34 Best Tacos In Guadalajara With A Taco Map 2024

---

Are you looking for the best tacos in Guadalajara?

What a coincidence, so am I. Searching for the best tacos in Guadalajara keeps me up at night and is at the root of much of my procrastination.

Rumors about a good taco are able to persuade an enthusiast to drive to the other side of town at odd hours. I probably wouldn’t know Guadalajara as well as I do if didn’t spend so much time looking for new food. A big part of getting to know Guadalajara is getting to know the best tacos in the metropolitan area.

The Best Tacos In Guadalajara Overview

The goal of this blog post is to be as diverse as possible. I love carne asada but I have also come to love exotic cuts of animals not commonly used to make tacos outside of Mexico.

Make sure to try the lengua and tacos de tripa. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Some types of tacos are available and unavailable at different times of day. I have never seen Guadalajara-style tacos de barbacoa at night and I have never seen tripe during the day.

Anyhow, I hope you find something cool on this list of great tacos in Guadalajara.

This is a list of tacos that are found around the Guadalajara Metropolitan Region and are located in neighborhoods that are centrally located. 

Best Tacos In Guadalajara

I hope you are hungry because this list is full of the best tacos in Guadalajara.

1. El Palomar de Santa Rita (Las Chorreadas)

I love everything about El Palomar de Santa Rita. The taco stand is located in an alleyway behind a supermarket with a tiny green light that reads, “Tacos”. You can see the smoke from the charcoal grill from a block away and the smell of the carne asada permeates the neighborhood.

The people who operate this taco stand are originally from the State of Sinaloa and they serve chorreadas in addition to tacos. A chorreada is a large sope (like a small corn masa pizza) with cheese and asiento. You choose the type of grilled meat that you prefer. I think the cabrería is the most tender and highest quality cut they offer.

The other thing about this taco stand is the salsa bar is top-notch. They really care about their salsas. Besides refilling and cleaning, they constantly garnish the salsa with a dash of cilantro in the middle just to make it look nice.

One of my favorite tacos of all time is the chile relleno taco. It is a sometimes spicy/sometimes not chile California (anaheim) filled with cheese, wrapped in a double tortilla, and stacked high with cabrería. When you drown it in salsa it is divine.

• El Palomar de Santa Rita Address: San Agustín 636, Jardín de San Ignacio, Zapopan
• What To Order: Tacos, Chorreadas, and Chile Relleno Tacos
• Pro Tip: Cabrería cut of beef which comes from the T-bone

BEST TACOS IN GUADALAJARA

2. Taquería Los Alteños

Tacos Los Alteños is one of Guadalajara’s favorite taco shops. If you come on the weekends you will see why they are affectionately called Los Parados because there is standing room only. Tacos del pastor are their most popular tacos and they will easily sell over 100 lbs of pastor meat on a busy weekend.

To order your tacos head to the cashier and ask for a ticket and tell him how many people are in your party. You take the ticket to the taquero and tell him how many tacos you want and if you want onion and cilantro on your tacos.

You can go back as many times as you would like but remember how many tacos you ate because it is on the honor system. When you finish, head back up to the cashier and tell him how many tacos you ate and what you ordered to drink.

They serve all the usual sodas and the aguas frescas are especially tasty. When you are done, there is a fantastic ice cream shop right next door called Nieves de Garrafa Chapalita.

• Los Alteños Address: Av. Tepeyac, Chapalita , Zapopan
• What To Order: Tacos de pastor, gringas, chorizo, bistec, and cachete
• Pro Tip: The gringa is a taco with cheese melted on the tortilla

BEST TACOS IN GUADALAJARA

3. Tacos Don José

Tacos Don Jose make great carne asada and birria tacos but everybody knows them for the panela cheese. They have a huge wheel of panela and throw a piece on every taco. The grill and taco stand are in the street and there is always a huge crowd standing around because they have seating for like five people.

