11 Best Street Tacos in Seattle According to a Local

I went on a mission to find the best street tacos in Seattle. This obsession started because I saw so many taco trucks and was overwhelmed why which ones to try. So I set out on a research mission to try as many as humanly possibly in a two week time frame. I revisited some of my tried and trues, plus tried some new ones known for serving authentic street tacos with meat, white onion, cilantro, salsa, and that’s it.

I’m happy to report back that Seattle is an incredible spot for street tacos. You just have to know where to look. To make it easier, here is my list of the 11 best street tacos in Seattle, many off the radar and hard to find. Get ready for an epic taco crawl through the city!

11 Best Street Tacos in Seattle

Save this to Pinterest for later, as I’ll add more to this list of the best street tacos in Seattle as I discover them!

Taco Street

website | 7136 Martin Luther King Jr Way S (Mt. Baker) | price: ~$2.75 – $3 per taco | what to get: carnitas and barbacoa tacos

Taco Street is tucked inside a strip mall on MLK Way with tight parking, but insiders know you can park on 42nd Ave S and enter through the back entrance. Inside you’ll ind a bare bones, casual restaurant that are serving the best street tacos in Seattle, hands down.

They focus on Northern Chihuahua-style tacos served naked on a flour or corn tortilla, meaning there aren’t a ton of toppings (though you can add it on for extra). The meat is extra juicy, particularly on the pork carnitas and barbacoa tacos. Barbacoa is shredded beef stewed for a long time in chilies to impart a ton of flavor. It’s not too common at street taco spots in Seattle, so if it’s on the menu I order it.

Besides incredibly juicy meat and balanced flavors, the best thing about Taco Street is their salsas. They have this one that is more like a chimichurri sauce, which means it has a lot of visible herbs chopped all chunky. Make sure to add this to your taco when you go!

El Taco Loco

website | 2840 NW Market St (Ballard) | price: ~$2.50 per taco | what to get: carnitas and barbacoa tacos

El Taco Loco is a recent discovery that we happened on accidentally. We were panicking one day about what we’d eat for lunch so I searched Yelp. I discovered this spot inside the Ballard Liquor Store and was surprised I hadn’t heard of it. Obviously, we went.

We were blown away by how good these tacos are. They also serve barbacoa, a rarity. The meat on both this and the carnitas taco are so juicy and have perfectly balanced flavor. Like Taco Street, they focus on traditional tacos without any fixings.

Birrieria Tijuana

website | 12803 Ambaum Blvd SW #2 (Burien) | price: ~$4 per taco | what to get: cheese taco

This spot has two locations, one in Burien and one in Lakewood, a neighborhood with arguably the best food in Tacoma. The one in Burien near Seattle used to be inside the Guadalupe Market, a Mexican grocery store, but it’s since moved into its own brick and mortar across the street.

They serve Tijuana style tacos, which you’d think are like the best tacos in San Diego, but are quite different. The tortillas are served crispy and often have more stuff in it, like cheese, onion, etc.

The cheese taco is the must get here. It’s larger than most street tacos and fried to the point that the cheese is like the burnt bits on a lasagna…aka the best part. It has really flavorful beef, which they also serve in their tacos de birria, but the cheese absolutely makes it.

Carnitas Michoacan

website | 2503 Beacon Ave S (Beacon Hill) | price: ~$3 per taco | what to get: al pastor taco

Carnitas Michoacan is across the street from Musang in Beacon Hill. A bunch of people told me they have weird hours, but I’ve never had an issue going in when Google says they’re open.

The taco to get here is al pastor. This is a great taco served with chunks of pork instead of shredded like carnitas. It has a chili rub and is typically marinated or served with pineapple.

I’m extremely picky with al pastor because it’s so easy to be light on the spice and overcooked. However, Carnitas Michoacan serves one of the most flavorful I’ve had. The spice marinade is pronounced and, while not served with pineapple, you can really taste it.

El Camión

website | multiple locations in Shoreline, Roosevelt, Laurelhurst | price: ~$3 per taco | what to get: carnitas and fish tacos

El Camión is the first street taco place in Seattle I fell in love with. I discovered it years ago when they used to be parked in the Mud Bay parking lot in Ballard on 15th and Market. That location is no longer there, but they’ve since expanded to multiple areas. The easy access to their tacos from all over the city makes them one of my go-to restaurants in Seattle when the taco craving hits.

Up until recently they always made the best tacos in Seattle in my book. I would always get a plate of two carnitas tacos and one grilled fish taco. The carnitas are extra juicy and you get some of that crisp from frying it after it slow cooks. And the fish tacos come with an irresistible spicy salsa that is hard to pass up.

Good Morning Tacos

website | popup roaming around Seattle breweries | price: ~$5-7 per taco | what to get: brisket or egg & bacon taco

Good Morning Tacos serves breakfast tacos reminiscent of Matt’s BBQ Tacos, one of the best places to eat in Portland, but with less barbecue. Instead you’ll found Tex-Mex flavors like smoky poblano, chorizo, and migas. They also often do collaborations, such as the one they did with Jeff’s Texas Style BBQ to create a brisket taco.

If it’s available, definitely get the brisket. The fat from the perfectly-cooked meat goes beautifully with the zingy salsas and toppings. If that’s not available, the egg and bacon option is a great choice because it lets you really appreciate the broiled cheddar melted onto exceptional tortillas.

Tacos Chukis

website | multiple locations in Beacon Hill, Central District, Capitol Hill, and South Lake Union | price: ~$3 per taco | what to get: taco chukis taco

I used to come to Taco Chukis for lunch at work because it’s one of the best restaurants in South Lake Union. It’s the only street taco spot in Seattle that serves an actual grill pineapple on their signature house tacos.

These tacos are a spin on the traditional al pastor. It includes Adobada pork, grilled pineapple, melted cheese, onion, cilantro, salsa, and guacamole on a soft corn tortilla. I love the sweetness that the pineapple adds to each bite and wish more places added it to their street tacos!

El Chapulin Oaxaqueno

website | 4451 California Ave SW (West Seattle) | price: ~$3 per taco | what to get: carna asada taco

Chapulin is Spanish for grasshopper. I’m not sure what this has to do with this taco truck in West Seattle since I didn’t see any of those on the menu, but this is a hidden gem right off California Ave SW. It’s tucked in the parking lot in the back of LuLa Coffee. Just follow the insane amount of cars driving through to pick up coffee and you’ll find it.

Like al pastor, I find that carne asada can be really tough and flavorless. Not El Chapulin though. It’s still juicy and really compliments the incredible salsas served with it.

Taqueria la Fondita

website | 9811 15th Ave SW (White Center) | price: ~$2 per taco | what to get: carnitas tacos

Taqueria la Fondita is an unassuming food truck in White Center that serves some of the best street tacos in Seattle. It’s carnitas tacos are flavorful and served with the perfectly-sized diced white onion. They also have a location in Tacoma. Grabbing a few of their street tacos is one of my favorite things to do in Tacoma, WA to kick off exploring the city.

El Moose

website | 5242 Leary Ave NW (Ballard) | price: ~$14 per taco plate | what to get: carnitas or machaca tacos

El Moose (previously known as Señor Moose) is my favorite Mexican brunch spot in Seattle. I love it so much, in fact, that I include it as a stop on my Ballard self-guided food tour. But it’s only recently that I discovered they make some mean tacos.

Unlike most of the best street tacos in Seattle, they only sell plates with 4 tacos. This is slightly inconvenient if you want to try a bunch of different meats, but I’ll make it easy for you: get the carnitas or machaca. Both are really tender and packed with flavor.

If you’re not familiar with machaca, it’s shredded beef. I used to always get their machaca con huevos for breakfast when it was on the menu, so I can attest it’s good!

Carmelo’s Tacos

website | 110 Summit Ave E (Capitol Hill) | price: ~$3 per taco | what to get: asada or al pastor tacos

Carmelo’s Tacos is unassuming window in Hillcrest Market, a convenience store most people would blow right past. But insiders know this is the place for some of the best street tacos in Seattle.

The must get here are the carne asada beef tacos or al pastor pork tacos. The latter is interesting because it’s served with chunks of pineapple the balance perfectly with the umami-rich meat.