Would you believe it, International Taco Day falls on a Tuesday this year, 4 October 2022 – perfectly timed for Taco Tuesday! It’d be rude not to get yourself a cheeky taco to celebrate the scrumptious, hand-held, Mexican creation, and luckily Adelaide has plenty of restaurants to alleviate the tummy rumblies that only tacos can satisfy. We’ve curated a list of the top seven eateries in and around Adelaide for the best taco experience, take a look!
Masa – Bowden
One of Adelaide newest and coolest hang out spots is Bowden Brewing. Within the joint you’ll find Masa, serving unorthodox, but tasty tacos which utilise ingredients and techniques from the many cultures that contribute to Australia’s unique food scene.
On the Masa menu you’ll find omnivorous and herbivorous taco options including the Spencer Gulf prawn tostada taco with avocado puree, lime, coriander and fermented chilli. As well as the BBQ pumpkin taco with beetroot mole, garlic shoots and fermented chilli.
And making Masa’s tacos all the more tantalising; all the ingredients used are sourced locally where possible, and everything including the masa (corn dough used to make tortillas), is made in house. It makes the world of difference, trust.
Find Masa at 12 Fourth Street, Bowden.
Hispanic Mechanic – Frewville
Hispanic Mechanic not only serves delicious Mexican fare, but it’s also an oasis of greenery with outdoor seating which makes you feel like you’re secluded away from the fast city life. The Hispanic menu features crowd favourites as well as infusions of Korean delicacies including the belly and beans taco with seared pork belly, black bean salsa, shredded lettuce, radish, pear-habanero mayonesa, fresh white onion and tomato. And the habenero happiness with slow cooked beef brisket, caramelised onion, habanero, cheese blend, pepper slaw, lettuce, avocado and tomato.
They also offer an entire vegan menu too, where you’ll find tacos with the likes of the teyo taco filled with a fishless fillet, guacamole, shredded lettuce, creamy tar tare sauce, slaw and beak pepper-pineapple salsa. As well as the KFC taco with Korean fried caulifower, wasabi mayonesa, pickled vegetables, gochujang, sesame seeds, cilantro and daikon kimchi.
Find Hispanic Mechanic at 205 Glen Osmond Road, Frewville.
La Popular Taqueria – Port Adelaide
La Popular Taqueria was recently voted as one of the best restaurants in Adelaide, according to our readers, and there’s a number of reasons why we can agree with that. The eatery is located in the historic coastal town of Port Adelaide and serves traditional Mexican cuisine that honours the simplicity of the ‘taco holy trinity’; a handmade tortilla, a homemade filling, and a sensational salsa.
The sunlit space screams vibrancy, not only from the bright blue colour theme, but from the fresh ingredients that go into La Popular’s tacos. On their menu you will find the cochinita taco with oven-braised pulled pork marinated in achiote paste and spices, cooked in banana leaves, and topped with pickled onion and hot habanero salsa.
You’ll also find three vegan tacos on the menu, one of which is the hongos taco with braised mushroom, garlic, onion, epazote herb and salsa roja.
Find La Popular Taqueria at 226 St Vincent Street, Port Adelaide.
Mexican Society – Adelaide
If you’re on the hunt for a boujee taco experience, Mexican Society is your place. In 2020 they were the Best Mexican In Australia Hall Of Fame winner, and have received a number of other awards over the years too, it’s no wonder they’re an Adelaide household name when it comes to tacos.
Mexican Society boast fresh and authentic flavours with a twist. At a glance, their menu sees ten tacos including the crispy-crumbed chicken taco with smoked corn and chipotle mayo; and the slow-cooked lamb shoulder taco with lettuce, tomato, creama, pickled jalapenos and cilantro.
There’s a couple of vegan options on offer too, a stand out being the crispy broccoli taco with lettuce, red cabbage, salsa, basil pesto and veeg mayo.
Find Mexican Society at 140 Gouger Street, Adelaide.
Cocina Comida – Adelaide
Cocina Comida is a fairly new-ish Mexican restaurant that lies right in the heart of Adelaide’s East End on the bustling Ebenezer Place strip. What sets Cocina apart from the rest, is the fact that it’s an entirely vegan kitchen, offering all that juicy goodness minus the cruelty.
The plant-based meats that you’ll find inside the tacos are all hand and homemade, you won’t even know they’re vegan. One of Cocina’s menu highlights include the birria tacos with spicy consommé which are dipped, grilled and filled with beef and cheese, and topped with zesty salsa verde – hot damn.
Find Cocina Comida at 16 Ebenezer Place, Adelaide.
Mia Margarita – Henley Beach
Mia Margarita is debatably the grooviest South American restaurant in Adelaide – with the beaming neon lights, the colourful cocktails and what not. It’s modern Mexican dining at its finest in some sort of retro, Californian wonderland.
Mia Margarita’s taco menu is lengthy, we won’t lie, but their standout tacos include the seared scallop tacos with mango salsa, dill and house-made wasabi aioli; deep-fried avocado tacos with lettuce, mushroom, tomato and house-made vegan beetroot aioli; and the crispy pork belly tacos with wilted garlic kale and tangy grape glaze.
Find Mia Margarita at 330 Seaview Road, Henley Beach.
Beefcakes and Shakes – Grange
There’s something slightly unhinged about the word ‘beefcakes’, but we’ll let them off the hook due to their tasty tacos. Beefcakes and Shakes is far from a traditional Mexican restaurant, but more of a compact American diner with all the greasy goods, from burgers to cheese and bacon fries. Their line-up of tacos however, give the menu a tangy twist and a bit of pizazz.
Beefcakes’ highlight taco would be the ever-so trending birria taco; consisting of braised meat inside a corn tortilla that’s been pan-fried in the fat that sits at the top of the birria braise, served with a cup of consommé and fresh lime. It’s succulent, it’s indulgent and it’s messy, to say the least, and it’s something a little different from the usual too.
Find Beefcakes and Shakes at 567 Grange Road, Grange.
There you have it, the top spots in Adelaide for some dang tasty tacos. Happy International Taco Day for Tuesday 4 October!