Milwaukee’s South Side Carries Wisconsin
Wisconsin's Mexican community settled around Milwaukee's south side and the state's food-processing towns, and the taquerias followed the same map.
Wisconsin: 661 taco venues on record across 181 cities, 168 dedicated taquerias, trucks and stands, 68% independent.
Wisconsin city by city
Milwaukee's Walker's Point and the Historic Mitchell Street corridor lead; Madison, Racine and Green Bay follow.
- Milwaukee136 places
- Madison33 places
- Green Bay27 places
- Racine19 places
- Kenosha17 places
- Appleton17 places
- West Allis13 places
- Beloit12 places
- Eau Claire11 places
- Waukesha11 places
- Janesville10 places
- La Crosse9 places
- Sheboygan8 places
- Oshkosh8 places
- De Pere7 places
- Wausau7 places
- Whitewater6 places
- Mount Pleasant6 places
- Oconomowoc6 places
- West Bend5 places
- Middleton5 places
- Wisconsin Dells5 places
- Delavan5 places
- Fond Du Lac5 places
- Bellevue4 places
- Sturgeon Bay4 places
- Superior4 places
- Rhinelander4 places
- Fitchburg4 places
- Rice Lake4 places
Showing the 30 busiest of 181 Wisconsin cities on record.
What Wisconsin does differently
Straightforward central-Mexican taquerias; al pastor is well represented for a northern state.
Styles with venues documented in Wisconsin, most-recorded first:
Wisconsin is independent country
Wisconsin is independent-leaning — 68% of the venues on record are not part of a national chain, which is high by national standards.
- 68% independent (449 of 661)
- 69% close at 11pm or later (83 of the 120 with hours on record)
- 55 have a drive-through
- 6 are tagged vegetarian- or vegan-friendly
- 9 have outdoor seating
The 20 highest-ranked taco spots in Wisconsin
Ranked by how taco-focused each place is and how complete its listing is, not by who paid. How we rank.
- 1Aztec TaqueriaSee hoursCallDirections
- 2Electric Lime TaqueriaSee hoursCallDirections
- 3Kompali TaqueriaSee hoursCallDirections
- 4La TaqueriaSee hoursCallDirections
- 5Restaurant y Taqueria La EsperanzaSee hoursCallDirections
- 6Super Taqueria Don PanchoSee hoursCallDirections
- 7Taqueria BuenavistaSee hoursCallDirections
- 8Taqueria El JalapeñoSee hoursCallDirections
- 9Taqueria JaliscoSee hoursCallDirections
- 10Taqueria la GuelaguetzaSee hoursCallDirections
- 11Taqueria MexicoSee hoursCallDirections
- 12Taqueria Muy SalsaSee hoursCallDirections
- 13Taqueria RodeoSee hoursCallDirections
- 14El Primo TaqueriaSee hoursCallDirections
- 15Taqueria Los AtlantesSee hoursCallDirections
- 16Bandit Tacos & CoffeeSee hoursCallDirections
- 17BartacoSee hoursCallDirections
- 18Chucho's Red TacosSee hoursCallDirections
- 19Daily Taco and CantinaSee hoursCallDirections
- 20El Dorado Mexican Street TacosSee hoursCallDirections
Tacos in Wisconsin: common questions
Which Wisconsin city has the most taco spots?
Milwaukee leads Wisconsin with 136 venues on record, followed by Madison and Green Bay. That is a count of places, not a quality ranking — the ranked list above orders by taco focus.
Are most tacos in Wisconsin from chains or independents?
32% of the 661 Wisconsin venues on record belong to a national chain, leaving 449 independents. 168 of them are dedicated taquerias, trucks, stands or birrierías.
Where can I get tacos late at night in Wisconsin?
Of the 120 Wisconsin venues with opening hours on record, 83 (69%) close at 11pm or later. Hours change often, so check the individual listing before driving over.
What kind of tacos is Wisconsin known for?
Straightforward central-Mexican taquerias; al pastor is well represented for a northern state.
Which taco styles are documented in Wisconsin?
Al Pastor (3), Carnitas (2). These are counts of venues where the style is on record, so they undercount rather than overcount.
Last updated September 29, 2026. Venue details refresh with each data import.