Where to find $2 tacos and cheap margaritas in and around Tacoma
It’s hard to beat a $1 taco and a $4 margarita.
That’s almost what you can snag at El Borracho’s bustling happy hour, twice daily — early evening and late night. Matador and El Toro also hit the $2 mark.
A few spots offer complimentary chips and salsa. Others add choices that are 100% not tacos. Some only honor special pricing at the bar, so timing is everything. One thing is for certain: solid price per taco, or PPT.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, so expect another taco and/or Mexican happy hour roundup in the future. Tonala, for instance, didn’t make the cut because its daily happy hour doesn’t include tacos.
Here’s a selection of places in and around Tacoma to find tacos — and probably a margarita or two — on a budget.
Brewers Row
PPT here doesn’t stoop quite as low as others on this list, but I would argue their tacos are of the highest quality. Choose any of their delectable meats for $2.50 a pop. (Normally the tacos are available as a mix-and-match trio for $9.50, or $11 with rice and beans.) The pastor here is a fine choice, juicy and flavorful in its classic achiote-chipotle marinade, as is the pescado, fried in a porter beer and masa harina batter (the same ground cornmeal used for tortillas), topped with crunchy, julienned red and green cabbage.
A large basket of chips and salsa runs $2.50 — cheaper than the price of small during standard hours. Wash it down with $1 off draft beers, glasses of wine and margaritas.
Perhaps the best deal of this happy hour, though, is the nachos. At $7 for a full-size order, all three types — Del Fuego with al pastor, Gallinero with chile verde chicken, Beso with cheese and guac — are nearly half off their regular prices.
The only downside is the early afternoon timing, which doubles as crowd control.
▪ 3205 N. 26th St., Tacoma, 253-327-1757, brewersrowtacoma.com
▪ Happy Hour: Monday to Friday, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
▪ PPT: $2.50
El Borracho
This Seattle export on Sixth Avenue fills up for both happy hours, and rightfully so. The prices are hard to beat, even compared to inexpensive taquerias. The tacos aren’t anything to write home about (yet here I am, writing about them), but I repeat — cheap.
“Damn near a dollar tacos” means a PPT of $1.10 for carnitas, chicken adobo and a decent cochinita pibil and al pastor. Whatever you do, do not get the pescado ($2.10, along with the barbacoa and “soyrizo”). It’s a sad pile of reheated shredded cod. Stick with the meats.
A sizable portion of chips and salsa rojo will only set you back $1.23; get guac with that for another $2.70.
Drink deals include $4.50 Mexican lagers, house wine and well basics, plus El Borracho’s $4 “El Cheapo” margarita. Go frozen, not rocks.
▪ 2717 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-314-5286, elborracho.co
▪ Happy Hour: Monday-Friday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; daily 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
▪ PPT: $1.10 to $2.10
Red Star
Another Seattle export, this St. Helens restaurant offers cheap tacos in a modern setting, though the vibe feels colder and darker than El Borracho. There’s more space here — and the weekday late-night happy hour starts at 10 p.m. — so snag a seat at the bar or a table with friends for $2 hard-shell gringo tacos with ground beef, lettuce and shredded cheese.
For $5, pick any two of seven proteins on corn tortillas, including a fun sriracha honey tofu, a serviceable chorizo and a breakfast taco with scrambled eggs and chorizo or bacon. Standard PPT is $3.50 to $4.50, depending on the meat, and $9 or $12 for three.
A basket of chips with salsa and guac goes for $6, nachos for $7 (compared to the regular $8 and $11 price tags). The $7 house margarita is meh, but it most definitely has tequila in it. The $6 slushy margs (usually $8) in seven flavors, such as mango or hibiscus, are a better bet — or try a mini frozen marg with a tequila float for $5.
▪ 454 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253-545-9795, redstartacobar.com
▪ Happy Hour: daily 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday-Thursday 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
▪ PPT: $2 to $2.50
Matador
Perhaps the most hopping spot on the list, Matador in downtown Tacoma takes the cake for trendiest happy hour with respectable PPT. The regional chain has nine locations, including three in the Seattle area and two in Idaho.
The bartender approved of my carnitas choice, the juicy pork surprising after underwhelming flavors at other city-to-the-north imports. Choose one of five meats for $2, or drop the PPT to about $1.60 with the three-for-$5 or five-for-$8 deals.
No vegetarian tacos here, but no matter: the happy hour menu runs the gamut with $5 apps, including crispy Brussels sprouts, black bean queso and cheese or mushroom quesadillas. A generous $6 plate of spicy fried calamari or stuffed jalapenos compensates for the lack of drink specials.
Get there early to beat the post-work crowds or be prepared to wait. Ditto for late-night, which is popular with industry folks after their shifts at nearby restaurants.
▪ 721 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-627-7100, matadorrestaurants.com
▪ Happy Hour: daily, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
▪ PPT: $1.60 to $2
El Toro
This family-owned chain has been serving the South Sound for more than 40 years. Its daily happy hour, available only at the bar, stands out in part for its seafood dishes and $2 burrito.
Dig into seven garlicky prawns for just $7, or have them wrapped in bacon for $8. Spicy queso goes for $4 and “super nachos” for $9 — a savings of $3.50 and $5, respectively.
Two street tacos for $4 with either pollo asado, chorizo or adobada (pork marinated with red chiles, oregano and vinegar) puts El Toro at the low-end of this list, though you must order two of the same meat. Carne asada is two-for-$5. During standard hours, tacos only come in fours for $11.99 or six for $14.99 with two meat choices.
Chips and salsa are on the house, margs are but $5 and glasses of wine $4.
▪ Tacoma: 5716 N. 26th St., 253-759-7889, eltorofamily.com
▪ Lakewood: 12914 Pacific Highway S., 253-588-5888
▪ Parkland: 13719 Pacific Ave., 253-536-9735
▪ Puyallup: 12115 Canyon Road. E., 253-256-4639
▪ Happy Hour: daily 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., bar only
▪ PPT: $2 to $2.50
Mexico Magico
At four hours and seven days a week, Mexico Magico wins for the longest and most frequent happy hour of the bunch.
The taco options, however, are limited: four carne or pollo asada tacos go for $7, or a PPT of $1.75. During lunch and dinner, four tacos with rice and beans — no taco-only option — goes for $12.95, or six for $15.95.
Other deals include $6 queso dip, $7 for four flour or six corn flautas, and $8 fully-loaded nachos with chicken or beef. Compared to standard prices, you’ll save $2.50 to $7 per order. Similar to El Toro, this downtown restaurant offers cheap prawns: $7 for seven bacon-wrapped or garlic prawns.
Paired with complimentary chips and salsa, the drink prices alone make the case for a bar-stop, with $3.50 domestic drafts, $4.25 well drinks and $6 margaritas.
▪ 1128 Broadway Plaza, Tacoma, 253-722-5196, mexmagico.com
▪ Happy Hour: daily 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
▪ PPT: $1.75
This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 5:10 AM.