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A wax paper-lined serving basket filled with three tacos and two lime wedges.
Tacos al pastor from Anna’s Taqueria.
Anna’s Taqueria

Boston’s Top Tacos

Rich birria tacos, breakfast tacos, grasshopper tacos, and more

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Tacos al pastor from Anna’s Taqueria.
| Anna’s Taqueria

For breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night, the Boston area offers hearty breakfast tacos with egg, sausage, potatoes, and cheese; tacos with classic fillings like carnitas, al pastor, fried fish, or grasshoppers; trendy birria; and cheffy offerings like chili duck paired with vanilla plantain puree.

While the taco field is vast, this list highlights just a few standout options right now. (For a broader view of Mexican dishes, visit Eater Boston’s list of top Mexican restaurants.)

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Grasshopper Tacos at Tu y Yo

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Somerville’s hit Oaxacan taqueria brings some of Mexico’s most fun ingredients to Boston. The menu pops with enigmatic flavors of nopales in green mole, chopped pork tenderloin in peanut sauce, and an appetizer portion of tiny, crunchy tacos de chapulines stuffed with grasshoppers and chiles.

Cochinita Tacos at La Brasa

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Chef and owner Daniel Bojorquez grew up in Hermosillo, Mexico, and while his cuisine at the greenery-covered La Brasa isn’t strictly Mexican, the crispy cochinita tacos brings the best of the Yucatan to Boston. Tender pork brightened with achiote and citrus is tucked into made-to-order corn tortillas and served with salsa verde, cilantro, and onion.

Ice Cream Taco at Honeycomb Creamery

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Taco Tuesday gets a sweet spin at Honeycomb Creamery where chocolate waffle taco shells are lovingly packed with Thai tea ice cream, dipped in dark chocolate, and topped off with a swirl of piped Italian buttercream and a dazzle of sprinkles. Act fast, tacos are first-come, first-served and only available on Tuesdays.

Birria Tacos at Taquería Jalisco

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Warm and cheesy with a rich consomé on the side, the slow-cooked, adobo-rich birria tacos at this tiny, old-school Mexican spot tick all the comfort food boxes. Lengua tacos are another crowd favorite here.

Beef Cheek Tacos at Taqueria El Amigo

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This bustling taco stand makes pilgrimages out of visits to Waltham. The beef cheek stands out among a glowing list of tacos. Note that this tiny spot has limited seating, so prepare to take tacos on the go if you can’t wait around for one of the few, coveted seats.

Breakfast Tacos at State Park

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Vincent’s, a home for excellent Texas-style breakfast tacos on the weekend, closed in February 2024, but their tacos live on during weekend brunch at State Park in Kendall Square (owned by the same team). Buttery flour tortillas are stuffed with fillings like chorizo, crispy potatoes, and eggs; smoked brisket, beans, eggs, and cheddar; and more.

Chicharron Tacos at Naco Taco

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At Naco Taco, the chicharron tacos are one-of-a-kind: crispy pork belly is layered over sesame slaw and doused in a garlic-chile-soy sauce with a little cilantro and Sriracha mayo added for good measure. Best eaten on the expansive outdoor patio at their flagship location near MIT.

Tacos al Pastor at Anna's Taqueria

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You know it, you love it. With seven locations around town, no one is ever too far from this beloved local chain that has been feeding Boston for nearly 30 years. The tacos al pastor are the restaurant’s most popular, with slow-cooked pork, pineapple, and a sprinkling of red onions. Takeout tacos are also top-notch here: The to-go boxes are built with individual slots for the tacos so they don’t get jumbled.

An opened box with three individual taco slots filled with tacos.
Takeout tacos from Anna’s Taqueria.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Carnitas Tacos at Lone Star Taco Bar

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Hit taco bar Lone Star pulls the best flavors from many regions of the taco world — Austin, Dallas, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Oaxaca. The tender pork in the carnitas taco comes topped with bright salsa verde and queso fresco. Other standout tacos include the gooey chorizo fundido, as well as a couple of variations on the fish taco.

Fish Tacos at Taqueria El Barrio

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Here’s a perfect dinner plan on a warm weather day: Order a lineup of fish tacos from northern Mexican hit Taqueria El Barrio — with crispy mahi mahi, crunchy cabbage, pico de gallo, and chipotle mayo — pair it with a beer from nearby Boston brewery Trillium, and devour it all on the premises’ sunny outdoor patio.

Chili Duck Tacos at Yellow Door Taqueria

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This laid-back taco shop, backed by local celebrities including Dropkick Murphys singer Ken Casey, has a fervent following around Boston. Settle in at the taqueria’s newest location in Mission Hill and reach for tacos with fillings like chili barbeque roasted duck, paired with a vanilla plantain puree, pickled red onions, crema, and strips of plantains, piled onto a housemade corn tortilla.

Chicken Tinga Tacos at Chilacates

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Chilacates first debuted in Jamaica Plain in 2015 and now has locations sprinkled all around the city. At any of the restaurants, including the original shop on Amory Street, the chicken tinga tacos are a must-order. The team stuffs corn tortillas with tender, pulled-apart chicken bathed in a slightly spicy chipotle sauce — with a squeeze of lime over top, it’s pretty near perfect.

