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    El Tio Taco

    3.0 (35 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)

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    a mural of a mexican town
    Nancy W.

    El Tio Taco has been our favorite tacos spot for the past few years. The menu has a range of different foods. Anyone can pick what they're in the mood for a delicious meal. Horchata here is in the biggest glass I have ordered compared to other places. There is a lot of ice in it. If you want less of it, let your server know. It's delicious and light, you can taste the cinnamon and make for a great drink. Tacos are where it's at here. I always order chicken, other company I have been with love lengua and other menu options. Each meal is packed with so much on your plate. It's awesome. The homemade chips with the sauces are all fresh, too. The restaurant is super inviting with the fun colors and Art. Service is always friendly, and parking is available around the neighborhood. All forms of payment are accepted. The only con is how loud the music can get in the restaurant. We have been fine with it. You will likely find yourself speaking louder. I learned a while ago that it'll always be busy on cico de mayo. Otherwise, always plenty of seats available. Until next time when we're craving tacos again.

    Great color added to the table.
    Tommy E.

    A mostly-forgettable dining experience. But first, their biggest positive: wonderfully decorated interior in which you feel transported to Mexico. Well done! We had our first bizarre moment was when we were given menus with no prices. After asking where the prices were, the young waitress quickly switched them out for other menues with prices written on sticky notes and added next to the meal description. We asked for water and were brought two Poland Spring bottles of water. Figuring we were going to be charged for those, we asked for just simple tap water, and we're given two cups of water. Our waitress definitely had trouble understanding our request, so another waitress came over and we asked her and she seemed to immediately understand what we meant. As for our order: our pork tacos were pedestrian at best, with the pork lightly seasoned and a tough, chewy consistency. I had expected a softer, melt-in-your-mouth type pork. The pork burrito was a better choice and a very healthy-sized portion, as the photo shows. The "Tio Taco" written in sauce is a nice addition. The pork included the burrito seemed better, perhaps because of the addition and flavor influence of the rice and beans. Bizarre moment part two: the bill. It was presented as being $31 (before tax) and we discussed amongst ourselves how that could be. We both thought we remembered the taco were either $12 or 14, and the burrito was $13. So how did it equal $31? We asked to speak to anyone who explain it. We then saw the two ladies who had served us discussing the bill with a male waiter. Finally, he came over and told us the two meals were each $14, the water was $1 each and the to-go contrainer was $1. I said we had returned the water bottles since we didn't want to be charged for water, and had asked for just tap water. He replied that they had opened the bottles and poured them into the cups, which we were served. Not what we asked for, but...the language barrier might be to blame. Then he adds, "And the to-go container was $1." Now that is a first for me, being charged for the plastic to-go container. I work in travel and dine in hundreds of restaurants each year and had never been charged for a to-go container. It's like being taxed for taking the food you bought home...talk about leaving a bad taste in a diner's mouth as they exit . Quick synopsis: Decor: 5 Servers: 4 (language barrier is an issue but we still tipped 25%) Food: 3 Check calculation: 0 Container charge: pathetic

    Tacos, molinetes y torta
    Wendy C.

    It was amazing, the best "al pastor" meat i've tried! I loved it. We ordered 2 molcajetes it was huge and could not finish it. Amazing service.

    Sauces
    Alex T.

    Would be a 5 review but parking lot is horrendous. Seems impossible to get a spot and even harder to get out of the parking lot. The food was amazing. I got n order of El Pastor tacos which included 4 tacos. They also gave me chips with various salsas/sauces. WARNING : stay away from that red hot sauce! WOW!! I'm use to hot sauces but DANG - that one lit my tongue up on first bite. That quickly became the one sauce I pushed away from my food immediately. staff was very welcoming and helpful.

    Navin k.

    Authentic food, full of flavor. Service was great , restaurant is clean and decorated accordingly. Def recommended if you know what you're ordering. Ps music was lit too lol

    Mariachis eat here.
    Emile L.

    Excellent authentic Mexican food for the meat lovers. Fresh fried chips with freshly made salsas. Excellent over stuffed tacos. Sorry no gringo tacos here. The al pastor tacos were great so was the steak with onions. The have a full bar and the prices are reasonable for the portion size.

    Carnitas Tostadas (Center), Pig Ear and Cow Stomach tacos (left) Al Pastor and Cow Tongue tacos (right)

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    8 months ago

    The food is good but the service sucks, I was there for 1 hour in a half and I didn't get my food, and they didn't even put in my order.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great food and service and great value!! I love the al pastor tacos here! I highly recommend this place!!

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Really good place specially there camitas and the tacos de canasta my personal favorite lol

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    2 years ago

    Love their tacos! They are so close by my house. I would get them everyday if I could. Good service too.

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Food is amazing and great portions. They provide chips and salsa complimentary to the table. Staff is very nice and attentive

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Terrible, the quality declined dramatically. When it opened a year ago it was good but now is terrible.

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    Taqueria 86 - Birrea

    Taqueria 86

    4.5(168 reviews)
    2.4 miUpper West Side
    $$

    Went on Google Maps to find a Mexican spot that sounded good. Came to check it out and I'm glad I…read morefound this place to try! More on the pricier side but I personally think it was a nice treat. I love the music that they were playing and have a nice big screen projector. The vibes were cool. I started out with the spicy marg perf amount of alch. & the elotes. The elotes were soo yummy & a good amount of sauce and toppings. I got the chicken tacos & my boyfriend got steak. We both put some verde & red sauce & Lime on our tacos and was mmmmm! Que rico! Was sad no rice & beans came with it for the price it would be nice to have a side.. But besides that service and all was great!

    4.5 stars I was…read morevisiting a friend on the Upper West Side, and we were looking for a dinner delivery place when I came across Taqueria 86. I found it odd that the restaurant was located on 94th Street, given its name, but that was irrelevant. Its reviews were excellent, and the food looked great in the Yelp photos, so we decided to give it a shot. I ordered a Grilled Chicken Burrito Bowl, which was supposed to be served in a fried flour tortilla that had been shaped into a bowl, but I, instead, opted for the ingredients to be placed in a container without the crispy vehicle. The platter included diced chicken, orange Mexican rice, black beans, lettuce, corn, pico de gallo, and guacamole. The chicken was well-seasoned and tender, the rice was fluffy, and the beans were very flavorful. The rest of the ingredients were fresh, and everything blended well together. I was allowed to select one of four sauces, though there were no descriptions to help distinguish their differences. I just selected the Red Smoky Salsa, which turned out to have a medium heat level and added notes of chipotle; I thought it was perfect. I had also asked for no queso fresco, and the crema on the side, though I wound up not using it. Overall, I was very impressed with my dish, and my friend enjoyed her Skirt Steak Burrito as well. Taqueria 86 delivered (pun intended) on flavor and quality. Next time I hope to visit the restaurant in-person to enjoy their cocktails and what looks like a fun atmosphere.

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    Taqueria 86 - Spicy Margarita: passion fruit

    Spicy Margarita: passion fruit

    Taqueria 86 - Shrimp taco

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    Rancho Tequileria - Place setting at the bar

    Rancho Tequileria

    4.0(140 reviews)
    2.4 miUpper West Side

    Mmmm alright I will definitely be back here. Vibes/setting, food, & service were all great. They…read morehave outside seating, which is nice. Prices are reasonable. We started with the drink trio with a shot of tequila, margarita, & beer ( of your choice ) for $20! The marg was great. For our entree my boyfriend and I split the azteca fajita which is similar to a combo fajita. Had steak, chicken, chorizo, and shrimp with side rice & beans. It was a great size for us cause we weren't super hungry but it filled me up. It was very tasty and flavorful. I was satisfied. Will be back to try other items on the menu. Had a good time there

