Where to eat Ottawa tacos: Spicy chorizo, slow-cooked barbacoa, and brothy birria done right
These Ottawa taco spots have it all — tequila bars, homemade tortillas, and cricket filling if you’re game.
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Ottawa tacos bring variety and authenticity: beef brisket, pork belly, fresh-fried shrimp, and, for the curious, cricket — a protein staple in Mexican cuisine with a nutty, earthy flavour. There are parking lot pop-ups with simple toppings and cosy eateries with fresh tortillas and a full tequila bar. You can expect thoughtfully prepared options like tender beef tongue, birria served with a side of broth, and house-made salsas that bring heat without overpowering.
Ottawa Citizen restaurant critic Peter Hum has spent years combing through Ottawa tacos, taste-testing each spot to see who does it right. From hole-in-the-wall taquerias to sit-down places with more ambitious menus, Peter’s reviews pull together a mix of hidden gems and local favourites. Based on five years of his reviews, this round-up covers price points, portion sizes, and each taco’s best qualities. Buen provecho!
La Vaca Mexicana
710 Gladstone Ave., 613-369-4374, lavacamexicana.site
At La Vaca Mexicana on Gladstone Avenue, beef takes the spotlight in tacos priced at $5. Suadero brisket tacos hold their own, while the cachete tacos feature a mix of crusty and tender beef cheek. Beef tongue is light and pillowy, and the carne asada tacos offer more flavour and tenderness than most spots around. The quesabirria, stuffed with stewed beef and melted cheese, comes with broth for dipping. For weekend variety, fried shrimp ($9) is worth a try, but the mild fish taco falls short. Mexican sodas, horchata, and jamaica agua fresca round out the drinks. La Vaca may be no-frills, but the reasonable price point makes it especially worth your attention. — Reviewed Oct. 3, 2024
Read the full La Vaca Mexicana review
Mi Amor Tacos
9 Bullman St., 613-621-3931, miamortacos.com
Mi Amor Tacos makes it easy to forget you’re in a parking lot. The Salazar sisters, operating out of a small shipping container on Bullman Street, bring Puebla’s taco traditions to Ottawa. They stick to the essentials with five tacos on the menu. Beef brisket “suadero” ($6.50) comes packed with braised meat; pineapple al pastor ($6.50) balances tangy sweetness with a hint of spice. There are no heavy toppings or unnecessary garnishes — just cilantro, onion, and house-made salsas. Portions are generous enough to make each taco feel like a meal. The shaded picnic tables add a laid-back vibe perfect for chowing down. — Reviewed Oct. 3, 2024
Read the full Mi Amor Tacos review
El Taco De Oro
303 St. Patrick St., 613-241-4444, instagram.com/eltacodeoroottawa
Valeria Oropeza’s father, hailing from Tabasco, runs the kitchen, joined by a team of Mexican cooks who bring their regional touches to each dish. Tacos are the main focus, with cochinita pibil, al pastor, and chorizo and cheese available in a three-for-$15 deal. Each pork taco satisfies, with flavours that edge out the slightly tougher carne asada ($6) and shrimp taco ($6). The cosy space and a tequila-stocked bar add to the lively atmosphere, making this a solid stop for affordable, no-nonsense Mexican eats in Ottawa. — Reviewed Oct. 3, 2024
Read the full El Taco De Oro review
Rosalita
2 rue Aubry, Gatineau (Hull sector), 819-205-1050,
Rosalita in Gatineau’s Hull sector breaks the mould — a French-Canadian spot putting its stamp on $6.50 tacos. The open kitchen turns out fresh-made corn tortillas and a pork belly taco that keeps up with local competition. Quesabirria, with stewed beef, takes the win, though portions lean more modest than other spots around town. Crisp churros, beers, and cocktails make Rosalita a place you’ll want to linger. — Reviewed Oct. 3, 2024
Aztec Tacos
77 Montreal Rd., 613-741-9998, instagram.com/aztectacos
At Aztec Tacos, a no-frills eatery in Vanier with about 30 seats, the food was reasonably priced and, more often than not, wonderfully seasoned and tasty. Eleven types of tacos are available on weekdays, all priced at $5 each. Beefier tacos, ranging from grilled beef to stewy birria to beef tongue to barbacoa, were my favourites. Shrimp and fish tacos, both featuring battered, deep-fried proteins, are available on Saturdays for $8. Wandering further into the menu to try various soups and stews will likely be rewarding. — Reviewed May 17, 2023
Read the full Aztec Tacos review
Torta Boyz
60A Lebreton St., instagram.com/tortaboyz.ot
The spring of 2022 saw Torta Boyz, the breakout food truck of 2021, move to a brick-and-mortar, subterranean location on Lebreton Street, just south of Chinatown. The dive-bar-like venue soon became a hangout for Ottawa’s lovers of tacos (and mezcal). The beer-battered haddock, pork carnitas and al pastor tacos were all hefty in both size and flavour. Much of their appeal came from the uncompromisingly spicy, made-in-house salsas including bracing and nutty salsa macha and bright salsa verde. — Reviewed Oct. 18, 2022
Read the full Torta Boyz review
Casa Mexico
1491 Merivale Rd., 7 Kakulu Rd. (Kanata), and 226 Preston St. (Little Italy). 613-695-7899, casa-mexico.ca
Opened in a Merivale Road strip mall in 2017, Casa Mexico is filled with homeland regalia, from brightly coloured festival flags, tables, tablecloths and chairs to the collection of wrestlers’ masks on one wall. It was warm and inviting, as were its servers. The priority for the 15 tacos offered here usually seemed to be to let the proteins speak for themselves, without an excess of salsa. I liked most the pure lamb flavour of the shredded lamb taco, the lightly nutty chicken mole taco, and the thinly and crisply battered shrimp taco. I would have liked the beef tongue taco more if the meat had been seared. — Reviewed Oct. 18, 2022
Read the full Casa Mexico review
Sí Se?or Mexican Street Food
506 Rideau St. and 354A Preston St., sisenor.ca
Mexico City expat Hugo Crespo offers eight fillings for carnivores made with pork, chicken, beef, shrimp or lamb, while for vegetarians, there’s a black bean, avocado and cabbage option or sauteed peppers, onions and cactus in pastor sauce. My faourites were the orange juice-marinated pork carnitas, locally sourced Mexican chorizo sausages, Yucatan-style cochinita pibil pulled pork and the lamb or beef birria de borrego. — Reviewed Mar. 23, 2021
Margarita
895 Bank St., 613-421-5802, margaritamex.net
Margarita in the Glebe offered more refined surroundings and colourful dishware than some other taco joints. Eight tacos were on the menu, from battered fish and shrimp to cactus and even fried crickets, which are a long-standing regional staple in Mexico. One of the best things about the tacos here was the thin, fresh tortillas. But we liked some toppings more than others. — Reviewed Oct. 18, 2022
La Fiesta Latina
565 Somerset St. W., 613-712-1717, lafiestalatina.ca
At this Somerset Street West restaurant, the tacos had the stripped-down ring of authenticity. Braised meats had been steeped in big-flavoured sauces before meeting their store-bought tortillas, and while some looked similar, they presented us with different flavours. These were not the more chef-y tacos that reign elsewhere, beautifully garnished and made with freshly pressed tortillas. But they provided the fundamental taco satisfaction, and an array of hot sauces will help if extra heat is your thing. — Reviewed Jan. 16, 2020
Read the full La Fiesta Latina review
Where else should Peter Hum go for tacos? Leave a suggestion in the comment section below or send a suggestion to: phum@postmedia.com
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