TacosNearYou

Al Pastor Tacos Near You, Los Angeles and Beyond

Find the best al pastor tacos near you — 23 spots ranked by taco focus, with hours and directions.

Share your location and we search 50 miles around you for places serving al pastor, nearest first.

¿Prefieres español? Tacos al Pastor cerca de ti

  • Taqueria / birrieria
  • Truck / stand / cart
  • Taco shop / bar
  • Restaurant serving tacos

How to spot good al pastor tacos

  • Look for a vertical trompo spit with a pineapple on top. Meat shaved to order off the trompo is the real thing; a pan of pre-cooked pork is not.
  • Order con pina and con todo. Salsa verde and a squeeze of lime is the classic finish.
  • Late evening is prime time, when the trompo has been building a crust all night.
  • Adobada is the northern, drier cousin cooked the same way; try it side by side if a place does both.

Where to eat al pastor in the US

Cities where a venue names al pastor outright come first, then the biggest taco cities, where any taqueria on this list will have it. Use the button above for what is actually near you.

New York, NY

  1. Taqueria al PastorTaqueria · 128 Wyckoff AvenueSee hoursCallDirections
  2. Los Tacos Al PastorTaco shop · 141 Front StreetSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Taqueria Al PastorTaqueria · 119 Court StreetHours not recordedCallDirections

San Jose, CA

  1. Tacos al PastorTaco shop · 400 South Bascom AvenueSee hoursCallDirections
  2. Tacos Al Pastor IIITaco shop · 428 Toyon AvenueSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Tacos Al PastorTaco shop · 1629 Meridian AvenueHours not recordedCallDirections

Los Angeles, CA

  1. Tacos Al PastorTaco shop · 5179 Santa Monica BlvdHours not recordedCallDirections
  2. Tacos El Mas CabronTaqueria · 4226 E Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 900234.8(455)Hours not recordedCallDirections
  3. Taqueria La Que Si LlenaTaqueria · 3630 Cesar E Chavez AvenueSee hoursCallDirections

Chicago, IL

  1. Tacos El Pastor 53Taco shop · 5319 South Hyde Park BoulevardSee hoursCallDirections
  2. Birrieria OcotlanBirrieria · 8726 South Commercial AvenueSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Birriería Y Carnitas El GallitoBirrieria · 7021 North Clark StreetSee hoursCallDirections

Dallas, TX

  1. Fito's Tacos De TrompoTaco shop · 4611 Columbia AvenueHours not recordedCallDirections
  2. Birrieria Aguinaga TaqueriaBirrieria · West Davis StreetSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Mijas TaqueriaTaqueria · 9901 Royal LaneSee hoursCallDirections

Portland, OR

  1. Birrieria La Plaza 2 - Downtown PDXBirrieria · 917 Southwest Alder StreetSee hoursDirections
  2. Gonzalez TaqueriaTaqueria · 1529 North Killingsworth StreetSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Nayar TaqueriaTaqueria · 5919 Southeast Foster RoadSee hoursCallDirections

Seattle, WA

  1. Taqueria El PastorcitoTaqueria · 314 Broadway EastHours not recordedDirections
  2. Taco City TaqueríaTaqueria · 5212 Rainier Avenue SouthSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Taquería TequilaTaqueria · 11064 Lake City Way NortheastSee hoursCallDirections

Long Beach, CA

  1. Los Trompos TaqueriaTaqueria · 421 West BroadwaySee hoursCallDirections
  2. Guerrero TaqueriaTaqueria · 823 E South StHours not recordedCallDirections
  3. Jim's BirrieriaBirrieria · 150 W Ocean Blvd.Hours not recordedCallDirections

Chula Vista, CA

  1. Tacos El TrompoTaco shop · 3460 Highland AveHours not recordedCallDirections
  2. Taqueria By El PrietoTaqueria · 689 H StreetSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Taqueria RevolucionTaqueria · 3001 Bonita RoadSee hoursCallDirections

Lewisville, TX

  1. Fito's Tacos De TrompoTaco shop · 1955 State Hwy 121 #100Hours not recordedCallDirections
  2. Taqueria Guadalajara Mexican FoodTaqueria · 170 Fox AvenueSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Taqueria MonterreyTaqueria · 380 E State Hwy 121See hoursCallDirections

What Are Al Pastor Tacos?