• Tacos Don José Address: Calle Argentina 595, Americana, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Carne asada tacos with panela cheese and refried beans

BEST TACOS IN GUADALAJARA

4. Tomate Taquería

Tomate Taquería has to have one of the best tacos in Guadalajara. They have an unreal number of 5-star reviews on Google Maps and there is ALWAYS a line out front.

This Guadalajara classic is located in the bar district of Avenida Chapultepec and is a favorite destination to get some food after having a few drinks.

The specialties are pastor and arrachera. They sell some beers and have a great lineup of flavored lemonades. The strawberry lemonade is full of large chunks of strawberry and garnished with mint. It is delicious.

• Address: Av. Chapultepec Sur 361, Col Americana, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Pastor but try a plate or a fortachón with melted cheese
• Pro Tip: Try the fruit lemonades served with sparkling water

BEST TACOS IN GUADALAJARA

5. La Choza

La Choza serves fancy tacos in flour or corn tortillas. Their most popular tacos are nice cuts of beef like rib eye and picaña cooked on the grill. However, they have a ton of exotic meats like duck, rabbit, and deer. The shrimp taco is made with tomatoes and basil in a sauce that will make you want to order a second.

The original location is a tin shack (puesto) across the street from a culinary arts institute. Their biggest market is people who know how to cook and eat well. La Choza also happens to be one of the highest rates options on Uber Eats. They are definitely worth a try.

• Address: Calle Miguel de Cervantes 81, Col Americana, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Pesto shrimp tacos with basil and cherry tomatoes
• Pro Tip: Pick something at random from the “Algo Diferente” menu

BEST TACOS IN GUADALAJARA

6. The Happy Fish

It is tough to compare The Happy Fish and Fish Taco La Paz because they are both excellent. I like The Happy Fish just a little bit more but I eat at both restaurants regularly. The fish tacos are excellent but you can compliment them with seafood cocktails, quesadillas, and tostadas. They have stingray, marlin, and shrimp quesadillas but the real specialty is the mixed seafood cheesy tostada with octopus, scallops, and shrimp.

You will be overwhelmed by the salsa bar. There is more than you could ever try in just one visit but the chipotle sauce is the bomb.

• Address: Av. Tepeyac 4709, Mirador del Sol, Zapopan
• What To Order: Baja Mil Mariscada is a mixed seafood (cooked) tostada
• Pro Tip: Skip the line and grab a table and order from the servers

BEST TACOS IN GUADALAJARA

7. Taco Fish La Paz

Taco Fish La Paz is a Guadalajara institution running for more than 25 years. The original shop is on Av. de la Paz in Mexicaltzingo but the newer locations on Av. Vallarta and Av. Rafael Sanzio are also consistently packed full at lunchtime.

The tacos are served simply because the salsa bar is packed with dozens of salsas and accompaniments. The combination of smoked marlin and chipotle mayonnaise is divine!

• Address: Av. de la Paz 494, Mexicaltzingo, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Classic fish taco
• Pro Tip: Get here early because the place gets crazy busy

BEST TACOS IN GUADALAJARA

8. Tacos Juan

Tacos Juan is an excellent option for Jalisco-style tacos de barbacoa. The taco carts are parked in the street but they have some indoor seating. They have opened new locations in Providencia and Chapalita, as well as offering service on Uber Eats.

There are locations popping up in Providencia and Chapalita but the originals are in Santa Teresita.

• Address: Calle José Clemente Orozco 465, Santa Teresita, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Guadalajara-style crispy beef tacos de barbacoa
• Pro Tip: Try the Chapalita location on Sundays

BEST TACOS IN GUADALAJARA

9. Plaza de Toros El Nuevo Progreso and Estadio Jalisco

On game day there are dozens of food vendors outside of the Estadio Jalisco and of the Plaza de Toros. One of the specialties that you don’t see everywhere is liver and onion tacos. There are games most weekends because Atlas and the Leones Negros share the stadium. The same vendors are also at the Bull Fights across the street during that short season.

