La Fiesta Restaurant 3797 Broadway New York, NY 10032 (between 157th and 158th) 212.281.2886

Any place that offers a lunch special that includes a torta, a taco, and a soda for $5.95, is a place worth visiting. Before I talk tacos ($2.00), La Fiesta serves a full menu which includes: breakfast dishes (chilaquiles, huevos rancheros), tortas, tacos dorados, soups (caldo de res, pozole, goat soup, beef tripe soup), quesadillas, sopes, mole, tostadas, seafood dishes, and traditional platters.

The staff at this joint is very friendly and warm, we sat there and reminisced about back in the days when I was young I’m not a kid anymore but some days I sit and wish I was a kid again…

Okay a los pinche tacos then, chicken taco was juicy, tender, and all around good. Lengua (beef tongue) was good, very tender and worth a mention, kinda made me want to call my rabi and say “yo check this lengua out.” Bistec taco was good, flavorful, salsa was good... nuff said.

If you find yourself lost on your back from Westchester, might be worth your while to stop by. This isn’t a fancy place, it’s some good home-style cooking. Take the 1 train to 157^th street in Harlem.

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Jalisco Tacos 214 St. Ann’s Ave. Bronx, NY 10454 (718) 585.4148 (between 138th and 137th)

Someone call Willie Colon and KRS One and tell them I was in da Bronx twice in one week! Jalisco Tacos is REALLY a whole-in-the-wall joint, with five small tables, and banda blaring, I felt right at home. I wasted no time and ordered four tacos which I forgot were going to be big tacos, so three would have been enough.

Aside from tacos they serve tostadas, quesadillas, menudo, pozole, and enchiladas; you know, good old home style cooking. I went with carne asada (bistec) and lengua (beef tongue) tacos.

I pride myself on making some good beef tongue tacos, well these guys met my standard, at one point I thought, “is my comadre back there cooking?” As for the steak tacos, they were good but I think I was in beef tongue taco bliss to even notice the steak tacos (sorry).

From Manhattan take the 6 train into the Bronx to Brooks Ave, walk a block to St. Ann’s Ave and make a right.


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Taco Mix 359 E. 138th Street Bronx, NY. Between Willis Ave. and Alexander Ave.

I was in the Boogie Down Bronx earlier in the week pop locking my way down 138th Street when I stumbled into this taqueria. It’s a cash only place with counter seating, it really is a hole-in-the-wall. I only had enough for two tacos (ATM card was busted… hard times these days) and I kept it simple.

Steak (carne asada aka bistec) was good, not out-of-this-world but good, I was surprised with the Boogie Down. Their Al Pastor (marinated pork) taco merits a mentioning as well.

Now for the record I am basing this review on two tacos I ate there, would I go back again to sample others… sure. So if you happen to find yourself in da Boogie Down, stop by, tell me what you think, oh and there’s a picture of the Virgin Lupita across the street so you can tell her what you think as well.

Directions: Take the 6 train and get off at 138th St. (1st stop in the Bronx) and walk towards the church. It’s a block and half from the train station, look at the map below.














This basically says do not give the taco makers any booze.


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El Paisa Taqueria & Restaurant 324 Suydam Street Brooklyn, NY 11237 (Bushwick) 718.417.4328 On the corner of Irving Ave. and Suydam St.

Once in Colima my cousin Alejandro and I went to a taco stand and before I ordered he said to me, “order the al pastor.” I looked at him confused and he continued, “that’s what’s good here,” so I ordered four tacos without hesitation. What this taught me was that sometimes taquerias can serve 15 different tacos, but only one will be a perfect ten. Does this make the taqueria bad? Not really, I suggest you try a variety of things and see what works for you. Maybe you might find out that the tacos are not good but they serve an awesome bowl of menudo (aka pancita in some parts of Mexico) or their mole is out of this world.

This is what happened at El Paisa, I ordered three different types of tacos, and the tacos Al Pastor (marinated pork) was a perfect ten. The steak and the beef tongue taco were… uneventful. Would I go back to El Paisa, of course I will, I feel that El Paisa’s strength lies in its other dishes. Next time I’m there I’m ordering chilaquiles.

What to get: Tacos Al Pastor

Price of tacos: $2.50

Directions: L Train to Dekalb Ave. Walk south on Dekalb Ave. to Irving Ave. make a right, walk two streets and it’s on the left hand side across the street from Bushwick Park.

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Red Hook Ballfield vendors nab top prize at the 5th annual Vendy Awards

Husband and wife duo Fernando and Yolanda Martinez win top prize at the Vendy Awards!!! Congrats to them both. Read the NY Daily News article here. To read my previous post on Red Hook vendors click here.