Which local restaurant has the best leftover tacos? We put 5 to the test 🌮| Reheated Eats

We had a (reheated) taco party at The Enquirer's new downtown office.

Five Enquirer taco experts sought to find the best leftover tacos in Cincinnati. We all brought in our favorites, warmed them up and put them to the test, eventually rating each taco out of five. The restaurants we decided on were La Mexicana, Mazunte Centro, Bakersfield, Jorge's Taco Truck and Taco Bell (we had to give the chains some love).

Here is how they fared. The final rankings were based on each taco's average rating. The person who brought the taco in also gave their thoughts.

Let us know if there are any other local tacos we should try, and be sure to watch our video on YouTube at youtube.com/@CincyEnquirer.

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5th place: Taco Bell - Doritos Locos Tacos

• Restaurant address: 9200 Winton Road, Springfield Township.

• Price: $3.16 each (DoorDashed because I'm a terrible, lazy person).

• Ingredients: Beef, cheese, Dorito's flavored "hard" taco shell, magic dust.

• Notes: I got these in the non-supreme format, and without lettuce, because I thought they would reheat better. (Spoiler alert: They did not.)

• Overall rating: 1.8/5 😫

• Final thoughts: Well, Doritos Locos Tacos should not be reheated. Ever. They should be snarfed immediately when they arrive at your door or as late as possible from the drive-thru. The shell had zero chance of holding up to the mushy meat overnight. We'll have to try these drunk next time for the real test. Or, you know, just stick with the chicken quesadilla if you plan to have leftovers (extra creamy jalapeno sauce). – Rasputin Todd, entertainment editor.

4th place: Bakersfield - Short rib tacos

• Restaurant address: 1213 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine.

• Price: $4.50 each.

• Ingredients: Braised short rib, queso fresco, onion, radish and cilantro.

• Notes: The meat held up well after being reheated (it was just as juicy as it normally is fresh out the kitchen). However, the flavor wasn't as strong a day later. That might have been what hurt Bakersfield's final rating. That and the fact we ate these last.

• Overall rating: 3.5/5

• Final thoughts: Does finishing with such a poor rating mean you should never reheat Bakersfield tacos? No. These were still delicious, and the meat was so juicy Haadiza had it dripping all over her mouth. The problem might have been that we ate these last. They just simply weren't as good as the winning tacos. So, if you're like me and you enjoy visiting Bakersfield for its chips and guac and margaritas, it is totally fine to take some leftovers home for the next day. – David Wysong, news of now editor.

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3rd place: Jorge's Taco Truck - Birria tacos with cheese

• Restaurant address: 3980 Erie Ave., Oakley.

• Price: $12 for three.

• Ingredients: Corn tortillas, slow-cooked beef, cheese, cilantro and onions, plus consommé for dipping.

• Notes: These need a little extra longer to reheat because of the amount of beef in the taco and the number of tortillas involved. The consommé was served on the side, so the tacos didn't get soggy overnight.

• Overall rating: 3.8/5

• Final thoughts: These tacos tasted about the same as they did the night before, and the tortillas held up. I never have leftovers of these, but now I know I can buy two orders next time and enjoy the extras the next day. – Jackie Borchardt, news director for content.

2nd place: La Mexicana - Birria tacos with goat meat

• Restaurant address: 642 Monmouth St., Newport.

• Price: $5.53 each.

• Ingredients: Slow-cooked goat with cheese, onions and cilantro on soft flour tortillas.

• Notes: I substituted corn tortillas for flour because it is my preference, and I knew it would reheat better. My strategy definitely paid off. Although these tacos did not win, the group unanimously agreed they tasted the freshest.

• Overall rating: 4.3/5

• Final thoughts: These are by far my favorite tacos in Cincinnati. I was unsure how the group would react, as many of them had never had goat meat. But they were very well received. I highly recommend them fresh or reheated, but if you save them for the next day, flour tortillas are the way to go! – Haadiza Ogwude, news of now reporter.

1st place: Mazunte Centro - Barbacoa tacos

• Restaurant address: 611 Main St., Cincinnati.

• Price: $12 for three.

• Ingredients: Slow-roasted beef, avocado salsa, red jalapeno salsa, salsa amarilla on soft corn tortillas with onion and cilantro.

• Notes: Thanks to the soft corn tortillas, these tacos didn't reheat very well. But luckily, the beef was so juicy and flavorful that it more than made up for the overall appearance. These tacos were packed full of flavor and were a favorite among the other taste-testers.

• Overall rating: 4.5/5

• Final thoughts: These were my favorite tacos of the afternoon, and ones I definitely recommend either for same-day or next-day eating. Just be prepared for a little mess (but a big payoff) if you plan to reheat them. – Emily DeLetter, news of now reporter.

Watch the taste test to see what we all thought of the tacos.

Were these the rankings you would have gone with? Watch the taste test video below, and let us know in the YouTube comments which tacos you think would have won, or if there are any we missed. We might do this again!

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: From Taco Bell to Bakersfield, we ranked 5 reheated Cincinnati tacos