The only taco place I have found in NYC competitive with SF Mission tacos or CDMX street tacos. The asada is genuinely beefy, with generous portions, and the corn tortillas are soft and fresh. This is what a taco is supposed to be like. El Taco has very friendly staff and treats regulars well. In terms of ambiance, the restaurant is no-frills, similar to El Farolito in SF (but frankly, much cleaner), which is totally fine for a taqueria. It's also open late, which is rare in the neighborhood postpandemic. One drawback is that the music can be overpoweringly loud, though. read more

I have lived in Mexico for part time for the last 6 years and finding good authentic tacos has been a struggle. Until now El Taco is by far the best we have had, the tacos are the real deal and Quesadillas the best we've had in NYC read more

Best tacos on the Upper East Side. The staff at our store always goes there for lunch and they treat them like their own!

What a magical find! Was at Iggy's for some Karaoke and was starving after. They did not disappoint. Had the chicken, Al pastor and beef barria. Best tacos I've ever had! Enjoyed talking to the guy at the counter. He was great and marked the tacos for us to eat driving home. They are open until 2am too. If you are close this is a must stop in!!! read more

Decent little joint to squelch your taco cravings after a late night out on the UES. El Taco is open from 11am - 12 midnight weekdays, and until 2am Fri and Sat. They offer authentic street style tacos with mains such as birria, al pastor, and carnitas. Plus, a DIY salsa bar for your toppings. Cold drinks and some desserts also on the menu. A bit pricey but it is the UES area after all, as expected. They have counter seating along the inside walls. Nice friendly staff. They also offer some specials so check out the sidewalk board. read more

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Better tacos than Tacombi but very much a so-so taco at UES prices $6.50-$7 a street sized taco. I was surprised that the birria taco we got was pre-dipped and didn't come with a small cup of consome. We grabbed everything to-go so this made for a messy container. Ordered: birria taco, el pastor taco, seasonal mahi mahi taco, and a carnitas taco. Also grabbed a steak quesadilla. Overall: tacos were all OK. What was terrible, however, was the flavorless quesadilla. It was just steak and queso fresco and seemingly no seasoning, not even salt - all the salsa and pico de gallo we packed from the salsa bar could not save it. Would I come back? Probably not unless I was out drinking. read more

I have been waiting for this place to open, and when I saw that they were finally ready for the public, I hopped in to try their carne asada tacos. El Taco prepares their dishes in the Mexican street style that I prefer, with just the meat and the tortilla dressed to however you like. The meat had good flavor, although I did wish the tacos came out a bit warmer than they did. I was impressed by their salsa selection and tried the green sauce, avocado sauce, and pico. All were complementary to the tacos I ordered. To drink, I ordered a jamaica, which I also enjoyed. It wasn't too sweet and had a hint of tartness that you get from the jamaica flower. Price-wise, I do agree with other reviewers that tacos were a bit pricey for the size, but then again, I do find that NYC tacos tend to hover at around $5. It would feel like a better value if the tacos were a bit bigger. I do hope this restaurant succeeds (NYC is in dire need of good Mexican food), and I certainly will come here again. read more

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Eh, our expectations were higher. The staff is very friendly and helpful, the menu is small but definitely curated. The tacos? So so. We had: - Chorizo Taco - couldn't tell which one this was but all were good., if a bit dry. - Birria Taco - couldn't which one this was but all were good, if a bit dry.. Al Postor - couldn't which one this was but all were good, if a bit dry.. - Chicken Taco - tasty - Mushroom - very good. - Chips with Guacamole - delicious, great guacamole! - Churros - good, didn't love it with ice cream. Made them soggy. - Street Corn - This is a no. It was soupy and not appetizing. Not sure we will be coming back. read more

El Taco - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

I'm giving this place 3.5 stars. I purchased 2 chicken and 1 al pastor. Very flavorful but most of the food fell through the tortillas. Every good taco place uses 2 tortillas per taco. Till they get it corrected I wont be coming back. It is also a bit pricey. 5.50 for a chicken taco is overpriced imo. read more

Tacos are good but a bit pricey There's a BOGO on uber for the tacos here. If you're paying retail it's a no-go. Too many better options read more

El Taco - Tacos - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

Nothing was seasoned. Everything was dry. The meat tasted like it was sitting and not made fresh. Super expensive for what? We tried the chicken, steak, pork, and quesadilla. Everything was so bland. So sad. So dry. Needed to drench in sauce. Salsa for chips was also so bad. I dont know, i really expected more. Was very meh. read more

El Taco - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

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El Taco is OK, definitely on the pricier side. We thought the tacos were a bit small. What I actually liked the most about this place was their salsas. We ordered a quesadilla (Carne Asada), 3 tacos (2 Birria, 1 Al Pastor), and Esquites, which ended up being around $40. The actual tacos are decent, but a bit on the salty side. The birria tacos didn't come with consommé :( The actual store is quite small, self-serve and maybe like 8 seats and some standing room. Service was a bit slow on a thursday night, but the staff is friendly and nice! They have a small salsa bar where you can grab sauces on your own. I tried all the salsas and thought they were great! Loved the avocado salsa the most. Price-wise, the Esquites are pretty worth it. They give you a lot! This was probably the only thing I thought made sense here. I think this place is OK. I don't know if I would come here again. I didn't find it /that/ many degrees better than tacombi. With that being said, i still think it's worth a try once. Perhaps, you may like the tacos here! read more