    My friend and I ducked in this neighborhood establishment for a quick happy hour drink. We sat at…read morethe cutest little table inside the bar area. They have seating outside as well but only for dinner and not happy hour. Place was fairly busy for a Friday evening. It was a cute Mexican inspired spot with even cuter decor. I loved the Edison styled lights and place settings at the bar which were very inviting to guests also wanting food. The ambiance was pleasant. We ordered margaritas of course and they were your average happy hour version. More ice and mixer than alcohol but that seems to be the norm for most bars and restaurants. Nevertheless we enjoyed them. They do not offer chips and salsa for free. We paid around $5.00 for a very small portion. Chips were not freshly made so if you are hungry you will just have to make it work. Our service was minimal. Not bad just average. Bathroom was on par for NYC. Kind of small, dark and dingy, not overtly clean but not a disaster either. I definitely used it without complaint. In reality, this is a neighborhood venue for local UWS-ers and not a destination you would travel to. I would patronize it again if in the neighborhood for convenience. Rating is 3.5 out of 5.

    Photos
    Rancho Tequileria - Happy Hour Margaritas (frozen and on the rocks)

    Happy Hour Margaritas (frozen and on the rocks)

    Rancho Tequileria - Guacamole & chips

    Guacamole & chips

    Rancho Tequileria - Happy Hour Margaritas (frozen and on the rocks)

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    Happy Hour Margaritas (frozen and on the rocks)

    Nina's Great Burrito Bar - Birria Tacos: $22; $23.95 with tax.

    Nina's Great Burrito Bar

    4.0(473 reviews)
    2.8 miUpper West Side
    $$

    What a great addition to the neighborhood! The atmosphere is charming with authentic modern Mexican…read moredecor and great music. The food was delicious. Try the mole sauce on anything! Our server Julietta was delightful. We'll be back soon.

    Heard great things about Nina's and was excited to try it. Tried to call to make a reservation but…read morethe phone doesn't work. Never had an experience like what happened today. Showed up on a gorgeous Sunday with friends. Inside was empty (and hot), but we saw a table outside wrapping up. Spoke to the host about sitting there and he said sure. We sat at the bar to have a drink while we waited. He returned a few minutes later to tell us her informed by the older woman working there (not Nina based on pics from their website) we couldn't sit outside if we're just drinking. We explained we wanted to eat, but for now while waiting we'd have drinks. And then we sat there. Waiting. 15 minutes went by and we finally were able to order drinks waiting for the table to be cleaned. We saw a party of 5 enter and speak to the woman about having our table. We said to the man we're waiting on that table and he said yes its yours no need to worry. Next thing we know the woman sat the other party at the table we waited 22 minutes for. We pointed this out to the man. He was silent and didn't know what to say. I got up and went outside to the woman and explained we'd been waiting 22 minutes for that table and she needed to move them and explain they were sat in error. At first I could see she realized her mistake, then she said she would get her manager, then she said they actually were here before us. I said no they were not, we've been here all this time and they just arrived. She kept saying they were here first but they were not. I walked away from her done with this stupid conversation. We told them we were leaving and the man said "sorry". Nina - if you read this you need to train your staff to do better. The restaurant seemed understaffed and the two people working there are not communicating and seem like they do not know what they are doing. We ended up going down the street to Polanco Social where we were sat outside immediately, had amazing service, great food, and ended up chatting with the kind owner who bought us dessert on the house!

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    Nina's Great Burrito Bar - Cute Bathroom Decor

    Cute Bathroom Decor

    Nina's Great Burrito Bar - Flan with Coffee Caramel Sauce: $10; $10.89 with tax.

    Flan with Coffee Caramel Sauce: $10; $10.89 with tax.

    Nina's Great Burrito Bar - Enchiladas de Mole: $24; $26.13 with tax.

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    Enchiladas de Mole: $24; $26.13 with tax.

    El Tio Taco - mexican - Updated September 2026

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