National Taco Day: Five Nearby Places to Find'em

Oct. 4 is National Taco Day, a day to commemorate the delicious Mexican tortilla treat so beloved that someone named a fast food chain after it.

Interesting tidbit: the exact origins of the taco are unknown, but one theory attributes the name to Mexican coal miners, because "taco is what they called the small paper-rolled explosives used to excavate walls inside the mines.

Anyway, here are five local places to find a taco:

Casa Blanca: This traditional Mexican restaurant actually doesn't list tacos on their menu, ironically. But you can order their small crispy taquito bites, served with pico de gallo, cheese, sauce, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole.

Chipotle: For a quick taco lunch, head to Chipotle. Their tacos come in crispy and soft and have braised, adobo-marinated grilled chicken or steak, salsa, cheese, sour cream and romaine lettuce.

Cafe Azteca: Just across the town line in Lawrence, Cafe Azteca has their standard $7.50 basic tacos or upgrade to $9.50 tacos stuffed with grilled chicken or steak, guacamole, pico de gallo and lettuce.

Burtons: It may not be a Mexican restaurant, but Burtons has tacos as well. Their fish tacos are filled with bronzed market catch and topped with tomato jalapeno relish, avocado, chipotle lime crema and shredded lettuce.

Jaime's: Another non-Mexican restaurant, Jaime's has an interesting take on fish tacos, Beer Battered Fish Tacos. This meal consists of three grilled tacos filled with fried market catch, lemon dill remoulade, shredded lettuce, tomatoes and cheese.