But second to Cali is Miami, where our Latin influence offers its own rainbow of culture, flavor, and flair. And with an ever-expanding food scene, our taco takeover only continues to grow.
These days, the Magic City practically overflows with taco takes — an ambitious mix of menus that range from modern Mexican iterations and under-the-radar mom-and-pop taquerias to street-style taco pop-ups and Instagram-famous chefs.
So grab an ice-cold cerveza or a refreshing margarita and let’s taco 'bout this alphabetical list of the best tacos in the 305, where taco time is truly all the time.
Bodega Taqueria y Tequila
Multiple area locations, including:1220 16th St., Miami Beach
305-704-2145
bodegataqueria.com Inside Bodega Taqueria y Tequila, casual lunch guests or late-night partiers will find a tricked-out taco truck dishing out over-the-top tacos. Think grilled fish, tequila marinated shrimp, and Impossible chorizo. The savory aroma of fresh tortillas wafts toward your table as your tacos arrive. When in doubt, spice things up with the barbacoa: guajillo-braised short rib topped with cotija cheese, charred onions, salsa rosada, cilantro, and potato sticks.
Coyo Taco
Multiple area locations, including:2320 NW Second Ave., Miami
305-573-8228
coyo-taco.com Coyo Taco is a taco empire, with five South Florida locations at last count, plus outposts in Panama, Portugal, Paris, and the Dominican Republic. The menu is replete with taco choices (two per order), from Gulf shrimp to seared Angus steak, which you can choose to convert into a burrito, salad, or burrito bowl. After a night of drinking and dancing, treat yourself to hand-pressed tortillas filled with crispy duck and serrano salsa, then finish off your meal with an order of churros.
Hoja Taqueria
3120 Collins Ave., Miami Beach786-496-5739
hojataqueria.com
For a hearty dose of taco mystique, head to Hoja Taqueria at Generator Miami, a boutique-size shop that offers a unique take on traditional Mexican food via classic dishes like quesadillas, burritos, and (of course) tacos. The menu focuses on giving Miamians an authentic taste of Mexico by paying respect to one of that country's most precious ingredients: corn. Here the tacos are served on corn tortillas made in-house using masa from corn sourced directly from a dozen family-owned farms in the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Additional Mexico-sourced ingredients include chilies and genuine Oaxaca and Chihuahua cheeses. The feel-good moment after that taco goodness hits your belly? Knowing a portion of Hoja Taqueria’s profits go directly back to the farmers to create a supportive and sustainable farm-to-table cycle.
La Santa Taqueria
201 NE 82nd St., Miami305-906-1149
lasantataqueria.com They say the quickest way to get from Miami to Mexico City is via La Santa, chef Omar Montero's Little River taco shop. Born as a food truck in 2017 and quietly reimagined as a brick-and-mortar restaurant during peak pandemic lockdown days, Montero's La Santa has emerged as a hotspot for those seeking some of the Magic City's best tacos. Meat options — whether familiar al pastor or more exotic triple-decker campechano — are uniformly stellar. But so are Montero's off-the-beaten-track seafood and vegetarian options, like his softshell crab, wild mushroom, and sweet potato versions.
Old-school taco spot Mi Rinconcito Mexicano serves up some of the best tacos in Miami.
Photo courtesy of Mi Rinconcito Mexicano
Mi Rinconcito Mexicano
1961 SW Eighth St., Miami305-644-4015
mirinconcitomx.com A Little Havana mainstay since 2005, Mi Rinconcito Mexicano boasts a south-of-the-border cantina ambiance from the simple décor to the no-frills Mexican fare. Take it easy on the complimentary tortilla chips and red salsa or you won't have room for the menu’s stars: the tacos. Soft corn tortillas come with your choice of pork, lamb, tongue, chicken, or chorizo and are packed with onions and cilantro. Request a fiery hit of hot sauce for an extra kick.
Pilo's Tequila Garden
158 NW 24th St., Miami305-706-8226
pilostacos.com Since opening its first location in Brickell, Pilo’s Street Tacos owner Derek Gonzalez has been on a mission: to operate a company employing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities while offering Miami his take on affordable street tacos. He does both at his original establishment (28 SW 11th St., Miami) and a Wynwood outpost and tequila garden where you can find the "El Pescadito" tacos (grilled or beer-battered fish with red cabbage, pineapple pico de gallo, and smoked chipotle mayo on flour tortillas) and the vegetarian-friendly "El Tizando" tacos (mushrooms al pastor, white onions, cilantro, and pineapple on corn tortillas). And don't ignore the signature "La Pilo" tacos, served two per order for $10. Gonzalez says they evoke memories of his favorite Mexico City taquerias and swears the combination of pork al pastor, pineapple, white onion, and cilantro is as close to the real deal as you'll get in Miami.
Taqueria Viva Mexico offers varieties like pork tongue, skin, and ear.
Photo by Food for Thought Miami
Taqueria Viva Mexico
2516 SW Eighth St., Miami305-300-5597
taqueriavivamexicomiami.com Taqueria Viva Mexico's menu is short and sweet: tacos filled with a variety of pork parts — think ear, stomach, skin, and tongue — that have been braised in their own fat and flavored with nothing but diced onion, chopped cilantro, and a squirt of citrus juice. The simplicity allows you more time to eat and less time spent trying to figure out what to order. Try the campechano, a combination of tender pork leg and crackling pork skin, for a delicious combination of flavor and texture.
Taquiza
7450 Ocean Ter., Miami Beach786-588-4755
taquizatacos.com There’s only one way to eat Taquiza’s tacos, made with homemade nixtamalized heirloom blue corn tortillas. You simply pick up the taco, fold it, and fit as much in your mouth as humanly possible. Savor every variety, ranging from al pastor and Impossible chorizo to chapulines and lengua, and you'll see why chef/owner Steve Santana’s taquerias remain at the forefront of Miami’s taco revolution.
Uptown 66 Taqueria
6600 Biscayne Blvd., Miami305-960-7117
uptown66.miamiWhen chef Nuno Grullon signed a lease for a ventanita on the corner of 66th Street and Biscayne Boulevard, he and his business partner Akira Van Egmond saw great potential for the tiny former coffee stand. They set to work renovating the tiny space in the MiMo District and transforming it into Uptown 66 Taqueria. Here, Grullon's concise menu of tacos are made with hand-pressed tortillas made from heirloom Oaxaca corn. The Bronx native studied Mexican cooking techniques, but the delivery is all his own, from pollo asado (with pickled carrots, radish, crema, and cotija cheese) to slow-braised barbacoa (oxtail, beef cheek, and short rib) to suckling-pig carnitas with cabbage and onion. Don't miss the birria tacos, which arrive with a sidecar of slurp-worthy consommé, were recently acknowledged among the nation's best by Good Morning America.
The Wolf of Tacos went from pandemic pop-up to South Beach Wine & Food Festival feature.
Photo by Nicole Danna
The Wolf of Tacos
Various locationsthewolfoftacos.com
Wolf of Tacos chef/founder Eduardo Lara went from hosting pandemic pop-ups in his driveway to serving hundreds of people at the 2021 SOBEWFF. Now the young chef's real-deal street tacos are all the rage in the Magic City, and ground zero for hardcore taco fans looking for a taste of true tacos al pastor. For Lara, tacos are sacred — no fancy-pants ingredients or upmarket toppings for him. Think simple and messy: fat-slicked slivers of meat shaved directly from the trompo and piled onto a single corn tortilla. That philosophy applies across the board, each variety finished with homemade salsas and served alongside traditional crudités. Versions include suadero (a thin cut of beef from between the belly and the leg), longaniza (sausage), and campechano (a combination of several meats, usually beef and pork, in one delicious package), as well as a savory vegan oyster mushroom cooked till it exhibits a meatlike texture and flavor. Check Lara's Instagram to find him cooking at pop-up events across Miami.