The comments did not do this place justice. The food is flavorful which a lot of NY Mexican food joints miss. The tortillas are thin, but they are homemade and melt in your mouth--you can't beat this! The service was prompt and staff were nice enough. The place is clean (even the bathroom). The music was also on point. Oh, I got the asada, pollo , and birria tacos. Give them a try! read more

OMG this is my new to-go taco spot! This is not Tex-Mex to be clear, so if that's your vibe this is not it. This is authentic, real Mexican cheese, real masa for the corn tortillas- and fresh sauce and toppings bar. And to be fair- there is no close second in the UES for not a sit down dinner. read more

Dry tacos - no flavor at all. This was my post-pilates meal so just know i'm upset. $20 for what! Wow i'm sooo disappointed

New taco spot has opened on the UES. It's the same folks that run Ella's Cafe which is superb. El Taco is a small but bright and cleanly renovated space I think it used to be a vape shop. So this is a big improvement. Food is solid I have enjoyed beef and chicken tacos as well as quesadillas. Typically you go in and out quick with your food. The operation is new so maybe they are working out a few kinks. Went in on a recent Saturday night and the place was a bit chaotic. I do think this place is gonna last. Go check it out. read more

Maybe eating there is better but delivery was awful While door dash delivered this very quickly, the food was not cold and not good. Two wrong items and the 3 correct items were awful. Never had a bone dry birria taco before this, but he meet was completely dry. Same with the chorizo. Quesadilla was greasy on the outside and the cheese was a texture that was solid and chewy and not like anything you would expect (inedible). The temp of the food that was delivered in less than 15 minutes was unacceptable. There is no way it cooks get this cold that quickly. Not sure what the hype is for this place but much better taco options in the UES. Finally, the portion sizes are ridiculously small. Very disappointing all around read more

El Taco - Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

Wanted to like this place so bad. Their al pastor taco meat was dry and bland, under seasoned. Got them delivered and there was no sauce or limes on the side, unfortunately I didnt have any either so it made for a very sad taco. Probably wouldn't order from here again. Stick to Los Tacos #1. read more

First and foremost, I enjoyed El Taco's tacos. The ingredients and the taco shell were quite good (I chose vegetarian and pollo). And I really appreciate the self-serve condiment station- many sauces from which to choose. But...in my opinion, the tacos are small in relation to the price. So, I will return but this won't be a routine go-to place for me. I contemplated granting 3-stars, due to value, but the quality is above par and they are unique in the neighborhood so...4-stars. read more

Was hoping this place was going to be better since there aren't many street taco joints in the area. Lacked flavor and seasoning. Might try again but not rushing to go back read more

My new favorite taco joint on the upper east side! This place is open late, perfect for a late night craving after going out! This is an authentic Mexican restaurant, from amazing hand painted murals of Mexico to the handmade tortillas and all the way to the Chef and co-owner Maurillo from Mexico. You can taste the love and passion in their food. As soon as you turn onto the corner of 76th and 2nd the aroma of El Taco surrounds you and I might've been caught drooling . The carne asada was so flavorful and tender. Melts in your mouth! My friend with me is vegetarian and she raved about the veggie taco. They have this insane condiment bar so you can really customize your taco to exactly how you want it. We couldn't leave without getting freshly fried churros and with the vanilla ice cream it was heavenly! The churros were perfectly crisp and the perfect amount of sugar sprinkled on it. This place definitely gets super busy, but it is worth the wait! Orders come out quickly, so you'll move through the line without much delay. Staff is terrific, restaurant is clean and the food is amazing. So happy to have this place so close to me! read more

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Very good, probably the closest thing to what I used to get in LA, especially for the Upper East Side. I got three tacos (asada, al pastor, and chicken) at about $6 each, plus a steak quesadilla and chips with guacamole. The total came out to around $45, a bit pricey, wish it were cheaper. The steak and al pastor were solid, but the chicken could be better. Overall, though, easily one of the best taco spots in the UES. read more

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Wanted to check out the new taco spot as it is near my work. Had limited time and ordered to go. Wow....nice surprise! The chicken taco was delicious. Fresh cilantro,onions,and a generous amount of chicken in a corn tortilla. Definitely will be back! read more

Finally an authentic taco spot! The chef is a master and his preparation is completely authentic. I haven't had this variety and quality of tacos since my last visit to Mexico City. His specials are incredible and I have tried everyone of them. They recently added a breakfast burrito which has become a part of my morning routine. Thank you, taco gods, for putting this fantastic restaurant in my neighborhood. Not sure the UES deserves a taqueria as good as this, but I am glad we have it. The staff is great, too. The music and the brilliant mural add to the upbeat vibe. read more

Love this new neighborhood staple! The shrimp tacos are soooo good! I also love the chicken, carne asada, carnitas and al pastor. And I've asked them to make the fish taco grilled instead of lightly battered, and they were very accommodating. Just delicious! The food is super authentic, and I love the salsa bar! So happy they opened! read more

The tacos are delicious, especially the carnitas! They also have an array of amazing salsas to pair with your tacos to accentuate the flavor even further! The tacos come super stuffed and are filling so definitely worth the price point. The staff are also super nice and helpful. Great addition to the neighborhood, especially a late night spot after stopping into the bars in the area! read more

Amazing tacos, authentic and made from scratch tortillas, guac is crazy good. Staff and owners super friendly!

El taco serves some of the best tacos in the city, which is why I visited a couple of days ago and discovered it's conveniently located next to my favorite bar Iggys, making it an ideal spot to grab a taco after a night out. read more