Highest-rated restaurants for tacos in the San Jose area by diners

Across the United States, tacos have long been a popular food for good reason. These handheld treats are easy to eat and have an endless variety of filling options, so your tastebuds won't get bored. A staple of Mexican cuisine for centuries, tacos also showcase the country's diverse culinary traditions, from Afro Caribbean-influenced fillings served along the Gulf to indigenous ingredients, like achiote-marinated pork, that appear in tacos from southern Mexico.

Many of these variations have migrated north of the border to become must-haves in America. For example, fish tacos came from the Baja coast to Southern California in the 1970s, while Texas' famed breakfast tacos draw their lineage from the state of Monterrey. In more recent years, we've seen the rise of other regional specialties like birria tacos. Made with spiced, stewed meat, birria originated in southwestern Mexico and Tijuana but can now be found in U.S. eateries from coast to coast.

Tacos' versatility has also inspired countless fusion dishes, like tortillas stuffed with South Asian chicken tikka or Korean barbecued short rib. With all of these different options, it's no wonder that tacos have generated plenty of online buzz. Tastewise's 2025 trends report on tacos found that social media conversation about this classic dish has grown by nearly 33% in the past year. And all of that hype is especially important for restaurants selling tacos, considering that 37% of American consumers look to social media pages for dining information, according to a 2023 survey from PYMNTS.com.

No matter how you find your next taco fix, though, determining the best of the best taco restaurants near you can be a challenge. To help, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated taco restaurants in the San Jose area using data from Yelp as of July 15, 2025. Businesses under the category "tacos" were selected using Yelp's ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value using the number of ratings and the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews, and within a 10-kilometer radius of San Jose, were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally (based on our Yelp data) were not included.

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Lilo's Kitchen

1 / 30

#30. Lilo's Kitchen

- Rating: 4.3/5 (44 reviews)
- Address: 1440 Cary Ave. San Mateo, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos, Caterers
- Read more on Yelp

Barya Kitchen

2 / 30

#29. Barya Kitchen

- Rating: 4.3/5 (44 reviews)
- Address: 326 Commercial St. San Jose, California
- Categories: Filipino, Caterers, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Tacos Chencho

3 / 30

#28. Tacos Chencho

- Rating: 4.3/5 (155 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3102 Story Road Ste B San Jose, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Tacos Genesis

4 / 30

#27. Tacos Genesis

- Rating: 4.3/5 (43 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2868 Story Road San Jose, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Neza Birrieria

5 / 30

#26. Neza Birrieria

- Rating: 4.4/5 (157 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1225 East Santa Clara St. San Jose, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

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Teaqueria

6 / 30

#25. Teaqueria

- Rating: 4.4/5 (305 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 894 Emory St. San Jose, California
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Secco Restaurant and Bar

7 / 30

#24. Secco Restaurant and Bar

- Rating: 4.4/5 (169 reviews)
- Address: 300 Almaden Blvd. San Jose, California
- Categories: Tacos, Burgers, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

El Burrito Loco Taco Truck

8 / 30

#23. El Burrito Loco Taco Truck

- Rating: 4.4/5 (34 reviews)
- Address: San Jose, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Los Jefes Taqueria

9 / 30

#22. Los Jefes Taqueria

- Rating: 4.5/5 (143 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1350 South Park Victoria Drive Ste 43 Milpitas, California
- Categories: Tacos, New Mexican Cuisine
- Read more on Yelp

ABVE the Basics

10 / 30

#21. ABVE the Basics

- Rating: 4.5/5 (22 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2705 Union Ave. San Jose, California
- Categories: Tacos, Food Trucks, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

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ABVE The Basics

11 / 30

#20. ABVE The Basics

- Rating: 4.5/5 (352 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2705 Union Ave. San Jose, California
- Categories: Tacos, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Tacos El Pelon

12 / 30

#19. Tacos El Pelon

- Rating: 4.5/5 (88 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2180 Eastridge Lp San Jose, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Tlayudas El Ejuteco

13 / 30

#18. Tlayudas El Ejuteco

- Rating: 4.6/5 (59 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: Milpitas, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

La Estrella

14 / 30

#17. La Estrella

- Rating: 4.6/5 (33 reviews)
- Address: 463 Blossom Hill Road San Jose, California
- Categories: Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Anytime Is Taco Time

15 / 30

#16. Anytime Is Taco Time

- Rating: 4.6/5 (79 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: San Jose, California
- Categories: Tacos, Food Stands
- Read more on Yelp

Carlitos Tijuana Grill

16 / 30

#15. Carlitos Tijuana Grill

- Rating: 4.7/5 (44 reviews)
- Address: 2651 Senter Road San Jose, California
- Categories: Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Nuevas Generaciones Taqueria

17 / 30

#14. Nuevas Generaciones Taqueria

- Rating: 4.7/5 (138 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3677 Stevens Creek Blvd. Santa Clara, California
- Categories: Tacos, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

El Califas Tacos

18 / 30

#13. El Califas Tacos

- Rating: 4.7/5 (246 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 499 North Mathilda Ave. Sunnyvale, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

El Buen Taco

19 / 30

#12. El Buen Taco

- Rating: 4.8/5 (65 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Tacos, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

La Oaxaquense

20 / 30

#11. La Oaxaquense

- Rating: 4.8/5 (47 reviews)
- Address: Plata arroyo park , California
- Categories: Tacos, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

Camacho's Tacos

21 / 30

#10. Camacho's Tacos

- Rating: 4.8/5 (57 reviews)
- Address: 2735 Belfast Drive San Jose, California
- Categories: Caterers, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Tacos Molina

22 / 30

#9. Tacos Molina

- Rating: 4.8/5 (67 reviews)
- Address: 1170 Blossom Hill Road San Jose, California
- Categories: Tacos, Food Stands
- Read more on Yelp

Joe's Taco Shop

23 / 30

#8. Joe's Taco Shop

- Rating: 4.8/5 (152 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1609 Morrill Ave. San Jose, California
- Categories: Tacos, Food Trucks, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Mr. Shrimp

24 / 30

#7. Mr. Shrimp

- Rating: 4.8/5 (74 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 802 North 13th St. San Jose, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Chingadazos Taqueria and bar

25 / 30

#6. Chingadazos Taqueria and bar

- Rating: 4.8/5 (75 reviews)
- Address: 975 The Alameda Ste 80 San Jose, California
- Categories: Tacos, Beer Bar
- Read more on Yelp

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Lobo's Tacos

26 / 30

#5. Lobo's Tacos

- Rating: 4.8/5 (30 reviews)
- Address: 601 South 10th St. San Jose, California
- Categories: Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Ramo's Food

27 / 30

#4. Ramo's Food

- Rating: 4.9/5 (23 reviews)
- Address: 1493 Industrial Road San Carlos, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

Tacos Monarca

28 / 30

#3. Tacos Monarca

- Rating: 4.9/5 (23 reviews)
- Address: 3054 Alum Rock Ave. San Jose, California
- Categories: Tacos, Food Stands
- Read more on Yelp

Carnitas Aguirre

29 / 30

#2. Carnitas Aguirre

- Rating: 5.0/5 (37 reviews)
- Address: Union City, California
- Categories: Caterers, Tacos, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

Tu Padre

30 / 30

#1. Tu Padre

- Rating: 5.0/5 (21 reviews)
- Address: Milpitas, California
- Categories: Caterers, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 166 metros.