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

See Examples For:

taqueria

Think the mom-and-pop taqueria, bike shop or dry cleaner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Cielito Lindo sits at the northeastern tip of Olvera Street and has ever since Diana Robertson’s grandmother founded the famous taqueria in 1934.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2025

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

The chef also plans to open another taqueria in the near future to do charcoal-grilled meats.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2024

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