Best Tacos in Rice Village, Houston: 6 Verified Picks

For tacos in Rice Village, start at Torchy's Tacos on Times Boulevard for breakfast tacos and Velvet Taco on Rice Boulevard for a late-night bite. For a sit-down plate, Cyclone Anaya's on Morningside Drive says it has been serving Tex-Mex for more than half a century. Between those three you can eat tacos in Rice Village, Houston, from 7 a.m. to midnight on a Friday. Three more restaurants inside the village serve tacos worth ordering, and we list them all below.

Here's the twist: we found no permanent taco truck in Rice Village. Its most famous taco shop still started in one, though. Torchy's Tacos says its founder opened the first location as a food trailer in Austin in 2006, after handing out samples from a red Vespa.

What counts as Rice Village?

For this guide, Rice Village means the retail grid west of Rice University, all in ZIP code 77005: University Boulevard, Rice Boulevard, Times Boulevard, Morningside Drive, Kelvin Drive and Amherst Street, plus the Kirby Drive frontage between Bissonnet Street and University Boulevard. The official Rice Village district site gives its address simply as Kirby and University. The boundary is ours, and we kept to it strictly. Good taquerias a short drive away in Upper Kirby, Montrose and West University Place aren't on this list. Our citywide taco guides are linked at the end.

The quick list

• For breakfast tacos: Torchy's Tacos, 2400 Times Blvd.
• For the latest taco on this list: Velvet Taco, 2525 Rice Blvd, typically open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
• For a Tex-Mex dinner and margaritas: Cyclone Anaya's, 5214 Morningside Dr.
• For birria tacos on a patio: Black Walnut Cafe, 5510 Morningside Dr.
• For Gulf redfish tacos: Hudson House, 2414 University Blvd.
• For a vegan taco: Hungry's Cafe & Bistro, 2356 Rice Blvd.

How we chose

Every pick sits inside the boundary above and was confirmed open on its own official website in November 2026, with posted hours and a menu that includes tacos. We left out places that have closed, places whose official sites don't list a Rice Village location, and restaurants whose menus have no tacos. That left six, which is the honest count for a compact neighborhood better known for burgers, sushi and seafood. Hours change, so treat every time below as typical and check the restaurant's site before you go.

Taco shops

Torchy's Tacos

2400 Times Blvd · [torchystacos.com](https://torchystacos.com/location/rice-village/) · typically opens 7 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends

Torchy's Tacos in Rice Village is the neighborhood's default taco stop, and the early opening is the reason locals keep it in rotation. Order a breakfast taco on the way to class or work, then come back for the Trailer Park: a fried chicken tender, green chiles, lettuce, pico de gallo and cheddar jack cheese with poblano sauce on a flour tortilla. Insider move: order it “trashy,” and Torchy's swaps the lettuce for queso.

The green chile queso with chips is the other order worth knowing. Torchy's also runs a taco of the month, so check the menu board for whatever is new.

Best for: breakfast tacos and a quick lunch.

Velvet Taco

2525 Rice Blvd, Suite A · [velvettaco.com](https://www.velvettaco.com/location/rice-village/) · typically 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., until midnight Fri–Sat

Velvet Taco in Rice Village keeps the latest hours of any pick on this list, and its menu treats the tortilla as a blank canvas. The fan favorite is the spicy tikka chicken taco: crisp tenders, tikka sauce, basmati rice, raita crema and Thai basil on a flour tortilla. There's also a quesa birria, a Nashville hot tofu taco and a chicken and waffle taco served on a house-made waffle tortilla.

The reason to come back is the WTF, short for Weekly Taco Feature: a new taco every week, so there is always something to try that wasn't there last time.

Best for: a late bite after the bars, and anyone who wants their taco a little strange. More ideas in our late-night food guide.

Tex-Mex and sit-down tacos

Cyclone Anaya's Tex-Mex Kitchen

5214 Morningside Dr · [cycloneanaya.com](https://www.cycloneanaya.com/) · check the official site for current hours

Cyclone Anaya's in Rice Village belongs to a Houston Tex-Mex family that says it has been serving guests for more than half a century, and its namesake is the best story on this list. According to the restaurant, Cyclone Anaya started wrestling at 17 and became Champion of Mexico. His wife, Carolina, was a former Miss Houston, and the kitchen still serves what it calls Carolina's original recipes, made from scratch.

For tacos, order the brisket taco with smoked brisket, ancho-guajillo sauce and spicy slaw, or the tacos al carbon with beef or chicken fajita, guacamole and pico de gallo. The weekday happy hour, typically 3 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, adds street tacos and house margaritas.

Best for: a proper Tex-Mex dinner with margaritas. See our Houston margarita guide for more.

