Duck tacos, anyone? A guide to National Taco Day, from fancy to all-you-can-eat

That most special of all days is upon us, and we have three opportunities to celebrate.

National Taco Day is Thursday, and when to celebrate is obvious: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

If you’re one of the misguided souls who voted Taco Bell as the best Mexican restaurant in America, the California-based chain has a special for you: four crispy tacos for $5.

For the rest of us, see what happens when you don’t vote?

Here are some taco joints to help you decide where to crunch away the day:

▪ Bartaco, 1701 River Run, Fort Worth, is a contemporary Latin-fusion taco hit serving everything from roasted duck street tacos — they’re excellent — to sesame ribeye, glazed pork belly (all $3.50) or the more basic fish, carnitas, chorizo or portobello ($2.50).

Bartaco has standout side dishes, from grilled corn on the cob to chipotle slaw or fresh pineapple. If you’re in the mood for something else, there’s a rotisserie half-chicken, soup or quesadillas. (Yes, there’s a full bar and children’s menu.)

Bartaco is open daily for lunch and dinner; 817-663-8226, bartaco.com.

▪ Fuzzy’s Taco Shop brought Baja-style fish tacos to Fort Worth, and now has more than 160 locations nationwide.

It also brought National Taco Day to Texas in 2010 with the simplest promotion of all: $1 basic tacos all day, including breakfast.

Try a shredded brisket taco or a fish tempura taco, or one of the specialty tacos. There are 15 locations in and around Fort Worth.

▪ As far as trendy tacos, take your pick: Torchy’s Tacos is the Austin-based favorite, but Dallas challengers Velvet Taco and Rusty Taco. both have a strong following.

Torchy’s Taco of the Month is the Tailgater, a panko-fried chicken tender on bacon with green-chile queso and diablo sauce. Torchy’s is also randomly giving away gift cards to five shoppers at each location. Don’t pass up that queso; torchystacos.com

Velvet Taco promotes “globetrotting” tacos such as tikka chicken or Cuban pulled pork, plus breakfast tacos served all day (including a chicken-on-a-waffle-tortilla taco). It’s open at least until midnight and into the wee hours Thursday through Saturday; 2700 W. Seventh St.; velvettaco.com

Rusty Taco serves more than 20 street tacos with fresh salsas and a wide-ranging drink menu. It has locations in Fort Worth, Hurst and Mansfield; rustytaco.com

▪ The most authentic taquerias don’t have a “crispy taco,” or a national taco holiday.

But for the best in genuine tacos, try someplace like Fort Worth’s Salsa Limon or Taco Heads restaurants, Frezko Taco Spot in north Fort Worth or Southlake, El Piquin in Grapevine, Mi Cocula in west Fort Worth or the little Fort Worth taquerias like Juanito’s on Hemphill Street or Guajardo’s or Tres Betos on 28th Street.

▪ Dallas-based On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina is one of the more boring Tex-Mex chains, but not on National Taco Day.

OTB’s Thursday deal is tough to pass up: all-you-can-eat beef or chicken tacos, crispy or soft, for $8.99, including rice, beans, chips and salsa.

It’s not the best taco option, but it’s the biggest.

On the Border is open daily for lunch and dinner at five Tarrant County locations; ontheborder.com.

▪ If you must eat chain tacos, bypass the Bell.

Fort Worth-based Taco Casa has the best crispy or soft tacos at a drive-through window, and a remarkable number of special deals and text-message coupons.

Taco Casa’s tacos are 100 percent beef and come with an optional green sauce for extra fire.

There are about 20 locations in and around Fort Worth tacocasatexas.com.

▪ The best old-timey crispy beef tacos are at the oldest continuously operating restaurant (same location) in Tarrant County, The Original Mexican Eats Cafe, at 4713 Camp Bowie Blvd. since Geronimo and Lola Pineda founded it in 1930. It’s open daily except Mondays; originalmexcafe.com.

Or maybe they’re at Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Dishes, 2201 N. Commerce St. since 1936. If you’ve only gone at night, there’s a larger menu at lunch including a taco plate; joetgarcias.com.

Or maybe they’re at Dos Molina’s Mexican Restaurant, 404 N.W. 25th St., a classic neighborhood Tex-Mex restaurant with bargain prices and particularly well-seasoned taco beef. (It’s open for lunch every day, dinner Thursdays through Sundays.)

Or maybe they’re at another old-time Tex-Mex cafe.

I’ll recheck by next Taco Day.

This story was originally published October 1, 2018 at 10:40 AM.