Growing up in the suburbs of a Northeastern city in the 1980s meant tacos came out of a box shelved in the “international” aisle at a grocery store. One day a week – usually Wednesdays – we were exposed to “tacos” with greasy ground beef, shredded iceberg lettuce, and mounds of mozzarella stuffed into delicate hard shells.
Fue un desastre divertido y lo más parecido a la comida mexicana que pudimos. Pero, como los tacos, evolucionamos.
Just last weekend we were ordering al pastor tacos in the busiest, noisiest, and probably best taco spot in Tijuana. Tacos El Franc is a must-visit for any fan of the authentic street taco – the ambiance, the smells, and the flavors can’t be beaten.
But up here in the beach communities of San Diego, National Taco Day (Oct. 4) is celebrated a little differently as local restaurants think outside of the grocery store box. There are cauliflower tacos, vampire tacos, and even poke tacos – and we tasted them all.
Our tasters, known for their taco infatuations, were Danielle Radin, digital anchor, and producer for Fox 5, and Jenny Milkowski, traffic anchor at CBS News 8. They tried and rated (on a scale of 0 to 5 tacos) a variety of tacos at Oscar’s Mexican Seafood, Backyard Kitchen & Tap, El Prez, and Duck Dive.
“Creo que he probado todo tipo de tacos, desde la lengua hasta el estómago y los tacos de cabeza. Probaré cualquier cosa al menos una vez”, dijo Jenny.
“Me tuviste en los tacos”, dijo Danielle. “Si estamos probando tacos, siempre estoy listo para comer”.
Their conclusions, along with a summary of some of the best taco spots from La Jolla to Point Loma, are below.

Mariscos mexicanos de Oscar
Calle Turquesa 703
Oscar's se especializa en tacos de mariscos como tacos de pescado o camarones rebozados, tacos de pescado ahumado o tacos de pulpo a la parrilla. Oscar's también ofrece tacos especiales como tacos al pastor, tacos de camarones y chorizo, e incluso tacos de camarones y tocino. Los vegetarianos pueden disfrutar de tacos vegetarianos y tacos de soyrizo.
En Oscar's, Jenny probó el pescado ahumado y Danielle el pulpo a la parrilla.
“Primer bocado, yo estaba como, mmm”, dijo Jenny. “Pero desearía que hubiera más pescado y que tuviera un sabor más ahumado. Estuvo bien. Lo califico con 3 de 5 tacos.”
“It was really good, zesty with a good texture, which is hard to do with octopus,” Danielle said. “I liked it and I recommend it. I rate it 4.8 out of 5 tacos.”

Backyard Kitchen & Tap
832 granate Ave.
This American gastropub serves some of Pacific Beach’s best tacos. Choose from Backyard’s fun taco plates such as the Garnet Vampire, which is slow-roasted pork carnitas, pico de gallo, and cotija on a cheddar-crusted corn tortilla, and the Gringo, which is chipotle chicken, cabbage, and jalapeno crema on a crispy corn hard shell.
En Backyard, Jenny y Danielle probaron los tacos Gringo y Garnet Vampire.
“El taco Gringo tiene una cáscara dura con mucho pollo con sabor a chipotle y estuvo bien”, dijo Jenny. “El taco Vampire estaba jugoso y lleno de deliciosa carne de cerdo. No te vas a ir con hambre después de uno, pero a quién engaño, me comería dos. Me gusta mucho. Los califico con 3 de 5 tacos”.
“This Vampire one was filled with a lot of pork and authentic flavors,” Danielle said. “It’s huge, so one will get you full. Going from the pork to the Gringo taco was like night and day. I like the crunch of the hard shell and it had a good sauce. I rate them 3 out of 5 tacos.”

El Prez
4190 bulevar de la misión.
El Prez throws a taco-filled fiesta every day. Guests can choose from more than 13 different types of tacos served in freshly made tortillas. Favorite El Prez tacos include seared ahi tacos, cauliflower tacos, and filet mignon tacos.
Jenny probó los tacos de coliflor y Danielle los tacos de tinga de pollo.
“Estaba bastante bueno, pero no me gustó que la coliflor estuviera frita porque me gusta sentir que estoy saludable”, dijo Jenny. “Tenía buen sabor y la crema estaba deliciosa, me gustó. Lo califico con 3 de 5 tacos.”
“It has fried cheese on top, which threw me off at first and it was big – kind of an aggressive taco,” Danielle said. “It was really good and mango salsa gave it a sweet and savory taste that I enjoyed. I rate it 3.5 out of 5 tacos.”

Buceo de pato
4650 Misión Blvd.
Duck Dive and its ambiance is an ode to the rich surf and beach culture that resides just steps away from the Pacific Ocean. Their menu takes on classic American dishes as well as coastal favorites. They serve the usual fish and carne asada tacos but offer a twist with the poke taco with a wonton shell.
Jenny y Danielle probaron los tacos de poke. “Estaba súper emocionada de probar estos porque me encanta el atún aleta amarilla”, dijo Jenny. “La cáscara de wonton es grande y la lechuga no es necesaria. Es un nuevo taco divertido y me gustó. Lo califico con 3 de 5 tacos.”
“The wonton had a good texture, the sauce is really good and the poke went well with it all,” Danielle said. “It is something new and different. I liked it. I rate it 3 out of 5 tacos.”

