The Best Tacos in Riverside

Red Panka

★★★★☆ 4.2 (940) • $$

"I first heard about this place when I started university, and it's been a few years since my last visit. Since I was in the area today, I decided to drop by, and I'm so glad I did. My dad and I arrived around 2pm, and it was pretty quiet inside. The lady at the register was kind and patient, letting me take my time deciding what to order. After some indecision, I settled on the Camaron Saltado Peruvian-style bowl, while my dad chose the Tallarin Saltdo with beef. I also ordered their fried plantain, a childhood favorite that I rarely find on menus.While we waited, I admired the wall art and unique framed pieces. There was plenty of seating, and everything was relatively clean. Watching the chefs work on our meals, with the flames blazing in the kitchen, was quite entertaining. The wait for our food wasn't too long, and when it was ready, we picked it up from the front.I was genuinely impressed by the food. My shrimp was flavorful, well-seasoned, and perfectly cooked, and I loved the sauce drizzled over my bowl. My dad's dish was also delicious, with a strong soy sauce flavor and perfectly tender beef. The portion sizes were generous, and I honestly wasn't sure if I could finish everything. The fried plantain was a standout, tasting just like my childhood, and now I want to learn how to make it myself. Overall, this spontaneous visit to the restaurant was enjoyable, and I'll definitely be back!"

Mariscos El Guero Baja Style Ceviche Bar

★★★★☆ 4.3 (877) • $$

"Great food and great service! Jessy is legit right there making sure all your needs are met."

Mariscos El Guero Baja Style Ceviche Bar

★★★★☆ 4.3 (724) • $$

"I was craving some seafood and came across this place on yelp and now, this is my husband and my new favorite dinner date place. We love their fish tacos and they have Taco Tuesday special which is a great deal! We love their ceviche and also their horchata! Their Wednesday oyster special is another reason why we go there too. Not only you get delicious food here but we always get great service by all the staff there. Everyone is so friendly and we enjoy eating and watching some sports there. We bring my son and he likes to eat fish tacos and fries. I highly recommend this place if you love seafood."

RAW Kitchen & Cantina

★★★★☆ 4.4 (574) • $$

"This is our (wife and I) first time here. We came on a Tuesday and they were having $1 tacos. Upon us entering we noticed the place is new and nicely decorated in Spanish theme...not overdone just enough to give a modern Spanish ambience. We were immediately greeted at the door and truly felt welcomed. There was another party that came in at the same time we did. We looked at each other and we all knew this is a special place.The place was not full and we were immediately seated at a table and our waiter "Luis" came to us with a smile and took our drink orders. A short while he returned with our drinks and we told him it was our first time here. Luis took his time and explained the menu and favorite item. So much refreshing compared to other waiters who reserve the opinion and having us learn the hard way...lol.The food was superb and we can't wait to come back again. In fact, we took a catering menu because we know we will be calling on them.All-in-all, I would highly recommend this place."

Pio Picos Tacos

★★★★☆ 4.3 (564) • $

"Haven't had carne asada fries in awhile. But this was not bad! Definitely gave a good amount of runny guacamole, if not more than I wanted lol. Didn't need the extra side of guac for 75 cents. Green sauce is kinda spicy still but it's their lowest level of spice and it's medium. Honestly, it seemed spicier than the red sauce which is meant to be hot. Would've loved for there to be more tomatoes like a regular mild salsa. Fries were ok. $17 ish for extra guacamole and slight tip."

Michi Tacos

★★★★☆ 4.1 (604) • $$

"This is a hole in the wall establishment. You order at the counter and you get a number then your food is delivered to your seat if you can find one. This place gets busy fast. It's pretty small so plan on taking your food to-go just in case. My next first I'm going to try the quesadilla! It looked so good and cheesy! My food was so so delicious! To the point Ii wanted to eat it again the next day. I will admit I've only had a few burria tacos but this is by far the best! I'm not a shredded beef kind of guy but burria tacos have been an acception. I highly recommend this place and I recommend you eat it right away. It's best hot and fresh. I can see the shell getting soggy and the cheese hardening if you take it to-go. Please visit this place."

