Best Tacos in the Heights, Houston: 6 Taquerias and Taco Shops

The best tacos in the Heights, Houston, come from six spots we confirmed on their official sites: Chilosos Taco House on East 20th Street, Tacos A Go Go on Yale Street, Torchy's Tacos on West 19th Street, and three stops on North Shepherd Drive: Taquerias Arandas, Velvet Taco and The Taco Stand. Chilosos is the neighborhood's own family taco house, and The Taco Stand is the pick when it's late. All six have Houston 77008 addresses.

Our one-line rule for the Heights: breakfast on East 20th, lunch on 19th or Yale, and anything after 10pm on North Shepherd.

The quick list

• For a family taco house with its own tortillas: Chilosos Taco House, 701 E 20th St.
• For birria and all-day breakfast: Tacos A Go Go, 1102 Yale St.
• For an early start near I-10: Taquerias Arandas, 920 N Shepherd Dr, typically open from 6:30am.
• For a lunch break on 19th Street: Torchy's Tacos, 350 W 19th St.
• For the most inventive fillings: Velvet Taco, 2001 N Shepherd Dr.
• For a drive-thru until midnight: The Taco Stand, 2018 N Shepherd Dr.

Where does the Heights start and stop for this guide?

For this guide, the Heights is the 77008 core: roughly I-10 to the south, West 34th Street to the north, North Shepherd Drive to the west and Studewood Street to the east. North Shepherd is the western edge, so the three Shepherd picks sit on the neighborhood's busiest commercial strip rather than deep in the bungalow streets. Washington Avenue, south of I-10, has its own taco guide, and so do Garden Oaks and Oak Forest to the north. For the wider neighborhood, start with our Heights area guide.

How we chose

Every pick had to list its address and hours on its own official website, and that address had to fall inside the boundary above. We left out a well-loved weekday taco truck because we could not find an official website or social page confirming where it parks or when. Hours and menus change, so treat every schedule here as "typically" and check the official site before you go.

The picks

Chilosos Taco House

701 E 20th St, Houston, TX 77008 · typically Tue–Sat 7:30am–3pm, Sun 8:30am–2:30pm · no Monday hours listed

Chilosos Taco House in the Heights was established in 2007 by the Myers family, according to its official site, and it makes its own tortillas: the site promises you will never have to eat store-bought tortillas again. That makes it the most neighborhood-feeling stop on this list, a family taco house rather than a chain outpost, and it keeps breakfast-and-lunch hours only.

Insider tip: The official site lists no Monday hours, so plan as if Chilosos is closed Mondays. The kitchen wraps up by mid-afternoon, so this is a morning stop, not a dinner plan.

Order: A breakfast taco on a house-made tortilla, then a second one for the road.

Tacos A Go Go (Heights)

1102 Yale St #300, Houston, TX 77008 · typically Sun–Thu 7am–10pm, Fri–Sat 7am–midnight

Tacos A Go Go on Yale Street in the Heights serves breakfast all day, according to its official site, which makes it the safe answer when one person wants a migas taco at 4pm and another wants dinner. The menu splits into Mexican street tacos, Tex tacos, veggie tacos and birrias. The birrias come in a cheesy corn tortilla with consommé for dipping; the beef birria is slow-stewed cheek meat with pickled onions, cilantro and cheese. The lamb barbacoa taco is Hidalgo-style, with roasted red pepper sauce and cabbage.

Order: Beef birria with consommé; the Chori-Mex breakfast taco (eggs, chorizo, potato, grilled onions, jalapeños, refried black beans and habanero queso blanco).

Taquerias Arandas (Houston Heights)

920 N Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77008 · typically Sun–Thu 6:30am–10pm, Fri–Sat 6:30am–midnight

Taquerias Arandas is a Houston family-run taqueria chain operating since 1981, with more than two dozen locations, according to its official site. The Houston Heights location on North Shepherd Drive, just north of I-10, opens at 6:30am and stays open until 10pm or later every night. It's a full taqueria menu rather than a taco-only counter: gorditas, chilaquiles on the breakfast plates, and fajita dishes including fajita ranchera.

Order: A gordita; chilaquiles if it's morning; a fajita plate if you're settling in.

Torchy's Tacos (Houston Heights)

350 W 19th St, Ste A, Houston, TX 77008 · hours vary by day; check the official location page

Torchy's Tacos on West 19th Street in the Heights is the easy lunch stop if you're already walking the 19th Street shops (our Heights shopping guide covers the strip). The menu is long, so here's the shortcut. The Trailer Park is a fried chicken tender with green chiles, lettuce, pico de gallo, cheddar jack cheese and poblano sauce on a flour tortilla. Order it "Trashy" and, per the menu, they take off the lettuce and add queso. The Democrat goes the other way: beef barbacoa, avocado, cotija, cilantro, diced onions and tomatillo salsa on a corn tortilla, with a lime wedge. There's also a rotating Taco of the Month.

