Lakewood’s taco spots follow its two main streets. Madison and Detroit avenues hold most of the best tacos in Lakewood, and both roads run east into Cleveland, where Gordon Square and Ohio City add a few more places worth the short drive.
That makes it easy to plan around where you already are. The Madison Avenue places are smaller and more casual, with a trompo, a baked burrito and a build-your-own bar. The Detroit Avenue side leans toward sit-down restaurants with full margarita lists and room for a family.
The picks below stay on the near west side. Several of these places have other locations around Greater Cleveland, and the addresses here are the Lakewood, West Park, Gordon Square and Ohio City ones. For every taqueria and Mexican restaurant around the city, open the full Cleveland taco guide.
Madison to Fulton
Taco spots in Lakewood, Gordon Square and Ohio City
Birdtown, Lakewood
Hola Tacos
Best for: Al pastor carved from the trompo
Hola Tacos is a taco bar on Madison Avenue in Birdtown, from the team behind Barroco. The al pastor is carved off the trompo, and the menu also covers cochinita pibil, carne asada and roasted cauliflower for the vegetarians at the table.
There is a patio and a cocktail list, so it works as a sit-and-stay dinner as much as a quick stop.
Lakewood
Taco Tonto's
Best for: A baked burrito and queso at happy hour
Taco Tonto’s is a small, colorful taco and burrito nook farther west on Madison Avenue, and it is home of the original baked burrito. Get the queso and a big margarita during happy hour. There are vegan options, and the people who eat here tend to speak well of it. It is a good pick for a relaxed weeknight close to home.
Lakewood
Barrio
Best for: Build-your-own tacos, open late
Barrio started in Cleveland and has its Lakewood location on Madison Avenue, with more in Tremont, Cleveland Heights, downtown and the suburbs. You build your own tacos from a long list of fillings, add queso or nachos, and stay late for tequila and margaritas. Vegetarian options are easy to find, which helps with a big mixed group.
Lakewood
Cozumel
Best for: Tacos and fajitas with the family
Cozumel is a local family Mexican group with its Lakewood restaurant on Detroit Avenue and more locations in Parma, Westlake and Independence. It is a go-to for tacos, fajitas and margaritas, and it is family friendly. Choose it when kids are coming along, or when the table wants a big, familiar menu of tacos and fajitas.
Gordon Square
Blue Habanero
Best for: Huitlacoche and birria tacos with a margarita flight
Blue Habanero is a street taco and tequila bar on Detroit Avenue in Gordon Square, a few miles east of Lakewood on the same street. The tacos include huitlacoche and birria, and there are fajitas and margarita flights in a room full of folk art. There is an afternoon happy hour and a brunch, plus a second location in Brecksville. It is one of the best-liked taco spots in the city.
Gordon Square
La Playa Fresh Seafood
Best for: Mexican seafood and mariscos
La Playa Fresh Seafood sits a couple of doors from Blue Habanero on Detroit Avenue and cooks Puerto Vallarta-style Mexican seafood. It is known for mariscos and a whole fried red snapper. The room is tiki-style, the margaritas come as soft serve, and there is a weekday happy hour. Come here when you want seafood alongside, or in place of, the tacos.
West Park
Locos Street Tacos & Burrito
Best for: Birria tacos at a counter
Locos Street Tacos & Burrito is a counter-service taco shop on West 130th Street in West Park, a short drive south of Lakewood. It is known for birria tacos, a Big Mac smash taco and street corn in a cup, and it scoops ice cream too. It draws a lot of attention, and it is the quickest option here when you want tacos without sitting down for a full dinner.
Ohio City
Momocho
Best for: Creative tacos and guacamole flights
Momocho is a modern Mexican cantina on Fulton Road in Ohio City, decorated in a wrestling theme. It serves creative tacos, guacamole flights and margaritas, and it is one of the most talked about and best-liked Mexican restaurants in town.
The patio is dog-friendly in warm weather, so order a guac flight and eat outside when you can.
Plan a route
A Madison Avenue taco night
Madison Avenue lets you try more than one place in an evening. Start at Hola Tacos in Birdtown for a couple of al pastor tacos off the trompo, then drive west on Madison to Taco Tonto’s for queso and a margarita. Barrio sits farther west again if the group wants to keep going or someone would rather build their own.
Detroit Avenue works the same way for a sit-down night. Blue Habanero and La Playa are next to each other in Gordon Square, so you can look at both menus and choose on the sidewalk. Check hours and happy hour times before you go.
How to choose
Matching the taco spot to the night
For a date or a drinks-first night, Momocho, Blue Habanero and Hola Tacos have the strongest cocktail and margarita lists. For kids and a big table, Cozumel is the easiest fit. For a late crowd, Barrio stays open late. For seafood, La Playa is the one to pick. For a quick counter meal south of Lakewood, Locos in West Park is the fastest in and out.
Good to know
Questions before you go.
Where can I get birria tacos with consomme near Lakewood?
Cilantro Taqueria has a Lakewood location, and its birria tacos come with consomme. Blue Habanero in Gordon Square serves birria tacos too.
Are there tacos with a lake view?
Yes. Nuevo Modern Mexican & Tequila Bar sits on North Coast Harbor near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with a patio facing Lake Erie.
Is there a taco spot farther west, past Lakewood?
Tavo’s Tacos is a casual taco shop on Center Ridge Road in North Ridgeville.
Every taco spot on the map
See all the taco spots around Cleveland
The <a href="/guides/best-tacos-cleveland/">Cleveland taco guide</a> maps taquerias and Mexican restaurants across the city and suburbs, with details for each one.