Finding good Mexican restaurants in Taipei, and Taiwan in general, may sound difficult but luckily there are a handful of great restaurants that offer delicious Mexican food in Taipei. My good friend Florencio and I have dedicated ourselves to finding the best Mexican food not just for our sake but for all of those who share the love of Mexican food as well.
Florencio, being of Mexican descent, has a very deep relationship with Mexican food from eating home-cooked dishes made by his mother, father, and relatives. My memories of eating Mexican food were usually in and around Taco buses and taco trucks in Seattle. I also love Taco Bell, a fast-food chain in the US that sells what some may say non-authentic Mexican food. It may not be authentic however I still love me some Taco Bell.
Although our relationship and memories of Mexican food are different, our love for the cuisine I would say are equal, but Florencio argues otherwise haha.
It’s important to know that Mexican cuisine, just like many other cuisines, is very diverse and differs from region to region in Mexico and that there is no one definition of what “real” Mexican food is.
Florencio and I wanted to keep it simple on how we critiqued the restaurants. We asked ourselves, do the dishes taste familiar and bring on nostalgia, and are they at its core, delicious?
The restaurants that made it here are places we’ve been to and think are worth trying.
We’ve divided the restaurants into two categories The Very Best and The Rest.
The Very Best Mexican Restaurants
Fonda Mexico
Address: No. 123, Section 1, Roosevelt Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, 100
TLDR: Fell in love after that first bite into those tacos. The food was super delicious and reminded us of Mexican food back home. Lots of dishes to choose from. The staff and owner were very welcoming and friendly. Would definitely come here again!
About Fonda Mexico
Fonda Mexico is the newest Mexican joint in town that just opened in the last week of December 2021 and is now probably the best Mexican restaurant in Taipei. We rate this number one not only for the great tasting food but also for the hospitality from staff and chef/co-owner Gio.
Gio, the kind and charismatic man he is, came out and spoke with us to tell us the story of how his restaurant came to be and the symbolism behind each element in his logo.
Gio’s Story
Gio was back in his home-country Mexico at the time where he contemplated settling down in Mexico or returning to Taiwan. Something inside told him that he had to return to Taiwan. He wasn’t finished there. He flew back to Taiwan and through word of mouth heard of a Taco competition held in Tamsui District. He reached out to the director to get a position in the contest but the director required that he provide tacos for him to taste. They wanted to be sure that it was worth it. Gio was in quarantine at the time, did not have the ingredients or proper cooking equipment to prepare the tacos. The judge said you know what fine, just pay the fee and we’ll secure you a spot.
It was time for the taco competition. Customers were hesitant to try tacos from the new guy in town and rather ate tacos from familiar vendors. It wasn’t until later in the competition that Gio started to gain traction and attention. People started to catch on to his delicious tacos.
The crowd was then asked to submit their votes for best tacos and when the winner was announced, many people were shocked. They were sure that last year’s winner would win again but they were wrong. The announcer exclaimed, “We have a new winner for this year’s taco competition!” Gio, the underdog takes the trophy — the same trophy you will see sitting high on a shelf inside his restaurant — for the 2021 Taco Competition. The rest is history.
El Sabroso
Address: 100, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Section 3, Tingzhou Rd, 107號之一
TLDR: This Mexican-owned restaurant serves delicious Mexican food that won’t disappoint. They have a variety of meats, salsas, and desserts to choose from. Would come back again for sure. Recommend coming on a Taco Tuesday to try their tacos.
About El Sabroso
The kind owner Oscar, originally from Mexico, has lived in Taiwan for seven years but has been open for business for five. He’s the main person that works the kitchen to make sure the flavors are consistent and to top standard so be rest assured you’ll be getting delicious food.
El Saboroso sells burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and tacos, however, the tacos are only sold on Tuesdays, Taco Tuesdays. They also have some traditional Mexican drinks such as horchata, and tamarindo. Note, If you plan to come on a Tuesday for the tacos be sure to call ahead of time and pre-order because they sell out!
We tried their beef quesadilla, chicken tinga and al pastor (pork) burritos and were very pleased with how they tasted. They have a selection of great-tasting salsas from mild to hot. Their sweet pineapple salsa is definitely worth trying.
Overall this place was great and would definitely come back again, preferably on a Tuesday, to try them Tacos!
Tacos Luca #1
Address: No. 17號, Binlang Rd, Xindian District, New Taipei City, 231
TLDR: Come here for the best tacos in Taipei!
About Tacos Luca #1
If you’re looking for the best tacos in Taipei, then no look further because Tacos Luca #1 is truly number one when it comes to Tacos!
The owner and chef Luca, hence the name Tacos Luca #1, is very hospitable and friendly. We came right as he was closing the shop, but he reopened the store without hesitation just to serve us.
Tacos Lucas #1, serves primarily tacos but occasionally serves other dishes such as tamales and flautas which he announces on his Facebook page if you’re interested.
We enjoyed the carnitas, al pastor, and king tacos. The king tacos consist of three types of meat pork, liver, and tofu. All ingredients are sourced locally in Taiwan and the corn tortillas are all made fresh in-house.
Tacos Luca #1 is also a great place to meet other ex-pats in Taiwan. Inside the store, you’ll see a wall of signatures from international visitors that have stopped by to try Luca’s amazing tacos. Before you leave be sure to leave your mark on the wall!
The Rest
NALA’s Mexican Food
Address: No. 7之1號, Section 1, Roosevelt Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, 100
TLDR: This Taiwanese-owned Mexican restaurant serves, in our opinion, serves decent Mexican food. They serve good food at a reasonable price point. This place is enjoyed by the ex-pat and local community. Check it out for yourself!
About NALA’s Mexican Food
The main meals they offer are burritos, burrito bowls, soft tacos, and salads. Each meal contains rice, pinto beans, black beans, salsa, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce however, the salads don’t include rice. The meats they offer are carnitas (pork), barbacoa (tender shredded beef), and chicken. They also have a veggie option if you are vegetarian or vegan. In addition to the main meals, they serve nachos, a seasonal tomato bean soup (winters only), a variety of coffee and tea drinks, sodas, margaritas, Corona, and Taiwan Beer.
We tried their carnitas burrito, chicken burrito, and some barbacoa soft tacos. Florencio and I are not big fans of soft tacos and prefer corn tortilla tacos, so weren’t able to judge them fairly. The burritos could have maybe used a little bit more spice and flavor, but that’s just our opinion!
Overall, this place was delicious and the price you pay is a pretty good deal in comparison to other Mexican restaurants in Taipei. A lot of people online have said that they enjoyed this place, so maybe you will too! Come and check it out for yourself. To the owners and cooks of Nala’s, thank you for serving us!
Twinkeyz Tacos
Address: No. 7之1, Lane 131, Yanji St, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
If you’re looking for Tex-Mex/fusion Mexican food then this is the place for you.
Twinkeyz Tacos serves a variety of appetizers including nachos, carne asada fries, kimchi fries, taquitos, quesadillas, elotes (Mexican street corn), and wings. For their mains, they have tacos, burritos, and salads. They also serve horchata (rice milk with almonds and cinnamon), margaritas, and some craft beers.
We tried their chipotle tacos, carne asada tacos, carne asada burrito, and nachos. The food we tried was good but personally wouldn’t come back here for the tacos.
Conclusion
We hope that this list of Mexican Restaurants helps satisfy your cravings for Mexican food. If you’ve visited any of these places or have tried any other Mexican restaurants in Taipei that you think are worth trying, please leave a message in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you all! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Definitely gotta try these places out!