• Address: In front of the Estadio Jalisco on game days
• What To Order: Liver and onion tacos
• Pro Tip: The line is shorter before the game than after the game

10. Tacos el Rojo Tripas

The street cart taco stand is emblematic of Mexico. Humble yet delicious food at a fair price. If you are cruising around Santa Teresita it is worth a visit to Tacos Rojo. They serve more than just tripe but the people in the know are there for one thing only. Crispy fried tripe tastes a lot like crispy bacon. Getting the pieces straight out of the hot oil is key to a good crunch after they have been drowned in salsa.

• Address: Calle Juan Álvarez 1600, Santa Teresita, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Tacos de tripas (tripe) and mollejas (sweetbreads).
• Pro Tip: The taquero keeps some molleja even when the cashier says they are sold out. Order your tacos and quietly ask the taquero for couple of molleja tacos when you get your order

11. Tripas Don Ramón

Easily one of the best taco stands in Mexico, Tripas Don Ramón is a destination. They are so busy that other taco stands have come to set up right down the sidewalk or sell desserts across the street.

The tripe tacos sold at Don Ramon’s place are fried super crispy and then slathered in tomato sauce. Sometimes if the tripe is fried to crispy they become dry like a pork rind. The tomato sauce makes it juicy and brings all the pieces together.

The place is a destination and is packed all the time. There will most likely be a short wait. Parking is complicated but there are viene-vienes for blocks in every direction helping people who are going to eat tripe with Don Ramón. Highly recommended.

• Address: Calle Chiapas 1538, San Miguel de Mezquitan, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Mixed plate of tripe (tripas) and sweetbreads (mollejas)
• Pro Tip: Get there early because the sweetbreads sell out early

12. Tacos Chava

Tacos Chava is a local favorite in a neighborhood that is famous for great food. If you come on the weekend, there will be a festival-like atmosphere with dozens of people on both sides of the street.

Surprisingly, they can handle a rush like nobody else. I was a little intimidated by the number of people hanging out. I thought it was going to take an hour to get my tacos but everything flows quickly.

After paying at the cashier, any one of the many taqueros will fill your order.

You can expect excellent salsas, really nice people, and a party-like atmosphere. Check this place out.

• Address: Calle Manuel Acuña 1554, Santa Teresita, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Tacos de suadero and tacos de lengua
• Pro Tip: There is plenty of parking on the next block

13. palReal

I am a huge fan of everything that Chef Fabian Delgado does but his tacos might be my favorite. These are not your average tacos. Fabian likes to eat well and he knows the best food from across the country. I would kill for one of his lengua in salsa verde tacos right about now.

The mollejas (sweetbread/beef cheeks) are amazing. The oyster mushroom tacos are so meaty you will have a hard time believing they are vegetarian. And if you haven’t tried quelites before make sure to order a taco. You will not see these on a lot of menus.

You might be surprised to find tacos pair so well with coffee but I recommnd the Finca el Cuarenteño, Nayarit. But this is palReal and they never cease to amaze.

• palReal Address: Calle Lope de Vega 113, Arcos Vallarta, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Mollejas, quelites, lengua, and coffee
• Pro Tip: Check out the full article on palReal

14. Tacos Providencia

Tacos Providencia is a cherished Guadalajara institution. When people ask the Facebook groups about the best tacos in Guadalajara, Tacos Providencia always has a strong showing.

My friend Tona said that one of the reasons that he loves these tacos so much is the fact that his grandmother brought him here when he was a little kid. There are lots of multigenerational families eating here, especially on Sundays.

Tacos Providencia is a nicer taco shop. There are tables and waiter service. They use excellent quality meat and are regarded as having a solid taco al pastor.

I love the pork rib tacos. you can order it on the bone or cut off the bone. Being cooked on the bone adds more flavor than most pork ribs I have tried.

My son was born at the hospital just a few blocks away. I ate here with my mom over that weekend and I understand the nostalgia that Tona has for the place. I haven’t been eating here as long but I will always have great memories of this place.

