The meme below purports to show where the highest quality of tacos in Texas can be found. Study the map and you’ll get the impression the meme’s creator believes tacos are “nonexistent” throughout about half of the Lone Star State. That includes the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex as well as all of West Texas. Most of what the meme’s creator believes are the Lone Star State’s “best tacos” can be found only in San Antonio and the South Texas Plains as well as in portions of the Texas Hill Country. A “best tacos” designation is also accorded to the El Paso area.
There is, of course, no official sanctioning of this (or any other) Texas Taco Map. It’s just someone’s opinion, perhaps someone well traveled and conversant in the exploration of taco greatness. Much more highly regarded and as close-to-official as it comes is Texas Monthly Magazine’s “50 Best Tacos in Texas” listing. Compiled by the Magazine’s “Taco Editor” Jose Ralat, who traveled around 14,000 miles, from Amarillo to Brownsville and El Paso to Texarkana, it actually validates that great tacos are to be found throughout the state. Contrary to the Texas Taco Map, great tacos aren’t the exclusive source of pride for an anointed few sections of the state.
Jose Ralat (who’s got one of the two best jobs in the universe; the other is Texas Monthly’s “Barbecue Editor,” a position currently held by the legendary Daniel Vaughn) made some very interesting observations in his compilation of the best tacos: “My travels confirmed a shift in the state’s taco scene that I first started noticing a few years ago. More than ever, chefs, cooks, and taqueros—often Mexican immigrants or first-generation Mexican Americans—are crafting nostalgic dishes from their blended cultures and incorporating native Texan ingredients. I’m calling the movement New Tejano.”
Ralat declared “El Paso is the epicenter of New Tejano cuisine.” That’s not an affront to the great taquerias in San Antonio and Austin. It’s recognition of a vastly overlooked and perhaps underappreciated area’s tacos. My friend and blogger-in-arms Steve Coleman of Steve’s Food Blog has often lamented the lack of recognition accorded El Paso, especially on the national scene. While Houston, Dallas and Austin are widely acclaimed for their culinary excellence, El Paso seems to be relegated to the “Rodney Dangerfield” no respect pile.
Among the 50 best tacos in Texas–and Ralat sampled some 1,200 tacos during his quest to find the state’s best–three of the top ten are from El Paso. Perhaps most notably is ELEMI, whose chef Emiliano Marentes has been nominated for James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef – Texas” honors three times. Jose Ralat ranked ELEMI second among all the tacos he sampled. Ranked number five on the list is Taqueria El Tigre, in operation for only six months when Ralat compiled his listing. Ranked just below Taqueria El Tigre at number six is Taconeta which showcases ” tacos that are exemplars of the New Tejano movement.”
Although heralded for its nixtamalized tacos and inventive cuisine, Taconeta is even more highly regarded for its beverages. In 2025, Taconeta earned a James Beard Foundation nomination in the “Outstanding Wine and Beverage Program” category. According to the Foundation, “The James Beard Awards have long recognized the critical role that beverage plays in the culinary landscape.” It’s a category that “specifically celebrates the drinking aspect of hospitality.” Ostensibly, Taconeta’s nomination also recognizes the pairing of wines and beverages with tacos and other Mexican fare. It gave my friend Steve pause to reflect on that pairing.
Though I’m an avowed teetotaler and Steve doesn’t imbibe adult beverages very often, we were both curious about the pairing of Mexican food with aguas frescas. It’s a topic he explored in his review of Carnitas Queretano in El Paso. No visit to El Chuco would be complete without breaking bread (or tortillas) with my friend. With Kim and The Dude in tow, we headed to Taconeta on an evening in which the winds threatened to blow us all the way to Kansas. We wondered half in jest if we’d be experiencing an unwanted pairing of dust and tacos.
El Paso’s tempestuous winds didn’t dissuade aficionados of Taconeta’s beverage program and cuisine. Though we arrived just after 5PM on a Friday evening, guests were lined up from the entrance to the station where they placed their orders. It would be that way for the entirety of our visit. One of our servers confirmed that “it’s always this way” and not resultant from the James Beard nomination. In better weather, he told us, lines extend through the outdoor patio. He also related that just as many guests visit Taconeta for its beverage program as for its cuisine.
Taconeta’s street-facing facade is rather homogeneous, as bland and generic as so many restaurants. Step inside and it’s quaint and quirky, contemporary and traditional, hip and modern. It’s also loud…very loud. We weren’t able to catch up because we couldn’t hear one another. In part because dust obfuscated the sun’s illuminating rays but mostly because of the restaurant’s low strobe lighting, our photos aren’t of the best quality (my apologies). Sound and sight distractions aside, we visited Taconeta for the food. That (and ostensibly the beverage program) is where Taconeta shines.
The Taconeta experience requires guests to stand in line until they reach the spot where orders are taken. Once you’ve done so, you’ll be escorted to your table. On the minus side, guests might feel a bit rushed and will order more quickly than they otherwise might. My preference is to peruse the menu thoroughly then place my order. On the plus side, waiters don’t have to repeatedly visit tables occupied by slow readers like me. Savvy diners will peruse the Taconeta menu online so that they’re ready to order when they reach the end of the line.