Vallarta Express
1375 Granate Ave.
With Vallarta Express’ 24/7 service, guests can order tacos at any time of the day. Guests can also order tacos through the drive-thru. Some of Vallarta’s many taco options include favorites like shrimp or carne asada tacos and more adventurous choices like the Philly Taco, which includes a choice of steak or chicken with melted cheese, mushrooms, peppers, bacon, and salsa; or the Buffalo Taco, which includes lightly breaded chicken, buffalo sauce, romaine lettuce, ranch dressing, and salsa Fresca.

Taco Surf
4657 Misión Blvd.
Known for its carne asada tacos, Taco Surf has both Taco Tuesday and Taco Thursday specials. The eatery offers crispy beef, chicken, potatoes, and turkey crispy tacos and a variety of soft tacos like carne asada, carnitas, and pollo asada.

pueblo
877 Hornblend St.
Pueblo fuses modern, Baja, and coastal flavors to make an excellent beachy, culinary experience. Pueblo uses fresh, local ingredients to make their tacos. Choose from seafood taco plates like the smoked tuna taco plate, the garlic sauteed octopus taco plate, or the jicama tortilla salmon taco plate.

La Playa Taco Shop
3973 bulevar de la misión.
La Playa Taco Shop is a small hole-in-the-wall taco joint that offers taco classics such as carne asada, carnitas, fish, beef, chicken, al pastor, and shrimp. Stop by for good prices and great Mexican flavors.

LA JOLLA

Taco Stand
Calle Perla 621
With the tagline “Hecho a mano,” Taco Stand aims to recreate an authentic Tijuana taco stand experience. Taco Stand offers hand-made corn tortillas, grade meats, and fresh ingredients. Their guacamole and salsas are all made from scratch. Don’t forget to ask for one of Taco Stand’s homemade churros.

Puesto La Jolla
1026 Wall St.
Puesto La Jolla celebrates the flavors and culture of Mexico. This award-winning Mexican artisan kitchen and bar has a great selection of tacos, but it is most highly acclaimed for its Mexico City-style crispy melted cheese tacos.

Don Carlos Taco Shop
Calle Perla 737
Don Carlos is a hole-in-the-wall taco shop on Pearl Street. They offer a variety of soft tacos, crispy tacos, and rolled tacos. Don Carlos also offers a host of vegan and vegetarian options and has something for everyone.

Don Bravos
5504 La Jolla Blvd.
This Bird Rock restaurant serves a variety of tacos tradicionales. Meat lovers will love Don Bravos’ street tacos and guests can choose from different types of steak and meat tacos. The eatery serves great tacos for a great price.

PLAYA DEL OCÉANO

Mike’s Taco Club
5060 Newport Ave.
Mike’s Taco Club serves a wide variety of tacos including scallop tacos, octopus tacos, and tacos especiales, which include fish, shrimp, and scallops. Tacos come with cheese, cabbage, onion, tomato, cilantro, and avocado

La comida mexicana de Nico
4918 avenida de Newport
Nico’s Mexican Food is a hole-in-the-wall taco shop with a small dining area. For great prices, choose from a variety of crispy tacos including carne asada tacos, fish tacos, carnitas tacos, beef tacos, and chicken tacos.

Blue Water Seafood Market & Grill
5083 Avenida Santa Mónica.
Blue Water Seafood Market & Grill serves fresh and local seafood. Order their seafood in the best way – as part of a taco. Blue Water’s fish tacos are served on fresh corn tortillas with cabbage, tomatoes, onions, cheddar cheese, homemade white sauce, and your choice of fish marinated in a spicy chipotle sauce

Hugo’s Cocina
1830 bulevar de los acantilados de la puesta del sol.
Hugo’s does Mexican food with a vegan/vegetarian-centric spin. Meat-eating guests may choose from beef, chicken, or seafood tacos. Many options, such as veggies, tempeh, and tofu tacos, are available for non-meat-eating guests.

POINT LOMA

Mitch’s Seafood
1403 calle Scott
Mitch’s Seafood serves some of the best fish tacos in San Diego. Its fish is fresh from the waters off San Diego and Northern Baja. Mitch’s taco menu offers a range of seafood tacos including grilled fish, beer-battered Alaskan cod, and fried calamari.

Ortiz’s Taco Shop
Calle Voltaire 3704
Ortiz’s Taco Shop is a small taco shop located near Point Loma High School. The shop serves everything from soft-shell street tacos to crispy tacos to rolled tacos all made with meats such as carne asada, carnitas, and chicken. For more adventurous eaters, Ortiz’s also offers authentic Mexican flavors like tacos al pastor, cabeza, and buche.

Miguel’s Cocina
2912 Shelter Island Drive
Miguel’s Cocina has a family feel that offers authentic Mexican flavors. The restaurant has a large menu and a great taco selection. Order a taco plate and choose from tacos like chicken mole, adobada, longaniza, pork belly tacos, or seafood tacos like the crispy ahi tuna, grilled swordfish tacos, and the Ensenada-style shrimp tacos. Don’t forget to order an extra side of Miguel’s white queso.

Tony’s Fresh Mexican Food
Calle Rosecrans 1578
At Tony’s Fresh Mexican Food, fresh is better. And it’s better 24 hours a day seven days a week. Tony’s even offers drive-thru service. This small taco shop offers a variety of tacos and Taco Tuesday specials. Choose from seafood tacos and specials like A la Diablo Tacos or Achiote chicken tacos.

The Brigantine
2725 Shelter Island Drive
In honor of National Taco Day, choose from a selection of The Brigantine’s tacos including the Brig’s famous fish tacos, the grilled Sonoran spiced swordfish tacos, or the surf and turf taco plate.

Samantha Webster contributed to this story.