Denton is full of authentic Mexican taquerias that serve mouth-watering street tacos to all, even if you no habla Español. McKinney Street is considered taqueria district, but you can find them scattered throughout downtown and to the edge of town.
So how do you know which taquerias are best?
You're the judge of that.
Here's a few taquerias my husband and I visited on our self-proclaimed taco crawl, getting one taco each at each stop — and sticking to the same type of taco so we would know truly who had the BEST taco in Denton.
Spoiler alert: We both voted for the same place.
I realize this is only scratching the surface when it comes to choosing the best taqueria in Denton because there are SO MANY to choose from. So rest assured, I will continue to add taqueria reviews to this list and update the blog if I determine there is a better taco out there than the one we picked.
Stop #1: La Estrella
Rating: 5 stars
What we got: One Barbacoa and one Carne Asada on a flour tortilla. Green sauce on side.
Our review: We loved EVERYTHING about the tacos. That green sauce is unlike anywhere else and has a nice kick of spice, but adds a lot of flavor to the taco (even though the taco didn't need it). The atmosphere isn't great as it's in a convenience store, but it's worth going to for the tacos.
Stop #2: Ambro's Tacos
Review: 4.5 stars
What we got: One Barbacoa and one Carne Asada taco on a flour tortilla. Green sauce on side.
Our review: This was another great stop and super close to the downtown Denton square, so location is a plus. The green sauce was not spicy and more of a cilantro-guac sauce, which was good. The tortillas might have been homemade but not sure. It has a great patio and a smallish indoor seating area.
Stop #3: Taqueria 3 Carnales
Review: 4 stars
What we got: One Carnitas and One Fajita taco on flour tortilla.
Our review: This stop didn't have either of the Carne Asada or the Barbacoa, so we randomly picked something that sounded somewhat appealing on the menu. This felt so authentic looking at the menu because there were things on there like Buche (pork stomach), Leguna (beef tongue), etc. that I was like HARD PASS. The tacos were pretty good and interesting with a slice of radish on top. The restaurant (formerly Viet Bites) was cutely decorated with great murals painted on the walls all around.
Stop #4: La Mexicana
Review: 3 stars
What we got: An entree of 3 tacos - Carne Asada, Barbacoa, and Pollo on flour tortilla.
Our review: This isn't a taqueria so I suppose we shouldn't have gone as part of our crawl. But the reason we did was because the time of day we started the crawl, taquerias were either closed already or not open yet. But it was open and an authentic Mexican restaurant that has been in Denton forever, so we went in to give it a try. None of the tacos were super great, and the chips and salsa wasn't either. The meats were dry and they didn't have any good sauce to douse it in. I am a huge Tex-Mex fan and super picky when it comes to my chips and salsa, so it wasn't the best end to our crawl. However I am sure if we went to this restaurant to order authentic Mexican food, then we would likely have a better experience. So I give it 3 stars.
Stop #5: Taqueria Bethel
Review: 4 stars
What we got: One entree of Carne Asada tacos on flour tortillas.
Our review: This place had the NICEST taco lady by far of all the places we visited. She was super welcoming and treated you like family. The tacos were pretty good but it was definitely great prices for all the food you got (these were big tortillas compared to other places!). But we had to go here on a different day since we were taco-d out from our first four stops on round one. That's why we ordered a whole plate here. I don't think she had Barbacoa so we just got the Carne Asada. The atmosphere is okay because it's in a gas station.
Our top pick: La Estrella
Coming soon to the blog:
- Veronica's Tacos
- Taqueria Miguelitos
- Taqueria Guanajuato
- Antojito's El Ray
- Anywhere else I need to go?
Ready to do your own Denton Taco Crawl?
Tips to get started:
- Choose one area of town per "crawl" — It's likely impossible to hit up each taqueria in town in one day because I don't think anyone can eat that much without a break.
- Make sure you know their hours! — not all taquerias are equal. Some are open on weekends, some aren't. Some are open for lunch, some aren't. Some are open for dinner, some aren't. Create your route based on which places will be open during the timeframe you will be doing your crawl.
- Only order one taco from each place — You can also opt to split one taco with another person so you can try more than one type of taco, or so you can hit up more places in one day without getting overstuffed. Don't order the plates or entrees that come with rice and beans if possible, or that will make you even more full (and will cost more).
- Stick to the same taco at each place — How will you know who truly has the best taco if you get a different one each time? Ordering the same taco will allow you to add your tasting notes, compare the differences, and help you vote for the best taqueria. Choose to stick to the taco that you would most likely order.
- Get green sauce on the side — I recommend taking one bite of the taco without sauce, and one bite with the sauce to determine if that makes (or breaks) a taco tasting. If a taqueria has "green sauce," I recommend you get it on the side and try it out. I am a huge fan of green sauce of every variation found at taquerias. Sometimes its a spicy sauce, a guac sauce, a cilantro lime sauce, or even a tomatillo salsa.
- Unsure of which taco to order? — I highly recommend the Carne Asada or Barbacoa on a flour tortilla. Carne Asada is diced steak, and Barbacoa is like a shredded beef. Keep in mind, while these two are popular tacos on most taquerias menus, we ran into a couple that did not offer either. Or some places only serve corn tortillas. If you run into this, I recommend you opt out for the taco crawl, and go back at another time to order a unique menu item that they offer so it doesn't throw off your tasting analysis.
- How to vote on your favorite taco — Take notes on your phone of the following: what you loved about the taco, what you didn't love (or thought could be better) about the taco, value of the taco based on price and taste, size of the taco, notes about the sauce bonus points like if the tortilla was homemade or if you liked the restaurant atmosphere or the prices were good.
- Don't forget to take photos — Taking a photo of the taco and taking notes is a must for an effective taco crawl. But it's even better if you can add those photos and reviews on social media as you go along — tagging the location and adding your notes about the taco will help you remember where you were and what you thought about the taco at the end of your crawl when everything you did starts to become a blur. And so you dont forget which taqueria you were at when you took the photo!
- Taco-d out? — Wait at least a week before you start the next section of your taco crawl so you don't get burnt out on tacos. Because nothing tastes good when you're burnt out of it.