10 Places I Ate the Best Tacos in Puerto Escondido

The best tacos in Puerto Escondido range from al pastor shaved off a rotating spit in centro to fresh fish tacos in La Punta, just steps from the ocean. After nearly a dozen visits to this beachside town, I’ve gathered the places I’ve eaten the best tacos across different neighborhoods.

Whether you’re after the popular smoked fish tacos, slow cooked birria, Pepe’s famous fish tacos, or all of the above, this is a great place to start. It’s organized by neighborhood with a map link to each so you can easily find the best tacos near you.

Three grilled fish tacos in Puerto Escondido served in a metal holder on a wooden tray, filled with seared fish, shredded cabbage, and carrot strips on flour tortillas, with guacamole on the side.

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1. Taqueria Tlaxcalli

📍 Centro (map)

You can find several places serving tacos al pastor in Puerto Escondido, specifically in this area of centro. But to me these are consistently the best.

Two rotating spits of meat out front tell you everything you need to know. The menu is simple: pastor, arabe, chuleta, chorizo, bistec, or costillas on your choice of corn or flour tortilla, with or without cheese. This place goes to show you that when the meat is flavorful, the menu doesn’t need to be complicated.

2. Pepe’s Fish Tacos

📍 near La Punta (map)

If you’re searching for the best fish tacos in Puerto Escondido, Pepe’s is a great place to start. After growing up in this beach town, Pepe spent 13 years in Hawaii perfecting his craft, and you can taste it in every bite.

Two of Pepe's famous fish tacos line a blue plate. The prominent one features a large filet of fish on top of cabbage and topped with white sesame seeds. The other is topped with tropical pineapple slaw.

The menu leans into those tropical influences with options like grilled fish with cabbage or coconut style with pineapple, the latter balancing sweetness and brightness in a way that feels genuinely Hawaiian.

The portions are generous, the fish is fresh, and the price is more than fair. Between the fresh fish tacos and Pepe’s energy, don’t be surprised if you end up eating tacos here more than once.

3. El Comalito for Birria Tacos

📍 La Punta (map)

Woman in an apron standing beside a comal at El Comalito taco stand in Puerto Escondido, with a chalkboard menu, colorful tablecloth, clay pitchers, and plastic stools under an umbrella.

El Comalito caught my attention because the owner was hand pressing tortillas and cooking them on the comal out front. A common sight in Oaxaca, but rare in La Punta. Then I noticed birria on the menu and that was enough to stop me in my tracks.

She offers a variety of traditional masa dishes: sopes, tacos, and gorditas, topped with your choice of guiso: birria, bistec, tinga de pollo, chicharrón, and several veggie options. The menu also includes quesabirria: stewed beef wrapped in melty cheese and a corn tortilla.

4. El Viejo Smoked Fish Tacos

📍 Rinconada (map)

El Viejo is one of the most popular spots for fish tacos in Puerto Escondido, and it took me about 10 visits to the city before I finally tried it.

I ordered a plate of three, mixing and matching between fish, shrimp, and smoked fish tacos. The fish and shrimp are Baja style, heavily breaded and fried, while the smoked fish is exactly what it sounds like: shredded smoked fish served in a tortilla.

If that style is your thing, these hit the spot, especially washed down with an ice cold beer. They’re not my personal favorite simply because I prefer my fish served closer to raw, but the popularity of this place speaks for itself.

5. La Casa del Surfer

📍 La Punta (map)

It doesn’t get fresher than this. These fish tacos in La Punta are made straight from the sea with the catch of the day, typically mahi mahi, tuna, or marlin.

They are served on a spinach tortilla with sliced avocado, fruit, and a touch of greens. When I arrived, they were slicing the fish right out front. That’s about as close to the source as you can get.

6. Cocofam for Vegan Tacos

📍 Centro (map)

Cocofam is one of my favorite spots for vegan food in Puerto Escondido, and the tacos are a big reason why. The small menu leans heavily on mushrooms, beans, and vegetables. The plates are generous and the ingredients are fresh.

On a rustic clay plate, a homemade green tortilla is loaded with veggies and mushrooms. Behind is a side of guacamole and a side salad with apple slices.

