Tomatillo Taco Joint

So fun! As a San Diegan, I didn't have high expectations for Mexican food in New Haven. But this…read moreplace was legit! I got fish tacos (I know, I know) - but they were actually super tasty. 3 for $20. You have to add on a few dollars if you want either sliced avocado or guac. I did avocado and they were super generous with it. Also, my cocktail was great. They have lots of different tequilas and Mezcals. I got the Julep that was made with Illegal mezcal, which I recently had back at home and was yummy. The drink was perfectly made and super yummy. They were also very nice here. The manager came over (John? I blame my faulty memory on the mezcal). He said that he orders lots of different tequilas and was happy to hear I enjoyed it. He and lots of the servers were also Mexican American. So who knew? You can actually get good fish tacos and Mezcal here in New Haven, Connecticut. I'm hoping to try other restaurants while I'm here but otherwise will come back here happily! (oh, and the patio is covered, which is great for a rainy day!)

We were sharing stories with classmates on reunion weekend. There was a line across the street but…read morenone here.....for good reason. The restaurant is loud and becomes a tequila shot bar in the evening. But, there are only two dirty, unisex bathrooms. The oversized, overweight, over aggressive bouncers enforce a time limit in the bathrooms...with vigor. We saw someone complain about the bouncer's and pounding on the door get tossed.....physically. YES, THIS BAR EMPLOYEES PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE BOUNCERS! Best for any decent person to avoid this hole and tell your student kids to stay away. We considered calling the cops but didn't want to miss the quality time and events with classmates elsewhere as it was our 25th REUNION! Way to improve the neighborhood, New Haven! Anyone with common sense should stay away from Geronimo's violence-provoking Tequila Bar.

Bar Area

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Mezcal

3.9(425 reviews)

1.2 mi

Had a good meal at Mezcal and enjoyed being able to sit outside. The vibe was very relaxed and…read moreservers were extremely courteous. Food was of very very generous portions and tasty! