41 Different Types of Mexican Tacos [The Ultimate Guide]

Are you tired of the same old American-style tacos with their crunchy shell and yellow cheese? Do you crave the idea of trying out some different types of Mexican tacos? 

Well, you are in good luck! We headed south of the border to learn about as many authentic Mexican tacos as we could eat just so you never have to eat a mediocre taco again. 

Now, when you head to Mexico on your next trip, skip the resort buffet or the touristy restaurant and head to the streets to eat as many different types of tacos in Mexico as you can stomach.

Types of Tacos in Mexico

Central Mexico and Mexico City

Tacos Al Pastor

One of the most beloved types of Mexican tacos actually has roots in Lebanon. That’s right, the techniques, and flavors of the middle east came over with these immigrants that then combined with the ingredients of Mexico.

To make these tacos, they skewer thinly sliced pork that was marinated in annatto and pineapple onto a vertical spit rotisserie.

The meat slowly cooks and caramelizes the pineapple juice before it gets carved onto a corn tortilla.

Al pastor tacos are garnished with pineapple, cilantro, onion, and a touch of salsa. Make sure to try some al pastor tacos in Mexico City!

Carnitas Tacos

Out of the different types of street tacos in Mexico, this is one of our favorites.

Originating from Michoacan, carnitas is simply pork that is slow-cooked in its own fat for hours resulting in a tender texture with a caramelized and crispy exterior.

This simple but semi-lengthy cooking process starts off with some fatty pig cuts like pork butt (shoulder), picnic ham, leg, belly, ribs, loin, and more that are cooked with oranges and hierbas de olor which is a bouquet of different herbs.

There are also versions that use Coca-Cola, orange juice, and milk to aid in the caramelization of the pork.

When ordering carnitas tacos in Mexico, you will need to pick your cut or parts of the pig you want in your tacos.

• Maciza – Lean cuts of pork for people that don’t love fat 
• Costilla – Simply rib meat with the bones removed
• Chamorro (our favorite) – Fatty part of the upper leg, shoulders, and hams

• Nana – This cut is the strongly flavored pig uterus
• Cuero – Slightly chewy fried pork skin
• Oreja – Tender pig ears

• Achicalada – The scraps of pork that fall to the bottom of the pot
• Pancita – Fatty pork belly
• Surtido– Mix of all the cuts

Barbacoa Tacos

This version of these traditional tacos is believed to have first been made in the town of Texcoco which is 20 kilometers from Mexico City.

Lamb is coated in spices and wrapped in roasted agave leaves before being lowered into a fiery pit where it slow cooks until super tender.

The meat is then hand-shredded and placed into warm corn tortillas with cilantro and onion.

Barbacoa tacos are served alongside a bowl of steamy broth made from the juices leftover from the cooking process.

Other types of meat are also used such as beef, goat, chicken, and even fish depending on the region.

Birria Tacos

These tacos hailing from Jalisco in the state of Guadalajara are without a doubt the richest and most filling tacos in Mexico.

Traditionally, goat or beef is slowly stewed in a pot with chilies, tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon, oregano, and other spices until the meat is fall off the bone tender.

Birria tacos are served with a side of the cooking broth to sip and to dip your tacos in.

Another popular variation is the quesabirria taco which is a combination of the tender meat and cheese that is crisped inside of the tortilla on a hot comal.

Campechano Tacos

The purported story behind this type of taco in Mexico is that they got their name from the town of Campeche where pirates and sailors would mix their cocktails with a bird feather.

The name Campeche became synonymous with “mixed” and these slow-cooked beef and longaniza sausage tacos from the same town became famous.

The beef and sausage are cooked in beef fat or lard in large shallow pots until tender.

The two types of meat are then chopped and added to a warm corn tortilla with some cilantro, onions, and salsa.

Tacos Árabes/ Doneraki con pan arabe

Tacos Arabes are a lot closer to Lebanese shawarma, as they use a flatbread called pan arabes instead of a tortilla.

These tacos start with cumin and oregano marinated pork which is slow-roasted on a vertical rotisserie that caramelizes the exterior while it bastes in its own fat.

The meat is then sliced to order and crisped up on the comal (griddle) with some onions.

