The Best Tacos in Fayetteville, NC

What makes a good taco?  That question is highly debatable.  Everyone’s taco experience will vary, depending on the type of tacos they grew up eating.  As a born and bred Texan with close ties to Mexico, I refer back to my memories of eating tacos in border towns such as Reynosa and Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas.  Although tacos were considered street food, it was a unique Mexican delicacy that seldom would be duplicated at home.  It was also tradition to venture out to a taquería on a Friday or Saturday night to not only relish in the street cuisine, but also converse and enjoy the company of friends and family.

How do I like my tacos?  To start, I prefer corn over flour tortillas.  A legit street taco will typically be made with a lightly greased double corn tortilla.  The light greasing allows the taco to be moist and malleable, while the double tortilla action allows the taco to be sturdy enough to hold the delicious and juicy meats.  Traditional street tacos are made with asada (steak), al pastor (marinated pork), or tripa (tripe), just to name a few.  The meats prepared for tacos can be endless and will vary by regions in Mexico.  Toppings are relatively simple and include finely chopped cilantro, onions, and lime wedges.  Salsas, preferably both red and green, are always the last and most important accompaniments needed to complete the street taco experience.

The Best Tacos in Fayetteville, NC:

It is no secret that Fayetteville has an International Cuisine Trail that includes more than 30 restaurants that range from BBQ, Sushi, Cuban, Turkish, Italian, Mexican cuisine, and more.  Consequently, I reached out to my friends Jenny and Melody from the Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau to help me identify some of the best Fayetteville Taquerías.  I was more than pleasantly pleased during our street style taco exploration in Fayetteville.  We came across a couple of venues whose tortillas were homemade.  Most impressive were the diverse assortment of meats available at each restaurant we visited.  Following are the best street style taco spots that we explored in Fayetteville.

Taquería Las Delicias

Taquería Las Delicias was my first taco stop in Fayetteville.  Nestled in a small shopping center on Reilly Rd., the restaurant is easy to find with plenty of parking and ample seating inside the taquería.  Las Delicias menu is vast and includes traditional Mexican dishes like huaraches, sopes, ceviche, tamales, pozole, consomé de borrego (lamb soup), and more.  As tempting as it was for me to try their pozole or consomé de borrego, I was on a taco mission.  In addition to classics like asada, taco lovers will be in awe of the assorted meats to choose from including chorizo (Mexican sausage), borrego (lamb), cabeza (beef head), tinga de pollo (shredded chicken), and more.

I ordered six tacos, four of asada and two of chicharrón.  If you think that is a lot of tacos, six tacos is a standard order in Mexican street taco culture.  In addition to their menu, I appreciate Taquería Las Delicias salsa bar.  The day of my visit, they had an assortment of pickled peppers, radishes, limes, and three traditional salsas.  Their salsas are delicious, but use caution with the red sauce.  I found it to be so HOT, it took me quite a bit to cool off and catch my breath.  If you like the HOT stuff, cool your palate with an assortment of classic aguas frescas or Mexican bottled soft drinks.

Las Delicias in Spanish means The Delicacies.  Diners that have room for dessert should indulge in the restaurant’s assortment of delicacies that include flan, choco-flan, and Mexican paletas (frozen popsicles).  If you have never tried choco-flan before, get ready to have your world rocked.  The base of this dessert is a chocolate cake topped with a layer of traditional flan.  It is a classic Mexican delicacy and I am glad that it has made its way to North Carolina.  Taquería Las Delicias is located on 524 S Reilly Rd Suite #101, Fayetteville, NC.

Los Primos Taquería

Never underestimate a taquería that sits in the back of a small convenient store.  Los Primos Taquería is located inside Spring Lake’s Los Primos Tienda Hispana.  The store sells a variety of Hispanic products that include canned foods, piñatas, pan dulce, religious relics, Mexican pottery, and more.  The store has a small menu, but a very large following.  We visited Los Primos during the lunch hour and we were lucky to grab one of the last two table’s available.

