The Spoon Choice Awards celebrate eateries in college towns for providing the most delicious food and inviting environments to students in the area. All of the winners are chosen by college students at universities around the country.
What's not to love about tacos? There are so many options to choose from — for carnivores and vegetarians, alike — and at some restaurants, the possibilities are truly endless. But aside from their versatility, tacos are generally an affordable meal option and perfect for a quick bite that can be ordered in between classes or for dinner. Taco spots (or taquerias) are a favorite among college students across the country. Don't believe us? Take it from the students from different universities around the nation who shared their favorite taquerias below, in case you find yourself traveling and in need of an al pastor taco or a cold margarita.
Click on the map above to check out all the winners.
Malibu, Fairfield, CT
Malibu brings the West Coast to the East with a relaxed environment, colorful decor, and outdoor patio. The tacos here are vibrant with toppings and range from buffalo cauliflower to spicy crumbled chorizo to pork carnitas. Don’t forget to get the chips and guac on the side.
Nominated by Fairfield University
Taqueria El Carrizal, Allston, MA
If you really want good tacos, you should probably head to Eastie, but Taqueria El Carrizal is a much closer spot to BU's campus to get amazing Mexican, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran food. The combinacion de tacos (taco combination) is highly recommended — three tacos (steak, chicken, and pork) served with rice, beans, and avocado.
Nominated by Boston University
El Jefe's Taqueria, Boston, MA
El Jefe’s Taqueria is an affordable taco spot where you’re able to customize your tacos and burritos. The taqueria offers large portions and relatively cheap prices. Plus, some of the locations are open until 4 a.m. — perfect for those late-night taco cravings.
Nominated by Boston University
Maria's Taqueria, Boston, MA
You could order anything off the menu at Maria's Taqueria, and you would never be disappointed. The delicious taco selection includes steak, chipotle chicken, carnitas, and beans with rice. For every order, you get two corn tortillas served with pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese, and hot sauce.
Nominated by Emerson College
Burro Bar, Boston, MA
The Burro Bar has a cool atmosphere with tons of options. Its taco menu has 10 choices from a classic pork carnitas taco, topped with a butternut squash puree, apple salsa, Mexican crema, and cotija cheese, to a roasted beet taco, topped with hummus, sweet potatoes, goat cheese cream, cotija cheese, and spiced pepitas.
Nominated by Northeastern University
Tacoria, Princeton, NJ
Tacoria is a modern take on tacos and burritos with vegan offerings and vibrant art painted across the walls. And every dish is completely customizable, from the protein to the toppings to the type of dish.
Nominated by The College of New Jersey
Cocina Chente, Bronx, NY
The first things you notice at Cocina Chente are the beautiful decor and vibrant pinks and blues throughout the restaurant. Then, you’re captivated by the yummy and fresh food served on the cutest plates.
Nominated by Manhattan College
Chico's Tex Mex, Setauket-East Setauket, NY
Chico’s Tex Mex is a one-stop shop for all your cravings, offering tacos (obvi), nachos, empanadas, salad bowls, wings, burritos, pizzas, and more. You can choose two styles for the tacos: classic or street. The classic style is a hard shell or soft flour tortilla with lettuce, cheese, tomato, sour cream, and your choice of protein. The street style is a soft corn tortilla with salsa verde and roja with onions, cilantro, and your choice of protein.
Nominated by Stony Brook University
Dos Reales, Champaign, IL
Dos Reales is a casual spot with a colorful and rustic vibe. You will want to cover all of the dishes in the delicious white cheese sauce, but you won't need to, because just about everything on the menu already comes with it. It's that good.
Nominated by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Flaco's Tacos, Chicago, IL
The food at Flaco’s Tacos is made by hand daily using traditional recipes. The tacos are amazing — street corn chicken, poblano, and frijoles negros (black beans) to name a few — and horchata.
Nominated by Loyola University Chicago
Tomate Fresh Kitchen, Evanston, IL
Tomate Fresh Kitchen is a cheap and accessible spot. It has lots of options for taco fillings including pork, poultry, beef, veggie, and specialty items. Plus, it’s a great game day meal.
Nominated by Northwestern University
Santo Taco, Valparaiso, IN
This taco spot is a small, family-owned restaurant that serves up delicious Mexican food. Its menu features tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and other dishes. The poyo — marinated chicken with pineapple, topped with pickled cabbage, morita mayo salsa, and pico de gallo — and baja fish — fish lightly battered, topped with cabbage, pico de gallo, morita mayo salsa, and cilantro — tacos come highly recommended.
Nominated by Valparaiso University
Rusty Taco, Lawrence, KS
Rusty Taco is a casual spot with super friendly staff. The food is well-priced with handmade tacos, colorful drinks, and the sweetest churros.
Nominated by The University of Kansas
TAQ, Ann Arbor, MI
TAQ is all about fun vibes, making it the perfect date night spot. The tacos here are flavorful and full of color. The menu also has a diverse selection of taco fillings including chicken, beef, pork, seafood, and vegetarian.
Nominated by University of Michigan
El Azteco, East Lansing, MI
El Azteco is a restaurant with a large family dinner atmosphere, perfect for bringing your loud groups of friends. There's also great margaritas and indoor and outdoor seating, providing plenty of space to sit.
Nominated by Michigan State University
Plaza Mexican Grill, Columbus, OH
Plaza Mexican Grill is affordable and has great food. Its Plaza Street Taco dish is three corn tacos with one choice of a side including Mexican rice, black beans, refried beans, or fries, ranging from $13 to $16. We love a deal!
Nominated by The Ohio State University
AZ Taco King, Phoenix, AZ
AZ Taco King has the most amazing queso-tacos — the perfect combination of tacos and quesadillas. You can also order birria de res tamales to pickup for pregaming. Or, catch the AZ Taco King food truck out on the Phoenix streets Friday through Sunday.
