A 2023 study revealed what most Austinites know intuitively: Texas’ capital city leads the nation in taco excellence. The national average of taco restaurants per capita in American cities is 2.3 for every 100,000 residents. With a whopping 7.9 taco places per 100,000 residents, Austin has a plethora of options for every kind of taco enthusiast. While quantity is easily observable, navigating quality is the real fun for discerning gourmands. This all-day guide is our humble attempt to take the guess work out of finding your new Austin taco obsession. Whether you’re setting out on an early morning pilgrimage or a late night side-quest, this is our guide to ultimate taco taste-dom.
Words Abby l. Johnson Photos Baptiste Despois & Shelby Bella
Breakfast of Champions
The most important meal of the day
Every morning we make decisions. To take the freeway or surface streets for the morning commute? Coffee or tea? These trivialities pale in comparison to the most important question Austinites must face on an almost daily basis: Corn or flour?
Quench the Heat
House-made drinks that might be fresher than the tacos they are served alongside
Every morning we make decisions. To take the freeway or surface streets for the morning commute? Coffee or tea? These trivialities pale in comparison to the most important question Austinites must face on an almost daily basis: Corn or flour?
Hand-Held Pick-Me-Ups
Whether you have time to sit down and enjoy an afternoon break or you take advantage of the taco’s hand-held, on-the-go nature, these lunch spots promise to carry you through your midday slump.
Feast Your Heart Out
When the sun dips low and the neons flicker on across Austin, the taco scene shifts into something a little more indulgent. Dinner tacos aren’t just quick bites. They’re layered, slow crafted, and meant to linger with a craft cocktail and the warm hum of friendly chatter. From pillowy flour tortillas to masa ground into doughy corn rounds just hours before it its the plate, these spots prove that when Austin sits down for tacos at night, the feast is just the beginning.
Don’t Skip the Salsas
Taco Deli’s potato, egg, and cheese breakfast taco has earned its loyal following, but regulars know the real magic comes from a spoonful of Doña Salsa. A creamy green salsa that has a cult status all its own is rich, punchy, and just tangy enough to make every bite feel like the right decision.
Vegan Nom’s bright pink chipotle salsa deserves a little spotlight of its own. Don’t let the name fool you. This truck has won over plenty of devoted meat-eaters, and one taste of that smoky, tangy salsa makes it easy to understand why. It’s playful, memorable, and exactly the kind of thing you start craving out of nowhere days later.
