Everyone knows Austin, Texas for its live music scene, but people don’t always know that it also has some of the best taco places. Whether you’re looking for breakfast tacos, or tacos for later in the day, Austin has got you covered.
As an Austin native, I’ve been to countless taco places. Some in a nice restaurant, and some sold from a food truck, and I can tell you from experience that they are all good. With that said, it’s hard to determine which are best, so the following list isn’t ranked.
Torchy’s Tacos
Torchy’s is a must during your time in Austin. With several locations around town, it makes it easy to get to and enjoy. They are known for having “Damn Good Tacos.” They offer a taco of the month that features a different taco each month.
No matter which taco you choose, you have the option of making it “classic,” which is just how it looks on the menu, “trashy,” which usually entails dropping something on the taco and adding queso to it, or “hillbilly style,” which is just like trashy but also with chorizo and sometimes chopped bacon. I would recommend “trashy” style with any taco.
Texas Honey Ham
Texas Honey Ham is located in the Westlake neighborhood of Austin. Honey Ham is dishing out some delicious breakfast tacos, but they’re good to enjoy any time of the day. The shells and cheese with pulled pork and salsa is a weirdly delicious taco combination that you need to try. Any taco with ham in it is great too. They’re known for their honey baked ham, so adding it to a breakfast taco is a great idea.
Veracruz Tacos
Veracruz All Natural Food Truck is known for having the freshest, all-natural ingredients and being home to the famous migas taco. Food Network has rated their migas taco as one of the Top 5 Tacos in America. This taco consists of eggs, tortilla chips, avocado, pico de gallo, and monterery jack cheese. These tacos are delicious and satisfying. Getting them from a food truck makes it even more of an iconic part of visiting Austin.
Juan In A Million
Juan In A Million has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Their Don Juan El Taco Grade is one of the best breakfast tacos I have ever had. This taco is made up of a secret combination of potato, egg, bacon, and cheese in a deliciously hot tortilla. It may sound like a simple taco, but it packs all kinds of flavor. They only serve breakfast tacos, but it’s definitely worth the stop.
Tacodeli
Any Austin local is familiar with Tacodeli for their fresh and unique tacos with extensive sauces and salsas to add to your tacos. They have great breakfast and lunch tacos. My favorite is the Chicken Frontera Fundido, which has a delicious jack cheese glaze with sautéed poblano-onion rajas. Make sure to get queso too, because pouring it over your tacos is never a bad idea.
#SpoonTip: Don’t forget they close at 3 pm!
Taco Shack
Taco Shack is a great Austin original. It’s a chain in Austin that’s known for its great fast food tacos that are the real deal and don’t taste like a fast food taco. Make sure to try the shack taco, it’s the best one on the menu.
Mi Madre’s
Mi Madre’s is a restaurant that’s on the rise in Austin, but right now it’s the best kept secret. Their tacos are very flavorful and cheap, which is always a plus. Their tacos are spicy and just what I want when I go there.
When you’re visiting Austin, make sure to stop by one of these places for their crazy good tacos. Remember that you’re on vacation, so dive into the local tacos.