In 2021, Jose Ralat described Taconeta’s menu as “veggie-forward,” indicating it “packs a punch.” In the Top 50 feature, he explained: “What sets this taqueria apart in the flour tortilla–loving border city is its use of corn tortillas that are, you guessed it, nixtamalized. It also pays special attention to its beverages, offering fresh aguas frescas, agave spirits, and local craft beer.” In part because Ralat raved about it, I had the vegan mushroom taco (tempura fried mushrooms, guacamole, salsa goku, pickled onions and crispy kale. It was undoubedly the best mushroom taco, if not vegan taco, I’ve ever had.
Both from the standpoint of flavor and texture, this taco was as pretty as a picture (though because of my terrible photo it may not look it). It starts with the blue corn tortilla in which all ingredients are nestled like a mother embracing her baby. El Pasoans tend to like flour tortillas, so experiencing a corn tortilla is always a treat. Blue corn makes it even moreso. Sheathed in tempura, the mushrooms retain earthy and umami qualities. Like Ralat, I appreciated that there were “no button mushrooms here.” The goku salsa has a pronounced piquancy so apply it with caution. The guacamole is creamy and velvety…so good.
From Taconeta’s “Bowls” section of the menu came one (followed by maybe one-hundred) of the best bites of the evening. Those delectable bites are courtesy of the Milpa Bowl (Aztec salad spring mix, sweet potato, avocado, pickled onion, pepitos, golden raisins, achiote-citrus vinaigrette), a complete meal in a bowl. The option to add a protein (pollo, suadero carnitas, mushroom) is like topping gold with silver. My choice were the suadero carnitas. Suadero is a thin cut of beef from the lower part of the cow, between the belly and the leg. It’s often mistaken for brisket.
Milpa, a Spanish term for a field in which food crops are grown, is an apropos name for this bowl. Outstanding would be an even better descriptor. I’m a “bowls guy.” You can literally toss any melange of related or disparate ingredients in a bowl and I’d enjoy it. This one just happened to have ingredients that went together like a fine orchestra. Each ingredient hit the right notes. My favorite was probably the grilled camote (sweet potato) which, along with the golden raisins offered a sweet contrast to savory ingredients. The pepitos provided a crunchy delight while the achiote-citrus dressing and pickled onions lent tangy elements to a well-balanced and delicious bowl.
My Kim isn’t one for “exotic” fillings and would probably find tacos from one of Texas’s “nonexistent tacos” regions acceptable. Her favorite tacos always have been and remain carnitas tacos (pork shoulder confit, guacamole, escabeche, chicharron). Because of her inability to handle piquant items, she asked that the escabeche (quickly pickled carrots, cauliflower, jalapeños, and onions) be excluded. She praised the guacamole’s creaminess and fresh, deeply rich flavors and the slow-cooked, nicely spiced shredded pork.
I have no idea who Teofilo may or may have been, but Taconera’s Teofilo taco (shrimp a la diabla, melted cheese) is one of the best shrimp-based tacos I’ve had. A la diabla is fiery and flavorful Mexican dish features succulent shrimp coated in a spicy, tangy, and smoky sauce made from dried chiles. Nestle those shrimp into a soft blue corn tortilla and add a layer of molten cheese and you’ve got a winner. The shrimp have the snap of freshness (thank goodness they weren’t fried). Teofilo, whoever he is or was, would be proud of the taco named for him.
At some Mexican restaurants, substitutions aren’t welcome on dishes such as elote en vaso (corn in a cup). Taconeta let my Kim have her elote dish her way which is with no chile. The elote en vaso (Mexican white corn served in a cup with lime mayo, cotija, and chile powder) is terrific. A diner at an adjacent table joked that “the former first son would have snorted all that cotija“). Hmm, why snort it when it lends such a tangy, salty flavor? It presents a pleasant contrast to the sweet white corn as does the lime mayo. More than contrast, the flavors are a delightful amalgam of flavors that work so very well together.
We’ve enjoyed dozens of pastel tres leches (three milks cakes) at Mexican restaurants throughout the Southwest, but only at Taconeta have we seen Tres Leches Confleis on any dessert menu. Confleis, in fact, is a term with which I was unfamiliar. The term is derived from the popular breakfast cereal, Corn Flakes. Yes, Corn Flakes. The term applies does not apply to texture. I watched as our server poured a liquid from a large pitcher onto the pastel tres leches. He explained that the pitcher contained the milk of a sweet cereal (everyone’s favorite). That additional milk gave the pastel tres leches even more moistness and deliciousness than most tres leches cakes we’ve ever had. It’s an interesting departure from the standard.
As we walked out of Taconeta, our ears still ringing, the consensus was that we didn’t necessarily enjoy the experience (we’re old and don’t like a lot of noise). On further reflection, however, I’ve got to say the dishes I had were all very, very good. Taconeta may have been nominated for a James Beard award on the strength of its beverage program, but the food is what I would return for.
Taconeta
311 Montana Ave A-1
El Paso, Texas
(915) 303-8038
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 7 March 2025
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$ – $$$
BEST BET:
REVIEW #1459
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