• Address: Avenida Rubén Darío 534, Lomas de Guevara, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Pastor or the bone-in pork ribs
• Pro Tip: Ample parking across the street next to the OXXO

15. Barbacoa Gamero

Barbacoa Gamero is Hidalgo style lamb barbacoa done right. As you walk in the door you are greeted with a little taco to sample the good. You order by the plate which is stacked with tortillas and get to work making tacos. You can choose from any cuts of the animal that you like.

The meat has been slow roasting all night and everything is ridiculously tender. They also make a great blood sausage (moronga). I recommend starting with a bowl of lamb broth with garbanzo beans and spice it up with some chile and onion.

• Address: Avenida Rafael Sanzio 405-A, La Estancia, Zapopan
• What To Order: Start with macisa and work up to a mixed plate
• Pro Tip: They usually have blue corn tortillas on the weekends

16. Birrieria La Victoria

One of Guadalajara’s iconic restaurants and a favorite of the local epicurean set. Birrieria La Victoria has been serving up gout soup since 1948 in front of the Santa Teresita market.

As you walk in you tell the guy working the oven what kind of cuts your like; leg, loin, ribs, tripe, liver, they have it all. The best way to do this is to get an order of birria and a plate of beans.

You spread some beans on a tortilla and then add the meat that you like. Add a little salt, cilantro and onion, and you are ready to go.

• Address: Calle Manuel Acuña 1511, Santa Teresita, Guadalajara
• What To Order: A mixed plate of all the different cuts and a piece of machito
• Pro Tip: They will order juices from a stall in the market

17. Tacos de Barbacoa Omar Carlos

Tesistán is a little pueblo about 45 minutes northwest of Guadalajara and they apparently have their own style of barbacoa tacos that people around here love.

Omar Carlos seats like 400 people and if you come on the weekend the place is going to be packed. Tacos de barbacoa from this part of Jalisco means stewed beef and crispy tacos with double tortilla.

The juices from the beef fat kind of soak into the first tortilla while they are getting crispy making for a decadent experience. Make sure to get a little cup of beef broth to dip your tacos in.

• Address: Multiple locations
• What To Order: Crispy tacos de barbacoa and a consumé

18. El Profe Jimenez Pork Belly Tacos

El Profe Jimenez is more famous for their Torta Ahogada than they are for the tacos so you should try one of everything. They even do these broken tostadas called destrozados that are insanely good.

What makes El Proje Jimenez so much better than everyone else is the meats that they use. The pork belly, chicharon prensado, and carnitas are juicier than everyone else. I also love the onion, cilantro and cabbage mixture they use to garnish the tortas and tacos. It really kicks it up a notch.

• Address: Calle Andrés Terán 841, Villaseñor, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Pork belly tacos
• Pro Tip: Don’t go on the weekend. It is packed.

19. Doroteo Tacos de Lechon

Doroteo is a longtime favorite in the neighborhood of Providencia in Guadalajara. They have a few more locations around the Guadalajara Metro Region in Chapalita and by Santa Margarita.

Google Maps

20. Puerco Espada

A great play on the traditional taco dorado, Puerco Espada lets you pick your taco and then pick the style of ceviche you want to put on top. Options like traditional fish ceviche, green shrimp ceviche, and smoked marlin are all excellent.

Google Maps

21. Tacos de Vapor Don Dany

Tacos de vapor come in a lot of different styles but what they all have in common is the steam table. The steam lets the filling and the tortilla fuse together.

These are spectacular breakfast tacos! Carne, chicharon, picadillo, papa o frijol.

Google Maps

22. Tacos Moy Tacos de Guisados

Tacos Moy are tacos de vapor but with a wider range of fillings. They use a lot of stewed meats called guisados as well as some excellent vegetarian options like poblano peppers and cheese. The highlight of Tacos Moy is the salsa bar. They have a collection of salsas that few tacos shops have like the peanut sauce.