Order: Trailer Park, Trashy; the Democrat; whatever the Taco of the Month is.

Velvet Taco (The Heights)

2001 N Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77008 · typically Sun–Thu 10:30am–11pm, Fri–Sat 10:30am–midnight

Velvet Taco on North Shepherd Drive in the Heights uses the tortilla as a vehicle for fillings you won't find at a taqueria. The spicy tikka chicken taco pairs crisp tenders with tikka sauce and basmati rice, and the chicken and waffle taco stacks crisp tenders, bacon, peppercorn gravy and maple syrup on a waffle tortilla, according to the official menu. Then there's the WTF: Velvet Taco's Weekly Taco Feature, a limited taco that runs for a single week before the next one replaces it. It's a good call for groups where not everyone wants the same thing.

Order: The WTF, whatever week you visit; spicy tikka chicken; chicken and waffle.

The Taco Stand (Heights)

2018 N Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77008 · typically daily 6am–midnight · drive-thru

The Taco Stand on North Shepherd Drive in the Heights is open until midnight every day and has a drive-thru, according to its official location page. Every taco starts with house-made corn and flour tortillas, pressed fresh daily. Breakfast typically runs 6am to 11am on weekdays and 6am to 2pm on weekends, and quesabirria is on the filling list. It sits on the same stretch of North Shepherd as Velvet Taco, so you can compare two very different ideas of a taco without moving the car.

Order: A breakfast taco on a fresh flour tortilla in the morning; quesabirria after dark.

Which Heights taco spots are open late?

The Taco Stand at 2018 N Shepherd Dr is the late-night answer in the Heights, typically open until midnight every day with a drive-thru. On Fridays and Saturdays, Velvet Taco, Tacos A Go Go and Taquerias Arandas also typically stay open until midnight. Chilosos Taco House is breakfast and lunch only, closing by 3pm.

Where to get breakfast tacos in the Heights

The Taco Stand on North Shepherd typically serves breakfast from 6am daily, and Taquerias Arandas, farther south near I-10, typically opens at 6:30am. Chilosos Taco House opens at 7:30am Tuesday through Saturday, and Tacos A Go Go on Yale Street serves breakfast all day. For more morning options, see our Heights breakfast guide and the citywide breakfast taco guide.

Save this: a Heights taco crawl

This route runs from the morning spots to the late ones. Pace yourself: one taco per stop is the move.

1. Chilosos Taco House, 701 E 20th St: a breakfast taco on a house-made tortilla (Tuesday to Sunday, before mid-afternoon).
2. Tacos A Go Go, 1102 Yale St: beef birria with consommé for lunch.
3. Torchy's Tacos, 350 W 19th St: a Trailer Park, Trashy, between 19th Street shops.
4. Taquerias Arandas, 920 N Shepherd Dr: a gordita for the afternoon.
5. Velvet Taco, 2001 N Shepherd Dr: this week's WTF.
6. The Taco Stand, 2018 N Shepherd Dr: quesabirria through the drive-thru to finish.

Before you go

• Chilosos Taco House lists no Monday hours and closes by 3pm on the days it opens.
• Velvet Taco, The Taco Stand and Taquerias Arandas all sit on North Shepherd Drive, so one parking spot can cover a lot of tacos.
• Hours change around holidays. Check each official site before a special trip.

More eating in the Heights

For dinner beyond tacos, the Heights restaurant guide covers the full range, and the best Mexican restaurants in the Heights goes deeper on Tex-Mex and margaritas. Citywide, see the best tacos in Houston. For a drink afterward, the best bars in the Heights has the patio and cocktail rundown.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where are the best tacos in the Heights, Houston?

Six verified spots in the Heights are Chilosos Taco House on East 20th Street, Tacos A Go Go on Yale Street, Torchy's Tacos on West 19th Street, and Taquerias Arandas, Velvet Taco and The Taco Stand on North Shepherd Drive. All have Houston 77008 addresses.

Where can I get late-night tacos in the Heights?

The Taco Stand at 2018 N Shepherd Drive in the Heights is typically open until midnight every day and has a drive-thru. On Fridays and Saturdays, Velvet Taco, Tacos A Go Go and Taquerias Arandas also typically stay open until midnight.

What are Chilosos Taco House's hours?

Chilosos Taco House at 701 E 20th Street in the Heights is typically open Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30am to 3pm and Sunday from 8:30am to 2:30pm. Its official site lists no Monday hours.

What is the WTF at Velvet Taco?

WTF stands for Weekly Taco Feature, a limited taco at Velvet Taco that changes every week. The Heights location is at 2001 N Shepherd Drive, Houston, TX 77008.

Which Heights taco spot opens earliest?

The Taco Stand at 2018 N Shepherd Drive typically opens at 6am daily, and Taquerias Arandas at 920 N Shepherd Drive typically opens at 6:30am. Both are in the Heights, Houston.