Tacos Arabes are served with a variety of salsas such as a smokey chipotle sauce and creamy mint yogurt.

Cecina de Yecapixtla Tacos

Cecina is essentially meat that is hand-cut into thin and long sheets before getting salted for preservation.

This version hails from the town of Yecapixtla in the state of Morelos that is renowned for its beef version of this technique.

To prepare these tacos, the meat is grilled over a charcoal fire giving them the smokey charred flavor that they are famous for.

Its strong beef flavor pairs beautifully with avocado, grilled onions, and fresh corn tortillas.

Chicharron Tacos

There are multiple types of chicharron, but when it comes to these tacos, they are referring to the version which is made from pork belly instead of the crispy sheets of pigskin.

Whole strips of this fatty cut are fried until crispy in vats of lard before being cut into small pieces and served inside of corn tortillas.

What makes chicharron tacos so good is the balance of crunchy skin, unctuous fat, and slightly chewy meat. 

Guisados Tacos

Guisados translates to stews and is a catch-all term for all of the different kinds of taco filling served in these taco shops.

The types of taco meat options can vary greatly from classics like chorizo con papa (potato) to vegetarian options like quelites (stewed milkweed).

Guisados tacos come with the option of adding rice, guacamole, nopales (cactus), and salsa which makes this kind of taco a meal’s worth of food.

Not only are these types of tacos delicious and filling, but they are also cheap and usually cost under 20 pesos.

Tacos de Canasta

You will find these inexpensive tacos in Mexico City sold out of the very baskets they are steamed in.

The fillings used for this kind of tacos can vary wildly but the most popular are papas (potato), frijoles (beans), chicharron, adobo, and sometimes barbacoa.

Softened tortillas are stuffed and folded in half before being shingled in layers into a lined basket.

Each layer of tacos is then drizzled with hot oil and a sprinkle of sliced onions.

Tacos de Canasta are served plain so that you can add all the escabeche (pickled jalapeno and carrots), salsa, or guacamole that you would like.

Tinga De Pollo Tacos

This is a simple filling from Guadalajara that brings a ton of flavor to the virtually flavorless chicken breast.

This type of taco meat is made by slow-cooking chicken in a sauce made of tomatoes and chipotle.

This combination of spicy, sweet, and smokey is accentuated by some acidity from vinegar that helps cut through the richness.

Chicken tinga tacos are served on corn tortillas with sliced avocado, cilantro, and some lime wedges.

RELATED: Best Food in Mexico

Carne de Res Tacos

Carne de Res is an interchangeable term for all types of beef tacos.

For the most part, this consists of many cuts from the brisket to the eyeballs that are either steamed (al vapor) or cooked in fat (confitado).

Little is done to flavor the meat as they let the beef be the star.

When tacos are ordered, the cooked meat is chopped using an intimidatingly large knife and placed on corn tortillas with cilantro, onion, and some spicy salsa that helps cut through the richness.

Just like carnitas, you will need to choose the cut that you would like in your tacos. 

• Suadero – Flank steak-like cut from the exterior of the cow’s ribs
• Cabeza – This is literally the steamed head of the cow
• Tripa – The stomach lining of the cow
• Tronco de Oreja – Cartilage laden cut from between the ear and the horn

• Lengua – Tender cow’s tongue
• Maciza – Lean cuts of beef like the shank
• Cachete – Rich and meaty beef cheeks
• Molleja – also known as sweetbreads which are the cow’s thymus gland

• Ojo – Eyeball! 
• Sesos – Cow’s brain
• Surtida – Mix of all the cuts

Different Types of Mexican Tacos

Yucatan Peninisula

Lechon Al Horno Tacos

How could you not love the idea of a slow-roasted pig in an underground oven until the meat is tender and the skin is ultra crispy?

The pork is marinated in bitter orange, achiote, and black pepper before it gets lowered into a wood-fired underground oven called a pib.

To make lechon al horno tacos, the tender pieces are separated from the crispy skin before being chopped up.

The meat and crispy skin are served on fresh tortillas alongside a fiery hot habanero salsa.

One of the best types of tacos to try when visiting the Yucatan.

