Where to Find the Best Tacos in the U.S.

By Cailey Rizzo

Updated: May 22, 2019

Meagan N. via Yelp

When people from Texas and California come to the northeast, they have one constant, unrelenting refrain: “Can’t get any good tacos up here.”

Perhaps there’s something to that claim after all.

Yelp has rounded up the best tacos in the country, according to users’ reviews. And although many of the top contenders are located pretty much exactly where you’d expect, there are quite a few curveballs. (The list limited selections to only two per state to ensure geographic diversity.)

The (perhaps unexpected) top honor for best tacos goes to Las Vegas’s Bajamar Seafood & Tacos. Reviewers of the restaurant renown it for having “some of the best seafood tacos around.” Although skeptics may question the flavors of seafood tacos in a land-locked city, fans insist visitors try the octopus and the bajamar fish tacos. A meal for two (with a couple of Modelos) should cost under $50 (hopefully a lot under), so you’ll have a budget remaining to check out the rest of Vegas.

The runner-up is Colorado restaurant Xicamiti La Taquería Bistro, where one reviewer said they enjoyed taco flavors that “were complex and layered, much richer in depth than I expected from a seemingly casual taco restaurant.”

Third and fourth place both went to spots in California (one north and one tantalizingly close to the Mexican border). But, then again, the sixth-best taco place in America, according to Yelp, is in Juneau, Alaska — which may raise some eyebrows. So you should probably plan a trip to all the top spots to sample all their tacos. Just to make sure it’s all accurate.

1. Bajamar Seafood & Tacos Las Vegas, Nevada