We’re taking you to Taco Town for the next edition of Specials Board, Good Food’s fortnightly column dedicated to helping your dining-out dollar go further. Read on for our round-up of a dozen Melbourne taco nights where the goods cost as little as $5.

$22 tacos and Tecate at Bar Tobala, Pascoe Vale South

Mexican-inspired haven Bar Tobala is always a reprieve from the racket of the Bell Street-Melville Road intersection it’s plonked on. But Tuesdays offer an extra incentive: $22 gets you two tacos (like slow-cooked ancho beef) and a cold tinnie of Tecate beer.

237 Melville Road, Pascoe Vale South, tobala.com.au

Two-for-$10 tacos at CDMX, Brunswick East

Paying homage to the taquerias of Mexico City, the bright-blue CDMX makes some of the best tacos in town. And if you visit on Tuesday nights, most are two for $10, including the al pastor with marinated pork and pineapple. (NB: The special is only available at the Brunswick East location and, sadly, the signature birrias tacos aren’t included.)

315 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, cdmx.com.au

$5-$8 tacos at Hotel Jesus, Collingwood

Smith Street fixture Hotel Jesus has a new head chef and co-owner – the Mexican-born Mario Flores (Lona Misa, Mamasita) – and a new reason to drop in Tuesday to Thursday. Midweek Madness means tacos are $5 at 5pm, then $6 at 6pm, and so on until 8pm.

174 Smith Street, Collingwood, hoteljesus.com.au

Two-for-$10 tacos at Superchido, Seddon

Superchido has been wowing the west with its Mexican food for three years, but now it’s up for sale as the owners focus on their other business, the aforementioned CDMX. Until then, Tuesdays are still all about two-for-$10 select tacos, so say farewell in style.

82 Charles Street, Seddon, superchido.com.au

Two-for-$10 tacos at Mesa Verde, CBD

Since 2013, Mesa Verde’s Mexican flair has lit up the sixth floor of Curtin House. But if you haven’t scaled the stairs in a while, Tuesday is your best bet. Every taco on the seasonal menu is $5, sold in sets of two, and the frozen margs are $10 from 4pm to 6pm.

Level 6/252 Swanston Street, Melbourne, mesaverde.net.au

$5 tacos at The Happy Mexican, Abbotsford

Vibrant Hoddle Street diner The Happy Mexican gets even happier on Tuesdays, when tacos are $5 a pop for both lunch (noon-3pm) and dinner (5pm-late). There’s only one catch: a minimum of three tacos have to be purchased per person to unlock the deal.

108 Hoddle Street, Abbotsford, thehappymexican.com.au

$35 Taco Tuesday at Mission District, Ripponlea

Channelling San Francisco’s Mission District, the vibe is Cali-Mex at this Ripponlea “mexicatessen”. And it has a taco Tuesday deal worth crossing town for: dinner, dessert and a drink for $35. That’s three tacos, churros and a house beer, wine or agua fresca.

76 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea, missiondistrict.com.au

$5 tacos (and more) at the Plough Hotel, Footscray

Every Wednesday from 5pm, a mean Mexican night kicks off at Footscray’s Plough Hotel. Tacos are $5 apiece, and you can choose between grilled chicken, crispy fish or tofu. But that’s not all. Also find $2 wings, $12 nachos, $6 beers and $12 margaritas.

333 Barkly Street, Footscray, ploughhotel.com.au

$35 Taco Tuesday at Sam’s Cali Cantina, South Yarra

Remember Chapel Street burger bar Hello Sam? It’s recently flipped into the more Mexican-influenced Sam’s Cali Cantina. While American-style burgers are still a big part of the menu, tacos – from baja fish to lamb barbacoa – are an altogether new drawcard. On Tuesdays from 5pm, $35 buys your tacos of choice plus a chef’s selection of extras.

760 Chapel Street, South Yarra, samscalicantina.com.au

$5 tacos at Taquito, Carlton

The tortillas are made by hand, from scratch at Carlton’s Mexican-inspired bar and eatery Taquito, for a comprehensive taco menu with fillings that range from carne asada to crispy avocado and beyond. Start your week right with $5 tacos all day on Mondays.

350 Drummond Street, Carlton, taquito.bar

$6 tacos at The Black Toro, Glen Waverley

Chipotle chicken schnitzel? Popcorn prawn? Mushroom barbacoa? Pick your player on taco Tuesday at The Black Toro, which has been servicing the south-east since 2012. They’re all $6 each, with a two-taco minimum, and you can sip $12 frozen margs, too.

79 Kingsway, Glen Waverley, theblacktoro.com.au

Three-for-$14 tacos at Juana Taco, St Kilda and Windsor

At both Juana locations, in St Kilda and Windsor, the tacos are served on gluten-free corn tortillas from El Cielo. And they’re three for $14 (instead of the usual $18) all night on taco Tuesday, alongside a daily happy hour of $8 pints and $14 margaritas.

21 Carlisle Street, St Kilda, 188 High Street, Windsor, juanataco3181.com