Cochinita Pibil Tacos

This preparation is as much about the traditional way it’s cooked as the pork itself.

The name cochinita means “suckling pig” which is the base of these delicious tacos that are cooked in a stone-lined pit called a pib.

The pig is marinated with bitter orange and achiote and is wrapped in banana leaves before roasting for hours until the meat is fall off the bone tender.

Cochinita pibil tacos are topped with habanero salsa and red onions that are marinated in bitter orange juice. 

Tzic De Venado Tacos

This unique type of taco is made with venison which pays homage to its Mayan heritage and the culture of hunting wild animals on the peninsula.

The deer’s leg is marinated in a paste of Yucatecan oregano, bitter orange, cumin, cinnamon, coriander seed, and black pepper before being wrapped in banana leaves and being lowered into the pib (underground hot stone oven) to roast.

After the meat is cooked, it is shredded and mixed with cilantro, bitter orange juice, radish, and onions.

These authentic Mexican tacos are a treat that can be hard to find even amongst the restaurants frequented by mostly locals. 

Poc Chuc Tacos

You are guaranteed to get some primal cravings the second you smell the pork marinated in bitter orange cooking over a very hot charcoal grill.

What makes this type of taco special is the smokey charred flavor that can only come from fat dripping onto hot coals.

Poc Chuc tacos are topped with roasted onions, cilantro, and spicy tomato salsa.

What these tacos deliver are that grilled meat flavor and aromas that our brains are instinctively attracted to.

Fish Tacos from Mexico

Baja California and The Pacific Coast

Tacos de Pescado and Tacos de Camaron

Seafood tacos in Mexico come in many delicious shapes and forms including options that most people from outside of the country have never heard of.

There are versions with chiles that are stuffed with shrimp and cheese, and other tacos made with smoked marlin.

The most popular of all is the classic Ensenada shrimp and fish tacos with their crispy beer batter and fresh pico de gallo salsa.

This combination of soft corn tortilla, golden crunchy batter, tender fish, crisp cabbage, acidic and sweet salsa, and creamy citrus mayo brings a symphony of textures and flavors that all complement one another. 

Tacos from Mexico

Oaxaca

Chicharon Prensado Tacos

This type of taco can be found in guisado shops all over the country, but the best are found in Oaxaca.

The scraps and random bits that are left from frying chicharron are pressed into a cylinder similar to the size of a wheel of cheese.

It is then sliced and fried again and cooked in a guajillo chili sauce until it is tender.

In Oaxaca, tacos are generally rolled and cooked on the clay comal which allows the fresh corn tortilla to absorb the juices and tighten up the sauce which concentrates the flavors.

Chorizo Tacos

This isn’t that greasy grocery store chorizo in a plastic tube. The chorizo in Oaxaca is almost dry in texture and very crumbly.

It is accented with a big pop of vinegar and a backbone of spices including ancho chili, pasilla chili, clove, cinnamon, oregano, garlic, cumin, and black pepper.

The sausage links are grilled over a charcoal fire or literally placed right into the coals that heat the comal that they cook the tortillas on.

These chorizo tacos can come with black bean puree and a choice of cheese including quesillo or queso fresco. 

Tasajo Tacos

This preparation is very similar to cecina which can be found in other regions. Highly skilled butchers cut beef from the leg, loin, or flank into ¼ inch thick sheets that are about eight inches wide and can be 5 to 6 feet long.

The meat for this type of taco is salted and air-dried before being grilled over a charcoal fire where it picks up its signature smokey aromas.

The meat is served on fresh-made corn tortillas with various salsas, guacamole, limes, grilled onions, and agua de chilies. 

RELATED: Traditional Food in Oaxaca

Trying the Best Tacos in Mexico

Now that you are armed with a whole new list of authentic Mexican tacos to try, you will never have to eat one of those terrible crunchy fast food tacos again.

With so many different types of tacos in Mexico, it can be hard to decide which one to try first. 

Instead of sitting at home dreaming about what you should be eating, book your trip and get on your way to eating your way through all of the best tacos in Mexico.

If you are really hungry, check out our food travel guides where you can find all of the best dishes and restaurants in Oaxaca, Tulum, and Mexico City.

Now, what taco are you going to try first?