San Antonio's 5 Best Spots For Top-Notch Texas Tacos, According To Reviews Online

When we think of Texas, certain images come to mind, such as big cowboy hats, rolling sagebrush, longhorn cattle, and armadillos. The second-largest U.S. state is an iconic place with a culture all its own. While many people are drawn to alluring destinations like the Hill Country town known as the "Cowboy Capital of the World" or this tree-filled escape filled with lakes and Southern charm, Texas is also a remarkably delicious place. You'll find a variety of delectable fare — from famous beef barbecue to Gulf Coast seafood — in the Lone Star State. That fare also includes Tex-Mex, the fusion cuisine served up everywhere from Houston to El Paso and all points in between.

What exactly is Tex-Mex? As Eater explains, its roots go back to the Tejanos, the Texas region's original Spanish-Mexican inhabitants who paired flour tortillas with meaty stews and other dishes cooked using beans and local chiles. According to The Splendid Table, Canary Islands immigrants also influenced this cuisine by bringing cumin (Tex-Mex's signature spice) with them. What we call Tex-Mex today encompasses a number of dishes, including enchiladas, nachos, chili con carne, fajitas, chimichangas, and Texas' take on the taco. 

While there is no single version of the Texas taco, the dish has a few common giveaways, such as crispy shells or flour tortillas, lots of beef, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, and even eggs (breakfast tacos, anyone?). While you can get them all over the state, the city of San Antonio is particularly famous for its take on the hand-delivered dish. But which spots are the best? In a town already famous for its Tex-Mex, the competition is fierce. That said, here are five standout places that deliver top-notch Texas taco goodness, according to reviewers online.

A taco can take many forms, but if we were to ask: What is San Antonio's signature taco? The puffy taco would likely be the answer from most locals, at least according to Texas Monthly. "The cumulus-light treasure can be found all over the Alamo City, in food trucks and beloved restaurants, including, quite famously, a repurposed Dairy Queen," food writer José R. Ralat remarked in an article for the publication. "The puffy taco is a source of pride among locals, and there's no other place in Texas—or, perhaps it goes without saying, the world—where you can find them so easily."

The question then is, who does them best? Most locals put two eateries in the running for the puffy taco crown: Ray's Drive Inn, which claims to have invented the dish, and Henry's Puffy Tacos, which was opened by Ray's brother in 1978. While both attract a loyal following, Henry's edges out Ray's, at least when it comes to online ratings and reviews, but only by a nose.

"We recently moved to SA and had never heard of Puffy Tacos. We have since tried them at [a] few locations. Henry's are hands down our favorite," one happy customer on Tripadvisor gushed. Meanwhile, a Yelp reviewer wrote: "When it comes to iconic San Antonio eats, Henry's stands tall — especially in the age-old debate of who makes the best puffy tacos in town. While Ray's has its loyal fans, I've got to say: Henry's spicy beef fajita taco is in a league of its own."

Situated on the scenic and iconic River Walk in San Antonio, Domingo is dedicated to South Texas flavors with a "modern culinary flair." This makes it a bit more upscale than other entries on this list, but that shouldn't scare away any taco fans, as Domingo celebrates the form in several different ways.

"The Baja Fish Tacos," Mike Shubic — the food blogger behind Mike's Road Trip — wrote, "showcased tender pieces of fish blanketed by crunchy cabbage, pickled onions, and a velvety drizzle of sauce—an ode to coastal flavors delivered in the heart of the city." For those seeking more traditional Texas tacos, Domingo also delivers. As a 5-star Tripadvisor review shares: "My wife and I had three different tacos for lunch; pork, beef and chicken. All were excellent. Great service and very nice view of the river walk."

This remarkably beautiful eatery also does alternative takes on tacos, such as the tuna tostada. The dish was described as the star of the show by one Yelp reviewer, who added: "Reminded me of a Mexican pizza with delicious, fresh ingredients. The tuna was a combination of ahi and raw tuna layered in crispy tortilla shells with avocado, pickled onions and cilantro. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I would go back just for that."

No conversation about restaurants in San Antonio is complete without bringing Garcia's into the mix. Opened in 1962, this locally-beloved breakfast and lunch joint is the very definition of old school Tex-Mex, with menu items such as huevos rancheros, chilaquiles rancheras, enchiladas, and carne guisada, along with very American dishes like hamburgers and bacon and egg sandwiches.

However, it's the place's Texas-style tacos that really get people's blood pumping. "Hands down some of the best tacos I've had in San Antonio!" one Tripadvisor reviewer wrote. Garcia's brisket taco was even good enough to make The New York Times' 2023 list of the 23 best American dishes. "A juicy, crisp-edged slab of brisket, a blanket-soft tortilla, some pico de gallo," Times food writer Priya Krishna wrote of the dish. "When the basics are executed this well, there's no need for any other adornments." The folks at Michelin, who recently listed Garcia's in their San Antonio guide, agreed, asking: "Should you also tack on a brisket taco? Of course you should."

While brisket is the signature here, it's not the only choice of tortilla-filler at Garcia's. The place also adds potato (papas ranchera), polish sausage, pork chop, chorizo and egg, bean and cheese, and more to its pillowy flour tortillas. Whatever you order, know that you're dining at an establishment woven into the very fabric of the city. "There are places in San Antonio people love because they've been here forever. And there are places people love for the food," food writer Mike Sutter noted in a My San Antonio article. "You get both at Garcia's Mexican Food."

In operation since 1932, La Fonda is San Antonio's oldest Mexican restaurant, which officially makes it a local institution. With Tex-Mex standards such as bean and cheese nachos, fajitas, chile rellenos, and an array of enchiladas, you're likely to scratch your itch when it comes to the peppery cheesy goodness the fare is famous for. And if you're in the mood for tacos, you've come to the right place.

"La Fonda's pollo poblano tacos weren't the cheapest chicken tacos in town, but they were among the best," writer Mike Sutter said in a San Antonio Express-News article, adding that the "chicken stayed juicy under a dress of tangy, mild poblano cream sauce, shredded cheese and sweet roasted poblano pepper strips."

This is serious business, as any Tex-Mex joint is really only as good as its tacos, and at least according to the online consensus, La Fonda doesn't disappoint. "This was good," a recent customer on Reddit wrote, going on to add: "Tortilla chips and salsa were both obviously very fresh, the tacos were excellent ... In my opinion, this was 'tell friends and family' good." A Tripadvisor reviewer drives this sentiment home, saying: "Everything was delicious and freshly made ... We tried fish, chicken, beef, and pork tacos. All were good. You have choice of soft or crunch tacos (corn or flour tortillas). Great local spot."

Perhaps nothing screams San Antonio tacos more than the city's take on breakfast nosh, and Con Huevos Tacos ("with eggs," or a cruder meaning for Spanish speakers) gets straight to the point. The brainchild of owner/chef Hugo Garcia, this newer eatery delivers. "Con Huevos serves a selection of egg-based tacos and quesadillas brimming with comforting, invigorating guisados like smoky chipotle-stewed chicken tinga," José R. Ralat wrote for Texas Monthly. "Classics such as papas con huevos and migas are litmus tests for breakfast taco spots, and Con Huevos nails the exam."

Online citizens seem to agree. "I enjoyed a bacon, egg and cheese taco for breakfast. Made the mistake of ordering two. It was so big I barely made it through the first one!" one Tripadvisor reviewer wrote. Another review on Google had this to say: "If you're on a mission to find the best breakfast tacos in San Antonio — the journey ends at Con Huevos. The quality here is unmatched. Fresh tortillas, perfectly seasoned fillings, and every taco feels like it was built with pride and real culinary intention. You can taste the difference immediately."

Con Huevos has an array of breakfast tacos to choose from, all named after women and served on homemade flour tortillas. "Vicki" features refried beans, cheddar cheese, and crispy bacon. "Carmen" is filled with scrambled egg, potatoes avocado, and cheddar cheese. Meanwhile, the number one seller "Licha" is made with a mound of potatoes and chorizo served over refried beans and topped with plenty of shredded cheddar.

In determining which eateries should make our list of San Antonio's five best spots for top-notch Texas tacos, we had to first define a "Texas taco" as opposed to traditional Mexican street tacos. The latter are made with small soft corn tortillas and usually just topped with onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Factors we focused on for Texas tacos included the use of flour tortillas and crunchy corn tortillas, as well as Tex-Mex ingredients such as brisket, eggs, and cheddar cheese. 

From there, we only considered places that garnered an aggregate score of 4.2 and above on Yelp, Google, and Tripadvisor. Candidates that received positive commentary in the press and from online forums such as Reddit were also prioritized. 

After looking at all this information, we are positive that the five restaurants on this list reflect some of the best Texas-style tacos that San Antonio has to offer. For more good eats in the area, check out this roundup of the city's most highly-rated restaurants overall.