The Texas Monthly Taco Fest makes its return to Houston on Saturday, May 23, and to Grand Prairie on Saturday, June 6, for a fun celebration of Texas’s diverse and delicious taco culture. The two-city event will feature acclaimed taquerias, the rhythmic sounds of Latin America, ballet folklórico performances, a marketplace, and a chance to meet Texas Monthly’s taco editor, José R. Ralat.
The festival in Houston, also known as Taco Fest SOUTH, will have many taquerias that appeared on Texas Monthly’s most recent 50 Best Tacos in Texas list, which highlighted the New Tejano culinary movement. New Tejano dishes combine nostalgic Mexican or Mexican American food with ingredients native to Texas. Featured vendors include the Bayou City’s own the Original Ninfa’s, Cochinita & Co., El Nuevo Azteca, Maximo, J-Bar-M Barbecue, Tacos Frontera, Huncho’s Tacos, and Papalo Taqueria, which came in number seven on the list. Taquerias from Austin will also be there, including Sana Sana Taqueria; Nixta Taqueria, which earned the number ten spot on the list; and Comadre Panadería. San Antonio vendors include Los Weyes de la Asada and Esencia. Burnt Bean Co., from Seguin, which took the top spot on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 barbecue list, will also be featured, as will Ana Liz Taqueria, from Mission, the number one taqueria on the magazine’s 50 Best Tacos list. Many of these vendors have also been recognized by the James Beard Foundation and Michelin. The event takes place at the Jones Lawn, at Discovery Green and will also feature DJ Pancake.
At the Grand Prairie festival, or Taco Fest NORTH, attendees will also get a chance to experience bites from many taquerias on the 50 Best Tacos list. Featured vendors include Dallas’s El Come Taco, Resident Taqueria, and Knight Out. Austin-area taquerias Sana Sana Taqueria, whose chef was a 2024 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef and is also behind the Michelin-recognized food truck Con Todo; Ramen del Barrio, which won two Michelin Guide Bib Gourmands and was a 2024 James Beard award semifinalist; and Yellow Bell Tacos, whose owner is also behind a top ten Texas Monthly barbecue joint, will also be there. San Antonio vendors include Burgers vs Tacos and James Beard–nominated El Pastor Es Mi Señor. Taqueria MTZ (Amarillo), Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q (Allen), Jiménez y Friends Barbecue y Taqueria (Lubbock), Ki’ Mexico ETX (Longview), and Señor Oink (Farmers Branch) will also be in attendance. The event takes place at EpicCentral and will also feature musical acts 360 Band Regios, cumbia band Mix Tape Vibez, as well as DJ X.
Taco Fest NORTH will also feature the Dallas Lowriders Car Club, members of whom have appeared on the hit Paramount+ show Landman.
Taco Fest starts at 5:30 p.m. and lasts until 8:30 p.m. at both locations for general admission, which is $60. For guests interested in an exclusive experience that grants you earlier access to the event, as well as a shorter time waiting in line, VIP tickets are available for $85. Tickets for kids ages six through twelve are $20, and children under six get in free. All tickets include bites from the featured taquerias while supplies last. Beverages and merch are available for purchase.
Texas Monthly is proud to partner with Feeding Texas, a network of food banks, for this event to help support efforts for a hunger-free Texas. A portion of all ticket sales will be donated to Feeding Texas. Additional contributions can be made at the network’s website.
For more updates about the events, please follow @tmtacofest on Instagram and mark yourself as “going” to the event on Facebook.
Texas Monthly thanks its exclusive event partners, the City of Grand Prairie and EpicCentral, and sponsors Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages and Corona.