Five New Exciting Taco Spots in the Bay
From San Francisco’s Mission District to San Jose’s Eastside, there’s a ton of fantastic taco spots highlighting regional styles from across Mexico. We’re talking tacos loaded with al pastor and extra piña, smoky carne asada, and melty shredded cabeza. It’s not easy being a newcomer to a well-established scene, still new taquerias continue to pop up and draw customers in with their fresh takes. Here are five new taco spots you should know. Leo’s Taco Truck (San Francisco) 
A famous LA taco truck known for its al pastor and piña tacos arrived to SF’s Great Highway in April. Sample their meat in a torta, huarache, burrito, quesadilla, or loaded nachos. They also offer tripa, lengua, carnitas, cabeza, chorizo, buche (stomach), and suadero. The truck posts up a short walk from the beach making it the most scenic taco joint on this list. La Parranga (San Jose) 
This new stylish Mexico City-style taqueria makes handmade tortillas and loads them up with Mexican-style scrambled eggs, choripapa, barbacoa, brisket, and grilled tripe. They have a solid selection of salsas like creamy serrano, mango pico de gallo, charred habanero, and citrusy pineapple. Buen Rallo, the team behind the group, also owns Colibri, Il Parco, El Jardin, Suspiro, Zazil, Jiwa, and Chika. Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine (Morgan Hill) 
A popular South Bay food truck just opened up their first brick-and-mortar this week in Morgan Hill. They’re best known for their multi-colored tortillas and al pastor tacos made with recado negro. They’re still in the soft opening phase, but they’re rolling out a new expanded menu starting early September. Make sure to ask for a side of their x-ni-pec, a fruity Mayan salsa. Al Pastor Papi (San Francisco) 
The beloved pink al pastor trailer opened a permanent location in Union Square. You can order their famous al pastor stuffed in a burrito, torta, or gringa. Pair it with a heavy scoop of their spicy salsa roja. Don’t worry if you can’t handle the heat, you can tame the burn with an ube horchata. Taco Fino (Alameda) 
Taco Fino started as a taco truck in 2023. They opened their fast-casual restaurant in February this year. Their menu is simple but well executed. They serve burritos, tamales, nachos, shrimp tacos, and quesabirrias. Their most popular offering is the California burrito stuffed with tater tots. Don’t skip the Fino Fries loaded with meat and guacamole.