My two favorite foods are fried chicken and tacos. This blog is not about fried chicken. This, my friends, is about tacos.

What isn’t to love about a taco? Grab yourself a tortilla and a little imagination and you can turn just about anything into a taco. But the best ones have bold flavors and traditional tastes or creative flair.

Trumbull County has no shortage of delicious Mexican restaurants with excellent selections of tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more, but there are a few that go the extra mile to make their tacos truly special. Here’s a short list of some of the best authentic or unusual tacos in the county.

And don’t worry – I did the hard work of sampling their menus.

Wahaka Taco in Howland

I decided to take a little taco tour of Trumbull County. There was, of course, no better place to start than Wahaka Taco. Well-known local restauranter Mark Canzonetta does Oaxacan-inspired Mexican street tacos quick and easy at this fun, casual eatery.

The menu includes achiote chicken, beef picadillo, jackfruit and street corn and portabella tacos, as well as classic favorites like pork carnitas and birria.

I got a carne asada taco on a mixed corn and flour tortilla. It was one of the prettiest tacos I’ve ever seen – and I eat a lot of tacos. The rich flavor of marinated skirt steak paired perfectly with the dressings and a truly delicious chili lime crèma. And, as a bonus, Wahaka’s staff was super friendly and accommodating – even though I accidentally walked in five minutes before they were closing!

El Hefe in Girard

Next stop: El Hefe. This “Mexican restaurant with a twist,” has street tacos that feel like they’ve come right out of Mexico City. That’s probably because owner Jorge Carreno is actually from there, and opened El Hefe in late 2022 to bring the flavors of his home to Trumbull County.

You can get all your classic tacos here: steak, carnitas, chicken, shrimp, veggie, and yes, even ground beef.

I ordered a barbacoa with a “double decker” hard and soft shell, which I highly recommend trying. I ate this taco so fast that I all I can say about it was that it was too tasty to put down.

Owner Jorge told me I should have ordered the al pastor taco – and then he brought me one. A seemingly simple taco with meat and pineapple served on a double corn tortilla, the al pastor was bold and flavorful. Jorge was right – it was worth adding an extra taco to my lineup! I thoroughly enjoyed the al pastor, even after my mother stole half of the pork right out of the shell!

Bushwick in Warren

This restaurant has one of my favorite origin stories, which is saying a lot in a town full of great restaurants. Bushwick started as a “taco truck,” or really a taco trailer, tucked on the edge of downtown Warren. Brothers Matt and Jerry Dietl, who were originally from New York City, named the operation after a Brooklyn neighborhood.

Folks flocked to the taco truck for flavors Warren hadn’t tasted before, but the Dietls wanted to do more – and now they have. The truck is gone, but a full bar with its very own kitchen sits in its place.

Bushwick boasts a menu that includes fish, chicken, and portabella tacos. When I worked downtown, I was a huge fan of their spicy chorizo. On this particular excursion, I decided to go for steak, and it did not disappoint. Bushwick’s tacos are served on flour tortillas and topped with pico de gallo, shredded cabbage, jalapeño, cilantro, a chile lime aioli, and my personal favorite, cojita cheese!

Tacos come three to an order. Since I had already eaten three tacos by this point, I made a special request to get just one. The kitchen made me three anyway, so I got to enjoy two steak tacos for breakfast the next day. They still tasted just as great!

El Taco Feliz in Warren

Having mapped out my taco route slightly incorrectly, I turned back up Route 422 for one more taco at the charming El Taco Feliz on North River Road.

This little restaurant packs a punch with its authentic food. I look forward to heading back and trying some of their non-taco cuisine and enjoying the chips and salsa.

El Taco Feliz’s authentic street taco selection includes barbacoa, chicken, chorizo, al pastor, and pork. But, at the recommendation of a waitress from an earlier taco stop, I ordered a lengua taco – beef tongue. This was my first time trying tongue and I was pleasantly surprised by the flavorful, savory meat and the unique texture. I convinced my mother to try a bite and she was a bit startled by the softness of the tongue – but hey, at least she didn’t steal all the meat out of my taco again. As for me, I’d eat a tongue taco again, especially at El Taco Feliz.

Nova Coffee Co. in Warren

The morning after my taco excursion, having already eaten my extra tacos from Bushwick, a friend asked me to Nova for lunch. Much to my surprise, the guy sitting next to me had a trio of breakfast tacos! We might have startled him a bit when we asked to take a photo of his food, but he obliged.

While Nova’s tacos might not be authentic Mexican, they certainly are a unique fusion and make for bold breakfast bites. The lineup includes the “OG” with eggs, cheese, pico, avocado and chipotle, a “chorizzle” chorizo taco, and the “micro goat,” with goat cheese and pickled onions.

Never one to pass on a taco, I went for the “meat & potato” with sausage, bacon, cheese, and tater tots. I was a huge fan of this taco that managed to be salty, sweet, and savory all at once! The addition of spicy maple syrup really made for a dynamic flavor. I will be back to try the other tacos.

And, if you like Nova’s breakfast tacos, keep an eye out for their special taco nights. The coffee shop opens in the evening and serves up a varying selection of tacos, chips and salsa, churros, beer, and margaritas.  

BONUS: Beautiful Whirl’d in Warren

While I regret to say I didn’t make it to Beautiful Whirl’d on this particular taco tour, I can tell you from many past lunches that Beautiful Whirl’d makes beautiful tacos.

You can get chicken, buffalo chicken (recommend), beef, or veggie. Or, if you’re up and hungry before 10:30 a.m., grab a breakfast taco with eggs and a choice of bacon, veggies, or potatoes. My favorite things about these tacos is that they all come with chipotle ranch, and they’re filling, too. And, if you’re feeling a bit crunchy, you can order any taco as a crunch wrap instead.

Like Nova, you can sometimes catch Beautiful Whirl’d open late for taco nights, especially on Fridays when Modern Methods holds its Night Markets. So, keep an eye on the schedule!

So, whether you like authentic street tacos, beef tongue or breakfast – Trumbull County has a taco for you. And, if you’re like me, you’re just going to have to try them all.