The humble taco is one of the most perfect foods ever created: Simple and delicious, it’s hard to mess tacos up, yet so many restaurants and fast food chains constantly make this staple menu item with subpar ingredients or lack of care, resulting in a sad taco. But what about the chains that hit it out of the park every time with fresh ingredients, wonderful seasoning and sauces, and unbelievable flavor? I analyzed social media threads and comments to see which taco joints customers say are the best, and ranked them from least to best. Here are seven fast-food tacos with the best ingredients, according to fans.
Jack In the Box Two Tacos
Jack In the Box‘s Two Tacos combo made with ground beef, lettuce, American cheese, and signature taco sauce is frequently mentioned as a slept-on option for a perfectly acceptable late-night taco. “Jack tacos are such a guilty pleasure of mine. I know they’re probably horrible for me, but I almost always end up getting an order of them at Jack’s,” one Redditor said. “Yeah. ‘Jack in the Box tacos in daylight’ and ‘Jack in the Box Tacos at 2AM’ should be separate in the rankings,” another clarified.
El Pollo Loco
El Pollo Loco
El Pollo Loco’s Shredded Chicken Crunchy Taco is a solid menu item, fans say. “The only fast food chain I know of where you can watch employees deboning and chopping chicken by hand. Any other joint, you get that frozen pre-processed. Pollo Loco is legit,” one Redditor commented.
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Qdoba Tacos
Qdoba
Qdoba has great food, but too few locations, customers say. “I love Qdoba a lot better than Chipotle. They have a vegan option the impossible tacos are to die for,” one Redditor said. “The beef was so moist and flavorful I was shook?! Also there were so many meat options to choose from. Like 10! Love they offer the good ole ground beef,” another said.
Chipotle
Chipotle/Instagram
Chipotle’s Beef Barbacoa Taco is amazing, customers say. “I never have issues with skimping at the store I order from, whether it’s pickup or delivery, but I was shocked at how filled these tacos were, and this was an online pick up order. Ended up having to eat half the filling with chips bc of it falling out,” one Redditor raved.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell’s Cantina Chicken Soft Taco is beloved by taco fans who love the slow-roasted chicken, lettuce, shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, and Avocado Ranch sauce. “It’s huge and super filling for only 290 cals . It tastes amazing too,” one Redditor said. “I’ve been getting this with black beans, the red cabbage and avocado ranch are a delicious combination 😋,” another commented.
Taco John’s Crispy Beef
Taco John’s
Taco John’s Crispy Beef Tacos made with ground beef, cheddar cheese, taco sauce, and lettuce in a freshly-fried corn shell comes in at number 6. Many taco-lovers swear their taco meat is the best you can get. “I think it’s all about the beef taco meat which is seasoned with taco John’s heavenly taco sauce (which has just a touch of spice or kick to it)! Their taco meat is far superior in quality and taste compared to the bell,” one Redditor said.
Del Taco Beer Battered Fish Taco
Del Taco
And the winner is… Del Taco, which is one of the few fast-food chains to get fish tacos right. Made with beer-battered wild-caught Alaska pollock fillet, crunchy cabbage, pico de gallo, secret sauce and lime in a warm corn tortilla, this taco is a firm fan-favorite menu item. “Del Taco fish tacos are better than they have any right to be,” one Redditor said. “Best seafood tacos you can get at the drive thru. That white sauce,” another raved.
