Best Tacos in Upper Kirby: 8 Taquerias, Cantinas and a Park Kiosk

The best tacos in Upper Kirby, Houston, come from eight places inside a compact box between Shepherd Drive and Buffalo Speedway: Goode Co. Taqueria for mesquite-grilled breakfast tacos on Kirby Drive, El Tiempo Cantina on Richmond Avenue for Tex-Mex tacos al carbón, Pacific Coast Tacos on South Shepherd for Baja-style fish and octopus tacos, and Gaspachos Mexican Bites for street food at the Levy Park kiosk. The rest are Tex-Mex cantinas and a honky-tonk with a very good redfish taco. We confirmed every pick open on its own official website or menu.

Here's the line for the group chat: two Houston restaurant families tell a fajita origin story, and both have a flag planted in Upper Kirby. Goode Company says founder Jim Goode served the city its first mesquite-grilled fajitas at the original Goode Co. Taqueria on Kirby Drive. And El Tiempo Cantina, run by the family of Mama Ninfa (who, by El Tiempo's account, introduced fajitas as Houston knows them in 1973), opened its very first restaurant on Richmond Avenue in 1998. That original El Tiempo is still on Richmond.

Where does Upper Kirby start and stop?

For this guide, Upper Kirby means the area west of Shepherd Drive, east of Buffalo Speedway, north of Bissonnet Street and south of Westheimer Road, the commonly cited outline of the Upper Kirby District. Every pick has an address inside that box or on its Shepherd Drive edge.

That takes in the Kirby Drive corridor, Richmond Avenue between Shepherd and Buffalo Speedway, the Southwest Freeway (US-59) feeder roads, and the blocks around Levy Park. Taco spots east of Shepherd are in our Montrose taco guide. For everything else to eat in the neighborhood, see our best restaurants in Upper Kirby and the Upper Kirby area page.

The quick list

• Best breakfast tacos: Goode Co. Taqueria, 4902 Kirby Drive (opens 7 a.m. weekdays)
• Best Tex-Mex history lesson: El Tiempo Cantina, 3130 Richmond Avenue (the first El Tiempo)
• Most unexpected taco: Pacific Coast Tacos, 3101 South Shepherd (octopus on a jicama tortilla)
• Best taco in a park: Gaspachos Mexican Bites, Levy Park kiosk, 3709 Eastside Street
• Best taco with live music: Goode Co. Armadillo Palace, 5015 Kirby Drive
• Best for a big group: Little Pappasito's Cantina, 2536 Richmond Avenue
• Best puffy tacos: Lupe Tortilla, 2414 Southwest Freeway
• Best patio tacos: Hearsay Levy Park, 3728 Wakeforest Street

How we chose

We started with every taqueria, truck and taco-serving restaurant we could find with an Upper Kirby address, then checked each one's own website or official menu for a current address and posted hours. Eight made it. A few well-known names were left out because they sit just outside the box: Chuy's on Westheimer is on the north side of the road (River Oaks), Arnaldo Richards' Picos lists its address as 3736 Westheimer, west of Buffalo Speedway, and the nearest Torchy's Tacos and Tacos A Go Go locations are in River Oaks, West University and Greenway Plaza. We favored places where tacos are a real reason to go, not a token menu line.

Goode Co. Taqueria

Taqueria · 4902 Kirby Drive, Houston TX 77098 · Typically Mon–Tue 7 a.m.–8:30 p.m., Wed–Thu 7 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri 7 a.m.–10 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 8 a.m.–9 p.m.

Goode Co. Taqueria on Kirby Drive is the reason Upper Kirby smells like mesquite. The Goode family opened a barbecue joint off Kirby in 1977, then opened this taqueria across the street to cook Tex-Mex the same way: over mesquite, wrapped in hand-rolled tortillas, with fresh-roasted salsa. The menu leans on the family's grandmother, an immigrant from Tampico, and on ranch cooking like quail and eggs.

What to order: The breakfast taco plate with egg and venison sausage (bacon, Mexican chorizo and pork sausage are the other fillings). At lunch, anything mesquite-grilled.

Insider tip: Breakfast runs seven days a week, and the Kirby location is where the family's weekend brunch lives. It's one of the earliest taco breakfasts in the neighborhood. More morning picks: best breakfast tacos in Houston.

