PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Five Portland area restaurants and food carts are among the top taco spots in the United States, according to Yelp.
Ranging from vegan bites to barbecue joints, Portland eateries earned spots on Yelp’s Top 100 Taco Spots 2023 list.
#12 La Pachanga Mexican Food
La Pachanga, a family-owned food cart off Tualatin Valley Highway in Aloha, claimed the number 12 spot on Yelp’s list of top 100 taco spots.
“Serving cheesy deliciousness since 2021,” according to La Pachanga’s website, the food cart offers a variety of tacos including breakfast, veggie, street and Barbaqueso.
#39 Chilango PDX
Chilango PDX, on Portland’s NE Alberta St., ranked number 39 on Yelp’s list. According to their website, Chilango PDX blends their “Mexico City roots” with “the Portland spirit.”
The woman-owned and all vegan menu features Taco De Garlicky Mushrooms and Taco De Chicharron En Salsa Verde, Yelp says.
According to their website, Chilango PDX “brings the best of both worlds: our long-time home of Mexico City and our new home here in Portland. Before setting up shop in Portland, we lived in Mexico City for many years. That experience heavily influences our menu, blending traditional Mexican cuisine with vegan values.”
#64 Tito’s Taquitos
Tito’s Taquitos food cart, located along SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway in Portland, scored the number 64 spot on Yelp’s list.
According to their website, Tito’s Taquitos offers a variety of tacos including shrimp, beef, citrus pork, and garbanzo “al pastor.”
Tito’s Taquitos also has a Second location on Swan Island.
#84 Matt’s BBQ Tacos
Matt’s BBQ Tacos, with locations on SE 50th Ave at Hinterland and at Great Notion Brewing on NE Alberta, scored the number 84 spot on Yelp’s list.
According to their website, the food truck offers breakfast tacos (served all day,) along with pork belly and brisket tacos.
“Matt’s BBQ Tacos serves up the same great meat found at the original Matt’s BBQ cart, all served on our house made lard infused flour or vegan corn tortillas that are pressed and cooked to order,” Matt’s BBQ Tacos website says.
In 2019, the restaurant was ranked number 9 in the “Hottest Restaurant in the Country” category by Bon Appetit.
#91 Taqueria Tulancingo
McMinnville’s Taqueria Tulancingo, a food cart on NE 3rd St., scored 91 on Yelp’s list top taco list.
With a 4.9-star Yelp rating, the food cart serves up a variety of tacos including asada, al pastor, chorizo, and cachet.
To find the top Taco Towns, Yelp explained, “our data science team ranked the cities with the highest amount of consumer searches for ‘taco’ from August 2022 – August 2023. Cities considered had to meet a minimum threshold of more than 5 million searches for ‘taco.’”
The Pacific Northwest also made Yelp’s list of Top 15 “Taco Towns” in the U.S., with Seattle, ranking number nine and Portland ranking number 10.