By Niam Hocaine, founder and food writer · Updated September 29, 2026

Tacos al pastor are made from thin-sliced pork shoulder marinated in dried chiles, achiote and pineapple, stacked on a vertical spit called a trompo, roasted, and shaved to order as the outer edge chars. They are served on small corn tortillas with a little of the crisp pork, chopped onion, cilantro, a piece of pineapple and salsa

Al pastor tacos on corn tortillas topped with pineapple, onion and cilantroAl Pastor Tacos
Photo: T.Tseng via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)

The method descends from Lebanese shawarma brought to Puebla by Middle Eastern immigrants. It is savoury, faintly sweet and only as hot as the salsa you add. Below: how al pastor is made, how it differs from carnitas and adobada, and where to eat it.

Read more: Al Pastor, Adobada and Shawarma: One Family Tree

Al Pastor (Tacos al Pastor) are Mexico City / Puebla tacos made with marinated pork shoulder, thinly shaved, stacked on a vertical spit (trompo) and shaved to order, served on corn tortillas.

Also called
Tacos al Pastor
Family
Meat
Filling
Pork
Cut / main ingredient
Marinated pork shoulder, thinly shaved
How it is cooked
Stacked on a vertical spit (trompo) and shaved to order
Tortilla
Corn
Usually topped with
Pineapple, onion, cilantro, salsa roja
From
Mexico City / Puebla, Mexico

Descends from Lebanese shawarma brought by Middle Eastern immigrants to Puebla; the trompo is the giveaway

Where US venues name it

CA 10NY 6TX 5WI 3AL 1AK 1FL 1IL 1

Counted from venue names in our directory, so it undercounts places that serve it without saying so.

Al Pastor: your questions

What is in a al pastor taco?

pork, specifically marinated pork shoulder, thinly shaved, stacked on a vertical spit (trompo) and shaved to order. Usually topped with pineapple, onion, cilantro, salsa roja.

What tortilla do al pastor tacos use?

Corn. Corn tortillas are naturally gluten-free, though the fryer and seasonings may not be.

Where can I find al pastor tacos in the US?

Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston. In this directory 28 venues name the style, led by CA (10), NY (6), TX (5), WI (3) — a count of places that say so on the listing, so it undercounts.

Where do al pastor tacos come from?

Mexico City / Puebla, Mexico. Known in Spanish as Tacos al Pastor.

What are tacos al pastor made of?

Thin-sliced pork shoulder marinated in a red paste of dried chiles, achiote (annatto), vinegar, pineapple juice and spices, stacked on a vertical spit called a trompo, roasted, and shaved off as the outer layer chars. Served on small corn tortillas with a little of the charred pork, chopped onion, cilantro, a piece of pineapple and salsa.

What is the difference between carnitas and al pastor?

Both are pork, but the method is opposite. Carnitas is pork confited, simmered in its own fat until soft, then crisped. Al pastor is marinated pork roasted on a vertical spit and shaved. Carnitas tastes of pork and fat; al pastor tastes of chile, achiote and pineapple.

Is al pastor spicy?

Mild. The marinade is built on guajillo and ancho chiles for colour and depth (not heat), and the pineapple adds sweetness. Any real heat comes from the salsa roja served alongside.

What does al pastor taste like?

Savoury and slightly sweet, with a smoky char from the spit, an earthy warmth from achiote and dried chile, tang from vinegar and pineapple, and crisp edges on the shaved pork.

Last updated September 29, 2026. Venue details refresh with each data import.