Are you looking for the best tacos in NYC? Then you are at the right place because we’re going to show you where to find the best tacos in New York City. From the most famous taco spots to the hidden gems only known to New Yorkers, our list includes it all.
Lupe’s East L.A. Kitchen
Lupe’s East L.A. Kitchen is inspired by East Los Angeles’ numerous cozy and authentic taco shops. The restaurant is known for its seafood tacos, its most popular items being the fried flounder tacos and shrimp chipotle tacos.
The fried flounder is mild-flavored, slightly sweet fish that taste great when fried and served in soft corn tortillas. If you prefer a healthier taco alternative, you can also order the flounder tacos boiled.
Served with lettuce, sour cream, and a creamy avocado sauce, the seafood tacos are a delicious meal. For dessert, make sure you try their creamy vanilla flan before you leave.
Mezcal Mexican Restaurant
Mezcal Mexican Restaurant is a great place to grab dinner after exploring Park Slope. This restaurant serves authentic Mexican food at an affordable price for lunch or dinner. Their burritos are delicious, and if you like tequila, you can choose from more than 70 varieties.
The classics like tacos and guacamole with chips and salsa are among the top recommendations. Mezcal is located directly on 5th Avenue, where you can enjoy the hustle and bustle of Park Slope from its outdoor seating.
Los Tacos No. 1
Los Tacos No. 1 in Times Square is popular for a good reason. It specializes in tacos and quesadillas in its standing snack bar. The food is delicious, affordable, and surprisingly authentic.
What makes it so special? Made with real cornflour instead of wheat flour (as it is often done out of cost-saving measures), handmade tacos taste like those in Mexico. You must try the tacos with grilled cactus.
El Camion Cantina
There is nothing better than a good corn tortilla, and you can find the best in The East Village made by the expert Juan Escobedo. Only locally sourced and fresh ingredients go into making the El Camión Cantina tacos, which makes it one of the best tacos spots for New Yorkers.
The tacos come in a variety of innovative flavors, including beer-battered shrimp tacos with guacamole, cucumber relish, and cured onion, and they all taste delicious.
Another popular choice for tacos is beef tacos that have shredded beef, guacamole, and fried onions. A sweet and crispy Mexican fried ice cream is the best way to end your evening.
Taco Dumbo
Taco Dumbo is one of several Mexican restaurants in New York. You can enjoy Mexican food inspired by California life, a wide selection of tequila and mezcal, and some fantastic tacos here!
Besides that, its interior combines a relaxed Californian design with colorful Mexican elements.
Taqueria 86
Do you love soccer? The Mexican restaurant Taqueria 86 takes inspiration from Mexico’s 1986 FIFA World Cup. The restaurant’s most popular and unique tacos are their Puebla taco. It serves gluten-free, homemade Nixtamal tortillas with all tacos.
Mexican cream, corn, and creamy stewed poblano peppers make up their taco filling. To complete your dining experience, finish your meal with a delicious Mexican sponge cake with three leches de horchata.
Taqueria 86 makes some of the best tacos in New York City, and eating there will have you wishing you were playing soccer.
Flats Fix – Tacos Y Tequila
Flats Fix Tacos Y Tequila was created as a celebration of the famed tire shop that fixed flat tires in under 5 minutes while the wife of the owner made delicious tacos for the customers.
In addition to specialty tacos, this restaurant serves a wide selection of 7 different tequilas, such as Herradura Silver, along with classic cocktails like a ‘Palomas’ and a ‘Mezcal Mule.’
Furthermore, each taco meat is smoked in a custom smokehouse. While their taco meat might not be traditional for Mexican tacos, they are tasty and unique.
Tacos such as smoked pastrami tacos, crispy long island duck tacos, and seared wild-caught fish tacos are among the most famous.
Rancho Tequileria
At this Mexican bar and restaurant, you can choose from a variety of mezcals and tequilas. In Hell’s Kitchen and on the Upper West Side, Rancho Tequileria has two locations. The restaurant reinvented Mexican street food like elote and made them appropriate for casual dining.
Served with Mexican mayo, cotija cheese, and chile piquin, their elote Asado is delicious, caramelized, and has a very good combination of cheese and spice. The De Carnitas tacos are another popular menu item.
The tacos are made with pork shoulder marinated in dark beer and Coca-Cola, along with cilantro and onions and chile de Arbol sauce. For a delicious deep-fried, caramelized plantain side, order sweet plantains.
Vida Verde
Midtown Manhattan’s Vida Verde is a vibrant, lively Mexican restaurant and bar. The restaurant has two levels: a rooftop area ideal for enjoying summer in New York City.
A fun take on Mexican food is served here, with a variety of options that will suit the tastes of everyone who dines there. Even their cauliflower tacos are very tasty and packed with flavor made of roasted ancho chili cauliflower, poblano peppers, onions, tomatoes, baby arugula, salsa verde, avocado, and radish.
They offer a signature cocktail, the Vida Verde, which is made with Banhez Mezcal infused with snap pea, Genepy, lemon, tarragon, and sour orange.
Rosie’s NYC
Rosie’s Mexican restaurant in the East Village offers traditional Mexican cuisine with a modern twist. Tacos here are made with fresh, black corn tortillas, which make them a colorful and delicious meal.
Rosey’s is known for its tasty vegetable tacos called coliflor al mole, a combination of roasted cauliflower, plantains, mole made in-house, and pickled onions. Each bite is a combination of different flavors.
Rosie’s has also become known for its crisp, fried delicata squash rings. Their batter is light and just a little sweet. Also, make sure to leave room for dessert, especially their signature churros topped with chocolate.
Taqueria St. Marks Place
Taqueria St. Marks Place is the real deal when it comes to Mexican food. With a menu that is 100% authentic, Taqueria St. Marks Place doesn’t offer fajitas, nachos, and cheesy Mexican decorations. Rather, they serve traditional tacos that use unique cuts of cow meat, including lengua (cow tongue), Cabeza (cow head), and buche (cow stomach).
New York’s best tacos come from these unique cuts. Tacos have a variety of textures, and each of them is a must-taste. These tacos are not to be missed, from the tender Cabeza meat to the lengua that is slightly chewy.
If you don’t feel like being as adventurous, you can also order carnitas (pork), bistec (steak), or Pescado (fish) tacos.
Toro Loco
The lively Toro Loco restaurant is in the Financial District of Manhattan. The ingredients in this restaurant are of the finest quality, and the guacamole is freshly made using whole avocados.
Toro Loco is the perfect location for foodies, a great taco place in New York. The restaurant stays up to date on the latest food trends, including the quesabirria tacos made from short rib and brisket brigade and chihuahua cheese.
There are also surf in turf tacos in place of the usual shrimp and lobster; the tacos are made with grilled sirloin steak and charred octopus.
Would you like to know the best restaurants in Hells’s Kitchen? Read our blog to find out.