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You don’t have to fly to Mexico (or California or Texas) to find great tacos, aguachile, and mole. All the New York City restaurants where you should be eating pancakes, eggs, chilaquiles, and more. Olvera’s elegant, high-gear small plates are pristine, pricey and market fresh. Tacos make a solitary appearance on the menu with a generous portion of seared, sizzling duck carnitas topped simply with onions, radishes and cilantro. Located on Pier 81 at W41st Street and 12th Avenue, La Barca Cantina is neighbor and sister-restaurant to the North River Lobster Company, the popular lobster shack.
Taqueria Ramirez
Jaurique has received numerous awards and grants, including the NDN Collective Artist Grant.Her work has been featured in significant publications and exhibitions, contributing to the discourse on Mexican American Chicana/o Art and contemporary Latino art. Jaurique’s practice underscores the transformative power of art and education in challenging dominant narratives and fostering cultural dialogue. Some of the NYC’s best restaurants are local hole-in-the-wall spots that won’t show up on any foodie round-up.

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On a Roll! Neighbors Sail for Free on North River Lobster Company and La Barca Cantina - W42ST magazine
On a Roll! Neighbors Sail for Free on North River Lobster Company and La Barca Cantina.
Posted: Tue, 27 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The best views are on the top level with a deck featuring a full bar and table service. Of course, regardless of which of the three levels you’re on, thanks to the abundance of large windows, you’ll be sure to catch a unique vista of New York City and its landmarks (including the Statue of Liberty on some cruises). Most tables on the two interior levels are set directly next to these windows with either the New Jersey or the Manhattan skyline viewable while dining.

Taqueria Al Pastor
The red-chili-marinated pig is trimmed shawarma-style from a glistening spit, its natural sweetness improved upon with shards of pineapple and a squirt of lime. As long as you know what you’re getting yourself into, you can have a good (or at least interesting) time aboard La Barca Cantina. Sure, the relatively decent tacos are definitely overpriced, but at the end of the day, there aren’t that many restaurants on boats. When you’re sitting on the top deck, watching the Upper West Side pass by, you’ll think, “What a strange and mildly pleasant turn of events." And once you return to dry land, it'll take you at least 10 minutes to decide that you never need to go on La Barca again.
Tacos El Bronco Restaurant
Over the course of an hour, servers stand at the ready to take your order from the menu, where everything is priced a la carte (except for bottomless brunch, where both food and drink are included in your ticket price). Like any NYC restaurant, the food and drink have to be on point to stay alive—and the offerings here do not disappoint. Everything is made fresh to order at La Abuelita, a tiny restaurant tucked in the back of a Bushwick bodega. There are a few tables across from the cold beverage cases and next to the open kitchen where you can watch your food being made to order.
On Wednesdays they make breakfast tacos, and they're some of our favorites in the city. Imagine a Taco Bell breakfast taco, but made entirely from high-quality ingredients. The double-decker exterior contains both a soft tortilla and a crunchy taco shell welded together with a layer of beans and cheese and filled with scrambled eggs and other delicious fillings. Their Sonoran-style flour tortillas are perfectly chewy and blistered, and you should enjoy them in the form of a couple of tacos. The space is large, rustic, and the perfect spot for a casual brunch or weeknight dinner.
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Every taco costs around $4 or $5, and, after you stop by, you’ll forever view every $20 bill as an opportunity to get a four or five-course dinner here. This comfortable Sunset Park restaurant launched a famous taco truck that parks at 37th and 5th avenues, but visit the mothership for a longer menu with more tacos. Miniature tacos pequeños are the specialty, easier to maneuver but not lacking in fillings. El Bronco’s tripe (small intestine rather than honeycomb stomach) is legendary, but be sure to try the campechanos, a mixture of steak and chorizo.
THE TACO BOAT IS BACK!
Stop by this casual spot in Bushwick for what’s likely to be the best 10 minutes of your day. The agave-based spirits–mezcal, tequila, sotol, and racilla–are the focus of the beverage menu, which includes flights for sampling. For example, the Fiesta Platter is a giant boat filled with finger-foods, including a whole Mexican fried chicken, onion rings, jalapeño poppers, and a wide range of salsas. The Blue Light Speak Cheesy is a beloved Greenpoint breakfast joint with a few counter seats in the window and a nice partially-enclosed outdoor seating area.
18 Outstanding Tacos to Try in NYC
Zarco’s innovative work as a mask maker in Childsplay’s 2011 production of “The Sun Serpent” earned him the esteemed 2012 Zony Award. Named “Best Storyteller” by the New Times in 2016, Zarco Guerrero continues to captivate audiences and leave an indelible mark on the cultural landscape. Tisza Jaurique is a Mexican/Latinx multidisciplinary artist, scholar, and educator whose intricate paintings and installations using glitter and mirrors have garnered renown.
Founded in 1993, the specialty of the house is goat barbacoa served on weekends. Get it in taco form or by the pound with tortillas on the side, or try the excellent carne enchilada (pork in chile sauce). This newly-opened offering from Cosme alums celebrates Mexican mariscos and mezcal in a buzzy atmosphere. The crispy fried fish, which tops tortillas made from Brooklyn-based For All Things Good’s masa, soaks up all the drinking you’ll do as you make your way through their mezcal menu, which is made up largely of producer-owned brands. Docked at Pier 81 at 41st Street, the ship is oddly cavernous, with a spacious lounge on the bottom and an upper deck covered in tables. To get on board, you have to buy a ticket, and you’re allowed to hang out as long as you want as the ship sets sail for an hour or so, returns to dock, and continues this process throughout the night.
King of Meat and its cousin El Rey del Pescado both have thoughtful rosters of tacos, and stand within a block of each other — so maybe visit both. King of Meat features some crazy fillings, mainly involving steak, with names like the psycho and the dude, with a particularly nice list of beers. This newcomer to the Mexican food scene at the Jackson Heights and Elmhurst border was one of the first places to bring Mexican pizzas to the city. But it also has an extensive roster of tacos, partly as a result of its connection to the Homemade Taqueria chain. Tacos are described as taquitos because of their slightly smaller size, and sold in fours though you can mix them up, and variety meats like ear, tongue, and stomach are available. There’s no need to look further than the beautiful twirling cylinder of pork al pastor in the window to know which taco to get.
From vibrant murals portraying Mexican folklore to intricate crafts celebrating indigenous traditions, each piece tells a rich story, reflecting the vibrant cultural heritage of the Mexican/Latinx community. Experience the essence of our boat’s interior and exterior as every artwork adds depth and character to your journey. Named for its Arabic origins, this Lebanese-Mexican roll-up combines spiced spit-roasted pork with sweet strings of caramelized onion in a pita-like, flour-based flatbread.
His tortillas—made from nixtamalized Indiana corn (the grains are cooked in limewater and hulled) and pressed in-house daily—are thin and springy, with a delicate maize sweetness, and best filled with the spot’s spit-roasted namesake. La Esquina's sit-down café and takeout taqueria offers a number of dependable bites, but we particularly like its straightforward treatment of fish—a hunk of grilled market fish, speared with a skewer and brightened with shredded cabbage and salsa verde. Chef-owner Akhtar Nawab felt distinct similarities between the cuisines of Mexico and India, his parents’ native country. At Alta Calidad, he’s created a marriage of the two cuisines with exciting flavors and satisfying standout dishes. These crispy shrimp tempura tacos showcase just that, packing plump shrimp, crispy tempura and salsa negra into house-made shells. Whether you’re celebrating something, looking for some tacos with a view, or just nodding hello to a Tuesday evening, check out La Barca Cantina for an unexpectedly good time.