I don't know how you could have a list of taco places and have not a single place in San Antonio. That's just wrong.
I had a Puffy Taco at La Hacienda (they had the "Bobby Flay Throw Down" challenge there). It was, at best, average. Must have been something wrong that day though, my taco was too mushy and when I had to resort to using a knife and fork, game over.
A couple of places I've had killer tacos:
1. San Diego street vendor - I was taken there by a local who I was contracting for a long time ago. I was helping build a template so they can mass produce software applications quicker. The main taco was a Fish Taco, which I balked at first, but then relented and tried it. The masa on the taco reminded me more of a "gordita" in texture, but it worked. The fish batter was outstanding and of course the fish was very fresh. They had a sauce on the fish that was first rate and the cold slaw just added that extra zest to the whole bite... best Fish Taco I've ever eaten. That was nearly 20 years ago and any attempts by me to find Fish Tacos to match this experience has been in vain. At least I have the memories, major props to San Diego street vendor dude... best taco ever!
2. El Mode (pronounced "Mo Deh") - I got so use to tacos off the grill while living near the Sierra Madre range of mountains in Nuevo Leon Mexico. I had a friend whose family owned a butcher shop and a small ranch in "La Quasteca" (a valley in the Sierra Madres). Every Friday he would invite a bunch of us to come eat and drink and hang out. We had fresh corn tortilla from the Tortilleria, fresh produce (mostly onions, chiles, tomatoes to make our own pico de gallo, avacados, and cilantros). The star of the show what the meat that Hugo brought from his shop. Wow, outstanding tacos on the fly. But then one day, someone invited me to go eat at El Mode in nearby Garza Garcia Nuevo Leon. WOW! A full plate of Tacos El Mode (six tacos) that actually were better than what we could make ourselves out in the range. I've never have had a taco better than those. Ever!
3. Original Ninfas - I used to love the Tacos Al Carbon at the original Ninfas. My cousin worked there and would occasionally invite us to go eat late, sometime around closing time when the cooks would feed the workers for free. We'd stroll in and they'd serve us as well (we paid though). I didn't have a really good grasp of why flour tortillas... wasn't my idea of good tacos. But for this fair, it worked. Somewhere along the way, Ninfa's lost it's way on it's Tacos Al Carbon. Never been the same again.
4. Arandas Tacos - When they first started, the Arandas Taqueria on Shepherd had outstanding fajita tacos. They were close to what I used to have at El Mode. Recently, I went to an Arandas Taqueria and it too has lost it's way. Too bad.
5. The Original Donerakis (on Irvington) - Man oh man... any place that converts a former gas station (blown up during the Moody Riots) into a Taco heaven gets my props. It used to be easy to get in until someone let the word out about this place and then it was a wait in line type of place to eat. All their taco offerings were great and it was, at one time, the best tacos I had tasted. They also had a sister restaurant named Don Juans on 76th Street near the Ship Channel docks. Don Juans was a locals place and served the same food as the original Doneraki. Then something happened and they no longer served the same food at Don Juans, the original Donerakis started to go down hill while they also built a larger place on Westheimer then on I-45. It was bad.
So I haven't been back in Houston in a while to try some places out. My family has some recommendations and of course my brother-in-law has his food truck still and makes killer tortas and tacos. That notwithstanding, it takes a lot to convince me of a taco high place of honor and while I really like Taco Deli, if you factor in some places I've been before, it may not make the top five (top ten? Yes, I think so)