Black Walnut Cafe

5510 Morningside Dr, Suite 150 · [blackwalnutcafe.com](https://www.blackwalnutcafe.com/locations/houston-locations/rice-village/) · typically opens 7 a.m. daily

Black Walnut Cafe on Morningside is a cafe, not a taqueria, but its “Tacos +” section is serious. The birria tacos come with slow-cooked chuck tender, mozzarella and tomatillo salsa verde on corn tortillas, with chili au jus for dipping. Coconut shrimp tacos and grilled fish tacos round out the list. Black Walnut sits near the Rice University campus, and its covered, heated patio makes it a good cool-weather taco stop.

Best for: birria on a patio, and mixed groups where not everyone wants tacos.

Hudson House

2414 University Blvd, Suite 100 · [hudsonhouse.com](https://hudsonhouse.com/location/rice-village-tx/) · typically opens 11 a.m., 10 a.m. on weekends

Hudson House in Rice Village is an East Coast-style seafood spot, and its one taco is a Gulf Coast order: blackened redfish fish tacos with mild cheddar, coleslaw and aji verde. Pair them with a dozen oysters at the bar. The weekday happy hour, typically 3 to 6 p.m. at the bar only, is the best-value time to go.

Best for: fish tacos with a martini.

Hungry's Cafe & Bistro

2356 Rice Blvd · [hungryscafe.com](https://hungryscafe.com/locations/rice-village/) · typically opens 11 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends

Hungry's on Rice Boulevard is a neighborhood bistro with three tacos on its menu, all served with Cuban black beans: spicy beef tenderloin, Cajun shrimp, and crispy eggplant tacos marked vegan. That makes Hungry's the easiest plant-based taco on this list.

Best for: a vegan or vegetarian taco. For more, see our vegetarian and vegan tacos guide.

Save this: a Rice Village taco day, 7 a.m. to midnight

You can eat tacos in Rice Village from breakfast to midnight without moving the car. Park once in the Rice Village garages off Kelvin Drive and walk.

1. Breakfast: a breakfast taco at Torchy's Tacos on Times Boulevard, typically from 7 a.m. on weekdays.
2. Lunch: birria tacos on the patio at Black Walnut Cafe on Morningside.
3. Happy hour: street tacos and a margarita at Cyclone Anaya's on Morningside, typically 3 to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Or go for redfish tacos at the Hudson House bar, typically 3 to 6 p.m.
4. Late night: the Weekly Taco Feature at Velvet Taco on Rice Boulevard, typically open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Before you go: a quick checklist

• Check hours on the restaurant's own site the day you go. Breakfast starts at Torchy's and Black Walnut, not everywhere.
• Weekday happy hours (Cyclone Anaya's, Hudson House) are the cheapest way to eat tacos in Rice Village.
• Going late? Velvet Taco typically runs until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and Torchy's until 11 p.m. on those nights.
• Vegan in the group? Hungry's crispy eggplant tacos and Velvet Taco's Nashville hot tofu are your picks.
• Rice Village Farmers Market runs on the first and third Sundays at Kelvin Drive and Amherst Street, typically 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The official listing names no vendors, so treat any tacos there as a bonus.

Just outside the line

If you'll drive a few minutes, Upper Kirby and West University Place add more taco options just past our boundary. For the full picture, see our best tacos in Houston guide, our list of taco trucks worth finding, and the best tacos in Montrose.

More in Rice Village

Make a day of it with our Rice Village neighborhood guide, the best restaurants in Rice Village, Rice Village brunch and Rice Village bars.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get tacos in Rice Village?

Torchy's Tacos (2400 Times Blvd) and Velvet Taco (2525 Rice Blvd) are the dedicated taco shops on our Rice Village, Houston, list. Cyclone Anaya's, Black Walnut Cafe, Hudson House and Hungry's Cafe & Bistro also serve tacos inside the village.

Where can I get breakfast tacos in Rice Village?

Torchy's Tacos at 2400 Times Blvd typically opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends, and breakfast tacos are on its menu. Check the official site for current hours.

What taco place in Rice Village is open late?

Velvet Taco at 2525 Rice Blvd is typically open until 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Torchy's Tacos at 2400 Times Blvd typically stays open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Are there taco trucks in Rice Village?

We found no permanent taco truck inside Rice Village. Torchy's Tacos, on Times Boulevard, started as a food trailer in 2006, according to the company.

Who was Cyclone Anaya?

Cyclone Anaya was a wrestler who, according to the restaurant, started at 17 and became Champion of Mexico. His family's Tex-Mex restaurants say they have served guests for more than half a century, including the location at 5214 Morningside Dr in Rice Village.

Where can I get vegan tacos in Rice Village?

Hungry's Cafe & Bistro at 2356 Rice Blvd serves crispy eggplant tacos marked vegan. Velvet Taco on Rice Boulevard has a Nashville hot tofu taco.