Google Maps

23. La Panga del impostor

Fantastic modern Mexican seafood with excellent salsas. The taco de pulpo y chicharon is a modern interpretation of a classic Mexican dish.

Google Maps

24. Tacos Alvarez

This is another tacos stand that I go to for tacos de tripa. They have a habit of selling out quickly and you really want to get them while they are fresh out of the fryer. Usually, you stand in line and pay first. But if you tip well the taqueros will remember you and they will let your cut the line for your second round. When they are getting low on tripe tacos you don’t want to wait in line to put your order in or you might lose out. Plus, they have a spectacular salsa bar.

They are located on a side street of the huge glorieta where Av Mariano Otero and Av Lopez Mateos meet. There are usually mariachis waiting outside of the liquor store across the street looking for work serenading people late at night.

Google Maps

25. Xokol

Dining at Xokol you will learn a lot about the corn tortilla and it’s importance to the culture of Mexico. Nowadays, most people eat industrial tortillas that don’t have a lot of flavor. Xokol is rescuing the legacy of corn by growing exotic varieties and making tortillas out of them. You will understand how important a good tortilla is to the taco experience eating at Xokol.

The menu is always changing but the tacos de quelites are often found. I have enjoyed porkbelly, suckling pig, chicken in mole de olla and many more. When you visit Guadalajara, Xokol needs to be on your list.

Google Maps

26. El Gran Taco AKA Cecina House

El Gran Taco is the most popular taco shop in the Tianguis del Sol for its green chorizo and cecina from Toluca.

The green chorizo is all natural and doesn’t have any artificial coloring in it. It is pure herbs and spices. The addition of french fries on top reminds me of the California burrito in San Diego.

Cecina is a thinly sliced cut of beef that is salt-cured. It is popular in the state of Morelos but Mexico state does it very well too.

I found this place watching videos by Mal del Puerco, who is turning into one of my favorite food bloggers.

The Tianguis del Sol is only open a couple of days a week. I recommend only going on Sunday when there are a lot of people there.

27. Restaurante Alcalde

Restaurante Alcalde is not your typical taco shop. In fact it is one of the most highly acclaimed restaurants in Latin America but they also happen to have one of the best tacos in the Guadalajara. The frijoles puercos appetizer is an absolute gem. The beans are cooked with pork neck and served with chorizo powder and burnt chile dust. It has been on the menu since they opened and is one of their best selling dishes.

Google Maps

28. Birriería Apatzingan

I eat most of my birria in soup form that I forget how delicious the beef variety can be. The style is very different than the Guadalajara-style goat birria and even different than the Tijuana-style beef birria. Apatzingan is in Michoacan, Tierra Caliente. The broth is different, the beef is cleaner, and the salsas use more tomatillo.

I call this neighborhood Mercado de Abastos but technically it is called Las Torres. They serve beef birria that people line up for all morning. Both the person in front of me in line and the person that I sat next to said something to the effect of, “Is this your first time? You are going to love these tacos.”

It is possible to ask for both soft or crunchy tacos. I would start with two of each.

• Address: Av. del Mercado 1527, Las Torres, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Tacos de birria, soft or crispy
• Pro Tip: Walk through the market

29. Campomar

Campomar is taking Mexico by storm these days. They are opening restaurants in Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City, and I think they have plans to move up north.

This is not a typical taco shop but a high-end seafood restaurant. They do, however, have an excellent taco game. The marlin tacos and the bean tacos are very good. The soft shell crab taco that is the reason that I put this place on my list.

The soft shell crab taco is so simple but the flavor is unlike anything else on the list. I love seafood tacos but this particular taco takes the cake.

Campomar is one of my 5 favorite restaurants in Guadalajara and this taco is just the beginning. I highly recommend checking this place out while you are in town.

30. Tacos Joaquin

I heard about Tacos Joaquin watching taco videos by Buen Diente GDL, who is one of the best food bloggers in Mexico.

