taqueria

American  

[tah-kuh-ree-uh] / ˌtɑ kəˈri ə /

noun

1. a restaurant or stand specializing in Mexican dishes, as tacos and burritos.

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Usage

What does taqueria mean? A taqueria is a restaurant, food cart, or stall that specializes in serving tacos. Tacos are a mainstay of Mexican cuisine. Example: The taqueria downtown is the only stand that sells tacos de cabeza.

Etymology

Origin of taqueria

First recorded in 1980–85; from Central American Spanish taqueria, equivalent to tac(o) + - ería noun suffix; see taco, -ery ( def. )

Explanation

A taqueria is a casual restaurant or food truck that serves Mexican dishes. If you need to grab a quick, delicious lunch, order some tacos at the taqueria! The Mexican Spanish taquería comes from taco, the portable food that consists of a meat, bean, or vegetable filling inside a folded tortilla, and is defined as "restaurant specializing in tacos." In Mexico, taquerias can be found among street food vendors in just about every city. It's becoming increasingly common to find taquerias in the U.S., even beyond states like Texas and California, which share a border with Mexico.

Example Sentences

There’s an order from my local taqueria: a small bag of chips, a small plastic cup of guacamole, and two medium-sized burritos totaled $52.18.

From Salon • Mar. 3, 2026

It’s why their homemade tortillas sell out within minutes online, but hopefully they will be more readily available in their taqueria.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 6, 2024

That the fridges can be placed with a property owner’s permission just about anywhere — in front of a taqueria, a person’s home, an office building — is what makes the concept “beautiful,” Stiewert said.

From Salon • Nov. 8, 2023

Or maybe it’s buying a cup of agua de horchata at your favorite taqueria or opening up a new pair of kicks.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2023

We tied Laney to a pole outside Ben's favorite taqueria and watched all the hipsters stop and pet her.

From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour