The best tacos in Raleigh

The gap between a good taco and a great one in Raleigh comes down to the tortilla, and only two places on this list make their own from scratch corn. One of them mills the masa daily from Oaxacan corn and has a Michelin Guide mention to show for it.

The rest of the ranking weighs Axios Raleigh's 30 best restaurants list, local awards and the practical stuff: who opens for breakfast, who is still serving at midnight, and who has a Wake Forest sibling so you do not have to drive at all.

Hours below were taken from each business's own published information and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Mala Pata

Mills its own masa daily from Oaxacan corn on Crabtree Boulevard, which is the single biggest quality difference on this list. Michelin Guide recognized and on Axios Raleigh's 30 best restaurants, and open since May 2025.

Hours: Tue-Sat 5 to 9:30 p.m. Sun 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for brunch. Closed Monday.

Address: 2431 Crabtree Blvd., Suite 102, Raleigh, NC 27604

Why they made the list

• Mills fresh masa daily from Oaxacan corn, and no other taqueria in Raleigh does this.
• Recognized by the Michelin Guide and named to Axios Raleigh's Triangle's 30 best restaurants.
• Sunday is brunch only, which is a genuinely different menu.
• Newest restaurant on this list, open since May 2025.

See the full directory listing

Gringo A Go Go

Housed in a former Esso gas station on North Person Street, which gives it the best building of any taqueria in the city. Named to Axios Raleigh's 30 best restaurants, and open seven days with a late Monday start.

Hours: Mon 3 to 9 p.m. Tue-Thu 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 100 N. Person St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Why they made the list

• Named to Axios Raleigh's list of the Triangle's 30 best restaurants.
• A converted Esso station, so the room is the draw as much as the food.
• Open seven days, which most of this list does not manage.
• Monday service starts at 3 p.m., not lunch.

See the full directory listing

Taco Bamba

Chef Victor Albisu's taqueria, which brought its Washington-area operation to Wade Avenue in August 2023. The catfish taco is the standout, and the 8 a.m. open makes it the only breakfast-taco option here.

Hours: Sun-Thu 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri-Sat 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Address: 3518 B&C Wade Ave., Raleigh, NC 27607

Why they made the list

• Opens at 8 a.m. seven days, so it is the breakfast taco answer.
• Open until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, the latest on this list alongside Gym Tacos.
• A chef-driven concept from Victor Albisu rather than a local independent or a chain.
• The catfish taco is the order, and it is not on anyone else's menu.

See the full directory listing

13 Tacos & Taps

A Falls River taqueria built around the Red Bird chicken adobado taco, with guacamole made fresh daily and a tap list that justifies the name. Six days a week and closed Sundays.

Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Sunday.

Address: 10511 Shadowlawn Dr., Suite 119, Raleigh, NC 27614

Why they made the list

• The Red Bird chicken adobado taco is an award-winner and the reason to go.
• Guacamole made in house every day rather than from a tub.
• A serious beer list attached to a taqueria, which is the differentiator.
• The closest place on this list to Wake Forest, in Falls River.

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Gonza Tacos y Tequila - North Raleigh

A Colombian-Mexican kitchen on Lead Mine Road with sibling locations in Cary and Wake Forest. It won Wake Forest Weekly's best tacos award three years running. The hours are genuinely narrow, so read them twice.

Hours: Tue-Thu 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Fri 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5 to 8:30 p.m. Sat 5 to 8:30 p.m. Sun 5 to 8 p.m. Closed Monday.

Address: 7713 Lead Mine Rd., #39, Raleigh, NC 27615

Why they made the list

• Won Wake Forest Weekly's best tacos award from 2017 to 2019.
• Colombian and Mexican cooking on the same menu, which nobody else here does.
• There is a Wake Forest location too, so you do not have to drive to Raleigh.
• Lunch ends at 1:30 p.m. and dinner ends at 8 p.m., which is unusually tight. Plan around it.

See the full directory listing

Gym Tacos

Started as a food truck in 2019 and grew to six locations, still pressing its own corn tortillas. The Hillsborough Street shop is the one to hit, and it runs to midnight on weekends. A seventh store is going into the old Hardee's in downtown Wake Forest.

Hours: Sun-Thu 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to midnight.

Address: 3701 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC 27607

Why they made the list

• Presses its own corn tortillas rather than buying them in.
• Open until midnight Friday and Saturday, the latest close on this list.
• Grew from one food truck in 2019 to six locations in seven years.
• A Wake Forest location is coming to the former Hardee's on East Roosevelt Avenue.

See the full directory listing

Little Rey

Ford Fry's concept and sister restaurant to Superica, at Raleigh Iron Works, built around wood-roasted chicken al carbon. Weekend breakfast from 9 a.m. is the part most people miss.

Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sat 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Breakfast Sat-Sun 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Address: 1101 E. Whitaker Mill Rd., Suite 102, Raleigh, NC 27604

Why they made the list

• Weekend breakfast service from 9 a.m., which only this and Taco Bamba offer.
• Wood-roasted chicken al carbon is the dish the restaurant is built on.
• A Ford Fry restaurant, so the execution is consistent night to night.
• At Raleigh Iron Works, with parking and other places to go after.

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Bartaco

At Main at North Hills, where the glazed pork belly and crispy shrimp tacos lead and the key lime pie in a jar is the reason to stay for dessert. Order-by-pencil-and-card system, a weekday happy hour, and a patio.

Hours: Sun-Thu 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to midnight. Happy hour weekdays 3 to 6 p.m.

Address: 4121 Main at North Hills St., Suite 105, Raleigh, NC 27609

Why they made the list

• A weekday happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m., which almost no taqueria on this list runs.
• Open to midnight Friday and Saturday.
• Glazed pork belly and crispy shrimp are the two tacos to order.
• The North Hills patio, which is a real one rather than three tables.

See the full directory listing

Cantina 18 - Raleigh

Village District, with spicy short rib and pork belly tacos and a weekend brunch that runs until 2 p.m. Part of 18 Restaurant Group, so it is a local operation rather than a chain import.

Hours: Sun-Thu 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Weekend brunch until 2 p.m.

Address: 433 Daniels St., Raleigh, NC 27605

Why they made the list

• Weekend brunch until 2 p.m., which most taquerias here skip entirely.
• Locally owned by 18 Restaurant Group.
• Spicy short rib is the taco that separates it from the rest of the list.
• Village District location, walkable from Cameron Village shopping.

See the full directory listing

La Santa Modern Mexican Food

Recipes brought from Guadalajara to Glenwood South, with chicken tinga tacos and half-price Taco Tuesdays. The only place on this list that runs a split lunch and dinner service and then stays open to midnight on a Friday.

Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Fri 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to midnight. Sat 11 a.m. to midnight. Sun noon to 9 p.m.

Address: 222 Glenwood Ave., Suite 107, Raleigh, NC 27603

Why they made the list

• Half-price tacos on Tuesdays, the only standing taco deal on this list.
• Recipes brought directly from Guadalajara by the owners.
• Open to midnight Friday and Saturday.
• Glenwood South, so it is walkable from downtown hotels and bars.

See the full directory listing

Frequently asked questions

What is the best taco in Raleigh, NC?

Mala Pata on Crabtree Boulevard is the technical winner because it mills its own masa daily from Oaxacan corn, and it carries both a Michelin Guide recognition and a place on Axios Raleigh's list of the Triangle's 30 best restaurants. Gringo A Go Go, in a converted Esso station on N. Person Street, also made the Axios list.

Where can I get breakfast tacos in Raleigh?

Taco Bamba on Wade Avenue opens at 8 a.m. seven days a week. Little Rey at Raleigh Iron Works serves breakfast Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those are the only two real options on this list.

Which Raleigh taqueria is open latest?

Gym Tacos on Hillsborough Street, Bartaco at North Hills and La Santa in Glenwood South all run to midnight on Friday and Saturday. Taco Bamba goes to 11 p.m. on weekends.

Is there a good taqueria in Wake Forest?

Gonza Tacos y Tequila has a Wake Forest location, and it won Wake Forest Weekly's best tacos award from 2017 to 2019. Gym Tacos is opening a seventh location in the former Hardee's on East Roosevelt Avenue in downtown Wake Forest, with no announced opening date yet.

Where can I get half-price tacos in Raleigh?

La Santa Modern Mexican Food on Glenwood Avenue runs half-price tacos on Tuesdays. Bartaco has a weekday happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m., though that discounts drinks and small plates rather than tacos specifically.