In the heart of St Johns, this cheery taco shop with rainbow decor serves whimsical creations that are almost too pretty to eat. Hard shell Groovy Tacos come stuffed with savory-smoky, subtly sweet cauliflower “ground meat,” complemented by shredded purple cabbage with pico de gallo and dollops of avocado crema. The Cute Lil Street Tacos involve maple barbecue jackfruit and vegan cotija on soft corn tortillas. Everything that comes out of The Groovy Floret’s kitchen is vegan, gluten free, soy free, nut free, and sprinkled with edible flowers. The shop supports humanitarian causes like March For Our Lives by offering a free taco to those for donate.

At their colorful taqueria on Killingsworth, Polo Bañuelos and Carlos Reynoso serve a mashup of Los Angeles street-style and Baja California-style tacos. The tortillas are hand-pressed to order, then filled with extra juicy al pastor, asada, and cilantro-lime-marinated house-made seitan; they’re finished with cashew crema and pico de gallo. In addition to the seitan taco trio that put Mis Tacones on the map, find specials like crispy Baja “fish” and beancurd chicharrón at the shop. The wonderfully queer taqueria is also home to excellent vegan burritos, nachos, quesadillas, and Mexican brunch plates. Inspired by Gay4U in Oakland, the shop has a pay-it-forward system and provides free meals to trans people of color as a way of supporting their community.

Specializing in Mexico City street fare, this food cart turned brick and mortar on Alberta layers Three Sisters Nixtamal corn tortillas with red rice, meatless guisados, almond-soy sour cream, and scratch-made, extra smooth salsas. The chipotle-braised jackfruit and caramelized onion tinga, garlicky mushrooms, fried tofu chicharrón, and jackfruit suadero tacos are some of Chilango’s highlights, alongside the esquites corn salad with house almond queso fresco. The taqueria is bright and airy with lucha libre-themed decor, including flowy curtains depicting luchador cats. Since opening the shop, owner Vanessa Arochi has added other snacks to the menu, such as hojaldrita sliders, refried bean sopecitos, and even a mini quesadilla and salsa flight.

In addition to the ramen menu that lures diners to Williams, Kayo’s Ramen Bar offers a creative Japanese twist on tacos, serving familiar flavors and ingredients from the shop’s popular ramen bowls. Corn tortillas arrive filled with grilled tofu, slathered in mouth-tingling mala sauce or a distinctive chimichurri-style sauce made of umeboshi pickled plums, then topped with julienned cucumber, pickled ginger, and chopped daikon. While a taco or two makes a good starter before slurping ramen noodles, it’s worth visiting the shop to just for the tofu tacos alone. Rinse them down with a sake margarita with a mala salt rim.

Although Tight Tacos’ Instagram feed is mostly dominated by giant burrito cross sections, the tacos, served on soft, hand-pressed tortillas, are still a major attraction at the Portland outposts at the Zipper and on Division. Out of the meatless fillings, the soy chorizo and cleverly named Impastor — adobo-marinated cauliflower instead of pork — pack the most flavor. Tacos are topped with plenty of minced onions and cilantro, but customers can add on a mountain of guacamole too.

Specializing in guisados and handmade tortillas, Los Puñales offers several vegetable tacos, including refried black beans, sauteed zucchini, poblano chilis, and soy curl chipotle-marinated tinga. For the standout vegan mole taco, Brian Aster and David Madrigal braise “meaty” soy curls in savory-rich poblano mole sauce. The tacos are on the smaller side, allowing diners to have one as a quick snack or build out a whole meal to sample different fillings. The Belmont taqueria’s patio seating is prime for people watching, while enjoying veggie tacos, Ice Queen paletas, vegan horchata, and agua frescas.

With several locations throughout Portland, Los Gorditos is well-known for its extensive menu of vegan, vegetarian, and meaty Mexican dishes, including the famous Garbage Burrito. The shop offers a number of vegan taco fillings, including refried pinto beans, fajita veggies, tofu chunks, grilled soy curls, and soy chorizo. Tacos arrive with onion and cilantro, but diners can add on more toppings like jalapenos, vegan cheese shreds, and vegan sour cream, while dine-in customers can take advantage of the salsa bar.

At this vegetarian comfort food cart in the Carts on Foster pod, diners will find satisfyingly “meaty” vegan mushroom and jackfruit carnitas tacos topped with minced onion and cilantro. CoKiea’s tacos come as an order of three with rice and beans on the side. Although the tacos can be easily transported, they’re best enjoyed at the pod (or in your car) so the lightly crispy corn tortillas retain their crunch straight off the grill. Other popular items include black bean-lentil meatloaf, vegetable gumbo, and vegan lasagna.

This family-run taqueria with a distinctive orange and green facade is a favorite among residents of the Alberta and Woodstock neighborhoods. Easy for vegans and vegetarians to navigate, the menu involves popular vegan alternatives, such as Tofutti sour cream. Although the wet burrito slathered in enchilada sauce is a hot menu item at El Nutri Taco, the simple-but-tasty tacos filled with chipotle tempeh, soy curls, or potatoes make a good lunch option. Diners can dress them up further with salsas, grilled cactus, and pickled jalapenos.