It’s National Taco Day! Where to get some of Jacksonville's best tacos

Craving a taco for lunch today? You’re in luck. National Taco Day is celebrated on the first Tuesday of October, which this year falls on Oct. 6, 2026.

Whether you prefer soft tortillas or crunchy shells, there’s a taco for just about every craving. Maybe it’s a classic corn tortilla piled high with carne asada, chopped onions and cilantro, finished with a bright green tomatillo salsa. Or perhaps you’re team al pastor, chicken tacos topped with guacamole, or mahi mahi tacos drizzled with chipotle mayo. When it comes to tacos, the possibilities are endless.

And the taco universe goes far beyond traditional Mexican street tacos. You can explore the rich flavors of Yucatán with cochinita pibil tacos from Mérida, indulge in a greasy, glorious birria

taco dipped in savory consommé, or take a detour into the Tex-Mex and American taco scene, where traditional fillings can make way for creations like pork belly.

Whether you’re team green salsa, red salsa or no salsa at all, tacos are all about endless combinations; keeping your palate pleasantly spiced up.

Here’s a curated list of some of thebest tacos in Jacksonville, along with national deals and specials to help you celebrate National Taco Day.

Where to celebrate National Taco Day in Jacksonville? Here's 10 local taco restaurants worth trying

1. Alien Taco & Tequila Bar 

7643 Gate Parkway, alientaco.net 

The decor is definitely part of the appeal at Alien Taco; you can spend an afternoon looking at the odd alien paintings and bizarre heiroglyphics on the walls, and there's an extraterrestrial looking at you in just about every seat.

But the tacos are, as they say, "out of this world." They have a selection of birria tacos, but the specialty-taco menu is where you'll find the real fun stuff. The Frying Saucer, for instance, is stuffed with fried chicken parmesan, and you can get the Earthling Taco with ground beef, chicken or barbacoa steak. We're partial to the Mexico City Cheesesteak Taco, with chimichurri grilled steak, peppers and onions.

2. El Castillo Market & Restaurant 

9735 Old St. Augustine Road, [phone], elcastillomarketrestaurant.shop

Reddit users were quick to recommend the hard-shell tacos at El Castillo, which strives to deliver authentic Mexican fare. It's one of those places with a meat market and store right on the grounds. They have a dozen tacos on the menu, with none listed at more than $6.50. You can get them with chicken, ground beef, chorizo, pork, beef tongue, veggies or cabeza (if you don't know what that is, you might not want to ask).

3. El Agave Azul 

Food truck, [phone], elagaveazuljax.com

There are those who swear that the best tacos come from a truck. In El Agave Azul's case, they might not be wrong. They operate two trucks that can be found all over the Jacksonville area, and there's usually a line of people waiting for tacos. Check their website for a schedule.

The Veggie Taco, with bell peppers and grilled onions, is a popular choice even for non-vegetarians. If you're feeling more carnivorous, try tacos stuffed with ground beef, chorizo, steak, pulled pork or chicken.

4. Happy Taco Feliz! 

Food truck based at 12553 Main St., [phone], yelp.com 

Real fans know that if the bright-red trailer is open for business, they need to get in line. It sets up in the parking lot of a gas station and convenience store and keeps it simple. Do you want a burrito, a taco, a torta, a gringa or a quesadilla? Do you want it with steak, chicken, chorizo, pork or cow tongue? Specialty tacos come with cooked onion and cilantro, green salsa and cilantro or green pepper, tomato and onion.

5. La Michoacana Taqueria 

9827 Beach Blvd., [phone], lamichoacanataqueriafl.com 

This isn't an easy place to find, tucked back in a shopping center near Beach and Southside, but it's worth the hunt. It's one of the few places in town with a salsa bar, and diners rave about the service.

The quesabirrias, or birria tacos, are filled with a stewed meat and served on housemade tortillas and are a big draw. Another is the Mexican street tacos, served on corn or flour tortillas and topped with sauteed onions.

6. La Nopalera 

9734 Crosshill Blvd., [phone]; 12640 Bartram Trail Blvd., [phone]; 1571 CR 220 in Fleming Island, [phone]; 111 Bartram Oaks Walk in St. Johns, [phone], eatatlanopalera.com 

La Nopalera locations around Jacksonville seem to come and go fairly often, but the core menu of simple, authentic Mexican food remains. Order tacos with steak, chorizo, grilled chicken, flank steak, pork, tripe of beef tongue, or get something from the specialty menu, where you'll find fish, shrimp and birria options.

