Best Mexican food in New York

Tortilleria Nixtamal

• Price band: 1/4

Mexican eateries are ubiquitous in Corona, but unlike most, this sunny, family-run tortilleria painstakingly grinds corn into fresh masa for many of its dishes. This means that the tamales are delicate and fluffy, and profoundly corny tortillas envelop fillings such as fried skate in the first-rate fish tacos. The Italian tamale ($2.50) is a melting-pot marvel of steamy masa, sausage, peppers and mozzarella.

Mesa Coyoacan

• Critics choice

Chef Ivan Garcia (Mercadito) explores his Mexico City roots at this eatery, named for the neighborhood where he grew up. The food echoes the multiregional snacks you might find on the capital city’s streets: A trio of tamales presents versions from Oaxaca (chicken and mole), Chapas (pork, fruit and nuts) and Veracruz (tilapia with guajillo salsa). Other preparations come straight from the chef’s family, including a secret-recipe ceviche.

Sueños

• Price band: 2/4
• Critics choice

Familiar dishes, prepared with a twist: That’s the signature of chef-owner Sue Torres. At her colorful underground restaurant, you’re likely to find specialties such as grilled vegetables and goat cheese enchiladas, avocado leaf crusted tuna, and a tequila-flamed shrimp stack.

Tehuitzingo Deli and Grocery

• Price band: 1/4
• Critics choice

You won’t need Spanish skills to gobble down $2.50 carnitas (pork seasoned with garlic, thyme and oregano and cooked in lard) and garlicky, lime-marinated beef tacos at this tiny, fast-paced Mexican bodega. Just repeat the following—“Quiero una carnita y un taco de carne”—and get out of the way. If you’re feeling ritzy, the pricier tongue version—taco de la lengüeta—comes in at $2.50.

Tulcingo Del Valle Restaurant & Deli

• Price band: 1/4
• Critics choice

The staffers behind the little counter are mole artists, rewarding devotees with authentic, complex versions of the sauce, and other rich offerings from the southern Mexican state of Puebla. You can order take-out or sit down in the no-frills seating area next door. Either way, there’s room to gather a group of friends, bring a few beers in brown bags, and eat yourselves silly on some of the city’s best Pueblan food. Even standbys like pork al pastor are rendered with love, marinated in smoky chilies, cumin and cinnamon: Served on warm, soft tortillas, the roasted meat is accented by flecks of cilantro and onion and a generous dollop of creamy guacamole.

La Lucha NYC

• Price band: 1/4
• Critics choice

Depending on your tolerance for kitsch, you’ll find this tiny East Village taqueria either charming or trashy. Mexican wrestling is the theme: Lucha libre movies are projected on the wall, and wrestling imagery appears everywhere, including the menu (rendering it almost impossible to read). Squint your way through it and you’ll find a lineup of unexpectedly authentic—if slightly junky—Mexican tacos. We liked the sweet, soft-braised carnitas and the “el santo,” made with salted steak, fried pork and chorizo. Dessert brought another pleasant surprise: fried plantains in sweet cream.

Mercadito

• Price band: 2/4
• Critics choice

This slim, urban beach shack shrouded in bamboo thatch with a chef-owner inside the open kitchen serves some of the city’s most consistently satisfying Mexican food. The portions are designed to be small, with miniature tacos and tostados bursting with original flavors.

Taqueria Coatzingo

Fresh, meaty tacos—think al pastor, slow-roasted goat and tongue—give Coatzingo an edge over the other tempting holes-in-the-wall under the 7 train track. We like the birria de res taco, made with beef simmered for three hours with dried guajillo peppers and avocado leaf. The spicy stew is finished with a sprinkling of cilantro, onion and guacamole on a double layer of corn tortillas, which can barely contain the filling’s savory juices. 

Taco Mix

This East Harlem hole-in-the-wall may serve the city’s best al pastor tacos, sliced to order off a rotating spit crowned with a hunk of grilled pineapple. The tortilla-to-meat ratio is perfectly balanced.

Dos Toros

• Price band: 1/4

Siblings Leo and Oliver Kremer left the Bay Area to teach New Yorkers a thing or two about Cal-Mex cuisine. Their tiny East Village storefront specializes in San Francisco–style burritos—California’s perversely swollen, pico de gallo–drenched wonders. Try one stuffed with rice and beans, along with your choice of protein: carne asada (meaty grilled flap steak), locally raised, brined and grilled chicken, or porky, slow-cooked carnitas. Though the burrito is the star, other menu items make for worthy detours: The griddled quesadilla is a crisp, compact parcel of meat, melted Jack cheese and vibrant guacamole.