Food & Beverage

Can you guess where the best tacos are in Texas, California?

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September 28, 2021

When it comes to tacos, residents of Santa Barbara, California and Austin, Texas are living in prime territory.

A report from LawnStarter names 2021's Best California and Texas Cities for Tacos in time for National Taco Day, which is Oct. 4.

The report compared the 100 biggest cities in both states based on taco access, Michelin honors (in California), National Taco Championships awards (in Texas), and consumer ratings, according to a press release.

The top 10 cities for tacos in California are:

1. Santa Barbara
2. Santa Monica
3. Costa Mesa,
4. Newport Beach
5. San Diego
6. Inglewood
7. Sacramento
8. Orange
9. Berkeley
10. Escondido

Texas' top 10 cities for tacos are:

1. Austin
2. Round Rock
3. Dallas
4. San Antonio
5. Houston
6. Cedar Park
7. San Marcos
8. Amarillo
9. Plano
10. Grand Prairie

Santa Barbara scored 35 points higher than the next best taco town, Santa Monica, and dominated in the access and quality categories.

At the latest (2019) regional National Taco Championships, which it hosts, Austin's top taco artists showed up and cleaned up. They earned the highest honors and more awards than any other Texas city.