The specialty at Tacos Joaquín is suadero. You can think about suadero like a beef carnitas that has been cooked confit style. The combination of beef flank steak and intestinal cuts cooked together gives this a very rich flavor.

I recommend trying a few of the suadero tacos but also trying the tripe tacos. The tripe here is served soft, not crunchy but the flavor is spectacular. It is very rich. I got motivated open this article up again after a half dozen tacos with Joaquín. Really good stuff.

31. Birrieria Victors

Birria Victors was a recommendation from Bill Esparza of a highly popular LA Mexicano book and blog. I just happen to live in the nieghborhood but never drove down that alley.

For the longest time, I thought that goat birria was by far the best and would scoff at beef birria. Victors convinced me to try something new.

What I like about the birria at Victors is the selection of unique cuts. There is a basic cut of beef that sells out early. The real treat is the mild machito liver-wrapped intestine. The beef heart and the udder are two very unique yet mild cuts of birria I don’t see often.

If you are staying anywhere near the Expo or Plaza del Sol, and you dig birria, make sure to check out Victors.

32. Tacos El Paisa (Los de Tripita)

A while back I made a conscious effort to break out of my taco routine. I was watching a bunch of videos by BuenDientoGDL and I wanted to explore the city more.

Scrolling around Google Maps, I found these tacos just ten minutes away from my house. Besides the insane reviews, they have everything that I am looking for in a taco shop. They set up in the parking lot of a tire shop and they sell tripe.

What really stood out to me about Tacos El Paisa was the nopal. This was one of the first times that I really enjoyed the nopal cactus and went back for more. Nopal is an acquired texture that I only recently developed.

Anyways, there is a lot more than just tripe and nopal at Tacos El Paisa. If you happen to be located anywhere near Patria and Moctezuma, check them out. You will enjoy the experience.

• Address:
• What To Order:
• Pro Tip:

33. Super Taco Tomas

Super Taco Tomás gives me a lot of nostalgia. I used to live across the street in the Torre Minerva apartment building but I hadn’t eaten here in ten years. I recently went back and the lengua tacos were better than I remembered. I always loved these tacos but kind of forgot about them.

The specialty is lengua but it is cooked with a chile adobo sauce that gives it a special flavor. They serve tacos de cabeza: lengua, cachete and carnaza but I think their lengua is some of the best around.

You don’t order one taco but a plate and they give you all the fixings. A quarter (un cuarto) is plenty for one person.

Back in the day there used to be a flower shop using the space during the day and the tacos would set up at night. It looks like the tacos are doing better than the flowers because the place is decorated like a taco shop and I didn’t see any flowers.

• Address: Calle Aurelio Aceves 2782, Vallarta, Guadalajara
• What To Order: Un cuarto de lengua (one quarter of lengua)
• Pro Tip: There are Oaxacan tamales on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

34. Tacos Felipe Zetter

These are some of the most famous tacos off the tourist track.

• Address: Calle Felipe Zetter 3495, Paseos del Sol, Zapopan, Jalisco
• What To Order: Tacos de suadero and tacos de lengua

Best Tacos in Guadalajara Map

Sometimes it is easier to browse the best tacos in Guadalajara in map form. I have a number of taquerias that I have been wanting to visit recently but they are on the far other side of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. At certain times of day that just isn’t possible.

I love finding great tacos near me and the map is the best way to do that. Google Maps really is an amazing tool. You can find some real hidden gems with a little work.

Final Thoughts On The Best Tacos In Guadalajara

I hope this article convinces you to get out there and try some new tacos. I always keep a ‘tacos to try’ list on my phone so when an acquaintance makes a taco recommendation I am ready to jot it down.

I kind of forgot about this article for a while and I appologize for that. I promice that in the future I will keep hunting down great tacos and one a week drive to a new neighborhood to find something great.

Honestly, this is one of my favorite articles on the blog because of all the great memories.

If you enjoyed this article you will probably enjoy my article on the best restaurants in Guadalajara as well.