National Taco Tuesday News: Yelp Names San Diego Taco Shop Best in US

Three other taco spots from San Diego County also got the nod from Yelp

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Just in time for National Taco Tuesday, Yelp is out with its list of America's Top 100 Taco Shops, and it's topped by a San Diego restaurant.

"In honor of National Taco Day—and accounting for the wide range of taco tastes in this country—we’ve curated the top taco spots across the U.S., based on your ratings and reviews," Yelp reports, adding elsewhere, "Topping the list is Fernandez Restaurant in San Diego, CA, where Yelpers rave about the birria tacos."

For those not familiar with Ed Fernandez Restaurant Birrieria, it's at 2265 Flower Ave. in the San Diego South Bay neighborhood of Nestor, just west of I-5 and east of Imperial Beach.

"Ed Fernandez Restaurant Birrieria has been ladling the juicy, flavorful meat onto handmade tortillas since 2005," Yelp crows, with Yelper Nicole C. adding, "Good god, so amazing. That’s all I can say without drooling. Best birria I’ve had in San Diego. Super fresh, super affordable. Love the aqua frescas, and their hot sauce is amazing."

Sure, there are other Golden State spots on the list, including Taqueria Mi Ranchito, in Sylmar (No. 3), and Taco Naz, up in Bellflower (dropping in at No. 2), but it's Ed Fernandez who claimed the crown.

Also breakng out locally: De Cabeza, in Chula Vista, which claimed the No. 11 spot.

"This Southern California restaurant, less than 10 miles from the Mexican border, specializes in cabeza (head)," Yelp's reviewer posted. "That includes cabeza en su jugo — a regional delicacy of both Sinaloa and Sonora — a big, brothy bowl of beef head and its parts (eyes, lips, tongue) served with a side of tortillas."

Rolling up in 15th place: Mariscos Mi Gusto Es, which is really a bright blue taco truck in Chula Vista, per Yelp, and is a seafood-fans dream: "cooks up just about every edible sea creature you can think of, and those in-the-know make a multi-course meal out of it."

Locals won't be shocked to hear that Chula's Tacos el Gordo also made the list, snagging the No. 41 spot.

Are your tastebuds wondering how spots in Alaska (two of them? Really), Indianapolis (also two) and Waltham, Mass., made it onto the Yelp list? So were we:

"This is an all-time list of the top 100 taco spots in the U.S., according to Yelp. We identified businesses in the restaurants and food categories with a large concentration of reviews mentioning 'taco,' then ranked those spots using a number of factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews mentioning 'taco.'... When available, all businesses on this list have a passing health score as of June 29, 2022."

San Diegans will need to wait a bit, though: The Ed Fernandez Restaurant Birrieria is not open on (Taco) Tuesdays: It's only open Wednesdays to Sundays, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In recognition of Taco Tuesday, the operators of Ed Fernandez decided on Oct. 4 to open the shop up for Taco Tuesday— Ed.

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