Taco trek: Follow a trail of tacos around Charleston

Charleston City Paper staffers trekked the Charleston area for years in search of great tacos.
In 2013, former CP editor Stephanie Barna, along with the help of writer and photographer Paul Cheney, hit up some of the best taco spots in town.

Then in 2017, writer Eric Doksa made an memorable afternoon out of visiting eight taco spots in North Charleston.

Since then, City Paper writers have shared their love for tacos, whether as bar food or as good-ol’-fashioned late night munchies.

Doksa had the right idea. In the seven years since his taco trek, a solid number of food trucks have set up shop along the area of Rivers Avenue, Remount Road and Dorchester Road.

A journey for now

The taco trail can start as early as 8 a.m. Pull up to the parking lot of Iglesia de Jesus Cristo Sendred De Luz off of Rivers Avenue, where the Tacos las Fuentes food truck slings tacos for the early morning crowd to see for yourself. After all, it’s never too early for tacos.

North Charleston isn’t the only geographical area that’s home to a growing number of roadside taco trucks. Head south of downtown Charleston to James and Johns islands to find a number of food trucks, especially on Maybank Highway.

We’ve detailed some of our favorite taco spots in town — from kitchens located in convenience stores and small, specialty restaurants to, of course, taco trucks. Read on for these favorites (listed alphabetically) and then keep on reading for an extensive directory of taco trucks around town.

El Molino Supermarket
1610 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., Suite 301. West Ashley
(843) 225-8244
5900 Rivers Ave. North Charleston
(843) 261-8260

El Molino’s Supermarket’s taqueria has simple, delicious tacos topped with onions and cilantro, a side of salsa and radish and cucumber slices. Choose from a variety of proteins, including barbacoa, pastor and carne asada. And don’t miss out on the spot’s Taco Tuesday taco box, which is chock full of tacos for just $35.

La Fogata of Johns lsland
3265 Maybank Hwy. Johns Island
(843) 557-5162

A favorite on Johns Island, La Fogata serves tacos, quesadillas, tortas and burritos. Tacos come in orders of four with a wide variety of proteins including barbacoa, pescado, pastor, pollo, azada, carnitas and more. Get your fix for lunch six days a week and enjoy your meal to-go or at one of the spot’s covered picnic tables.

La Fogata of Johns Island serves a wide variety of proteins on their popular tacos | Photo by Steve Aycock

Lola’s Authentic Mexican Cuisine
4310 Rivers Ave. North Charleston
(843) 925-5243

Drive by the corner of Rivers and Durant any day during lunch and you’ll see that Lola’s serves up a hungry, busy lunch crowd. Order from a menu that includes burritos, tortas, empanadas and tacos, with proteins like barbacoa and al pastor. Pair your lunch with a nice cold Jarritos and enjoy it to-go or at one of Lola’s parking lot tables.

**Lola’s Authentic Mexican Cuisine** at 4310 Rivers Ave. North Charleston | Photo by Joey Izzo

Lucy’s Deliveries y mas
933 Red Bank Road. Goose Creek
(843) 870-2991
lucysdeliveriesymassc.com

Lucy’s is worth the drive into Goose Creek. The vibes are friendly and inviting, and the tacos are just as superb. Tacos will set you back about $3 per taco, and only $4 for birria tacos — if you’re ready to get your hands a little dirty.

Maya del Sol Kitchen
1813 Reynolds Ave., Suite B North Charleston
(843) 225-2390
raulsmayadelsol.com

Though Maya del Sol Kitchen is known for its unique chef’s table experience with chef and owner Raul Sanchez, it never hurts to stop by earlier in the day on Wednesday to Friday for a quick lunch. The menu rotates with choices that can range from ceviche to tamales to even tacos. And trust us, you don’t want to miss the tacos.

You can’t go wrong with lunch tacos from North Charleston’s Maya del Sol Kitchen | Photo by Scott Suchy

Tacos las Fuentes
2068 Harley St. North Charleston

If you’re up early in the morning and starving, Tacos las Fuentes is the spot to go. You can’t miss it — it’s the bright yellow truck parked outside Iglesia de Jesus Cristo Sendred De Luz. Tacos are served on a tough corn tortilla to hold the contents. The meats are topped with, of course, onions and cilantro, and the salsa is smooth and spicy. FYI, this spot is cash only, so bring out the Jacksons and Hamiltons, depending on the amount of tacos you want ($3 per taco). And if you miss out in the morning, chances are you can find the truck further up Rivers Avenue for a nice lunchtime meal.

Tacos los Primos
5935 Rivers Ave. North Charleston
(843) 330-2905
tacoslosprimosllcsc.com

Serving lunch and dinner daily, Tacos los Primos also offers something few other taco trucks do: an online ordering system. Order from a wide variety of tacos, with proteins that include steak, chicken, shrimp and fried pork rinds.

Tierra Caliente
134 St James Ave., Unit 7. Goose Creek
(843) 718-1132

With an average 4.9 stars on Yelp, you know Goose Creek’s Tierra Caliente is going to be good. The strip mall restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily and serves everything from street corn to tamales to, you guessed it, tacos. Piled high with onions and cilantro, tacos are served with a side of radishes, limes and grilled veggies.

The tacos at Goose Creek’s Tierra Caliente are topped with cilantro and onions and served with a side of grilled veggies | Photo by Joey Izzo Credit: Joey Izzo

Torres Superettes
843 Rutledge Ave. Downtown
(843) 937-0707

If we’re talking about taco spots beloved by CP staffers, we’d be remiss not to mention the kitchen at Torres Superettes, which fed the City Paper for years when the paper’s headquarters were on Rutledge Avenue. Head to the back of the convenience store to order lunch six days a week. We’re partial to the steak tacos.