These are my 5 favorite taco spots around Sacramento. What are yours?
Naija Boy Tacos will join a crowded, talented taco scene when the Nigerian-Mexican taqueria opens near downtown Sacramento next week. The unique concept won’t have a direct competitor, but the region is full of distinct taco concepts.
Tweaking a classic Mexican food for contemporary audiences — as is happening in Midtown, Roseville and in a south Sacramento gas station — feels very Californian. Yet there are plenty of great options for traditionalists, including a taco truck in rural Yolo County and a particular south Sacramento taqueria.
These are my five favorite places for tacos around greater Sacramento. Vote for your top choice below.
▪ Bambi Vegan Tacos (1725 I St., Sacramento)
Chad Novick and Liz Gibb’s all-vegan midtown restaurant, opened first as a taco truck before last year’s brick-and-mortar debut. Try cider-battered cauliflower in lieu of a Baja fish taco, diced crimini mushrooms instead of Jimboy’s Tacos’ classic ground beef or seven-veggie faux chorizo over the real thing.
▪ El Verduzco Taco Truck (128 Grant Ave., Winters)
The Sacramento area has no shortage of excellent taco trucks — Tacos El Sinaloense on Fruitridge Road, for example, or West Coast Taco Bar, which will soon open a brick-and-mortar Elk Grove restaurant. But El Verduzco, which also has a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Dixon, gets the nod for its bright, nuanced pollo asado and succulent buche. Plus, nothing hits quite like this Yolo County favorite after a long bike ride or a dip in Putah Creek.
▪ El Cora Birria (7900 Fruitridge Road, Sacramento)
The cheese-skirted quesabirria craze shines bright in a south Sacramento gas station, where El Cora Birria’s limited menu can be best summed up in one question: res (beef) or chivo (goat)? Pick either to fill your cheesy taco, and grab a cup of steamy consommé for dipping along the way.
▪ Nixtaco (1805 Cirby Way, Suite 12, Roseville)
Monterrey, Mexico natives Patricio Wise and Cinthia Martinez have set the bar for high-end tacos, filling housemade blue corn tortillas with succulent pork belly or charred octopus and gathering lots of accolades along the way. If you’re feeling frisky, try a vodka or gin cocktail made in Nixtaco’s new adjoined distillery.
▪ Taqueria Hecho En Mexico (6036 Stockton Blvd., Suite 100, Sacramento)
The slow rotation of al pastor behind the counter draws customers into Miguel Hernandez and Alejandro Galindo’s south Sacramento taqueria, and juicy loaded shrimp tacos keep them coming back. Adventurous eaters should try tacos filled with pliable, off-white sesos (cow brains), a offal treat rarely seen in Sacramento-area taquerias.
Benjy picked his favorite taco spots in the Sacramento area. Now, we want to know what you think. Vote in the poll below for the best out of his top five. It closes at 8 a.m. Friday, July 22. Did Benjy miss your favorite on his list? Email us at utilityteam@sacbee.com. Only one vote per person. This poll is not scientific — it’s for fun!
This story was originally published July 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.