El Tiempo Cantina (Richmond)

Tex-Mex cantina · 3130 Richmond Ave, Houston TX 77098 · Check the official site for hours and weekend brunch

El Tiempo Cantina on Richmond Avenue is where the El Tiempo story starts. According to the restaurant, Roland Laurenzo, one of Mama Ninfa's sons, opened the first El Tiempo here in 1998 with his oldest son, after the original Ninfa's business went bankrupt in the late 1990s. The family now runs locations across Houston, and the menu still has a section called Mama Ninfa's Favorites.

What to order: Large flour tacos al carbón, the dish that shows off El Tiempo's fajita meat, or the big crispy tacos if you want the classic Tex-Mex crunch.

Why go: This is the birthplace of a Houston Tex-Mex dynasty, and it still feels like a neighborhood cantina. Pair it with our best fajitas in Houston guide.

Pacific Coast Tacos

Baja-style taco shop · 3101 South Shepherd, Houston TX 77098 · Check the official site for hours · Happy hour typically Mon–Fri 3–6 p.m. and all day Tuesday

Pacific Coast Tacos on South Shepherd swaps Tex-Mex for Baja and Pacific Rim flavors: grilled and fried Gulf-style fish, shrimp, poke and Korean beef, all in taco form. It's our pick for the most adventurous taco menu in Upper Kirby, and one of only three Pacific Coast Tacos locations (the others are on Washington Avenue and in Sugar Land).

What to order: The Pacific Octopus Taco, grilled octopus with chili-lime aioli served on a jicama tortilla, then a grilled fish taco. Tuesdays are all-day happy hour.

Fun detail: The breakfast tacos read like a surf-trip itinerary: Santa Cruz, Jaco, Mavericks, Cabo. Order the Mavericks (chorizo, egg, bean and cheese) if you want chorizo.

Gaspachos Mexican Bites (Levy Park)

Park kiosk · 3709 Eastside St, Houston TX 77098 · Typically Mon–Thu 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sun 10 a.m.–11 p.m.

Gaspachos Mexican Bites runs the walk-up kiosk inside Levy Park, the green space at the heart of Upper Kirby. The business started in 2015 as a single trailer selling Mexican snacks and fruit, grew into food trucks in Houston parks, and took over the Levy Park kiosk in 2023. The menu covers Mexican street food, tacos and its signature fruit cravings.

What to order: Tacos to eat on the lawn, plus something from the fruit side of the menu for dessert.

Why go: It's the only taco in Upper Kirby you can eat while the kids run the playground and the dog runs the dog park. Plan the visit with our Levy Park guide.

Goode Co. Armadillo Palace

Honky-tonk and kitchen · 5015 Kirby Drive, Houston TX 77098 · Typically Tue–Thu 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m. · Closed Sun–Mon

Goode Co. Armadillo Palace, a few doors down Kirby Drive from the taqueria, is a Texas dance hall with two bars, three stages and a full kitchen. Tacos aren't the headline, but one of them deserves a spot on this list.

What to order: The Redfish Taco: crispy beer-battered fish with pineapple-habanero salsa, cabbage slaw, pico de gallo and crema on a corn tortilla.

Insider tip: Look down on the way in. There's a Walk of Fame set into the entrance honoring Texas-born music legends. Check the calendar on the official site and time your taco to a live set.

Little Pappasito's Cantina

Tex-Mex cantina · 2536 Richmond Ave, Houston TX 77098 · Typically Mon–Thu 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

Little Pappasito's Cantina on Richmond Avenue is the Upper Kirby outpost of Pappasito's, the scratch Tex-Mex kitchen the Pappas family founded in 1983. It's a reliable bet when you have ten people, three diets and one reservation.

What to order: Tacos filled with the mesquite-grilled fajita meat Pappasito's is built on. The taco lineup changes, so check the location menu on the official site.

Why go: Big portions and room for a crowd, with weekend hours that start at 10 a.m. Margarita fans should also read our best Tex-Mex in Houston guide.

Lupe Tortilla

Tex-Mex restaurant · 2414 Southwest Fwy, Houston TX 77098 · Typically Sun–Thu 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m. · Brunch Sat–Sun 10 a.m.–2 p.m. · Happy hour Mon–Fri 3–6:30 p.m.

