this taco frenzy, Yelp's noticed some specific flavors and offerings trending.
Al pastor is on the rise. Move over birria, al pastor may be the hot new thing in tacos. Al pastor is a spin on Middle Eastern shawarma, featuring slow-roasted marinated pork that’s hand-carved, loaded on tacos, and topped with pineapple. Y
Specialty menus. Focus on what you do best is now the motto for many restaurants as they pare down their menus. A growing number of taquerias are following suit and making only their specialty tacos.
Mex meets Tex. This year, many restaurants are offering traditional Mexican-style tacos as well as more American Tex-Mex style.
The Best Taco Spots List
To create its list, Yelp identified businesses in the taco category with a large concentration of reviews mentioning relevant keywords. Yelp then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews mentioning those keywords between January 1, 2019 and July 1, 2024. If a business with multiple locations appeared on the list more than once, they only included the highest-rated location.
Here's a peek at some of the best taco joints in the country:
Arizona: Just Tacos and More, Phoenix
Three expansive menus—land, sea, and guisados (stewed fillings)—offer plenty of choice for taco lovers at this fast-casual favorite. Everything from pork carnitas to beer-battered shrimp to cheese-stuffed jalapenos are crafted in-house. The tortillas come from a local vendor.
California: Birrieria Little Tijuana, Riverside
This strip-mall shop ranked #2 on Yelp’s 2023 list of Top 100 US Taco Spots. You won’t find carnitas or any other classic street taco fillings here, just their beef birria and its cheesy cousin, the quesabirria.
Florida: Tacos Jalisco, Key Largo
This busy food truck was in the top 10 of Yelp’s 2023 Top 100 US Taco Spots. It features homemade salsas, fresh-griddled corn tortillas, and authentic Jalisco comfort food recipes.
New York: Los Tacos No. 1, New York City
Three friends from San Diego set out to re-create the Tijuana taco stands they loved on vacation, and in the process, built a 6-location New York City taco empire. There's always a line at his standing-room-only spot to sample the small menu: just 4 street-style tacos filled with grilled steak, grilled chicken, marinated pork, or nopales (cactus).
View the full list of states and winning taquerias here.
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