🌮 Best Tacos in San Diego

A street-taco counter on Turquoise Street in north Pacific Beach, near the Bird Rock line.

Puesto's La Jolla original — the melted-cheese-on-the-tortilla format that has turned Puesto into a multi-city California chain. La Jolla Village patio, Mexico-sourced produce, and a mezcal program th...

Tijuana-style taqueria with roots tracing to 1972 in Baja California. The move is the adobada — marinated pork shaved off the trompo to order — alongside mesquite carne asada and suadero, tucked into ...

Modern East Village taqueria — nixtamalized-masa tortillas made in-house, al pastor off a proper trompo, brisket tacos that draw out the stadium-game crowd. One of East Village's most-referenced casua...

The TJ-import taco shop's La Jolla counter — handmade tortillas, adobada-trompo, and a Pearl St line that tells you why The Taco Stand is one of the fastest-growing SD-born brands. The Village street-...

Pink-painted, lucha-libre-wrestling-themed taco shop on Washington — the California Burrito with shrimp is the cult order, the Champion Taco is the sleeper. Featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives; the...

University Heights' order-counter taco shop — the lobster burrito is the local-legend call; the scallop taco and fish taco share the top of the shortlist. A neighborhood institution that regulars quie...

The Puesto Mexican group's Downtown Gaslamp 3rd-and-J location — crispy-cheese-shell tacos, an agave-focused bar, and a polished casual format that scaled out of the La Jolla original. One of the high...

Normal Heights' chef-driven taco shop — a quick-service counter, craft-cocktail bar, and a menu that made the taqueria one of SD's most-decorated modern taco programs. The Normal Heights neighborhood ...

Strip-mall counter on El Camino Real in Leucadia, and North County's most committed organic taqueria — fish tacos from sustainably-sourced catches, tempeh tacos that convert skeptics, and a Surfer's B...