Lupe Tortilla on the Southwest Freeway feeder road is the family Tex-Mex pick in Upper Kirby, with hand-pressed flour tortillas and homemade corn tortillas.

What to order: Puffy tacos with carne molida, the San Antonio-style fried shell that crackles and then collapses, or barbacoa tacos on corn tortillas with cilantro, onion and queso fresco.

Insider tip: On Lupe Tortilla's website this location is filed under "West University / Downtown," so search that name, not Upper Kirby, when you join the waitlist.

Hearsay Levy Park

Gastro lounge · 3728 Wakeforest St, Houston TX 77098 · Typically Mon–Fri 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–11 p.m., Sun 10 a.m.–10 p.m.

Hearsay Levy Park is an American restaurant facing Levy Park, so it's not a taqueria. It earns a place for two good taco plates and the best patio view of any taco in Upper Kirby.

What to order: Blackened redfish tacos on corn tortillas with pico de gallo, avocado and chipotle aioli, or crunchy ahi tuna tacos in wonton shells. Both come with street corn casserole.

Why go: Brunch-and-park days. If you're staying out, see our guide to the Upper Kirby bar scene.

Save this: an Upper Kirby taco day

Every stop is inside the same small box of streets, so you can do this in a day with very little driving.

1. 7–9 a.m.: Venison sausage breakfast taco at Goode Co. Taqueria, 4902 Kirby Drive.
2. Mid-morning: Walk Levy Park and grab a fruit snack at the Gaspachos kiosk, 3709 Eastside Street.
3. Lunch: Octopus taco at Pacific Coast Tacos, 3101 South Shepherd (Tuesday is all-day happy hour).
4. Late afternoon: Tacos al carbón at El Tiempo Cantina, 3130 Richmond Avenue, the original El Tiempo.
5. Evening, Tuesday–Saturday: Redfish taco and live music at Goode Co. Armadillo Palace, 5015 Kirby Drive.

Checklist before you go:

• Armadillo Palace is closed Sunday and Monday.
• Goode Co. Taqueria opens earliest (7 a.m. weekdays); Gaspachos stays open latest (11 p.m. Friday–Sunday).
• Weekend brunch: Goode Co. Taqueria, El Tiempo and Lupe Tortilla; Little Pappasito's opens at 10 a.m. on weekends.

More tacos and Upper Kirby guides

• Best tacos in Houston for al pastor, barbacoa and trompo across the city
• Things to do in Upper Kirby to plan the rest of the day

Hours change, especially around holidays. Check each official site before you go.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where are the best tacos in Upper Kirby?

Goode Co. Taqueria at 4902 Kirby Drive is our top pick for mesquite-grilled breakfast and lunch tacos. El Tiempo Cantina at 3130 Richmond Avenue, Pacific Coast Tacos at 3101 South Shepherd and the Gaspachos Mexican Bites kiosk in Levy Park round out the best options.

Where can I get breakfast tacos in Upper Kirby?

Goode Co. Taqueria on Kirby Drive serves breakfast seven days a week, typically from 7 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends, including breakfast tacos with venison sausage. Pacific Coast Tacos on South Shepherd also serves breakfast tacos; check its site for times.

What are the boundaries of Upper Kirby in Houston?

Upper Kirby is commonly defined as the area west of Shepherd Drive, east of Buffalo Speedway, north of Bissonnet Street and south of Westheimer Road. It includes Levy Park, the Kirby Drive corridor and Richmond Avenue between Shepherd and Buffalo Speedway.

Was the first El Tiempo Cantina in Upper Kirby?

Yes. According to El Tiempo Cantina, Roland Laurenzo, a son of Houston restaurateur Mama Ninfa, opened the first El Tiempo on Richmond Avenue in 1998. The Richmond location at 3130 Richmond Ave is still open.

Is there a taco place in Levy Park?

Yes. Gaspachos Mexican Bites runs the kiosk at 3709 Eastside Street in Levy Park, serving Mexican street food, tacos and fruit snacks. It is typically open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Where can I get fish tacos in Upper Kirby?

Pacific Coast Tacos at 3101 South Shepherd has grilled and fried fish tacos plus an octopus taco on a jicama tortilla. Goode Co. Armadillo Palace on Kirby Drive serves a beer-battered redfish taco, and Hearsay Levy Park has blackened redfish tacos.