Birria Tacos at Dora Taqueria

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Dora Taqueria opened just weeks before the pandemic closed down the city in 2020. In the intervening years, it has not only survived but thrived: Owner Kelmyn Mejia and his daughter Kimberly expanded with a Woburn location of the taqueria in 2022. For the uninitiated, start with the birria tacos. The crispy, fried outer shells give way to flavorful stewed beef mixed with gobs of melty cheese, ready to dip in a side cup of warming, smoky consomé.

A foil takeout container with three fried birria tacos and a side styrofoam container filled with stew, with a white lid on top.
Birria tacos from Dora Taqueria.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Grasshopper Tacos at Tu y Yo

Somerville’s hit Oaxacan taqueria brings some of Mexico’s most fun ingredients to Boston. The menu pops with enigmatic flavors of nopales in green mole, chopped pork tenderloin in peanut sauce, and an appetizer portion of tiny, crunchy tacos de chapulines stuffed with grasshoppers and chiles.

Cochinita Tacos at La Brasa

Chef and owner Daniel Bojorquez grew up in Hermosillo, Mexico, and while his cuisine at the greenery-covered La Brasa isn’t strictly Mexican, the crispy cochinita tacos brings the best of the Yucatan to Boston. Tender pork brightened with achiote and citrus is tucked into made-to-order corn tortillas and served with salsa verde, cilantro, and onion.

Ice Cream Taco at Honeycomb Creamery

Taco Tuesday gets a sweet spin at Honeycomb Creamery where chocolate waffle taco shells are lovingly packed with Thai tea ice cream, dipped in dark chocolate, and topped off with a swirl of piped Italian buttercream and a dazzle of sprinkles. Act fast, tacos are first-come, first-served and only available on Tuesdays.

Birria Tacos at Taquería Jalisco

Warm and cheesy with a rich consomé on the side, the slow-cooked, adobo-rich birria tacos at this tiny, old-school Mexican spot tick all the comfort food boxes. Lengua tacos are another crowd favorite here.

Beef Cheek Tacos at Taqueria El Amigo

This bustling taco stand makes pilgrimages out of visits to Waltham. The beef cheek stands out among a glowing list of tacos. Note that this tiny spot has limited seating, so prepare to take tacos on the go if you can’t wait around for one of the few, coveted seats.

Breakfast Tacos at State Park

Vincent’s, a home for excellent Texas-style breakfast tacos on the weekend, closed in February 2024, but their tacos live on during weekend brunch at State Park in Kendall Square (owned by the same team). Buttery flour tortillas are stuffed with fillings like chorizo, crispy potatoes, and eggs; smoked brisket, beans, eggs, and cheddar; and more.

Chicharron Tacos at Naco Taco

At Naco Taco, the chicharron tacos are one-of-a-kind: crispy pork belly is layered over sesame slaw and doused in a garlic-chile-soy sauce with a little cilantro and Sriracha mayo added for good measure. Best eaten on the expansive outdoor patio at their flagship location near MIT.

Tacos al Pastor at Anna's Taqueria

You know it, you love it. With seven locations around town, no one is ever too far from this beloved local chain that has been feeding Boston for nearly 30 years. The tacos al pastor are the restaurant’s most popular, with slow-cooked pork, pineapple, and a sprinkling of red onions. Takeout tacos are also top-notch here: The to-go boxes are built with individual slots for the tacos so they don’t get jumbled.

An opened box with three individual taco slots filled with tacos.
Takeout tacos from Anna’s Taqueria.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Carnitas Tacos at Lone Star Taco Bar

Hit taco bar Lone Star pulls the best flavors from many regions of the taco world — Austin, Dallas, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Oaxaca. The tender pork in the carnitas taco comes topped with bright salsa verde and queso fresco. Other standout tacos include the gooey chorizo fundido, as well as a couple of variations on the fish taco.

Fish Tacos at Taqueria El Barrio

Here’s a perfect dinner plan on a warm weather day: Order a lineup of fish tacos from northern Mexican hit Taqueria El Barrio — with crispy mahi mahi, crunchy cabbage, pico de gallo, and chipotle mayo — pair it with a beer from nearby Boston brewery Trillium, and devour it all on the premises’ sunny outdoor patio.

Chili Duck Tacos at Yellow Door Taqueria

This laid-back taco shop, backed by local celebrities including Dropkick Murphys singer Ken Casey, has a fervent following around Boston. Settle in at the taqueria’s newest location in Mission Hill and reach for tacos with fillings like chili barbeque roasted duck, paired with a vanilla plantain puree, pickled red onions, crema, and strips of plantains, piled onto a housemade corn tortilla.

Chicken Tinga Tacos at Chilacates

Chilacates first debuted in Jamaica Plain in 2015 and now has locations sprinkled all around the city. At any of the restaurants, including the original shop on Amory Street, the chicken tinga tacos are a must-order. The team stuffs corn tortillas with tender, pulled-apart chicken bathed in a slightly spicy chipotle sauce — with a squeeze of lime over top, it’s pretty near perfect.

Birria Tacos at Dora Taqueria

Dora Taqueria opened just weeks before the pandemic closed down the city in 2020. In the intervening years, it has not only survived but thrived: Owner Kelmyn Mejia and his daughter Kimberly expanded with a Woburn location of the taqueria in 2022. For the uninitiated, start with the birria tacos. The crispy, fried outer shells give way to flavorful stewed beef mixed with gobs of melty cheese, ready to dip in a side cup of warming, smoky consomé.

A foil takeout container with three fried birria tacos and a side styrofoam container filled with stew, with a white lid on top.
Birria tacos from Dora Taqueria.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

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