Highest-rated restaurants for tacos in the Wilmington area by diners

Written by:
April 28, 2023
Larisa Blinova // Shutterstock

Highest-rated restaurants for tacos in the Wilmington 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 Wilmington 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 Wilmington, 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.

1 / 9
Islands Fresh Mex Grill

#9. Islands Fresh Mex Grill

- Rating: 2.6/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 2013 Olde Regent Way Unit 110 Leland, North Carolina
- Categories: Tacos, Tex-Mex
- Read more on Yelp

2 / 9
Slice of Life

#8. Slice of Life

- Rating: 3.0/5 (74 reviews)
- Address: 155 Porters Neck Road Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Pizza, Pubs, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

3 / 9
City Barbeque

#7. City Barbeque

- Rating: 3.8/5 (37 reviews)
- Address: 3824 Carolina Beach Road Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Barbecue, Tacos, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

4 / 9
Aye! Toro Tacos & Tequila

#6. Aye! Toro Tacos & Tequila

- Rating: 4.0/5 (54 reviews)
- Address: 3540 Oleander Drive Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

5 / 9
Burrito Shak

#5. Burrito Shak

- Rating: 4.1/5 (43 reviews)
- Address: 5916 Carolina Beach Road Ste 150 Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

6 / 9
Tacobaby

#4. Tacobaby

- Rating: 4.2/5 (111 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 125 Grace St. Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

7 / 9
Block Taco

#3. Block Taco

- Rating: 4.5/5 (136 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 120 Greenfield St. Unit B Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Tacos
- Read more on Yelp

8 / 9
Los Portales Taqueria 3

#2. Los Portales Taqueria 3

- Rating: 4.7/5 (30 reviews)
- Address: 3536 Carolina Beach Road Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Tacos, Soup
- Read more on Yelp

9 / 9
On Thyme Restaurant

#1. On Thyme Restaurant

- Rating: 4.7/5 (117 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 918 Castle St. Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Seafood, Tacos, Burgers
- 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.

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