Last summer, I listed my 5 favorite tacos in NYC, with my justifications for each choice. These are ones I’ve eaten over and over, and have become real destination tacos that I’ll willingly jump on the subway to get when I’m in the mood. Well, five favorite tacos is a list that evolves, and I find that it’s changed completely a year later. Here’s my current list, and please tell me your own in the comments.
It’s always a bit flattering when a Mexico City restaurant — in this case a bare-bones taqueria — decides to come up here and establish a branch, and that is just what TD has done. Not only does it mean they think we’re ready in our evolving appreciation of Mexican food, but in this case they must realize the style has been influenced by Tex Mex, one of our own indigenous types.
The carne asada ($7.95) taco is made with flame-grilled steak — not grilled over charcoal, alas, the way it’s done in Mexico City, but juicy, chewy, and smoky nonetheless. It is heaped with a chunky and sharp salsa macha, driven by toasted chiles and garlic, and deposited on a flour tortilla made minutes before, and leopard-spotted from the griddle. And don’t miss the bean-and-cheese taco ($5) — in fact, one of each makes a perfect lunch. 131 First Avenue, East Village
Yes, the multiple versions of carnitas offered at Carnitas Ramirez are wonderful, but the individual carnitas taco at Beto’s ($5) is every bit as lush, and perhaps a little more stuffed, sporting bits of crunchy and sometimes gooey skin. The toppings are limited to finely diced raw onions and a whisper of cilantro, which means the meat shines brighter. This is a bit controversial, but I eat mine sans red or green salsa, to concentrate on the porky flavor. 69 Clinton Street, Lower East Side
Most days this colorful cart is parked right in front of the Jackson Heights transportation hub from 10 a.m. till 2 a.m., turning out some of the best al pastor tacos on corn tortillas of limited size with all the trimmings. The tacos are sold on a sliding scale, with one for $4, three for $10, etc. They are succulent in the extreme, and a squirt of the red salsa is recommended — though nibbling on the roasted fresh jalapeno accomplishes a similar goal. 74-20 Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights
This new Tex Mex joint is helping to redefine the flour tortilla in the city, in this case making them fresh continually during meal service and deploying lard, which gives them a silky and slippery texture. Yes, the best flour tortillas have an almost rubbery edge. Only two tacos are regularly offered here, one with refried beans and cheese, the other with shredded beef and chiles. But there’s also a taco of the day, and this one on a blue corn tortilla was stuffed with a heady stew of potatoes and shredded poblano chiles ($6). Ask for it if not currently on the menu. 189 Nassau Avenue, Greenpoint
What is suadero, anyway? I’ve heard it described as a brisket of veal, and as a cut next to the brisket in a cow. Whatever it is, it comes to us as a rich gray meat with lots of moisture and fat, though the fat is mainly incorporated into the shreds of meat. Suadero ($5) is king (prince) of the taco fillings at El Chato, a mini-chain named after a dog with branches in Greenpoint and Greenwich Village that takes a no-nonsense approach to tacos, putting an excess of meat on small and very high quality corn tortillas, garnished with only onions and cilantro. 120 MacDougal Street, Greenwich Village
Please tell us your favorite tacos!
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