Top Taco has been going strong for years, celebrating its 10th anniversary of bringing fans some of the best tacos around. It’s not just restaurants serving the best either, we’re talking food trucks, pop-ups, transplants, and even some eateries you wouldn’t think of when it comes to the food.
While this year’s Top Taco festival already happened on August 8, we learned a lot about style, meats, salsas, tortillas, and more. Make sure to follow the event on Instagram to see when the next one will be in 2025. In the meantime, enjoy tacos around town with these tidbits in mind.
Anything Can Be Put In a Taco
Yes, anything can be put on a soft corn tortilla and get made into a taco, even some non-traditional items. El Coco Pirata offered vegetarian tacos with hibiscus flowers to make what’s known as tacos de Jamaica. We saw blue corn battered and fried avocado and citrus pearls at Agave Underground Cocina Tequila & Cantina from Fort Collins. And tuna ceviche was put in small fried taco shells, a dish by Rumbo 52 Cocina & Cantina out of Frederick.
The Most Popular Meat at the Festival Was…
Pork and beef reigned kings at Top Taco, though in the end beef won out with tons of carne asada and steak tacos gracing menus. We also saw goat meat, shrimp, and chicken. Aside from beef, tacos piled high with carnitas were also popular. One thing all the meats had in common, it was all provided for by Top Taco sponsor, Buckhead Pride.
The People Picked Three Places They Loved at Top Taco
The voting at Top Taco was split into three categories including traditional, creative, and vegetarian. On the traditional side, the crowd crowed for Beltran’s Meat Market, a small mom-and-pop Mexican restaurant in Northglenn. On the creative side, My Neighbor Felix won the hearts and stomachs of voters. Finally, for the best vegetarian taco, festival goers flocked to Los Dos Potrillos, who has won at Top Taco numerous times, including the one that debuted in Houston this past summer.
Tortillas Make the Taco
This year Top Taco again partnered with Raquelitas Tortillas, a local tortilla and chip maker that makes some of the best in town. The small company opened in 1960, and remains family run and dedicated to whole ingredients and solid products. We know all this because after a visit to the factory, the quality could be seen and tasted. Plus, a good tortilla helps keep the taco together for the ultimate bite.
Top Taco Is Actually a Really Good Deal
General admission this year ran $89. If you managed to eat one taco at each stand, consuming 60 tacos, the breakdown means each item costs approximately $1.44. Add one more tacos and it’s an even better deal. Then factor in the margaritas, tequila and mezcal samples, beer, bottled water, soda, and some really nice agua frescas. Say you have 10 beverages, that means each item costs about $1.27, which isn’t a price you can find anywhere in the city, even for a can of Coke let alone a craft cocktail or gourmet taco. Plus, there was live music and lucha libre wrestling.
Margaritas Do In Fact Pair Well With Tacos
Okay, we never actually doubted this combo. However, at Top Taco it was clear that just about any type of Margarita could pair with the food. The people picked Los Dos Potrillos’ Tequila Cabal drink, while judges swooned over Longmont’s Rosa Cantina, who used Casa Lumbre to create a cocktail. Margaritas weren’t the only boozy drink on the menus, Una Mas Taquaria had Sangre Fresca with watermelon agua fresca, lime, agave nectar and Mijenta Blanco. Cazadores Tequila whipped up a tasty Serranita drink with the tequila, fresh lime juice, pineapple, and serrano pepper.
You Can Eat Too Many Tacos
How many tacos do you think you can eat? With over 60 opinions, we quickly found out. In fact, even sharing each taco with a loved one still didn’t get us to the finish line of trying them all. Pro tip, take a small bite and if you don’t like it, get rid of it. No one is watching to make sure you clean your plate. That way, you save stomach room for those tacos you can’t put down. Side note, did you go and try them all? Let us know your secret.
Top Taco Judges Voted For Three Hot Spots
While the festival goers had their say in the winners, behind the scenes a large panel of judges also weighed in. Surprisingly, the winning traditional taco wasn’t from a taco shop at all. Instead, Former Saint Craft Kitchen and Taps out of the Hyatt Regency downtown took home first place. As for the creative and vegetarian tacos, the judge’s choice mirrored the crowds with My Neighbor Felix and Los Dos Potrillos coming in first, respectively.
Tacos Can Be a Canvas For Food Artists
No one said you can’t take a traditional taco and add to the ingredients. At Denver’s Gringos Tacos the dish featured wagyu picanha (or top sirloin cap), pickled onions, avocado crema, and red chimichurri, an herbaceous form of salsa with Latin American roots. Parkway Food Hall turned its taco into a form of surf and turf with carne asada and chile lime shrimp. Then at the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant stand, the vegetarian option took the idea of a chile relleno, but instead used the smaller shishito peppers.
VIP Tickets Were Totally Worth It
At $169, the VIP tickets were almost twice the cost of a general admission ticket. But those who opted for it weren’t disappointed. First off, the sectioned off space had chairs and tables to lounge at, something the festival lacked outside the roped off area. There was also a line of bathrooms to use away from the general population, complete with a hand washing station. A separate bar also meant less waiting. Inside the tent the Asada Taco Showdown took place, with G-Que BBQ taking first place on both judges and peoples’ choice sides. The kicker, VIP ticket holders got in an hour before the crowd.
Sponsored by Buckhead Pride
