MIAGuide
The Best Tacos In Miami
photo credit: CLEVELAND JENNINGS / @EATTHECANVASLLC
Finding a great taco in Miami might not be as easy as finding a great Cuban sandwich or ceviche or someone’s escaped pet python that has grown to 20-feet long on a diet of slow iguanas. But those great tacos are out there. The places on this guide range from late-night spots in Wynwood to a Homestead drive-thru responsible for our very favorite taco in Miami. And they're all so much more fun to discover than that python.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: CLEVELAND JENNINGS / @EATTHECANVASLLC
La Pasadita has the best tacos in Miami-Dade County. Don’t expect cheffy tacos with pickled beets or balsamic drizzles. These are classic Mexican tacos like asada, al pastor, and some off-menu options like beef tongue and the crackliest, juiciest tripe tacos we’ve ever had. The corn tortillas are soft and fluffy, but strong enough to hold all the meat they pile into them. Plus, there's a little sauce bar where you can customize your toppings of cilantro, onions, sauces, and peppers. There’s also an asada burrito the size of a rolled-up sleeping bag. La Pasadita is tiny with just a few tables inside and four outside. But it has a drive-thru, in case you just waited three hours in line at Knaus Berry and refuse to get out of the car.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc
If we are ever approached by a genie who claims to only offer restaurant-related wishes, one thing we’d ask for is more great street food tacos in Miami—maybe like the tacos LA are so blessed with. Someone apparently got to that genie before us, because Chito’s is exactly that. This food truck (the owner is from LA) is permanently parked in an outdoor space in the North end of Wynwood, near Roberto Clemente Park. There are a handful of picnic benches where you can enjoy beautiful tripe tacos, cheesy vampiro tacos, birria, and massive burritos. Plus, they’re open till 1am Thursday through Sunday, so it’s a great late-night option.
Antojitos Mexicanos Tenorio is a Mexican restaurant in a Kendall strip mall. They have a vertical spit to make tacos al pastor the right way, and they are excellent: a deep sunset red color, just a little smokey, and with a good balance of crunchy charred bits and rich juicy pieces. The carnitas tacos aren’t far behind and feature confit pork that pulls apart with zero resistance. The excellent chorizo taco uses leaner Mexican chorizo crumbled into big chunks, eliminating the trail of red grease that usually flows down our forearms when we eat chorizo tacos. But don’t leave without also ordering the alambre.
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Taqueria Viva Mexico is a casual Mexican spot in Little Havana with a blue exterior and colorful papel picado hanging from the ceiling. The key here is to stay away from the more common taco variations like carne asada or al pastor (which are just alright) and instead go for the less common (at least in Miami) versions like oreja, lengua, and tripe, which this place excels at. The oreja and tripe in particular are incredibly tender and delicious. Plus, they give you generous sides of salsa and taco toppings so you can customize to your liking.
photo credit: Cleveland Jennings
Tacos El Porky is basically a fast food taco spot—in the best possible way. This Downtown taqueria specializes in al pastor tacos shaved right off a trompo. Those are good, but our favorite taco here is the cochi taco. It has chunks of chicharrones that are salty, fatty, crunchy, and served with pickled onions and a green chili sauce. The third taco on their small menu is the cheesy gringa taco, which is actually more like an al pastor quesadilla than a taco. They combine the same al pastor ingredients together, add cheese, and let it all melt together between two flour tortillas on a hot flat top. That’s it—just three tacos on the menu—all pork, all good, and all fast.
The Wolf of Tacos is not a taco hedge fund, but rather an al pastor pop-up making some of Miami’s finest tacos at various locations around town. The Wolf's al pastor comes freshly carved from a vertical spit, just how the taco gods intended. Being a pop-up, they bounce around a lot, so give their Instagram page a follow to stay informed about where you can find them next. The menu usually includes options like pork, chicken, and steak, all dressed simply with cilantro, diced white onions, and salsa.
There are two Taqueria Morelias—one in Homestead and another in Florida City, which is just five minutes away and the better choice for tacos. This one is next to a gas station, and the best taco here is the asada. It’s rich, savory, and meaty. The al pastor is great too, but the tripe taco is too tough (for a better tripe taco, head to La Pasadita). There’s also a little condiment bar where you can add your own salsa, onions, and accouterment. But be very careful with those salsas—they burn so hot you could probably use them to get to the moon.
Tacos El Machine Gon is a taco truck that sets up next to a gas station on the border of North Miami Beach and Aventura—and we love everything on the small menu. Their self-titled "tacos El Machine Gon" features a triple meat combination: sliced steak, rich Mexican chorizo, and crisp yet puffy pieces of pork rind. But please don't come here without getting a costra. It's blue corn tortillas wrapped around crispy logs of griddled cheese filled with your choice of steak, chicken, mushroom, or shrimp. Wash it all down with their house horchata, one of the best in Miami. And there's seating too, so you can eat there.
Ever had a taco so good you forgot to add lime or sauce to it? That’s what happened to us here. It’s a small Mexican restaurant in West Miami with a few tables in the back and a mural of Frida Kahlo reimagined as the president of Dash Academy's slam poetry club. We come here for the traditional tacos like a barbacoa version so soft and tender you’ll open the taco a few times to remind yourself it’s shredded beef. They’re really generous with the meat, which is so juicy, you actually might (like us) forget to add anything else. But don’t—the sauces are deep, smoky, and really spice up these already delicious tacos.
The Taco Stand is from San Diego, a city known for really great Mexican food and stuffing french fries into burritos. They do that at the Miami location too, as well as make some very tasty tacos filled with carne asada, fried fish, and al pastor sliced off a trompo. There's usually a pretty big crowd here. That's because the food is good—but also because this is one of the few restaurants in Wynwood where you can have a good, casual meal for about $10.
Taco Chido is a weird place with good tacos. The restaurant looks like it was decorated by a high school goth with a passion for estate sales. Tinted windows darken a dining room with retro diner chairs, inverted candelabras hanging from the ceiling, and a back wall with more graffiti scribbles than a popular kid’s yearbook. Our favorite tacos here are al pastor and cochinita pibil—both of which use really good housemade tortillas. Place your order at the touch screen and then enjoy your tacos under the slowly shifting lava lamp colors of the dining room.
