How many tacos per person?

Want to cook it yourself? See our how to make tacos.

The short answer

As a rule of thumb, most caterers plan two to four tacos per person when tacos are the main meal, and more for hungry crowds. Street-style tacos are small, made on soft tortillas a little bigger than your palm, so one or two on their own feel like a snack rather than a meal.

That range is a starting point, not a fixed figure. The right number for your event depends on what else is being served, the time of day, who your guests are, and whether people serve themselves from a taco bar. When you book a caterer, you don’t need to do the sums yourself. Tell them your numbers, timings and the rest of the menu, and they’ll size the food. This guide helps you understand their thinking and check it makes sense.

What changes the number

• Is it the main meal? Tacos as the only hot food mean bigger portions than tacos served alongside a buffet or barbecue.
• Other courses. Canapés, nachos, chips and dips or a starter all take the edge off appetites. So does a big dessert table.
• Time of day. A late lunch after a long morning, or a festival afternoon in the sun, tends to mean bigger appetites than evening food after a full wedding breakfast.
• Who’s coming. A sports club, a team of builders or a group of students will eat more than a family party with lots of grandparents and small children.
• Alcohol and dancing. Guests who have been drinking and dancing for a few hours are often hungrier than you’d expect by late evening.
• Sides. Rice, beans, slaw, salads and tortilla chips fill people up, so you need fewer tacos when they’re on the menu.

Rules of thumb by type of event

These are general guides that many caterers start from. Your caterer will adjust them to your event.

If you’re offering burritos, burrito bowls or loaded nachos instead of, or as well as, tacos, the maths changes. A burrito or a burrito bowl is usually one portion per person on its own. Nachos tend to be a sharing dish or a side.

Taco bars and self-service

With a build-your-own taco bar, guests fill their own tortillas from a spread of fillings, salsas and toppings. People tend to take what they want and come back if they’re still hungry, so it’s harder to count tacos. Caterers usually plan a taco bar by the weight of fillings and the number of tortillas per guest rather than a strict taco count, with a sensible margin.

Two things help a taco bar go well: tell guests roughly how many to take on the first pass (a small sign is enough), and make sure the food comes out at a steady pace rather than all at once. Our taco bar guide goes into more detail.

Splitting the fillings

It’s rarely one number. Most events have two or three fillings, for example a pork, a chicken and a vegan option. Ask about diets on your invitation or RSVP so you know roughly how many guests are vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or dairy-free, and how many have allergies.

A few practical points:

• Meat eaters often try a vegetarian or vegan taco too, so don’t size the vegan filling only for the vegans.
• Gluten-free guests need corn tortillas made without wheat, and tortillas and toppings kept separate. Tell your caterer specifically about anyone with coeliac disease.
• Guests with allergies should be named on the list you send, with how severe the allergy is.

Our menus include vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options, with allergen information for every dish.

Evening food at weddings and parties

Evening food is usually served after a full meal, often around nine in the evening, to guests who have been dancing. Not everyone eats. Many couples cater for a proportion of the evening guest list rather than every single guest, especially if the wedding breakfast was generous. On the other hand, evening guests who missed the day may arrive hungry. Talk this through with your caterer. See our evening wedding food ideas for more.

A worked example

Imagine a summer party for 80 adults and 10 children. There are chips, salsa and guacamole when guests arrive, tacos as the main meal at about 2pm, and a cake later. Your RSVPs show eight vegetarians, four vegans and one guest with coeliac disease.

• Adults: tacos are the main meal, with chips and dips beforehand. Plan around the middle of the two-to-four range for each adult.
• Children: one or two tacos each, probably mild chicken or cheese quesadillas.
• Fillings: two meat fillings for most guests, plus a vegan filling sized for the twelve vegetarians and vegans with a margin for meat eaters who want to try it.
• The coeliac guest: corn tortillas and a filling and toppings checked for gluten, kept separate and served first or on their own.

Your caterer will fine-tune this based on their own experience, but thinking in groups like this, rather than one big total, is the right approach.

Running out versus waste

A small margin is better than running short, but huge surpluses waste food and money. Give accurate numbers, update your caterer when RSVPs come in, and don’t round up wildly just in case. Cooked meat and rice need care once served, so leftovers aren’t always something you can take home. Ask your caterer what happens to any leftover food.

Ready to plan? Send us your numbers and timings and we’ll suggest quantities as part of your quote. Our guide to feeding 100 guests covers larger events.

Quick answers

How many tacos per person for a party?

Most caterers plan two to four tacos per person as a main, towards the top of that range for hungry crowds and towards the bottom when there are plenty of sides.

How many tacos for evening food?

Usually one or two per guest who eats, and not every evening guest will.

Do children need the same amount?

No. Younger children often eat one or two. Count them separately on your RSVPs.

Planning an event? Tell us about it and we’ll suggest a menu and send a quote for your event.