Birrieria El Tijuanazo

★★★★★ 4.5 (448) • $

"Tasty birria tacos! They have a special on taco Tuesday where you can get 5 smaller birria tacos for roughly $8 as of February 2025.They also offer queso birria tacos which are pretty tasty.Reasonable prices. They provide cilantro and onion that you can add to your tacos for toppings. They specialize in birria. The meat is very flavorful and tender. Once they run out of meat, they close for the day. I would definitely return to this place. This is one of the better birria tacos that I have had."

Tacos and Beer Mi Lindo

★★★★☆ 4 (546) • $$

"Cute and casual Mexican food. Portions are huuuuge so be prepared for leftovers lol. Yummy, fresh ingredients, fun wine drinks and Sangria, clean and nice, great service, perfect amount of spice and delicious salsa. Great lunch spot!!"

Captains Grill - Upland

★★★★★ 4.5 (421) • $$

"Visited Saturday, 1 February-Hard to tell what we liked The best about this place...First off, The staff is fantastic, great team work and exceptional service all around. Obviously well trained and service oriented.We were impressed How our server, Melissa and her sister were so proud to give us their suggestions as we looked at the menu.The first time around we had the tacos all of them were great.We noticed great presentation with the drinks that we're Going Out to various tables As we set at the bar.Just a great ambiance throughout- Very easy to tell Why this place was busy.We will be going back for super bowl Sunday and many times thereafter.I am a retired restaurant consultant- And was thoroughly impressed with all aspects of Quality, Service and Cleanliness....Thanks to the entire staff for providing us a fantastic experience.....( oh, great VALUE too ! )"

Al Pastor Taqueria

★★★★☆ 4.3 (380)

"Great food and service Very clean and friendly staff. Menu is simple to read to figure what you want"

Taqueria Viva Villa

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (568) • $

"1st time here, I find all folks working here so friendly & so helpful while exploring menu options. Food was fresh & delicious. Nice clean place with great big windows adding to the ambiance. Will definitely visit again."

Petiscos

★★★★☆ 3.5 (503) • $$

"Yum! I like this spot! The carne asada tacos were meaty and loaded with flavor. I also enjoyed the ceviche and chips...so good. My husband ordered a carne asada burrito and he loved it. The service here is good and the wait wasn't long. This spot is close to the train depot in walking distance. Nice outdoor camp like seating."

Los Cabos Tacos

★★★★☆ 4 (309) • $$

"Nice family owned business. Great family meal at a great price. Delicious ceviche and fish tacos"

Birrieria Xolos

★★★★☆ 3.9 (317) • $$

"Limited menu, maximum flavor. We ordered delivery for the birria ramen and quesataco w/a side of consommé! It arrived HOT + so delish. Def enough to share. Will be trying again!"

Baja King Fish Tacos

★★★★★ 4.7 (182) • $

"Was looking for the food truck of this place and come to realize they now have their own location! I got their shrimp tacos which are a good size and the price is good considering how other places sometimes over charge. The tacos are very good and the sauce was delicious wish it had some spice to it but that's just a preference and will ask for some spicy sauce next time but they are super flavorful and even have days in which they have specials but don't recall what they were. Place was big and nice and staff was very nice and accommodating."

Birrieria Xolos

★★★★☆ 4.4 (189) • $$

"Amazingly delicious food! My office keeps coming back for lunch orders. Highly recommend this order: Consome Taco de Birria 10/10 would recommend! We usually order via UberEats so can't say much about ambiance. We have yet to be disappointed with quality of food."

Mariscos El Guero Baja Style Ceviche Bar

★★★★☆ 4.2 (205) • $$

"Someone had invited me here a while back and I must say I was really impressed with the seafood here. We took it to go, but I really recommend this seafood place in the Upland area."

Tacos El Juanito

★★★★☆ 3.9 (230) • $

"Food was pretty good. I felt that the food needed salt. Service was really nice and quick. Ambiance with music felt very authentic, I'm glad they're open 24/7. $2 tacos on Tuesday was a deal and they weren't bad."

Paco's Tacos

★★★★☆ 3.9 (228) • $

"Tried out this local spot after craving a burrito. The garbage burrito is really large and cost roughly $11. The taste is standard but I couldn't note anything in particular that stood out to me. The service was nice and friendly! The space itself has a few areas for dining in but looks most suitable for take out. The food itself was okay."

So Cal Tacos & Beer

★★★★☆ 4.1 (199) • $$

"This is our local go to... breakfast, lunch, dinner. Food is consistent and not oily. We love the daily specials. I even order it to bring in stacks to my coworkers at the hospital. You won't be disappointed! Everything is tasty, well seasoned, fresh and ample servings. Salsas are great! Street tacos, al pastor, hemecula (monster burrito) machaca breakfast burrito, baked potato Fridays, mulita Mondays, family meal Saturdays and Sundays. Ample seating, inside and outside. Service is also kind and speedy! What more can you ask for in a lical eatery! Its perfect before or after a day at the wineries. My youngest loves the CaliFire burrito with fries and extra rice n beans! Our other favorite place is Guadalajara but its much further south... but great enchiladas plates..."

Birrieria Xolos

★★★★☆ 4 (196)

"Best Mexican food - the crispy taco with cheese is super flavorful. The drinks were just amazing. The service is very good, although I had to wait a while, it was great service. They made sure to remind me that I hadn't been forgotten about. All in all, because they weee also working on a catering order also at the same time, it was very timely. The restaurant was clean, and very well oriented. Their drinks were very good- such as their horchata. We will for sure be back."

El Chivito Birrieria

★★★★★ 4.7 (134) • $$

"If I could give this hidden gem a 10 I would. Driving by to go get cattle feed and saw this place. Looked it up on Yelp. Ok I love goat so I'll give it a try. We walked in so clean. No one spoke English except one nice lady who took us under her wing. Menu is in all Spanish with some pictures. I can point. I'll have Tacos Dorado so will my husband. AMAZING!! Homemade tortillas YUMM. Scorching hot sauce ok. Consume to pour on or drink made from juice that the goat was cooked in mmmmyum. Saw flan on a menu by the register. Got two to go. THE BEST FLAN I HAVE EVER HAD. My new favorite place but is 1 1/2 hours from home."

Chuck's Tacos

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (262) • $

"It's almost just like Los monitos...it takes me back in the best way possible. Located in Upland on the corner of foothill & campus. The enchiladas have that trademark sliced pickle and lettuce...the real winner is the hard shell shredded beef tacos. They have other stuff on the menu but I only go for the hard shell tacos and the enchiladas."

Jilberto’s Taco Shop

★★★★☆ 4.1 (159) • $

"While passing by the City of Temecula, we found a gem! The reviews don't do justice. Sure, it really is hard to please everyone. I can tell you though, this place didn't disappoint us. From entering and being helped by the friendliest and most helpful lady take our order, to the one of the best steak burritos we've ever tried, this place is definitely a keeper for next time. There really is truth to the saying never judge a book by its cover. They may need some updating with the lighting and furnitures but needless to say the quality food and service was more important.Note: all the condiments are right behind you except for the napkins.See you again next time!"

Taco Town USA

★★★★★ 4.7 (119)

"Food was delicious. Shared the large Norco Cali Fries with everyone at the table, they were excellent. Both said the tacos were great and they'd order them again. Service was top notch! Courteous, personable and clean!!! Food came out quick and was fresh and hot! We will be back! Recommend to anyone in the area craving great fresh food."

El Taco Bar

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (192) • $$

"Food is good and the selection is great. We are newer to the area and this is one of our go to taco spots. Service is always excellent, we never have to wait long to put our order in. The food is made fresh right in the front of the shop. Some of our favorite tacos are the gobenador, the poblano, Al pastor/marinated pork, and the fish taco. Love that they are full tacos and we have been happy with every meal. I always order a side of chips and beans and grab salsa and peppers from the self serve bar. Salsa is always fresh and I like all 3 options. And to bring the meal altogether add a beer and good Mexican coke! We have eaten inside the restaurant and taken it to go, always satisfied."

Panzarello's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.7 (137) • $$

"Great little restaurant with very good prices, the menus is Mexican Italian fusion cuisine, they have a variety from chips and guacamole, Mexican pizza to delicious pastas and pizzas.Our favorite so far is the Albondigas Soup! We have not eaten in yet, only taken food to go so we can not rate the service, but one thing we can tell is that the food to go is delicious every time. The staff taking our to go order is very attentive and the place is clean and and has a very good atmosphere.They have a bar on one side of the restaurant that can seat a good amount of people.Looking forward in coming back and dinning in soon.Date of visit: March 2023"

Chapala Express

★★★★☆ 4 (109)

"The food so good I'm mad at myself for not stopping sooner.The service was quick and friendly.I would definitely recommend."

Los Reyes Mexican Food

★★★★★ 4.6 (80) • $$

"So far everything new that I'm trying is really good, I'm planning to try their whole menu The breakfast burrito has been my go to latelyThe fajita plate was really filling The burger wasn't so bad"

Tacos El Callejon

★★★★★ 4.8 (73)

"We were passing by and found this small spot with good reviews so we decided to check it out. We got tortas, tacos, and vampiros. Friendly staff. And food was well priced and plentiful. The salsa bar had a good variety and everything tasted fresh. I'm picky with Mexican food as I've grown up eating it. This place is the real deal"

Ibasa Tacos & Elotes

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (153)

"I had an eyebrow appointment close by and I've never been to the haven city market so I decided why not.There's a lot of different restaurants inside but I didn't feel like dining in so I found this little taco joint. It's cute and smelled good so I decided ok let's get some tacos. I just had Mexican food the other day so I just ordered a few things to try. I love Mulitas and theirs come in a pair which is awesome since you get to pick which meat you want for each. I also ordered my usual asada taco and al pastor for my bf. I had to get the elote in the cup but I got Cajun and it was actually pretty good! It is a bit on the pricy side but I mean what any nowadays. I'll pay more if the food is worth it. They are super nice and generous with the hot sauce."

Brandon’s Diner

★★★★☆ 3.5 (126)

"Food was good, staff was very friendly. Over all a great gem for breakfast.We saw a group of person after us who walked in as if they own the place, apparently they are regulars that the staff started joking with them, I wish my local breakfast restaurant has this ambience"

Taqueria El Poblano Estilo Tijuana

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (160) • $$

"**Taco Review**These tacos are truly amazing! If you're a fan of TJ-style tacos, you're in for a real treat. Grilled over charcoal, they have that perfect smoky flavor that just elevates the whole experience. I tried the al pastor, and let me tell you, they taste absolutely delicious--tender, flavorful, and packed with that authentic taste you crave.One standout feature is the fresh avocado on top of each taco. It adds a rich creaminess that perfectly complements the savory meat, making these tacos irresistible. If you happen to be in the Pomona area, this place is definitely a must-try.While the surrounding area might feel a bit rough around the edges, I believe that good food is worth venturing anywhere for, and these tacos are no exception. I can't recommend them highly enough--if you're looking for a delicious taco experience, this spot should be on your radar!Service is quick and fast"

Taqueria Los Abarcas

★★★★☆ 4 (86)

"Walked in to the sound of music! It's a good vibe. The menu is easy to understand, it doesn't have weird recipes of fad food. It's simple and the prices are very good! As I sat waiting for the food I noticed the main cook and how he made our food. He enjoyed it and it came out perfect! I had a simple order, 5 tacos of chicken and carnitas and 4 quesobirria tacos for my girls. We went for the birria and let me tell you, it was made perfectly! I like this spot, I'm going back!"

The Taco Man

★★★★☆ 4.1 (81)

"Update:Went back to try the tacos again. Thank you for hearing me out and tuning the saltiness down by a notch! Carne Asada and Al Pastor tacos were very tasty! : ) While it was over-salted the first time I went, this time has been great!Would definitely come back again!"