Barbacoa, brisket, and carne asada are taco staples in Texas, but beef prices are on the rise. The number of cattle in the U.S. has dropped to its lowest point in decades, thanks to drought, low herd sizes, and the new world screwworm. From Houston Public Media, Natalie Weber reports that taco shops and grocery shoppers alike are feeling the pinch - and changing their habits.

Lucinea Canyfer Vazquez, ringing up customers at Monchy's taqueria in Houston, says beef prices are up about $2 a pound since last year. Her family had to raise prices, even on the Taco Tuesday special. “We increased 50 cents,” she says. “That hurt my heart, but we had to do it.” According to the USDA, wholesale beef prices were up nearly 16% in May compared to last year, and they're expected to rise another 9% in 2026. Taqueros across Texas say this is the latest blow in a string of rising fuel costs and inflation.

Kelsey Erickson Streufert of the Texas Restaurant Association notes that restaurants can only raise prices so much before the taco loses its main selling point: affordability. Mando Rayo, host of the “Tacos Of Texas” podcast, says taco trucks are especially vulnerable - they can't buy in bulk like chains, and they're hesitant to raise prices on their loyal neighborhood customers. “They'd rather be loyal to their community than to raise prices by even $1,” he says.

At Trap Tacos, a food truck run by 26-year-old Alonzo Peraza, he shops at different suppliers to cut costs but hasn't changed his menu or prices. “People come to me for the flavor, for the meat. I don't want to change that,” he says. Back at Monchy's, Vazquez has noticed some customers switching to cheaper chicken or pork, but regular Jessey Rojas isn't budging from his steak fajitas. “If it calls, it calls, but you only live once, and you might as well eat,” he says. And that, apparently, is the sound of a Texan refusing to let inflation ruin a good taco.