Toronto’s best cheap tacos right now

1. Itacate’s Volcan

There’s an excess of great tacos here, but the Volcan—with its boldly seasoned strips of steak, sweet caramelized onions and stretchy layer of mozzarella—sits at the top of the menu for good reason. $8. @itacate_to

2. Tacos 101’s al pastor

After his original downtown location was kicked out by a condo in 2018, chef Julio Campos took his trompo to Kensington Market. He swaddles his al pastor pork shavings in a double layer of corn tortillas along with a dollop of avocado sauce, onion, cilantro and a fat spear of fresh pineapple. $6.25. tacos101.ca Related: Where to eat for $10 or less in Toronto

3. Puerto Bravo’s pulpo al carbón

This taqueria in Little India—whose owners hail from the Mexican port city of Tampico—stuffs its tortillas not with carnitas or al pastor but with seafood, like smoky and tender grilled octopus laced with a vibrant house salsa macha. $8.50. puertobravo.ca

4. Seven Lives’ Gobernador

This long-standing Kensington Market taqueria doesn’t call itself “Home of the Gobernador” for nothing. The fan favourite is crafted like so: two corn tortillas are blanketed with melted queso, crammed with smoked blue marlin and chubby shrimp, then topped off with pickled onions and a lashing of crema. It may seem like an unholy marriage to some, but we give it our full blessing. $8. sevenlivesto.ca Related: The best budget-friendly burgers in Toronto

5. Gus Tacos’ carnitas

Gus does almost everything in house, including its tortillas and colourful salsas and hot sauces. It’s hard to go wrong with the classic carnitas, shreds of meltingly tender braised pork topped with diced white onion and cilantro. $5. tacosgus.ca