Tacos in Minneapolis run from Lake Street counters to Mexicantown storefronts to a Northeast tortilleria line with real chef pedigree. This list keeps them straight by neighborhood and by what actually comes out of the kitchen, not by hype.
5400 Penn Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55419 · +16128861606
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Colita's coastal Mexican menu leans on citrus and char, part of the Daniel del Prado restaurant group that treats regional Mexican cooking with real specificity rather than combo-platter shorthand. Expect seafood-forward tacos alongside the usual roster, in a dining room built for a sit-down meal rather than a quick counter stop. One of the more chef-driven Mexican kitchens operating in Minneapolis right now.
What to ordertacos, octopus, burgers
№ 02
Pineda Tacos
$
60 Nathan Ln N, Plymouth, MN 55441 · +17635451977
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Pineda Tacos runs the no-frills counter model that Lake Street does best: order at the register, tacos come fast, prices stay low. It is built for volume and repeat weekday lunches rather than lingering, and the format keeps the focus entirely on the meat and the tortilla instead of a dining room.
№ 03
Órale Mexican Eats
$$
5447 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55419 · +16123543350
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Órale Mexican Eats built its name on chile relleno and carne asada served the way regulars remember it from years back, the kind of menu that draws people returning to Minneapolis specifically to eat there again. The room stays casual and family-friendly, and the enchiladas get mentioned as often as the tacos on the strength of straightforward, unfussy execution.
What to orderchile relleno, enchiladas, carne asada
№ 04
Taquería y Birriería las Cuatro Milpas | Mexican
$$
1526 East Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407 · +16128348814
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Birria and a straightforward carne asada taco anchor the menu at this Minneapolis taquería, where quesadillas round out a lunch built for families and groups rather than solo speed runs. Longtime customers return specifically for the birria, though the carne asada taco draws mixed reports on tenderness and value depending on the visit.
What to ordercarne asada taco, birria, quesadilla
№ 05
Barrio
$$
925 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55402 · +16123339953
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Barrio pairs ceviche and chile relleno with a margarita list built for a downtown happy hour crowd, and the patio does real work on warm evenings. It reads as a drinks-first stop that happens to serve a solid Mexican menu alongside, long-running enough downtown that regulars note how many years it has held its spot.
What to orderceviche, margarita, chile relleno
№ 06
Nico's Taco and Tequila Bar
$$
2516 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55405 · +16123457688
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Set inside a converted house, Nico's pairs tacos and churros with a tequila and margarita list strong enough to be the actual draw. The patio and the renovated interior lean toward date-night rather than a quick counter stop, and portions run smaller than the price tag might suggest, a tradeoff regulars make for the room itself.
What to ordertacos, churros, margaritas
1222 NE 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN, 55413 · +16122008087
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Oro by Nixta runs on a tortilleria line out of Northeast Minneapolis, building tacos around masa made in house rather than treating the tortilla as an afterthought. It is the rare taco menu in this guide with real chef-driven technique behind the corn itself, and it is worth ordering around whatever the nixtamal program is doing that week.
What to ordertres leches, tasting menu
№ 08
Jefe Urban Cocina
$$
219 SE Main St, Minneapolis, MN 55414 · +16122552000
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Jefe Urban Cocina keeps a large patio near the Mississippi riverfront that fills up around Stone Arch Bridge events, and the vegan chorizo taco gets specific praise on a menu that also runs carnitas and chile relleno. Happy hour pricing makes it a reasonable pre-movie or pre-festival stop rather than a destination meal on its own.
What to ordervegan chorizo tacos, carnitas, chile relleno
№ 09
Listo! Fresh Mexican Grill
$
1730 New Brighton Blvd, Minneapolis, MN 55413 · +16122163909
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Listo! runs a limited, grab-and-go menu of burritos, tacos, and quesadillas built for speed rather than seating, and the counter-service format keeps lines moving even when locations multiply across the metro. The Minneapolis room fits the same model: fast, fresh, and no pretense toward a sit-down experience.
What to orderburritos, tacos, quesadillas
№ 10
Dominguez Family Restaurant | Mexican
$$
3313 E 50th St, Minneapolis, MN 55417 · +16127248493
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The chicken chimichanga and the number eight enchiladas keep Dominguez Family Restaurant in regular rotation for households that return specifically for those two dishes, with beans and rice getting called out as better than the standard side. It is a locally owned, family-style room in Minneapolis where results vary some by visit but the regulars keep ordering the same plates.
What to orderchicken chimichanga, enchiladas, beans and rice
№ 11
Abi's Restaurant
$
2828 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408 · +16127210013
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Abi's pairs pupusas with a tamale-and-eggs plate that reads as breakfast served at dinner, an unusual pairing that regulars single out specifically. The pupusas arrive warm with a leafy green filling, though the salsa comes only on request, worth asking for up front. A strip-mall Minneapolis room built for casual weeknight meals rather than atmosphere.
What to orderpupusa, tamale with eggs, quesadilla
Frequently asked
What is the best taco spot in Minneapolis right now?
Based on the Insider Score, Órale Mexican Eats and Oro by Nixta stand out for different reasons: one for consistency regulars keep coming back for, the other for a chef-driven tortilla program out of Northeast Minneapolis. No restaurant on this list pays to be included; placement follows the Insider Score alone.
Where can I find good tacos near me in Minneapolis?
This guide covers rooms spread across Minneapolis, from Lake Street counters like Pineda Tacos to a full-service group room in Colita, so the closest good option depends on which part of the city is nearby. Check the neighborhood listed for each entry rather than assuming one corridor covers the whole city.
Are any of these taco spots in St. Paul instead of Minneapolis?
No. Every restaurant in this guide is listed by its actual municipality, and all twelve here are in Minneapolis. St. Paul has its own distinct taco and Mexican food scene, particularly around District del Sol on the West Side, that would need its own separate guide.
How is the Insider Score determined for these restaurants?
The Insider Score comes from an independent read of the public review record for each restaurant: what dishes get named repeatedly, how consistent the experience reads across visits, and how the room actually operates. No restaurant pays for placement or for a higher score on this list.
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The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Kou Thao
Staff Writer · Top of Minneapolis
Kou Thao is the St. Paul & Corridors Editor at Top of Minneapolis. Born in St. Paul and raised in Frogtown, he grew up working the family egg-roll stand at Hmongtown Marketplace. He covers the marketplaces, University Avenue, the East Side and West Side, and every corridor counter worth the trip across the river.
