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

Villa, who started the taqueria as a pop-up in the Highland Park neighborhood in 2018, took to Instagram to express gratitude for the opportunity, underscoring his family’s immigrant background.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

Angel's Tijuana Tacos took to Instagram last week to announce that its brick-and-mortar taqueria in Anaheim is the only location that will remain open for the time being.

From Salon • Jun. 17, 2025

Some of his favorite come from El Premio Mayor in Fresno, a taqueria that I completely vouch for.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2024

The lights inside the taqueria suddenly blazed to life.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan