
Highest-rated restaurants for tacos in the Santa Cruz area by diners
Highest-rated restaurants for tacos in the Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz, 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.
#13. Ate 3 One
- Rating: 3.2/5 (58 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Los Pericos Market
- Rating: 3.3/5 (30 reviews)
- Address: 139 Water St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Grocery, Tacos, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Tacos Moreno
- Rating: 3.3/5 (265 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1601 41st Ave. Capitola, California
- Categories: Tacos
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Taqueria Vallarta
- Rating: 3.4/5 (355 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 893 41st Ave. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Tacos, Breakfast & Brunch, Vegetarian
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Taqueria Michoacan
- Rating: 3.5/5 (303 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 21401 East Cliff Drive Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Tacos
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Taqueria Los Gordos
- Rating: 3.5/5 (224 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7488 Soquel Drive Aptos, California
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Taqueria Vallarta
- Rating: 3.5/5 (282 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1221 Mission St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Comfort Food, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Tacos El Chuy
- Rating: 3.9/5 (89 reviews)
- Address: 402 Ingalls St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Tacos, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#5. 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
#4. Los Viejones
- Rating: 4.4/5 (115 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 236 Ocean St. Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Mijo's Taqueria
- Rating: 4.4/5 (358 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 200 Monterey Ave. Ste 2 Capitola, California
- Categories: Tacos
- Read more on Yelp
#2. El Buen Taco
- Rating: 4.8/5 (65 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: Santa Cruz, California
- Categories: Tacos, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Carnitas Aguirre
- Rating: 5.0/5 (37 reviews)
- Address: Union City, California
- Categories: Caterers, Tacos, Food Trucks
- 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.