7. Mi Veracruz  

4143 Philips Highway, [phone], miveracruzrestaurant.com 

They keep it simple at Mi Veracruz. You can get "American" tacos, stuffed with beef or chicken and topped with cheese, lettuce and tomato (hard shell or soft), or "Mexicanos" style, served on a soft tortilla with steak or chicken and pico de gallo. They also have fish tacos on the menu.

8. No Manches Wey 

174 Blanding Blvd, in Orange Park, [phone], nomancheswey.toast.site 

Murals of futbol players cover the walls and flags hang from the ceiling at this Orange Park favorite, which offers indoor and outdoor seating. They serve street tacos in the American style (flour tortilla with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream) or Mexican style (corn tortilla with raw onions and cilantro), plus fish, shrimp, vegetarian, steak and beef tongue tacos. The name, by the way, roughly translates to "No way, dude."

9. TacoLu 

1712 Beach Blvd., [phone], tacolu.com

TacoLu's Beach Boulevard taqueria is reportedly haunted by the ghost of Alpha Paynter, who owned a restaurant that previously occupied the same spot. But maybe Paynter's ghost just loves a good taco. TacoLu has been the Beaches' go-to taco spot since it opened in 2008 and moved to its current spot four years later, and the menu includes seven diffferent fish tacos, five made with beef, four with pork, three with chicken and two for vegetarians. The $10 Taco (which actually costs $5.99) has grilled filet mignon, cojita cheese and pico de gallo.

10. Taqueria CINco

809 Lomax St., [phone], taqueria5points.com 

Just around the corner from Five Points, you'll find some of the most authentic Mexican fare in the city. Tacos are served on tortillas made with whole kernel corn masa, not from processed corn flour, and ingredients are locally sourced when possible. The menu includes 13 tacos, ranging from ribeye steak to beer-battered fish.

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National chains offering free tacos and deals in Jacksonville on Oct. 6

Taco Bell collabs with Duolingo, offers other deals

Taco Bell is going beyond National Taco Day and deeming the day "Global Taco Day" through a partnership with language learning app and website Duolingo. People can get the following:

• Duo Habanero sauce: The limited-edition spicy sauce is inspired by Duolingo's green owl mascot. In the United States, it's free with the purchase of Doritos Locos Tacos order. You can also order a sauce packet for 20 cents. The sauce packets will feature taco-themed sayings in various languages
• Super Duolingo: Taco Bell Rewards Members who don't already pay for a Duolingo subscription can also get a free month of Super Duolingo, the app's paid membership. The offer started on Oct. 1 and will run through Oct. 6. Codes for the free month of Super Duolingo must be redeemed by Nov. 15.
• Duo plushie freebie: Taco Bell will also give away 1,000 limited-edition owl mascots wearing a Taco Bell uniform and headset, to Taco Bell Rewards members. For a chance to receive a plushie, members can visit Taco Bell's Tuesday Drops page on Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. ET.

In addition to the Duolingo collab, Taco Bell fans can also score some deals on third party ordering apps on Oct. 6. People who order Taco Bell from Uber Eats and Grubhub can receive a free crunchy or soft seasoned beef taco when they spend $22 or more. Students who use Uber One can receive a free Doritos Locos taco when they spend $20 or more on their order.

DoorDash users ordering Taco Bell can receive one of the following when they spend $22 or more: cantina chicken soft taco, soft taco or soft taco supreme, crunchy taco or crunchy taco supreme or Doritos Locos tacos or Doritos Locos tacos supreme.

Moe's Southwest Grill offers $2 deal on 3 tacos

On Oct. 6, customers can purchase up to three tacos for $2 each at participating locations. Members can take advantage of the deal for even longer and purchase the $2 tacos until Oct. 11.

7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes taco deals

Fans stopping at these locations on National Taco Day can take advantage of multiple deals from Laredo Taco Company. This includes BOGO potato and egg tacos or BOGO chicken fajita tacos. The BOGO deals will only be available on Oct. 6, according to a news release. However, until Oct. 27, fans can buy two El Gran Tocino tacos, one El Gran Tocino burrito, or a Taco Meal Deal for $5.

Contributing: Julia Gomez, USA Today Trending Reporter

Doris Alvarez is a Breaking and Trending Reporter for The Florida Times-Union. You can get all of Jacksonville’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free Daily Briefing and News Alerts newsletters at jacksonville.com/newsletters

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: It’s National Taco Day! Where to get some of Jacksonville's best tacos