TacosNearYou

Barbacoa Tacos Near You, San Antonio and Beyond

Find the best barbacoa tacos near you, ranked by taco focus — real taquerias and trucks with hours and directions.

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

¿Prefieres español? Tacos de Barbacoa cerca de ti

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

How to spot good barbacoa tacos

  • Weekend mornings only at most places; it is pit- or steam-cooked overnight and served until it runs out.
  • In South Texas barbacoa often means cabeza (cow's head); in central Mexico it is usually lamb. Ask which.
  • Get the consomme on the side to sip between tacos.

Where to eat barbacoa in the US

Cities where a venue names barbacoa 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.

San Antonio, TX

  1. Felipes Tacos, Barbacoa & TamalesTaco shop · 1629 South Presa StreetHours not recordedDirections
  2. Taqueria La Perla de JaliscoTaqueria · 2255 Southeast Military DriveSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Taco Capital - San AntonioTaqueria · 2026 Babcock Rd Ste 103, San Antonio, TX 782294.8(356)Hours not recordedCallDirections

Austin, TX

  1. Barbacoa Santa RosaTaco shop · 8624 FM 812Hours not recordedDirections
  2. Asado's TaqueriaTaqueria · 6726 Burnet RoadSee hoursCallDirections
  3. El Tacorrido: Authentic Mexican TaqueriaTaqueria · 1701 East Riverside DriveSee hoursCallDirections

Houston, TX

  1. El Rey TaqueriaTaqueria · 233 North Loop WestSee hoursCallDirections
  2. El Rey TaqueriaTaqueria · 910 Shepherd DriveSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Goode Company TaqueriaTaqueria · 4902 Kirby DriveSee hoursCallDirections

Los Angeles, CA

  1. Tacos El Mas CabronTaqueria · 4226 E Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 900234.8(455)Hours not recordedCallDirections
  2. Taqueria La Que Si LlenaTaqueria · 3630 Cesar E Chavez AvenueSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Taqueria Los AnayaTaqueria · 4651 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 900164.5(1,638)Hours not recordedCallDirections

Chicago, IL

  1. Birrieria OcotlanBirrieria · 8726 South Commercial AvenueSee hoursCallDirections
  2. Birriería Y Carnitas El GallitoBirrieria · 7021 North Clark StreetSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Carmela's TaqueriaTaqueria · 1206 West Lawrence AvenueSee hoursCallDirections

New York, NY

  1. Dos Toros TaqueriaTaqueria · 64 Court StreetSee hoursCallDirections
  2. Dos Toros TaqueriaTaqueria · 636 Lexington AvenueSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Dos Toros TaqueriaTaqueria · 2911 BroadwaySee hoursCallDirections

Dallas, TX

  1. Birrieria Aguinaga TaqueriaBirrieria · West Davis StreetSee hoursCallDirections
  2. Mijas TaqueriaTaqueria · 9901 Royal LaneSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Taqueria La UniónTaqueria · 6326 C F Hawn FreewaySee hoursCallDirections

Phoenix, AZ

  1. Huarachis TaqueriaTaqueria · 814 North Central AvenueSee hoursCallDirections
  2. Taqueria La HaciendaTaqueria · 254 East Buckeye RoadSee hoursCallDirections
  3. Tacos Calafia DowntownTaqueria · 825 N 7th St #102, Phoenix, AZ 850064.7(2,486)Hours not recordedCallDirections

Las Vegas, NV

  1. Taqueria Casa del SaborTaqueria · 4935 Palo Verde Road4.6(2,924)Hours not recordedCallDirections
  2. Birria - Bite los Arcos Mexican restaurantTaqueria · 2201 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 891044.6(1,770)Hours not recordedCallDirections
  3. Tacos & BeerTaqueria · 3900 Paradise Rd A, Las Vegas, NV 891694.5(3,506)Hours not recordedCallDirections

San Diego, CA

  1. Picante Taqueria Mexican GrillTaqueria · 6620 Mission Gorge RoadSee hoursCallDirections
  2. The Waves Taco ClubTaqueria · 916 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 921014.8(694)Hours not recordedCallDirections
  3. Tacotarian San DiegoTaqueria · 4332 30th St, San Diego, CA 921044.7(684)Hours not recordedCallDirections

What Are Barbacoa Tacos?

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

Barbacoa is meat, traditionally whole sheep, goat or a cow's head, wrapped in agave leaves and steamed in a covered pit until it shreds, then piled onto corn tortillas with onion, cilantro and salsa. Many US kitchens reproduce it by steaming or braising beef cheek or chuck

Tacos de barbacoa served in Texcoco, Mexico, the heartland of pit-cooked barbacoaBarbacoa Tacos
Photo: Gabriel Flores Romero from Tecate, México via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)

It is moist, gently seasoned and not spicy, with the heat left to the salsa. Below: what cut barbacoa uses, how it differs from birria and carnitas, and where to eat it.

Barbacoa (Tacos de Barbacoa) are Hidalgo / Texcoco tacos made with whole animal or shoulder; beef cheek in the US, pit-cooked wrapped in maguey/agave leaves, served on corn tortillas.

Also called
Tacos de Barbacoa
Family
Meat
Filling
Lamb or goat
Cut / main ingredient
Whole animal or shoulder; beef cheek in the US
How it is cooked
Pit-cooked wrapped in maguey/agave leaves
Tortilla
Corn
Usually topped with
Onion, cilantro, salsa borracha, consommé on the side
From
Hidalgo / Texcoco, Mexico

A weekend-morning food in Mexico. In Texas usually beef cheek (cabeza), pit or steamed

Where US venues name it

UT 5TX 4NM 1NC 1KS 1

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

Barbacoa: your questions

What is in a barbacoa taco?

lamb or goat, specifically whole animal or shoulder; beef cheek in the US, pit-cooked wrapped in maguey/agave leaves. Usually topped with onion, cilantro, salsa borracha, consommé on the side.

What tortilla do barbacoa tacos use?

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

Where can I find barbacoa tacos in the US?

San Antonio, Houston, Rio Grande Valley. In this directory 12 venues name the style, led by UT (5), TX (4), NM (1), NC (1) — a count of places that say so on the listing, so it undercounts.

Where do barbacoa tacos come from?

Hidalgo / Texcoco, Mexico. Known in Spanish as Tacos de Barbacoa.

What is a barbacoa taco?

Meat (traditionally whole sheep, goat, or a cow's head) wrapped in maguey (agave) leaves and cooked slowly in a covered earth pit until it falls apart, then shredded onto corn tortillas with onion, cilantro and salsa. Many US kitchens reproduce it by steaming or braising beef cheek or chuck.

What is the difference between barbacoa and carnitas?

Barbacoa is steamed or pit-cooked, moist, and seasoned simply. Carnitas is simmered in fat and then crisped. Barbacoa is beef, lamb or goat; carnitas is pork. Barbacoa is tender and savoury; carnitas has crisp edges and tastes of pork fat.

What is the difference between birria and barbacoa?

Birria is stewed in a chile-and-spice liquid and served with consommé; it is saucy. Barbacoa is steamed or pit-cooked with little or no chile sauce; it is not. If there is a red broth for dipping, it is birria.

What kind of meat is barbacoa?

Traditionally lamb, goat, or beef head (cabeza). Most US restaurants use beef cheek or beef chuck, steamed until it shreds.

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