Taco Tour Manchester Returns for 2025

Photo by Ethos & Able Creative

The world’s largest taco tour is back for another year! On May 8, 2025, from 4 to 8 p.m. downtown Manchester, participating restaurants will dish up deliciously creative $3 tacos, and compete for the coveted Taco Trophy.

For four hours on the week of Cinco de Mayo, Manchester residents and visitors will have the chance to eat their way through the city’s cuisine vis-à-vis taco. Over 60 restaurants are planning to set up shop on Elm Street and sling tacos for $3-a-piece (cash-only).

“Taco Tour is a 4 hour food extravaganza, and the absolute can’t miss event for foodies in New England,” says Cole Riel, the official director of the Taco Tour, says, “We have over 100 different taco options that will be served. It’ll be a great experience for everyone who attends, and if you don’t you’ll have FOMO until next year. I’ve never seen such vibrant culinary options in the community before!”

Photo by Ethos & Able Creative

“We have a huge variety of folks — from Indian restaurants to sushi restaurants to more traditional Mexican restaurants — involved in this event and it really highlights the diversity that we have downtown in Manchester,” says Riel, “Manchester is an incredibly diverse city in what’s often thought of as not a super diverse area of the country, so to be able to showcase that and get folks thinking about different ways to sample their food, the taco is a terrific way to do that.”

Taco Tour Manchester first got its start in 2011 under the name “Hippo de Mayo Taco Challenge,” started by alt-weekly Manchester newspaper The Hippo. Riel, who grew up in nearby Goffstown, says the event began as a business promotion offering a smaller spread of local tacos before quickly expanding. In 2018, the city agreed to shut down Elm Street to vehicular traffic to accommodate the vast crowds filling the streets, something it’s done every Taco Tour since.

“Over the past few years, we’ve  really tried to make the experience as positive as possible for attendees and participating restaurants,” says Riel, “At the city level, our communication this year has all around has been the best that it’s ever been. We’re hoping for good weather and a terrific crowd to come out and experience our downtown restaurant scene. 78% of folks who attend the Taco Tour try a new restaurant! We have something new going on every day downtown.”

In addition to munching on tacos, Riel and the Chamber have a number of additional activities in store. This year’s Grand Marshall, Broadway actor and Manchester native, Max Clayton, will kick off the day by eating the Tour’s inaugural taco; this year’s guest of honor has yet to be announced, and Riel says they’ll be one for the record books.

While visitors are enjoying their taco feast, there will be live music by Sugar Kings and The Far out on the M&T Bank Bandstand Stage. The Real Deal Jazz Combi  will play on the 92.5 The River Stage at the Beacon Building, and DJ Reklss will be performing at the Doubletree Hilton.

Additionally, all attendees are encouraged to vote for their favorite taco on tacotourmanchester.com. The winning restaurant receives $1,000 to donate to a charity of their choice and the much-sought-after “Best Taco” trophy. “How do we make Manchester a destination for culture, experience and, most importantly of all, food?” Riel says. “I think any community needs to find what’s unique to it. When we think about Manchester, we need to have things that make it a unique destination, and Taco Tour is definitely one of those things.”

Photo by Ethos & Able Creative

As a seasoned (pun-intended) Taco Tour veteran, Riel recommends a few tips to make the most of the event. Most importantly, proper preparation. “Map,” he says. “The map (available on the event’s official website) will drop the week before the event, and that’s really when you have to sit down with your friends, family, whoever’s coming with you to the event, and circle your top destinations. There’ll be a lot of options but you need to figure out where your top priorities are.” He compares the Tour to Disney World, with its bustling crowds and dizzying sensory overload. “You can’t just walk into the Magic Kingdom and expect to waltz onto all the rides,” Riel says. “That’s very similar to Taco Tour.” Additionally, he advises attendees arrive early and make a whole day of it.

“We’re most excited to be working with our friends at Casamigos,” says Riel, “Everything lined up this time around, so they’ll be here doing sampling at some spots around Elm St.,, and we are really excited to have them involved in the event!”

All in all, Riel hopes the Taco Tour provides Manchester residents and tourists alike the chance to recognize and celebrate the city’s culture. “There’s so much in Manchester to be proud of that other places don’t have,” Riel says. “We feel like this is an amazing city, and every opportunity we have to showcase that to other folks, we really need to take advantage of.”

Taco Tour Manchester takes place on Thursday, May 4, from 4 to 8 p.m. in downtown Manchester. Visit the event’s official website for more information.

Photo by Ethos & Able Creative