Where to Find NYC's Best Tacos

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – "Where to Find NYC's Best Tacos"

Episode Information

• Title: Where to Find NYC's Best Tacos
• Host: Tiffany Hansen (in place of Alison Stewart)
• Guest: Luke Fortney, Food Writer at The New York Times
• Release Date: July 24, 2025
• Duration: Approximately 20 minutes

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Introduction to NYC's Taco Scene

The episode opens with host Tiffany Hansen introducing the topic of tacos in New York City, positioning it within a broader conversation about iconic city foods like burgers and pizza. Hansen notes the historical expansion of Mexican cuisine in NYC, tracing its roots back to Mexican immigrants in the 1960s and highlighting the burgeoning popularity of tacos over the past four decades.

Notable Quote:

"Immigrants from Mexico brought Mexican food to New York in the 1960s. In the 80s, more restaurants began open up to respond to demand." — Tiffany Hansen [00:00]

Defining the Taco: A Playful Debate

Hansen and guest Luke Fortney engage in a lighthearted debate about the definition of a taco, humorously suggesting that a hot dog could qualify as one. They establish that, for the purpose of the discussion, a taco consists of a tortilla—either corn (masa) or flour—filled with various ingredients.

Notable Quote:

"A taco in my mind is a tortilla with some kind of filling. So you have a tortilla either made with masa, corn or flour and then you have some kind of filling." — Luke Fortney [01:42]

Comparing LA and NYC Taco Scenes

Fortney contrasts the taco scenes of Los Angeles and New York City, expressing surprise at the intensive search often required to find quality tacos in NYC compared to the ubiquitous presence of street tacos in LA. He highlights the transformation of NYC into a robust hub for diverse and high-quality Mexican cuisine.

Notable Quote:

"Growing up in Southern California, I never thought much about great tacos. They were just always there... When I moved here, I started writing about food, and I was like, okay, to find a taco, I'm taking a 7 train to Jackson Heights in some cases." — Luke Fortney [02:18]

Evolution and Diversity of NYC's Taco Scene

Discussing the relatively young state of NYC's Mexican food scene, Fortney emphasizes its rapid growth and increasing diversity. He notes the rise of regional taco styles and the emergence of taquerias specializing in specific meats or preparations, reflecting a maturing and nuanced culinary landscape.

Notable Quote:

"We're seeing it get better every single year. The Mexican immigrant population here is getting more diverse over time, and you see more tacos and regional styles popping up." — Luke Fortney [04:30]

Vegetarian and Fusion Tacos

The conversation shifts to the availability of vegetarian tacos in NYC, with Hansen expressing her vegetarian preferences. Fortney acknowledges the growing presence of meatless options, mentioning specific spots like Carinito in Greenwich Village, which offers innovative dishes like eggplant tacos. They also explore the trend of fusion tacos, incorporating elements from other cuisines such as Korean beef and Mexican-Thai combinations.

Notable Quotes:

"It's a really, really great vegetarian taco with eggplant." — Luke Fortney [07:55]

"Fusion's a thing... like a Mexican Thai kind of fusion taco thing and really pull it off." — Luke Fortney [17:10]

Listener Recommendations and Crowd Favorites

Throughout the episode, listeners contribute their favorite taco spots, leading to an engaging exchange of recommendations. Some notable mentions include:

• Los Portales on Broadway in Astoria
• Las Chelitas in Bensonhurst for fish tacos
• Santo Taco in Nolita, renowned for its unique steak al pastor preparation
• Carnitas Ramirez on East 3rd Street in the East Village, celebrated for its comprehensive pork offerings

Notable Quote:

"Los Tacos number one is... for a lot of people, their favorite taqueria... has a number of locations now." — Luke Fortney [10:49]

Pop-Up Taquerias: Flexibility and Innovation

Hansen and Fortney discuss the prevalence of pop-up taquerias in NYC, attributing their popularity to the flexibility they offer. These transient establishments allow chefs to experiment with new ideas and respond quickly to trends without the overhead of a permanent location. This model fosters innovation and keeps the taco scene dynamic.

