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27 Tacos Varieties Ranked From the Best To the Worst

Last update: Thu Mar 27 2025
27 Tacos Varieties Ranked From the Best To the Worst
01
Quesabirria
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Quesabirria is a popular Mexican street food dish, a fusion between birria (a traditional Mexican meat stew) and quesadillas. The dish originates from Tijuana and typically consists of large tortillas filled with birria-style cooked meat (usually beef) and a generous amount of melted cheese.


The tortillas are cooked on the stove until the cheese melts and the outside of the tortilla becomes crispy. Quesabirria is often accompanied by a side of broth, or consomé, for dipping, adding another layer of flavor to the dish.

02
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Carne asada tacos are the first tacos in history. It is believed that the first tacos appeared in the 1500s, made with thin slices of meat cooked over hot coals. The meat was placed in a corn tortilla and topped with guacamole, onions, chili peppers, and lime – also known as the carne asada taco.


Over time, people started to make other versions in different regions, and nowadays we are witnessing a true taco-mania, and it all began with the simple carne asada tacos.

MOST ICONIC Carne asada tacos

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03
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Gringas is a typical Mexican dish made with flour tortillas filled with al pastor marinated pork meat, cheese, and, most commonly, pineapple slices, although onions, chili sauce, and coriander can all be added to the dish according to the customer's preference.


The combination of these ingredients is then grilled in the same manner as a quesadilla. The tortillas are usually folded in half and consumed like a taco. The name of the dish, a feminine form of gringo, is believed to have come from the idea that flour tortillas are more popular than corn tortillas north of the Mexican border.

MOST ICONIC Gringas

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04
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Tacos al pastor is a Mexican dish consisting of thin slices of shaved pork from a rotating spit, placed on a tortilla and topped with onions, chopped coriander, pineapple chunks, chili, and salsa. The dish evolved from the Lebanese culinary traditions that arrived in Mexico in the late 19th century along with numerous immigrants.


It stems from the popular shawarma, but the Mexicans changed the spices and substituted lamb with pork. Tacos al pastor originated in the city of Puebla, and their name is translated to shepherd's style tacos. However, the addition of pineapple to the dish still remains a mystery to be solved.

MOST ICONIC Tacos al pastor

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05
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Tacos gobernador (lit. governor's tacos) are Mexican tacos named after a Sinaloan governor. In order to prepare the dish, warm tortillas are filled with a combination of shrimps, grated cheese, coriander, onions, and tomatoes. The tortillas are then folded in half, brushed with butter, and cooked on a griddle over medium heat.


When served, tacos gobernador are often accompanied by lime wedges and hot chili sauce. Apart from Sinaloa, these tacos are also quite popular in Baja California.

MOST ICONIC Tacos gobernador

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06
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Tacos de adobada is a Mexican dish that's similar to tacos al pastor, but not the same. Both tacos al pastor and tacos de adobada refer to pork that's been marinated in a combination of spices, chili peppers, and vinegar. For al pastor, the pork is cooked on a vertical spit called a trompo, while the pork for tacos de adobada is usually cooked on a grill or braised on the stove.


However, in some places, such as in Baja California, people refer to al pastor as carne adobada. Adobada is usually made with pork shoulder, either thinly sliced when grilled or cut into chunks when braised. The tacos are usually topped with diced onions, radishes, cilantro, and lime juice.

07
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Tacos al carbon is a taco style where meat is grilled over hot coals. It consists of a corn flour or wheat flour taco filled with a variety of grilled meats such as skirt steak, although any type of meat will do. The taco is additionally topped with bell peppers, onions, and freshly chopped coriander.


It is recommended to serve them warm, preferably with a squeeze of lime juice and a dollop of sour cream on top.

MOST ICONIC Tacos al carbon

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08

Street Food

BAJA CALIFORNIA, Mexico
4.4
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Taco de camaron is a variety of taco filled with shrimps and various other ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, coriander, mayonnaise, or pico de gallo. Shrimp tacos originate from Baja California, and are often served with lime or lemon wedges on the side.


It is recommended to pair the dish with a cold beer on the side.

MOST ICONIC Tacos de camarones

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09

Street Food

PUEBLA, Mexico
4.4
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Tacos Arabes is a traditional dish originating from Puebla. The pita-bread wrappers (pan árabe) are filled with thinly sliced cumin-marinated pork, spicy chipotle salsa, and a sauce consisting of yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and parsley.


These 'Arabian' tacos are typically served with lime wedges on the side. As the name suggests and many people believe, Middle Eastern immigrants came to Puebla after WWI and brought their shawarma-related culinary tradition of serving sliced roasted lamb (it was replaced with pork in Puebla) in pita bread.

MOST ICONIC Tacos Arabes

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10

Street Food

BAJA CALIFORNIA, Mexico
4.3
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Tacos de pescado or fish tacos have origins in the Mexican region of Baja California. These corn flour tacos are filled with fried or grilled pieces of fish, vegetables such as cabbage or lettuce, and a topping of either sour cream or mayonnaise.


The dish is also popular in the United States, especially in California, where it can be found at numerous street carts, served with cabbage and coleslaw.

MOST ICONIC Tacos de pescado

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Street Food
SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
4.1
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Snack
SAN ANTONIO, United States of America
4.0
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Street Food
ARIZONA, United States of America
3.9
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Breakfast
TEXAS, United States of America
3.8
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TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “27 Tacos Varieties Ranked From the Best To the Worst” list until March 27, 2025, 627,384 ratings were recorded, of which 404,417 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.