This Mexican taqueria was crowned the best taco spot in the Triangle
By popularity, Chido Taco and Gringo A Go Go are the top taco spots in the Triangle. But even beyond getting the most votes in The News & Observer’s contest for the best taco around, there’s a reason why the mercado-style taqueria chain and the downtown corner cantina outshined 45 other nominated restaurants.
They’re run by a pair of cousins who both have years of experience in the culinary world.
Best tacos in the Triangle: Chido Taco
- 555 Fayetteville St., Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27601
- 2330 Bale St. #100, Raleigh, NC 27608
- 151 SE Cary Parkway, Cary, NC 27511
On the outside, Chido Taco in Raleigh’s McNeill Pointe looks pretty similar to other food spots around the shopping center off of Wake Forest Road.
But once inside, it’s designed to make you feel like you’re walking into a market in Mexico.
Filled with a flavorful aroma of sweet and savory street-style tacos freshly made in an open kitchen by the front door, the counter-service restaurant is colored with hints of reds, blues and yellow-painted walls wrapped around neon wire chairs and Corona enamel top tables imported from Mexico.
“We had always wanted to do something like this, more like taqueria-style with quick tacos,” Salvador Alvarez, one of the restaurant’s partners, told The News & Observer.
“We wanted to do something where customers order at the counter with an open kitchen so that they could see how the cooks were cooking their tacos, and something quick and affordable, but with the flavors as close as we can to the flavors we can find in Mexico.”
For most of his life, Salvador Alvarez knew he’d end up working in the food industry. Now, after having worked in restaurants since he was 15, he’s taking the title of having the best taco spot in the Triangle, alongside his cousin, Joel Ibarra, and the very man who helped him get his start in the business.
No stranger to the local food scene, he and his family have also had roles in several other popular Mexican restaurants, The N&O previously reported, including Totopos, La Rancherita and La Buena Vida.
“My uncle — he’s opened restaurants in the Triangle since the ‘90s, so I feel like I got inspiration from him,” Alvarez explained. “I saw that it was possible because he also came to this country without speaking English, and without money, and he was able to make it. So, I saw inspiration from him, and that’s all I know. That’s my passion.”
Catering to just about every craving, Chido Taco has over a dozen tacos, including vegan and vegetarian options — like the classic Taco Al Pastor made with marinated pork and grilled pineapple, and its popular Quesabirria taco made with shredded beef cooked with chilies and melted cheese served in a crispy corn tortilla.
Plus, you can get burritos, bowls, tortas and quesadillas that can all be topped with cucumbers, cilantro, onions and other dips at its salsa bar.
Bringing a taste of Mexico to Raleigh
When Chido Taco opened its doors in 2019, Alvarez said the plan was to open more locations fairly quickly. But that came to halt once they were hit with the harsh uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was very tough, because we had only been open a few months, and the restaurant was doing really good, and then, you know, the pandemic happened,” he explained. “At the time, we had not established a big number of customers online for takeout so we were barely surviving, … sometimes just pulling money from our own pocket to keep the restaurant open. But thankfully, we were able to make it.”
During a time when so many businesses bore the brunt of local lockdowns, Chido Taco stayed afloat and eventually expanded with two more locations, in downtown Raleigh and Cary.
“It was very hard for us, but we’re very grateful for the people who kept on coming and gave us the opportunity to still be here,” Johana Castro, general manager, said.
So, looking back after nearly six years, it means a lot to the team to be named the best taco spot in the Triangle.
“It makes me feel proud and thankful. Now I even want to invest more time to make it even better, so that next year and the year after, we’re still voted number one,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez also had a hand in launching the local business voted number two on the list of best taco spots around town: Gringo A Go Go, run by his other cousin, Fredy Alvarez.
Finalist for best tacos in the Triangle: Gringo A Go Go
Location: 100 N. Person St., Raleigh, NC 27601
Like Chido Taco, the tiny white cantina on a corner bordering Raleigh’s Oakwood neighborhood is known for drawing in a crowd. Whether it be from a quick solo lunch break from the office downtown or a group of friends having chips and salsa with a margarita, it’s hard to imagine that the historic building — once home to a gas station and a bar — was ever home to anything but Gringo A Go Go.
Stepping inside the tiny taco spot, you instantly feel a world away as if in Mexico itself — making it easy to forget the former life of the building just blocks from the State Capitol building.
Adorned with brightly colored Papel picado (traditional Mexican paper cutouts strung together as a decorative banner), along with cowboy hats, piñatas and succulents in Calvera (skull) planters, the restaurant is a visual fiesta. And most people don’t even grab a seat inside. On sunny days, the restaurant’s staff is mostly serving diners on its covered patio.
Though it’s been home to multiple businesses, the downtown shop has been known as Gringo A Go Go since 2014, which Fredy Alvarez took over five years ago.
For years, he’d worked in different Mexican restaurants around the area. But he could’ve never imagined that on his first day as the new owner of Gringo A Go Go, just hours after loading in fresh, local ingredients for his favorite authentic dishes, he’d have to close the doors.
“We started the same day the pandemic started. They called me around 1:30 p.m. and they said, ‘You know what, you have to shut it down,’” he told The News & Observer. “That was insane. The first week was crazy. There was nobody here. Everybody freaked out. A week after, to-go pick up just picked up.”
As restrictions eased, he and his team found a way to bring in more customers to enjoy a meal at the restaurant instead — by creating the outdoor patio that’s still their most popular seating area.
“When they opened the first 25% capacity, we already had a 75% capacity, because of all the tables that we put aside,” he explained.
‘A real Mexican experience’
Focused on capturing a “real Mexican experience” for customers, Gringo A Go Go offers authentic, homemade burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, empanadas — and, of course, tacos, with meat or vegan filling wrapped in locally made corn tortillas.
“We’re born eating Mexican food, so we know exactly how the Mexican is supposed to taste, especially in the spicy levels,” Alvarez explained.
Alvarez changes the menu to add dishes and drinks based on flavors of the season, either from local farmers or imported from Mexico, so there is often something new to try. Like this month’s grilled-flounder tacos with mango pico de gallo and next month’s blueberry-mango seasonal margaritas.
“I feel so happy when people say, ‘Oh, this is really good,’ because it makes me want to keep doing it. That’s basically my gas to keep working.”
With the help of his wife and son, he said being named one of the best taco spots in the area makes him want to continue doing what he’s doing “the best way possible.”
“I’m glad people understand and appreciate my family’s effort that we try to always be on top of the list in any competition,” he said. “This community is always supporting local businesses. Today, we are still here, and hopefully we will be here for another 10, 20, years to come, and we’ll keep doing what we do the best — Mexican food.”
Best restaurants in the Triangle
Best of the Triangle: Biscuits | Breweries | Brunch | Burgers (Raleigh) | Chicken Wings | Coffee Shops | Doughnuts | French Fries | Fried Chicken | Hot Dogs | Pizza | Sports Bars | Steakhouses | Sushi
A few notes:
This contest was not a scientific poll or survey — just for fun! Readers were able to nominate their favorite spots and vote as many times as they’d like by refreshing the webpage.
We only considered local recommendations, so chain restaurants with more than 25 locations were excluded.
Editor’s note: If you reached your free article limit from The News & Observer, you had to subscribe to nominate a restaurant (and later, cast votes).
This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 9:06 AM with the headline "This Mexican taqueria was crowned the best taco spot in the Triangle."
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