Tacos al Pastor with pineapple, pickled onion, and ancho-guajillo at Pajarito.
Photo by TJ Turner
Experience an explosion of south-of-the-border flavor without the hassle of international travel. With a wide variety of tacos to choose from, you are bound to find one that suits your taste buds’ needs at one of these eight mouthwatering Twin Cities locations.
Andale Taqueria & Mercado
Guy Fieri of the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives crossed the states for the best of the best tacos in his “Tex to the Mex” episode, and he landed in Richfield at Andale Taqueria and Mercado. This dual, quick-eat Mexican restaurant and market prides itself in using and providing fresh, authentic ingredients to its customers. Preparing everything from scratch, the restaurant’s cooks serve up classic tacos, tamales, and burritos while the market provides fresh produce, bakery items, deli classics, and the butcher counter’s specialty meats.
Lagos Tacos
This taco place puts creativity into every dish by serving up unique taco mash-ups such as Thai peanut chicken, BLT, and beef and potato. Besides the wide variety of tacos offered at both their Excelsior and Uptown locations, expect a sense of community as a free side dish.
Nico’s Taco and Tequila Bar
Cozy up in this quaint red house in Uptown to eat authentic street tacos made from indigenous recipes and crafted by Mexican native Chef Alejandro Victoria. Its menu lives up to its name, featuring eight varieties of tacos, 40 types of 100 percent agave tequila, and a Latin American wine list.
Pajarito
Pajarito is a refined Mexican bistro that serves up traditional Mexican fair food with a modern touch. The menu keeps things familiar but new with a variety of tacos including crispy chicken, braised greens, and grilled shrimp.
R Taco
Passionate about tacos, founder Russell “Rusty” Ferton converted an old gas station on Greenville Avenue in Dallas, Texas, into the first of his 27 casual fast-food joints in six states across the nation. Indulge in a variety of tacos from breakfast-inspired to classic fajita to BBQ brisket at the St. Paul, Minneapolis, Eden Prairie, or Osseo locations.
Taco Cat
Taco Cat gives a modern street twist on your average taco. Located in Midtown Global Market on Lake Street, this over-the-counter hotspot was voted as “best hangover cure” by City Pages in 2015. As a grab-and-go joint, Taco Cat also offers a bike-only delivery service for customers within the Uptown and Powderhorn neighborhoods.
Taco Taxi
Inspired by Mexican fast food, brothers Carlos and Hector Lopez opened up shop in the heart of the Minneapolis Latino community. Taco Taxi on Lake Street offers affordable tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and tortas crafted from family recipes passed down through generations.
Taqueria la Hacienda
Grab a seat at the first Minneapolis restaurant to introduce tacos al pastor, a taco with thin strips of marinated pork typically served with pineapple and onion. Pastor, meaning shepherd, is the name that was given to Lebanese merchants who immigrated to Mexico City in the early 1900s bringing the concept of preparing and cooking meat on a spit, a key part of tacos al pastor. The rest, at least where Taqueria la Hacienda is involved, is history. This authentic and exotic Mexican establishment opened its doors in 1999 as apart of Mercado Central on Lake Street. Since then, the joint has expanded to a second Minneapolis and Burnsville locations.