I ordered the mushroom taco stuffed with sautéed vegetables inside a bright green spinach tortilla, served with a side salad of carrot strips, thinly cut lettuce, and apple slices tossed in a light dressing.

Even if you’re not plant-based, it’s worth a visit for some of the freshest, most colorful tacos in Puerto Escondido.

7. Arrachela Grill

📍 near Rinconada (map)

At one of the best restaurants in Puerto Escondido, three arrachera tacos topped with fries are served on a wooden plank that sits on a magenta woven place mat. On the side is a half grilled onion.

Arrachela Grill combines two favorites: arrachera (marinated grilled steak) and chelas (a bottle of beer). Although my friend and I also enjoyed their house mezcal the last time I ate here.

The wood-fired grill sits outside of the restaurant on the sidewalk and beautifully flavors the tender meat. You can order a plate of arrachera served with cambray potatoes, grilled onions, and nopales or arrachera tacos which come topped with fries and onions.

8. Restaurant Rey Shaman

📍 Rinconada (map)

Restaurant Rey Shaman serves crispy coconut shrimp tacos topped with a red cabbage slaw and fresh fruit. In the background is a shot of mezcal with citrus slices.

The fish tacos here are solid, but the fried coconut shrimp tacos are the reason to come. Generous portions of shrimp dipped in sweet coconut, beautifully fried and topped with shredded purple cabbage.

As one reviewer put it, Rey Shaman is the best balance between price and quality, and I’d have a hard time arguing with that. The restaurant is open all day, but I recommend coming in the late afternoon when you can pair your tacos with some of their affordable mezcal.

9. La Olita

📍 Zicatela (map)

La Olita is the spot for those who appreciate some veggies with their fish tacos. The seafood tacos here come fried or grilled, with your choice of shrimp, fish, or squid, and topped with grilled veggies and pineapple.

Three grilled fish tacos on green tortillas topped with broccoli, zucchini, avocado, cream, and sesame seeds, served on a wooden board at La Olita in Puerto Escondido.

My grilled fish tacos were well-seasoned and perfectly cooked. And the homemade amaranth tortillas were really well done. The veggies are a bonus, thick cut and not overly cooked.

One note on the trio of salsas though: jalapeño, pineapple, and tomato. But only one is spicy (wtf?) I question who wants to dip their totopos in ketchup.

Their La Punta location was sadly among the businesses lost in the recent fire that devastated part of Punta Zicatela, but you can currently find them in Zicatela while they search for a new beachside location.

10. Mateos Fish Tacos

📍 Centro (map)

Tucked away on a side street near centro, Mateo’s Fish Tacos is a small restaurant located on the patio of his home. A few tables sit under the shade of a tree, a couple more under a palapa with fans, and the kitchen operates out of an enclosed screened area just off the patio. It’s the kind of place you’d probably walk right past without knowing it was there.

Three fish tacos in Puerto Escondido on a yellow plate, filled with grilled fish, cabbage slaw, pico de gallo, and chipotle cream on corn tortillas.

Mateo catches the fish himself, and the menu is simple: fresh fish and shrimp in a variety of forms (tacos, hamburger, or simply grilled). The tacos are served grilled or fried with a light cabbage slaw on homemade tortillas.

My friend and I shared an order of each and while they were good, we found the tortillas a bit thick. I think we may have just hit them on the wrong day because Mateo’s has hundreds of five star reviews and was full of locals when we were there, which says something.

Plate of three tacos in Puerto Escondido — two al pastor and one chorizo — topped with cilantro and onion on corn tortillas, served on a pink plate with salsa and pico de gallo bowls on a wooden table.

Wrapping Up Where to Eat Tacos in Puerto Escondido

The best tacos in Puerto Escondido don’t follow a formula. Some are made from meat shaved off a rotating spit and topped with pineapple, while others are stewed all day and stuffed into a homemade tortilla fresh from the comal.

And the best fish tacos in Puerto Escondido? Well, they start with the catch of the day. Whatever your taste preference, Puerto Escondido tacos deliver.