Notable Quote:

"Pop ups... might appear at a bar, serve a menu for one night... you can really experiment with ideas." — Luke Fortney [16:03]

Authenticity vs. Evolution

The dialogue touches on the balance between maintaining authentic Mexican traditions and embracing creative adaptations. While some purists might question the authenticity of certain taco variations, Fortney argues that the evolving nature of tacos in NYC reflects the city's diverse and innovative spirit.

Notable Quote:

"I think that we're seeing people are bending the rules a little bit more over time." — Luke Fortney [08:11]

Historical Context and Cultural Integration

A listener named Lucy provides a historical perspective on Mexican cuisine in NYC, noting the influx of Mexican immigrants in the 1990s and the gradual establishment of authentic taquerias. She emphasizes that while NYC now boasts a vibrant Mexican food scene, it took decades to develop similarly to cities like Los Angeles.

Notable Quote:

"New York wasn't Mexico until the 90s. In the 90s, Mexicans came. I was born and raised here in the 70s." — Lucy [14:50]

Final Recommendations and Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, Hansen and Fortney reiterate their top taco recommendations, with Fortney highlighting Carnitas Ramirez and Los Tacos Number One as must-visit spots. They also tease the next episode's focus on NYC's best pizza, building anticipation for continued exploration of the city's rich culinary landscape.

Notable Quote:

"If we're going out for tacos tonight, Luke, where are we going?... Carnitas Ramirez or their other restaurant, Taqueria Ramirez." — Tiffany Hansen [19:00]

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Closing Remarks The episode successfully blends insightful commentary on the evolution of NYC's taco scene with lively discussions and listener engagement. By featuring expert opinions and diverse perspectives, "Where to Find NYC's Best Tacos" offers listeners a comprehensive guide to experiencing the city's vibrant and ever-changing Mexican culinary offerings.

Transcript

[Tiffany Hansen]

Foreign. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Tiffany Hansen in for Alison Stewart. Well, so far this week, we've talked about New York City's best burgers, ice cream spots. Tomorrow will be pizza. Of course, today we're talking tacos, specifically the best tacos New York City has to offer. Immigrants from Mexico brought Mexican food to New York in the 1960s. In the 80s, more restaurants began open up to respond to demand. Over the past 40 years, New York has expanded its appetite for Mexican food, specifically tacos. Currently, berea tacos are the newest craze. But we're not going to just talk about those. We're talking about tacos writ large. The best tacos in the city. And we have Luke Fortney from the New York Times here. Welcome back to all of it.

[Luke Fortney]

Thank you for having me.

[Tiffany Hansen]

And listeners, of course. Luke and I want you in on this conversation as well. We know you have thoughts about tacos. What's your favorite taco restaurant? Maybe something out of the way, not so well known, a place that maybe would you wouldn't expect to find tacos, but have great tacos. Call us 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. I think I'm going to start with just let's define a taco because I feel like we could get down the slippery slope of let's define a sandwich. Like, is a hot dog a sandwich? Like, I didn't even say that. Listeners just we're not gonna go there, but we should probably define what we mean by taco. We mean what?

[Luke Fortney]

Well, I always thought hot dog was a taco for one.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Oh, boy.

[Luke Fortney]

I know.

[Tiffany Hansen]

We're already just throwing down the gauntlet.

[Luke Fortney]

We're starting off hot. A taco in my mind is a tortilla with some kind of filling. So you have a tortilla either made with masa, corn or flour and then you have some kind of filling. And we've seen all sorts of things get thrown in there, from cochinita pibil to pastrami.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Oh, I'm not sure how I feel about that.

[Luke Fortney]

Pastrami in a taco.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Yeah, pastrami, taco. Okay. So shots fired. As our producer Kate says, shots fired on the hot dog is a taco. You are from la.

