Ta’Carbon Might Make the Best Taco in Phoenix
I’m kind of a sucker for simple tacos. Y’know, the ones with street-sized tortillas, undressed meat, and some onion and cilantro. Too many places here go overboard with toppings and soupy meats—it all just screams of Starbucks flavor insecurity. The kind where you know your main ingredient kind of sucks, so you try your very hardest to hide it with dairy. That’s not Ta’Carbon at all. They’re just over in the west side of town serving up tacos as simple as possible. When you take a bit, you taste the flavor of the meat, and the flavor is good. Really good.
Where: In West Phoenix on Thomas and 43rd Ave., in Glendale on Camelback and 59th Ave., and in Peoria on Peoria and 67th Ave
Website: tacarbon.com
Reservations: Nope
Tip: You have to get at least one Hazz taco the first time you go.
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Ta’Carbon Has 6 Yumpoints
Mar 18, 2024 / Mike Madriaga
Phoenix New Times: With recipes straight from Sonora, Ta'Carbon opens third Valley taco shop
"Vamos al cabron" is a phrase some hungry Phoenicians say, which loosely translates to "let's go to badass." For those in the know, it's a wordplay on a popular local restaurant Ta'Carbon.
MAR 8, 2024 / NIKKI BUCHANAN
Eater: 18 Essential Mexican Restaurants in Phoenix
These no-frills West Valley taco spots claim to serve the best carne asada in town, and the locals who keep them packed surely agree. Cooked over mesquite on a Santa Maria grill and tucked in supple tortillas, the smoky, succulent meat is further enhanced by adornments from the neatly kept salsa bar, stocked with crisp, finely chopped cabbage, lime wedges, verduras, avocado cream, pickled onions, and excellent salsas.
FEB 7, 2024 / ENDIA FONTANEZ
AZ Central: The 20 best metro Phoenix restaurants where you can get great meals at fast food prices
Ta'Carbon is known for its smoky mesquite-grilled carne asada and house made salsas. Tacos are $2.90 each a la carte. Burros sell for $8.99 and plates of asada, pastor or other meats are $9.50 and come with a side of tortillas and refried beans.
JAN 22, 2024 / HUNTER WREN MIELE
Tasting Table: 16 Absolute Best Taco Spots In Phoenix
Located in the heart of the city, Ta'Carbon is a fast-casual eatery boasting the freshest carne asada in the entire nation — a brazen claim, but one that the restaurant's diehard customers can attest to. Don't let the establishment's casual atmosphere fool you; Ta'Carbon's tacos rival those of Phoenix's finer Mexican joints with a budget-friendly price to boot. There's no such thing as a quiet hour at Ta'Carbon. The restaurant is bustling non-stop, but the service is always prompt and professional.
JAN 16, 2024 / Nadia Cantu
AZ Central: 100 essential restaurants in metro Phoenix: The best places to dine in 2024
If you love mesquite-grilled carne asada, flour tortillas and charcoal refried beans, Ta'Carbon is the place. With two locations in the Valley, the taqueria is a staple for northern Mexican tacos and burritos. When you’re loading up at the salsa bar, don’t miss the charred tatemada salsa and guacamole sauce.
JAN 13, 2024 / LAUREN MILLINGTON
Female Foodie: The 16 Best Phoenix Restaurants
f you’re looking for authentic Mexican street tacos, head to Ta Carbon, one of the best restaurants in Phoenix, and our favorite place for an inexpensive, delicious Mexican meal. These tacos are simple and certainly no-frills: just delicious warm tortillas piled high with meat, dressed with onion and cilantro. And the meats at Ta Carbon are what keep us coming back again and again.
DEC 23, 2023 / CRAWFORD SMITH
Tasting Table: 15 Best Mexican Restaurants In Phoenix
While many of the best Mexican restaurants in Phoenix thrive because of their versatility, Ta'Carbon proves there's nothing wrong with being a one-trick pony. Its mission is "to deliver the best carne asada in the United States." According to happy customers, its singlemindedness is paying dividends.
JUL 25, 2023 / LAUREN MILLINGTON
Female Foodie: 10 Best Tacos in Phoenix
For a totally authentic, no-frills taco experience, Ta’Carbon reigns supreme. There’s nothing fancy about these tacos, but for our money, they are the best tacos in Phoenix. Ta’Carbon serves classic street tacos that are small in size but mighty in flavor and boast the most savory, tender beef in the valley.
JUN 22, 2023 / LAUREN MILLINGTON
Female Foodie: 10 Best Mexican Restaurants in Phoenix
Ta’Carbon, one of the best Mexican restaurants in Phoenix, is known for cooking up some of the best carne asada in Phoenix—and it absolutely lives up to its reputation. Most of the tacos are served in their most basic state, with just meat and tortillas. The meat is so good you could eat it straight, but stop by the salsa bar to add onions, cilantro, limes, and of course, salsa.
JUN 21, 2023 / NIKKI BUCHANAN
Eater: 15 Top Taco Destinations in Phoenix
Customers line up all day long for a crack at Ta’ Carbon’s excellent tacos, filled with charcoal-grilled meat that’s charred, smoky, and sublime in its simplicity. Carne asada is the restaurant’s claim to fame, but don’t sleep on the Taco Hazz (carne asada with green chile and melting cheese), the campechano (a meaty mixture of flank steak, chorizo and crispy chicharrónes), or the ultra-tender huevos de becerro (calf testicles).
