National Taco Day deals and specials at Taco Bell, Del Taco and more

America’s top taco spot is in Los Angeles

California dominated all other states in the taco spot rankings with 45 out of the top 100 spots, followed by Texas, Arizona, and Hawaii.

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• National Taco Day is now celebrated on the first Tuesday of October, which falls on Oct. 7 this year.
• Taco Bell and other national and local restaurants are offering deals and specials to celebrate the occasion.
• In addition to savory tacos, dessert options like the Tacolate and Nestlé Toll House Cookie Taco kits are also available.

If Taco Tuesday is your favorite day of the week, this upcoming one on Oct. 7 is special – it’s National Taco Day.

Constantly craving tacos? Taco Bell and many other taco destinations have specials on Oct. 7 to celebrate National Taco Day, a made-up holiday that in the past hit annually on Oct. 4. However, National Taco Day is now celebrated on the first Tuesday in October after Taco Bell and the National Day Calendar teamed up to ensure that following Taco John’s relinquishment of its “Taco Tuesday” trademark two years ago.

In addition to national and regional taco spots, remember to check the social media accounts of local favorites for more specials.

National Taco Day: Why it hasn’t always been on a Tuesday

Taco Bell’s National Taco Day deals

Fast food giant Taco Bell has unveiled its National Taco Day deals, which include $1 Cantina Chicken Soft Tacos given away to members of the Taco Bell Rewards loyalty program in the Taco Bell app.

The drops run every two hours, starting Tuesday, Oct. 7, at noon ET/9 a.m. PT and 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The first drop gives you a chance to win one of 500 limited-edition National Taco Day T-shirts. Subsequent drops include 25,000 $1 taco deals available every two hours. The last drop includes 100 chances to win free Taco Tuesdays for a year (100 $160 gift cards available for redemption).

Taco Bell Rewards members can also get $5 off Party Packs all day when they order in the Taco Bell app. DoorDash is also offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal on tacos with deliveries.

And Taco Bell has teamed with ice cream company Salt & Straw to bring back the Tacolate, made with a waffle cone taco shell filled with cinnamon ancho chili ice cream, dipped in chocolate, and topped with toasted brown rice. Each comes with two Taco Bell-inspired sauce packets (Mango Jalapeno Sauce and Wildberry Cinnamon Sauce).

Now available at Salt & Straw locations, the Tacolate is also available for nationwide shipping in packs of six from the Salt & Straw website.

National Taco Day deals

• Abuelo’s Mexican Restaurant: On National Taco Day, dine-in customers can add a crispy beef or chicken taco to their entrée for just $1.
• Baja Fresh: Get $5 off your order of $10 or more from Tuesday, Oct. 7, through Friday, Oct. 10. Order online with the code TACO or through your Club Baja Rewards account (one-time use).
• Condado Tacos: Get half off all tacos on Tuesday, Oct. 7 (excludes third-party delivery and catering). Members of the Condado Rewards loyalty program get free delivery on orders over $30.
• Chuy’s: The Tex-Mex chain with more than 100 locations across the U.S. offers National Taco Day deals that include a $1 taco with any entrée purchase and $1 tequila or rum floaters added to your margarita order. And if you dress like a taco – or wear any “taco-inspired costume” – you get a free entrée.

• Del Taco: From Tuesday, Oct. 7, to Thursday, Oct. 9, get a free The Del Taco with a $10 minimum purchase. Orders must be placed or scanned with the Del Yeah! Rewards app or at deltaco.com. (Save the offer in the “Rewards/Your Offers” section of the app, then either check out or order in person. Limit one offer per guest per day.) Also, if you have registered for the Del Yeah! loyalty program, you can enjoy free delivery every weekend in October (Friday to Sunday).
• El Pollo Loco: Through Tuesday, Oct. 7, members of the Loco Rewards loyalty program can get any three chicken tacos for just $5 – you can mix and match from options including the Chicken Taco al Carbon, Chicken Avocado Taco, and Shredded Chicken Taco. Get the deal daily in the Loco Rewards app (redeemable once per day).

• Nestlé: Want tacos for dessert? Get a chance to win a free limited-edition Nestlé Toll House Cookie Taco kit on National Taco Day (10/7). Starting at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 7, go to the Toll House Cookie giveaway website online to be one of the first 25 winners. The kit includes a Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Roll, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, a taco stand and a $25 gift card to cover additional ingredients. Additional giveaways will take place on Nov. 6 and Dec. 4.

• Talkin’ Tacos: The South Florida-based chain has National Taco Day specials at all locations throughout the East Coast and in Texas, including two tacos, a side and a drink for $16.99 as well as an entrée, two tacos and two drinks for $19.99. Also available: the $139.99 Taco Party Box with 30 tacos of your choice.

• Twin Peaks: Get $2 tacos all day long on National Taco Day (Tuesday, Oct. 7). Another deal: $6 house margaritas.
• Torchy’s Tacos: Members of the Torchy’s Rewards loyalty program get a free taco when they purchase one on National Taco Day. Find the deal in your account.
• Velvet Taco: Members of the Velvet Room loyalty program can take part in the Taco Week Challenge, which runs through Saturday, Oct. 11; when you buy a taco you get a free taco reward Oct. 13, which is redeemable through Oct. 17. You can take part in a giveaway on Velvet Taco’s Instagram account from Tuesday, Oct. 7, to Friday, Oct. 10, with 15 winners getting a gift card for their taco tattoo of choice. Also on Oct. 7, there’s a tattoo pop-up at the Velvet Taco in Dallas (4622 Greenville Ave.); the first guest willing to get the Velvet Taco logo tattooed gets free tacos for a year.

• Zaxbys: The chicken-centric chain is giving members of its Zax Rewardz loyalty program a free Chicken Finger Taco with any purchase of $1 or more on National Taco Day (Oct. 7). Use the code TACODAY; the offer is good for the first 10,000 redemption codes.

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at  mikegsnider  &  @mikegsnider.bsky.social  &  @mikesnider & [email protected]

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