[Luke Fortney]

That's right.

[Tiffany Hansen]

So let's just talk about the taco scene that you know from LA versus the taco scene here and maybe kind of like just the Mexican food scene in general. Here's another area where people have very strong thoughts which is about Mexican food in New York City. So just draw a comparison for us in terms of, like, how you see the different scenes here.

[Listener]

Yeah.

[Luke Fortney]

Well, I have to say, for one thing, I'm glad that this week we're talking about tacos alongside things like burgers and pizza. That goes to show how far we've come. Like, this is one of New York's most iconic foods at this point. But growing up in Southern California, I never thought much about great tacos. They were just always there. You go to Walmart and there's someone selling $1 al pastor tacos that blow your mind. Then after college, I moved here, started writing about food, and I was like, okay, to find a taco, I'm taking a 7 train to Jackson Heights in some cases. And it just was more of a hunt. Kind of like pizza in la. You know, you have to know where to look a little bit.

[Tiffany Hansen]

You think that's still the case? Still more of a hunt, I think.

[Luke Fortney]

In la or here. Here, here with tacos? No, I think you can walk down any block. These a taco worth trying. I mean, there's several within, like, a half mile radius of here. Yeah, yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Listeners, we're talking with Luke, Luke Fortney here about tacos. In case you hadn't picked up on that, we want to know your recommendations for your favorite taco place. You can call us, you can text us. 212-433-9692. Luke, we got a text here from a listener. Best taqueria I know. Los Portales on Broadway in Astoria. Our engineer, Juliana, says the fish tacos at Las Chelitas in Bensonhurst are great. I mean, we're already racking up the great recommendations here. You know, you mentioned that it was a little bit of a hunt to try to find some of these places, to find great tacos. Do you think that maybe because of that or. I don't know. I don't know. In spite of that, like, why does New York still get a bad rap when it comes to Mexican food?

[Luke Fortney]

Well, I was really glad you said what you said at the top of the segment, which is that New York's Mexican restaurant scene is younger than most people realize. I mean, even 40 years ago, in the 80s, according to some studies, there was only like a dozen. Couple dozen Mexican restaurants here. So it's easy to say, okay, the Mexican food scene here, the taco scene here is not good. But I think a more interesting way to look at it is just that it's young. We're seeing it get better Every single year, the Mexican immigrant population here is getting more diverse over time, and you see more tacos and regional styles popping up.

[Tiffany Hansen]

So are the different kinds of tacos really a regional style issue? Like, different things go in them. Different, you know, different fillings, different presentation. Is that all just drawn to a regional difference?

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah. I mean, it's funny, sometimes you have things like al pastor and adobada, two very similar kind of pork meats cut from the skin.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Okay.

[Luke Fortney]

And, I mean, there are differences, but some people might say the main difference is the name. And, you know, each region, though, of Mexico has different preparations of food. Carnitas are made one way in Michoacan. They're made another way in another state. You know, like, it's very regional. And over time, we're seeing more and more of those preparations show up. And what's interesting is we're seeing taquerias now devoting themselves to a single meat or a single taco.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Taqueria means place to go to get tacos.

[Luke Fortney]

That's right.

[Tiffany Hansen]

And so, yeah, I want to ask you about that, but just to, like, I don't know, get back to this a little bit, because I'm obsessed with what we're calling tacos, apparently. You said it's like it's a tortilla.

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Right. Okay. Can I describe for you the taco that I grew up on?

[Luke Fortney]

Oh, cool. Yeah. Where are you from?

[Tiffany Hansen]

I was born and raised in Iowa.

[Luke Fortney]

Okay. All right, let's hear it.

[Tiffany Hansen]

It's. It starts and it ends with the grocery store. And it has the hard. Right. I know you're gonna. You can laugh. It's okay.

