Urban Taco Safari

500 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 2115 (map)

More than just a fantastic place for impeccable sashimi or a bracingly pickle-rich Ghost of Mary cocktail, the bar at this sexily aquatic Kenmore Square restaurant doles up a savagely cheap Sand Dollar Menu (available when the Sox aren't at home). Said menu serves up more than a tongue-in-cheek pun, including a groaning pair of spicy fish tacos "Baja style" for $5. Slaw slicked with the perfect tart-tang dressing complements the fried chunks of fish in this lusty one-way ticket south of the border.

280 Green St, Cambridge, MA 02139 (map)

Delectable $4 tacos and crafted tequila cocktails and Mexican beers to wash them all down--it's practically heaven, only minus Saint Peter. Such pleasures lie in wait every Wednesday, self-dubbed Taco Night, at Central Square's warmly bustling bar. The mid-week fiesta sports fat, double-layered corn tortillas stuffed with such tasty treats as fried fish with tartar and celery root slaw or spicy-spicy beef and mushroom with poblanos and house hot sauce--all doused with a serious pile of fresh cilantro. Serious.

300 Summer St, Boston, MA 02210 (map)

Consider the Channel a wine- and beer-flowing oasis among the relative dearth of affordable, artist-friendly, high-quality dining spots in Fort Point. The cafe courts casually chic customers with West Coast-esque eats like quiche of the day and housemade veggie burgers, but the California-style fish tacos on the lunch menu are splendidly hearty. Soft flour tortillas provide a bed for baked tilapia, topped with salsa verde, avocado and jalapenos, with rice, black beans and greens rounding out the plate. Ah--we feel redeemably healthy already. More beer?

1 Lansdowne Street, Boston, MA 02215 (map)

We say Ken Oringer; you say what? Holy molecular gastronomy? Ridiculously sumptuous, inventive meats? Tapas that seduced this town? Here's one more: TACOS TEQUILA THROWDOWN. The chef-restaurateur's empire includes this Mexican taqueria outpost perched across Fenway Park, an irreverent and fantastic patio'd anchor along party-hardy Lansdowne Street. Authentic tongue, chorizo and Grandma's tripe varieties mingle on the menu; and if you like chicken, carnitas or pork pastor tacos, they're available for a mere $1 on Tuesdays (on non-game days, silly).

513 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116 (map)

Picco does its Pizza and Ice Cream Company namesake proud--that is, painstakingly handmade pizzas and so-creamy-you'll-cry desserts. However, hidden among the elegantly no-frills eats like homemade meatball calzones and ravioli of the day are the superlative fish tacos. Handmade corn tortillas coddle the nuggets of freshly fried haddock, slathered with black beans, vegetable-studded slaw, avocado vinaigrette, spicy mayo and cilantro. It's a surprising and worthy turn for this humbly great South End hangout. Just save room for the (oh, yes!) Left Hand milk-stout-and-ice-cream cow tipper frappe.

647 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02118 (map)

Think Tuesdays are generally a slow spot in the weekly restaurant rhythm? You might reconsider that as you crawl over the happy hordes indulging themselves at this South End stalwart's $2 Taco Tuesday. Available all night at both the restaurant and next-door Sister Sorel, the two-buck offerings (listed on a cute-as-a-button mini clipboard) range from an unctuous chicharonnes taco with pico de gallo to a sprawling scallop and fried fish taco with chipotle mayo. Toss in the mix a goat cheese quesadilla and fried plantains--a perfect margarita pairing, natch.