National Taco Day is undefined and vague in its terms: do you just have to eat a taco? Do you have to make one or can you just purchase one? What if you’re too lazy to make a home-cooked taco? Can you just go to the Taco Bell in the LSC?
There is no wrong way to celebrate taco day. Eating homemade tacos, going out for tacos, or eating no tacos at all are all acceptable so long as you keep the spirit of tacos alive. If laziness overtakes and you’d like something with a bit more quality, here are a few taco spots on or a few minutes from campus for all taco lovers.
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That’s a Wrap, Lory Student Center- Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
It may come as a surprise that That’s a Wrap even offers tacos, and they taste better than they look. The business is known for its breakfast burritos, but on the center section of the menu there are some taco options that may be overlooked. Street tacos are ready to be filled with pork carnitas, chicken, beef barbacoa, or even grilled veggies, topped with black beans and corn, as well as options of sauces to put on top such as avocado crema.
Sadly, That’s a Wrap tortillas tend to tear under the weight of the fillings. These tacos can get a bit sloppy and are the sort that warrants a fork and napkins.
That’s a Wrap is also only open for about 7 hours a day, which makes it easy to miss the window. Prohibitive hours mean that weekend or dinnertime taco-cravers are going to have to look elsewhere.
- Fuzzy’s Taco Shop-Monday-Saturday, Open 8 a.m. to midnight and Sunday, 9 a.m – 11 p.m.
Fuzzy’s tacos are simple but effective, topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese no matter the style.
Fuzzy’s more of a bar feel than the average Mexican food joint, likely because they get a lot of drinking business most nights. They also have the honor of being a good spot for an early taco, offering breakfast tacos alongside burritos. If you can get in when they’re not busy, the food is good and relatively cheap.
- DGT-Open Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Nestled underneath the Alley Cat Coffee House is DGT, which up until last year was known as Dam Good Tacos until a legal battle with Torchy’s Tacos forced a name change. The previous name wasn’t exaggerating, as every taco in the shop looks great while also managing to have a great variety of components.
Almost everything on the menu has different ingredients and toppings, leading to an interesting eating experience if you get a variety of tacos. Each taco tastes different.
For vegetarian eaters, DGT has the largest variety of vegetarian tacos of those on this list. Rather than just offering a simple grilled veggie like Fuzzy’s and That’s a Wrap, there’s a variety of options from tofu to a Greek-style chickpea taco.
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- Vatos Tacos and Tequila- Sunday-Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday to 11 p.m.
Vatos is the newest restaurant on this list, having only opened a few short months ago. In that time in its premises at the Exchange in Old Town, it’s been garnering positive reviews online and serving up street tacos and burritos out of repurposed shipping containers.
Operated by the same owners as the Blue Agave Grill, Vatos Tacos offers dine-in and grab-and-go options, making it an easy spot to grab a quick bite. The prices are cheap as well, with tacos ranging from $2.5 – 3.5 apiece, though the portions can feel small. You’ll need to grab a few if you want to get full.
Vatos Tacos is the furthest away from campus on this list. It’s not something that will fit into an hour-long lunch break, so you’ll likely want to work out more time before hopping on a bus.
Graham Shapley can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com and on Twitter @shapleygraham.