[Luke Fortney]

I'm crocking up.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Right. And it's the hard thing, the yellow hard thing, right. That has ground beef in it with the El Paso seasoning on it. And then they came with those little packets, right. And, like, shredded lettuce and shredded cheese. Ta da.

[Luke Fortney]

And did you eat them on Tuesday night?

[Tiffany Hansen]

You know, just for revisionist history, I'm going to say yes. That was what I thought a taco was until. Until I moved to New York City. And then it was like, you know, you sort of. I can't imagine, had I moved to Los Angeles, what my anticipation of what a taco would be. But when we say if I said to you, luke, let's go out for some tacos tonight.

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen]

We're talking about these little soft things, right? Pork, beef. I'm a vegetarian. Vegetables.

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah. Vegetable show. My mom is vegetarian. We just did a newsletter on meatless dining. I Wouldn't say tacos are her first pick when she comes to visit from California, but there are good meatless tacos now.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Okay, and by meatless, you don't just mean, like, let's put something that looks like meat in there. You mean, like, let's do mushrooms. Let's do. What's a great place for those?

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah, Carinito in. I guess you would call that. Greenwich Village is a newer restaurant that we had in the newsletter. It's from Mexico City, and they make a really, really great vegetarian taco with eggplant.

[Tiffany Hansen]

And that's sort of the smoky kind of.

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah. And of course, you could say it's not authentic, but I think that we see people are bending the rules a little bit more over time. And when I look around, there's a lot of Mexican. I'm half Mexican myself, but I see a lot of other Mexican people there with smiles on their faces.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Well, that's a good sign.

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Okay. We have a recommendation here. Chevalas. I'm not probably saying that right? In Crown Heights, you're nodding in that way of like, isn't she cute?

[Luke Fortney]

No, no, I've actually never been there.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Oh, good. Okay.

[Luke Fortney]

So can they tell us what street it's on?

[Tiffany Hansen]

Well, okay, we'll ask and then we'll keep moving ahead and hopefully we can circle back to that. This listener refuses to share his family's favorite taco joint to avoid making the lines even longer. There are lines at some of these places. Where have you seen the longest lines lately?

[Luke Fortney]

Oh, man. Okay. For a long time. Okay. No, no, the longest line right now in New York City is probably at Santo Taco. This is in Nolita.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Okay.

[Luke Fortney]

It's gotta be the most talked about taqueria in the city right now.

[Tiffany Hansen]

What are people going in for?

[Luke Fortney]

They go for this. I mean, here's another, like, specific preparation. They're known a spit of meat, you know, twirling, kind of like a shawarma that you'd cut or a gyro. And it's steak. Kind of like a steak al pastor sort of preparation. But they shave it really thin, put it in the tortilla. It almost looks like a piece of beef jerky. It's so good. Oh, it's so good. Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Okay. Lucy in Brooklyn has got a good recommendation here for us, I think. Hi, Lucy.

[Lucy]

Hi. I just want to include a little pushback on the legacy of Mexican in New York city. In the 1990s, in Spanish Harlem, I worked on a moving truck, of all things. After taking a break from teaching, and we would pull up to taquerias that had everything. And I'd spent a lot of time in Mexico before that, or some time in Mexico, and it was delicious. And you could get goat tacos and all kinds of tacos and pork in three different preparations. So I don't know if that's still there, but we've got. We've got roots. Thank you.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Yeah, thank you. We love the pushback. Excellent. All right. We have a couple of other texts here too. Luke. I'm sure this is too obvious, but I'm still gonna say Los Tacos number one. The. Oh, my gosh. Odo bada, bada. Mm.

[Luke Fortney]

The adobada. Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen]

What is that?

[Luke Fortney]

Oh, man. Los Tacos number one. I know this is gonna cause all.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Sorts of feelings, but we're just doing it.

[Luke Fortney]

Los Tacos number one is, like, for a lot of people, their favorite taqueria, I think, in the city. They have a number of locations now. But this was, like, the first taqueria here, maybe other than, like, taco mix uptown that I was really proud of. And, like, someone from maybe California would come and I'd be like, hey, here's this, like, great Adobotta taco that still to this day is so good. And, you know, it might not beat the one I had at the Walmart parking lot growing up in Southern California, but it's so good. It's so good.

[Tiffany Hansen]

That's good. That's a good recommendation. Yeah. Here's a text. So excited for La's Tacos 1986, their first NYC location, opening today in the West Village on Cornelia Street. I guess they know where you're going for lunch.

[Luke Fortney]

Isn't that crazy, though? We're at the point now where An LA Taqueria sort of sees us as worthy of opening here. Well, like, I find that kind of interesting. Like, finally we're getting our due.

[Tiffany Hansen]

I would hope so. Somebody says, what about shrimp and fish tacos? Not to be overlooked.

[Luke Fortney]

Not to be overlooked. Not to be overlooked. There's a great octopus taco. Not what you said, but sort of also swims or slithers right up in Greenpoint and in Jackson Heights at Moriscos El Submarino. A really great spot. Really great spot.

[Tiffany Hansen]

You mentioned Jackson Heights a couple of times. One of the things on my list here is in Jackson Heights, Tacos El Lobo.

[Luke Fortney]

Tacos El Lobo.

[Tiffany Hansen]

So let's talk about that. Why do you like that?

[Luke Fortney]

I love them. I mean, they are one of several carnitas specialists now in the city where they do serve other things. But the main attraction, what you see most people eating there is just pork. Every part of the pig you can imagine. You can get the ear, you can get the head, you can get the brain. That's my favorite way to order it. And what I see you making a face.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Wow.

[Luke Fortney]

The pig brain. Yeah. The say so.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Okay, I might need a minute.

[Luke Fortney]

We'll go there after this.

[Tiffany Hansen]

I might need a minute. Okay. But that, like, you can. I wouldn't have to get that, though.

[Luke Fortney]

No, there's so many other. You could just get a pork shoulder, for example, and you'd just have as good of a time.

[Tiffany Hansen]

We have. Let's hear Torteria Mexicana. Los Hermanos in Williamsburg, they have the best birria. Birria taco. What is that? What makes a birria taco? I mentioned it.

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah, you mentioned it.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Like, I knew what I was talking about.

[Luke Fortney]

I was totally convinced.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Yeah.

[Luke Fortney]

This is like the taco trend that's kind of gripped the city for the last couple of years. Kind of came from Tijuana up through LA and then made it over here. My number one wreck for this style of taco is probably gonna be Berea Landia. This is a taco truck with a couple of locations. But what you can expect is, like, an orange crunchy tortilla.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Okay.

[Luke Fortney]

Stuffed with kind of this, like, soft stewed meat. It's a great textural contrast.

[Tiffany Hansen]

So is part of the appeal at some of these places that they are hand making their tortil? I mean, do you expect that at this point?

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah, I expect some sort of, like, handmade element. Either they are putting it on the grill with the birria tacos. They dip it in the fat and then griddle it until it gets crispy. So you could do it that way or. Yeah, you could make the tortillas by hand if you have the space. I think that really adds to a taco.

[Tiffany Hansen]

All right, let's talk with Sheila in Manhattan. Sheila has a recommendation. Hello. Hello.

[Sheila]

Yes. I have two places. One is La Casa del Taco in Washington Heights, which is a hole in the wall that I've never seen a really good taco in Washington Heights.

[Lucy]

That is it.

[Sheila]

And also in Coney island in the. There's, like, this alley between. It's hard to. One is called Dona Sita. The other one, I don't know the name of it, but the fish taco is ridiculously good. Like, a little expensive, but it's like the whole fish is in the taco. And Then the other thing is that New York has never been la because LA is Mexico and New York is not Mexico. New York wasn't Mexico until the 90s. In the 90s, that's where Mexicans came. I was born and raised here in the 70s. There was my family from Central America. There were no Mexicans, barely Central Americans. Of course. My mother made tortillas from scratch until the 90s when Mexicans came and started selling them in bodegas. So that's the deal. That's why we'll never be to la, because we're not. But yes, there's a lot more Mexicans since the 90s, but act like there was always Mexicans here, there never was.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Anyway, Sheila, I love it. Okay, thank you for all the opinions and the recommendations. So I'm curious about. One of the things Sheila kind of touched on here is this notion that like things pop up, go away, come back, you know, change locations. A lot of the places that we might give recommendations to are pop ups.

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen]

So why is that? It's just easier. And the taco is kind of a really good thing to be able to do in a small space if you don't have a huge kitchen.

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah. Well, one thing about a pop up, which is a business that sort of roams around the city, might appear at a bar, serve menu for one night, is you can really experiment with ideas. So if someone's like, I don't know if people are going to like pig brain tacos, you can go to a bar in bed, bed sty and serve them out of the backyard and see if it resonates. And you can kind of in that way like fine tune ideas. Some of these businesses, some of these tacos are things that New Yorkers for the most part are trying for the first time. And so I do see people testing a lot of ideas in that way. Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Let's see here. Best taco experience in the Hudson Valley. By no means authentic Mexican, but delicious variety. And the restaurant's restaurant is such a well oiled machine, albeit sometimes loud. Hudson Taco, right on the river in Newburgh. They have Korean beef tacos. Fusion's a thing.

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah, fusion is a thing. I hadn't had a good fusion taco maybe ever, but in a long time until that place I mentioned with the eggplant earlier, Cari Nito in Greenwich Village. They do sort of like a Mexican Thai kind of fusion taco thing and really pull it off. It works so well.

[Tiffany Hansen]

I have them on the list here. Are they a pop up?

[Luke Fortney]

Yeah. They're here just until. I think they're here until January or the end of December.

[Tiffany Hansen]

I mean, is there hope that they're gonna stay or find a permanent place, permanent home?

[Luke Fortney]

I think with a lot of these businesses, I've noticed that people. One thing that I hear from these restaurant owners is that they're surprised by the outpouring of support. They come here, they're like, okay, let's see how it goes. And then they end up staying because people are just like, there's this taco fanaticism now in the city, and people really take a lot of pride in it.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Let's get one last call in here before we have to bolt out of here. Let's take George in Brooklyn. Hi, George.

[Lucy]

Hi. How are you?

[Tiffany Hansen]

Good. You got a recommendation for us?

[Lucy]

Definitely. Carnitas Ramirez, East 3rd street in the East Village. There's no place like it. Love Fusion, but this is not fusion. It's like Carnitas. Like, nobody does. And it's got a diagram of every part of the pig that they cook, and it's delicious.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Delicious. What do you think, Luke?

[Luke Fortney]

Oh, man, that place is the best. It almost feels like you walk up, it's like, you know, you got the steam table of all the meats. And, you know, I didn't learn enough Spanish growing up, even being Mexican. But you learn new vocabulary every time you're there. A new part of the pig, you gotta say it to eat it.

[Tiffany Hansen]

So it's a vocabulary lesson while you're there as well. All right, so if we're going out for tacos tonight, Luke, where are we going?

[Luke Fortney]

I think for us, I think we should go to Carnitas Ramirez or their other restaurant, Taqueria Ramirez.

[Tiffany Hansen]

All right, we got it. Okay. We've been talking with Luke Fortney, who works at the New York Times. We've been talking about none other than the best taco in New York City. Tomorrow it will be pizza. The best pizza in New York. I anticipate, Luke, there will be a lot more feelings about that as well. Coming up tomorrow when we talk about the best pizza in New York City. Luke, thanks for coming in.

[Luke Fortney]

Thanks for having me.

[Tiffany Hansen]

I'm Tiffany Hanson, sitting in for Alison Stewart today. I'll be back tomorrow and we'll talk then.

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