Nominated by Grand Canyon University
Illegal Pete's, Tucson, AZ
Illegal Pete's has great food, with great options aside from tacos including burritos, nachos, and bowls. You can customize your dishes to have grilled chicken, steak, barbacoa, Mexican Coke carnitas, beer-battered fish, and a vegetarian option.
Nominated by University of Arizona
La Tienda, Gainesville, FL
If you are craving amazing Mexican food with endless options, head over to La Tienda. This spot has affordable prices and is close to the University of Florida campus.
Nominated University of Florida
Taco Mora, Tallahassee, FL
You will “never go hungry again" while at Taco Mora. It's affordable with tasty tacos ranging from queso birria to street tacos, a soft corn tortilla dipped in red mora sauce and seared on the grill.
Nominated by Florida State University
El Azteca, Atlanta, GA
This Mexican eatery is full of delicious food and margaritas. Some popular tacos include the tacos de carnitas and shrimp tacos, both served with rice and black beans.
Nominated by Savannah College of Art & Design, Atlanta
El Nopal Cold Spring, Cold Spring, KY
El Nopal has a fun atmosphere that makes the place lively. Try out its speciality tacos — the fish tacos come highly recommended — and finish off your evening with the sopapillas.
Nominated by Northern Kentucky University
Modesto, Baton Rouge, LA
Modesto has the most amazing street tacos like the birria or the barbacoa. But do not skip the queso; it's the cheesiest you've ever seen.
Nominated by Louisiana State University
Barracuda Taco Stand, New Orleans, LA
Barracuda Taco Stand is a casual taco spot with unique offerings like the mushroom and broccoli tacos. You can top your tacos with one of four different sauces (red, green, salsa macha, and arbol-habanero).
Nominated by Tulane University
Taco Joint, Austin, TX
The friendly staff at Taco Joint has you covered with not only regular tacos but breakfast tacos too. The menu is full of unique options and names like El Señor Crockett, a grilled beef fajita with onions and peppers topped with smoky gouda, or the Benedicto breakfast taco, a ham or steak taco topped with eggs, avocado, and hollandaise sauce. These tacos are served all day with the choice of homemade flour, corn, or wheat tortillas.
Nominated by The University of Texas at Austin
Don Chente Mexican & Seafood Restaurant, Bryan, TX
At this affordable spot, you can get tacos for just under three dollars. Aside from the street tacos, the birria tacos and flavorful consomé are highly recommended.
Nominated by Texas A&M UniversitySalsa Limón, Fort Worth, TX
This family-owned restaurant has a lively, Instagram-worthy vibe. The tacos here come on double-layered, gluten-free corn tortillas (but you can substitute for flour tortillas for 50 cents) and are topped with pickled cabbage, onion, cilantro, and your choice of filling.
Nominated by Texas Christian University
Velvet Taco, Richardson, TX
Velvet Taco is known for its not-so-traditional tacos. The Fried Paneer taco, for example, has fried paneer, tomato chutney, tikka sauce, raita crema, and Thai basil all on a flour tortilla.
Nominated by The University of Texas at Dallas
E-Loteria, Henrico, VA
E-Loteria has delectable food from ice cream to, of course, tacos. Each taco order comes with three corn tortilla tacos with your meat filling choice — al pastor (with pineapple), lengua (aka tongue), and steak — topped with onion and cilantro. The fish or shrimp tacos come on two eight-inch flour tortillas topped with mayo, lettuce, pico de gallo, and avocado.
Nominated by Virginia Commonwealth University
Tacos Sinaloa, Berkeley, CA
All of the tacos at Tacos Sinaloa are full of flavor and color, but the carne asada and chicken tacos, topped with cilantro, onions, and salsa, are highly recommended.
Nominated by University of California, Berkeley
Zocalo, Isla Vista, CA
Zocalo has some of the most authentic Mexican food in Isla Vista. The tacos come two to an order with your choice of protein and are served with homemade rice, brown beans, and pico de gallo.
Nominated by University of California, Santa Barbara
The Taco Stand, San Diego, CA
If you’re looking for fast and affordable tacos that don't skimp on toppings, the Taco Stand is for you. From classics like a carne asada and pollo asado tacos to more unique flavors like the nopal taco — a cactus taco with melted cheese (that you can substitute with beans), cilantro sauce, tomato, and avocado — this taco spot has it all.
Nominated by San Diego State University
Nelson's Taqueria, Eugene, OR
The food at Nelson's Taqueria has amazing flavor with seven different types of tacos, including vegetarian and vegan options. All orders can be made into a combo plate, which comes with a side of rice and beans.
Nominated by University of Oregon
Rancherito's Mexican Food, Roy, UT
Open 24 hours (!!!), Rancherito's offers delicious food for an affordable price. You might be overwhelmed with the sheer size of the menu, but everything is so good, you'll be back to try more before you know it.
Nominated by Weber State University
El Maestro del Taco, Bellevue, WA
El Maestro is a food truck with classic offerings that may not reinvent the taco wheel, but are some of the best around. Ask anyone around campus, and they will have only amazing things to say about it.
Nominated by Northwest University
Agua Verde Cafe, Seattle, WA
Near the University of Washington, Agua Verde Cafe prides itself on using local, sustainable, organic, and natural ingredients. Its taco plates include three tacos served on handmade corn tortillas with a side of corn tortilla chips or rice and beans. Don't forget the house-made margaritas.
Nominated by University of Washington
Click here for more from the Spoon Choice Awards.
Header photos courtesy of Salsa Limón, Zocalo, Tacos Sinaloa.