What to Know
- Yelp released its list of top 100 taco spots in the United States.
- At No. 1 is family-owned Birrieria Familia Castro, located next to a used car lot on Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood.
- California has 45 taco shops on the list of 100 spots, which include restaurants, taco stands, a food hall and even someone’s home.
- The timely list was released ahead of National Taco Day on Oct. 7.
A family birria recipe passed down from one generation to the next helped a North Hollywood restaurant land the top spot on the Yelp list of top 100 taco spots in the United States.
Birrieria Familia Castro is inside an unassuming white building shared with other businesses and across the street from a used car dealership and carpet cleaning business on Vineland Avenue, just north of Oxnard Street. It is one of several California locations on the Yelp list released Thursday ahead of National Taco Day, which falls on Oct. 7.
California has 45 taco shops on the list of 100 spots, which include restaurants, taco stands, a food hall and even someone’s home.
Anthony Castro owns the top-ranked restaurant at 6102 Vineland Ave., described as small and humble, with his mom and dad, Gema and José Castro.
“It’s surreal, it’s surreal,” Castro told NBCLA. “It’s one of those things that, I know my parents put a lot of work into it, myself too, and I just still can’t believe it, if I’m being honest.
“The Valley’s so, so big, and I mean, the U.S. is even… so, it’s really nice. That’s a big accomplishment.”
The three- to four-hour daily cooking process results in meat described by reviewers as “incredibly tender” and “packed with savory spices.”
“Our birria is a family tradition passed down from my grandmother, who learned it from her mother,” Castro told Yelp! “We make everything fresh on-site, from our tortillas to our drinks and salsas.”
The list was created by using Yelp data and community reviews. Other Los Angeles locations in the 2025 top-10 list include Michelin-starred Holbox in South Los Angeles and Mariscos El Chito, an outdoor kitchen that has operated at Ruben Diaz’s family home in El Sereno since 2018.
California spots in the top 10:
- Roundhouse Deli, Roseville, California
- Holbox, Los Angeles, California
- Niko’s Tacos, Roseville, California
- Mariscos El Chito, Los Angeles, California
Click here for the full top-100 list.
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Source: NBC Los Angeles