In addition to tacos, the restaurant serves tortas, gorditas, burritos, tamales, and quesadillas.  Menudo is also served on Saturdays, only.  Although Los Primos taco meat options include carnitas, barbacoa, chorizo, lengua, pastor, buche, tripa, and chicharrón, I ordered the classic asada.  A handmade corn tortilla that is lightly greased with meat drippings will always score bonus points with me.  The handmade corn tacos were proportionately topped with asada, chopped cilantro, and chopped onions.  My taco order was accompanied by a lime wedge and fresh radish slices.

Of all my tacos experiences in Fayetteville, this was the only restaurant that served additional side items with my taco order.  Beans and nopales accompanied my tacos, which was a welcome surprise.  Los Primos Taquería is located on 316 Lillington Hwy, Spring Lake, NC 28390

Taquería Jalapeño

Although my GPS directed me to Taquería Jalapeño’s exact location on Hope Mills Rd., I missed the restaurant a couple of times.  Ok, I missed it three times.  There is no signage or graphics outside of the restaurant entryway.  This can make the restaurant a little difficult to locate, especially if you are visiting the taquería at night.  However, I can confirm that the taquería is located inside a shopping center that neighbors a used car dealership.

Taquería Jalapeño has an extensive menu of traditional Mexican dishes that includes tortas, enchiladas, Mexican soups, and seafood.  In line with the purpose of experiencing the best tacos in Fayetteville, I ordered the asada tacos.  Aside from the friendly service, I appreciate the handmade and lightly greased corn tortillas.  The tacos were topped with generous and juicy scoops of asada and even amounts of cilantro and onion.  The aguas frescas at Taquería Jalapeño are quite popular.  The night we visited Taquería Jalapeño, all of the aguas frescas had finished, except for the Jamaica (hibiscus).  The restaurant, however, has plenty of traditional Mexican bottled soft drinks available for purchase.  Taquería Jalapeño is located on 2622 Hope Mills Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28306.

Taquería El Refugio

It was no surprise to me that a Fayetteville taco round-up included a visit to a taco truck that sits inside the Bragg Boulevard Flea Market.  In my experience, eateries that set up shop at a flea market, have pretty awesome food.  Although there is plenty of parking at the Bragg Boulevard Flea Market, there are only a few picnic tables available to sit and enjoy your food truck order.  The day of our visit, we had no issue finding a table to enjoy our tacos.

In addition to tacos, the food truck sells quesadillas, burritos, tamales, gorditas, Mexican-style corn, and more.  Although I typically order all of my tacos with asada, I could not help but order at least one taco with borrego (lamb).  El Refugio’s tacos are simply fantastic.  I was blown away at first bite and decided at that moment that El Refugio was my favorite taco spot in Fayetteville.  If my travel plans would have allowed, I would have bought a couple of pounds of lamb to bring with me to Morrisville, NC.  Because, yes, the taco truck also sells their meats by the pound.

El Refugio’s tortillas may not be homemade, but they use a double corn tortilla to hold the copious amounts of juicy meat, finely chopped cilantro, and onions.  In addition to their beautifully prepared meat, I appreciate the grilled Texas-size jalapeño and onion bulb that accompanied the tacos.  Don’t let this food truck’s location fool you.  El Refugio has a loyal following and is quite fantastic.  Taquería El Refugio is located on 5321 Bragg Blvd, Fayetteville, NC 28303.

I was more than impressed by each taquería during my Fayetteville taco tour.  Not one taquería was the same and each had its own flavor and flair that made my visit distinct.  I know I am not the only one that feels that way.  Each restaurant appeared to have a devout following.  In more than one instance I heard customers say, “This place has the best tacos”.

If you liked these tacos in Fayetteville NC, you’ll love this travel guide to 24 Hours in Fayetteville, North Carolina, click here to read more!