Cooking up made-to-order, street-style tacos in the Tijuana tradition, this casual North County restaurant is best known for its asada or adobada, but it also offers other cuts like suadero, buche, lengua, and cabeza with each meat order from a different spot at the front counter.

This standout spot for mariscos isn’t far from the San Diego Safari Park, making it a convenient place to stop and refuel. With a spacious patio, the restaurant features a vast menu of seafood dishes, including tacos filled with smoked tuna, habanero shrimp, octopus, and more.

The locally-based taco outfit slings Tijuana-style tacos, burritos, fried churros, and more, offering classic proteins and a few veggie-friendly items/

Named after the Mexican state of Michoacan, this City Heights spot features carnitas that are as authentic as it gets. Order a pound or half-pound of the succulent fried pork and dig in with the provided tortillas and accompanying toppings. Carne asada and chicken are also available. A sister location in Chula Vista also offers the crispy carnitas out of a spot at Third and Palomar.

Chef Priscilla Curiel’s Michelin-honored taqueria, which anchors the Old Town Urban Market, showcases slow-cooked birra, made with beef shoulder cuts simmered in vibrant broth seasoned with cinnamon, cloves, and guajillo chiles. Try her signature taco, which crowns the meat with roasted bone marrow.

City Tacos has built up a local empire built on a foundation of fresh takes on traditional tacos. Standouts include the camarón enchilado taco — with grilled shrimp over asadero cheese topped with chipotle aioli and fresh lime — and the Mexicali taco, with skirt steak, potato and poblano peppers wrapped up in a flour tortilla. Veggie-friendly items are available too.

Hillcrest is not without some tasty taco action. Swing by for drinks and Mexico City-style tacos campechanos, al pastor, and nopal with asada before or after hitting the bars. Taco Tuesday specials and Sunday brunch are also quite popular.

Lola55 in the East Village impresses with a combination of tasty tacos and cocktails served inside a stylish, urban dining space. The pork belly al pastor taco is a winner any day of the week, but don’t sleep on the Baja fish taco and the vegetarian-friendly squash blossom relleno taco. Look out for an incoming location, slated to arrive at the Beacon in Carlsbad.

Las Cuatro Milpas is one of San Diego’s most beloved Mexican restaurant for good reason. This Logan Avenue institution cranks out delightful fried tacos and flautas stuffed with pork or chicken along with flour tortillas and refried beans, made the same way they were first made back in 1933, when the Estudillo family opened the doors to this historic restaurant. While lines can get long, your patience will be rewarded at the counter. Cash only.

¡Salud! continues to please both locals and visitors to Barrio Logan with delicious tacos, solid drinks, and a thumping kickback soundtrack. The Califas taco — a homage to San Diego’s own California Burrito — is a must. The Barrio taco, loaded with braised beef, peppers, nopal and beans is as homestyle as it gets. Vegetarian options are also available.

Flame-grilled chicken is the name of the game at this South Bay restaurant specializing in preparing perfect poultry. The signature tacos are packed with tender, juicy chicken, fresh pico, and guacamole. The house take on the California burrito, with pollo asado in lieu of the usual beef, is near-revolutionary.

Aqui es Texcoco highlights a hyper-regional style of lamb barbacoa slow-cooked in an underground pit oven, a style hailing from the state of Morelos and renowned throughout Mexico. The tacos and dinner plates topped rich, tender meat have earned this restaurant a near-religious following among those in the know. Lamb barbacoa remains the house special but you really can’t go wrong with any item on the menu.

Arguably the most famous taqueria on both sides of the border, Tacos El Gordo has been a Chula Vista landmark since the Tijuana-based taco institution opened its first San Diego location on H Street in the 90s. The original locale still takes drive-thru orders, but the much larger Broadway location features stations for carne asada, adobada, cabeza, suadero, or tripa, as well as long lines at night. 

Get your fill at this Chula Vista truck specializing in the art of Mexico’s rich, meaty birria. While the traditional birria tacos are always a hit, the crispy quesatacos are also quite flavorful. Uninitiated to birria? A sampler includes a taco, quesataco and mulita so you can explore the many ways of the birria world.

While many mariscos establishments name themselves in homage to Tijuana’s famous Marisqueria La Cacho, this seafood spot might be the only one on the same level as its namesake. Now at Chula Vista’s Tia Juana Food Court, standouts still include the Taco Culichi, with grilled shrimp and poblano sauce, and the cheesy Gobernador taco. Of course, the classic Ensenada-style fish taco is available too.

Get your fill at this Chula Vista truck specializing in the art of Mexico’s rich, meaty birria. While the traditional birria tacos are always a hit, the crispy quesatacos are also quite flavorful. Uninitiated to birria? A sampler includes a taco, quesataco and mulita so you can explore the many ways of the birria world.