May 18, 2026 | 10:00 am
Texas Monthly taco editor José Ralat has released his list of The 25 Best New(ish) Texas Taquerias in 2026. Published Monday, May 18, the list serves as an mid-cycle update to the James Beard Award-winning writer’s 2024 list of the 50 Best Tacos in Texas, which is published every four years.
Houston and San Antonio take the lead with four spots on the list. The Bayou City’s representatives are:
- Alturas Mexican Cafe, a family-owned restaurant near the Heights
- Bar Xolo, a Mexico City-inspired dining bar in Montrose
- Huncho’s Tacos, a halal taqueria in Southwest Houston
- Maximo, an upscale Mexican restaurant in West University Place
At Alturas, Ralat praises the house made flour tortillas and shredded chicken mole enmoladas. At Bar Xolo, he recommends the Tacos Oscar, which are made with potato, house made cheese, and caviar. The ribeye taco is must-order at Huncho’s, while Maximo earns its spot for a $45, five-course tasting menu that includes a “wild mushroom taco with white-capped bunapi, a crunchy lilliputian fungus that eats like popcorn with a woodsy flavor.”
Zaranda, the California-inspired restaurant from James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega, earns an honorable mention…