September Favorites: Bend's Best Tacos
This month's Favorites is a guest contribution from someone with more taco authority than I have: my friend and pilates instructor, Alexa Morgan (@AlexaPoweredbyTacos) — a woman who texts in taco emojis. If anyone in Bend has earned the right to rank the tacos and taco trucks, it's her.
Here's her list:
El Taquero
A Bend food truck specializing in handmade tortillas, birria tacos, queso-tacos, and fresh aguafrescas. Founded in 2020 by Hannah and Hansel, drawing on recipes from Hansel's mother. This one surprised me the most the first time I tried it and I loved their amazing family recipes!
📍 Basecamp Bend, 319 SW Century Dr / OnTap, 1424 NE Cushing Dr
Sopa Mexican Cuisine
A family-owned Mexican food cart/restaurant known especially for birria, tacos, burritos, and other Jalisco-inspired dishes — highlighted locally for its handmade tortillas. This is my go to on any given night for birria tacos! Delicious!
📍 River's Place, 787 NE Purcell Blvd / Dogwood at The Pine Shed, 821 NE 2nd St
Tony's Tacos
Authentic Mexican food — bold flavors, straight off the grill. Tacos, burritos, and more. Home of the best Taco Tuesday special: $2 mini street tacos. This is my go to for inexpensive taco Tuesday....Tony’s tacos, two dollars, on taco Tuesday!
📍 Ponch's Place, 62889 NE Oxford Court
Tacos Pihuamo
A long-running, family-owned Mexican food cart known for classic tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tortas, and birria. They're in kind of a random location that’s in a parking lot, but the food is consistently really good.
📍 950 SE 3rd St (just north of Reed Market Rd)
Tacos El Machin
Runs a $2 taco special every Tuesday and Friday — though specials can change, so it's sensible to confirm before heading over. They offer a chill vibe, great salsas and adult beverages. A great option for a sit down taco Tuesday.
📍 2570 NE Twin Knolls Dr, #135
Taco Salsa
A longtime, family-owned Mexican restaurant with a drive-through, serving tacos and taco plates, burritos, al pastor, breakfast items, and late-night Mexican food. The business says its recipes reflect more than 16 years in operation, with late-night service and curbside pickup. I always order the street taco plate.
📍 1365 NW Galveston Ave
Rodolberto's
A fast-casual Mexican taco shop serving the familiar Oregon "-berto's" style menu: breakfast burritos, tacos, carne asada fries, burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, and combination plates. A practical option if you want the old Rigoberto's location or need Mexican food later in the evening. It's a really good hole in the wall late night option.
📍 1913 NE 3rd St
Thank you, Alexa, for sharing your taco expertise with us! 🌮
Stay tuned for next month's Favorites — and if you've got a local favorite of your own you'd love to see featured, I'd love to hear from you.
