Texas' Top Taco Restaurant Is An Austin Staple With Well-Earned Hype, Per Yelp

You know a restaurant is worth the hype when one of its location's hours comes with a caveat: It closes when the food sells out. One Texas taco spot, Paprika ATX in Austin, is so popular the food does indeed run out, and it's landed itself in third place on Yelp's 2025 Top 100 Taco Spots in the U.S. — placing first in Texas. Yelp analyzed its own data, flagging a volume of reviews that mention "tacos," then weighing overall positive reviews to determine the final list. 

For travelers, Paprika's placement signals more than local buzz, but a must-try stop in a town that's nationally recognized for barbecue: Austin was named 2025's top-ranked BBQ city. The Mexican hot spot's rave reviews prove that the state's culinary scene is more dynamic than saucy ribs and salty green beans. Putting Paprika on your Austin itinerary gives you a taste of the city's strong Mexican-American culinary heritage, which is rooted in the region's 19th-century history when Texas was still part of Mexico. 

Yelp Reviewers have rated it 4.8 stars, consistently describing Paprika as "the real deal" and "truly authentic," a reputation that has been building since its earliest days. Opening at the onset of the pandemic as a food truck, it earned the No. 19 spot on Yelp's 2025 Top 100 Food Trucks nearly five years later. The truck originally operated behind Michi Ramen by day, and popped up at Long Play Lounge on the East Side by night (per The Austin Chronicle). Paprika became a fixture in East Austin, the city's hippest neighborhood, drawing both tourists and locals who lined up to taste its authentic tacos. Fueled by steady demand and glowing reviews, Paprika opened a brick-and-mortar taqueria next to Michi Ramen in October, 2025. One Yelp critic summed it up simply: "the best taqueria around."

At Paprika, the focus is intentionally narrow, putting tacos — and an array of tasty salsas — at the center of it all. This laser-focused approach has paid off, earning recognition not only from Yelp but also from The New York Times. The reputable publication named Paprika's Suadero Taco one of "The Best Dishes in America of 2024." Judging by its sold-out frequency and positive Yelp ratings praising its depth of flavor, customers agree that this menu item is one of Paprika's tastiest. Some even updated older reviews years later, reinforcing the taqueria's consistency over time.

Another fan favorite is the al pastor taco, cooked on a trompo – a vertical spit traditionally used to cook this style of meat. One Yelp reviewer emphatically nods at the restaurant's use of this specific type of rotisserie, saying that's how she knew the al pastor tacos were legit. Paprika's attention to detail earned them the No. 1 spot for al pastor tacos in Austin by The Infatuation in 2026, along with a place on their Top 25 Restaurants in Austin in 2025. 

The tacos are served on nixtamalized corn tortillas, an ancient Mesoamerican cooking tradition that includes soaking whole corn kernels in limewater. This method produces earthy flavors and a soft, pliable tortilla texture. It's the foundation of Mexican cooking, a cuisine inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. The taqueria's simple interior celebrates its roots with the colors of the Mexican flag making up the décor, creating an atmosphere that complements the food's originality. Paprika's tacos aren't just worth it for the Yelp hype, but their celebration of tradition, sense of place, and taste keeps customers coming back for more.

Want to know which state had the most taquerias on Yelp's list? Check out our feature on the best taco spot in the U.S. that's worth traveling for.