In recent years birria has blown up across the United States and can be spotted on menus at trendy eateries of all kinds. Tasti Tacos specializes in the slow-cooked beef stew that originates in Jalisco, Mexico. Tasti Tacos ventures outside traditional fare; birria tacos, as well as creative fusion dishes like birria ramen and birria grilled cheese, are served alongside a cup of rich consomé for dipping or downing.

A staple of Durham’s downtown, this taqueria’s menu is vast, painted in ornamental typography across the side of the truck. At Los Canarios you’ll find foods from across Latin America, from empanadas to tamales to sincronizadas to baleadas, a Honduran breakfast made from a large thick flour tortilla filled with refried beans, cotija, crema, and scrambled eggs. Though the owners were born in Mexico, the expansive menu caters to the diverse demographics in the local community and eaters who want to try it all.

Taqueria La Esperanza calls La Pulga, or the Durham Green Flea Market, its home. Its menu offers many of the standards, from tacos to tortas, filled with the likes of asada, pastor, barbacoa, and campechanos, a combination of meats. Setting them apart is the expansive self-serve salsa bar where you’ll find classic salsa verde and salsa roja as well as pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo, and more. Help yourself to the fresh toppings, grab as many lime wedges as you please, or load up on cilantro, to tailor your order to your taste.

Owners Anai and Jose Rivera were both born and raised in Mexico but met, married, and decided to start a food truck together in North Carolina. In addition to more standard dishes, they serve pambazos, a typical Mexico City street food. The sandwich’s bread is soaked in a red chili sauce before it’s fried and filled with potatoes and chorizo. It’s a crispy, juicy, spicy, and delicious mess.

Owner and chef Jorge González-Peña brings the precision and care of the cuisine of his hometown of Oaxaca, Mexico to El Rey Del Taco. It doesn’t get fresher than homemade tortillas pressed and grilled right there on the food truck. Diners will find traditional herbs such as epazote and avocado leaves adding depth to cheesy quesadillas. With three trucks now operating in and around Raleigh, you can track down El Rey whenever you have a taco craving.

Tijuana-style and California-Mexican dishes are the inspiration for this Cary mainstay. The unique focus on West Coast regional cuisine means that, among the choices, customers will find seafood, like the Tijuana shrimp tacos. And they can indulge in particularly Cali-Mexican cuisine with burritos that are filled with all of the usual suspects plus the addition of french fries. The carbs on carbs may not sound logical, but a chewy tortilla stuffed with crispy french fries, creates layers of texture for a satisfying bite.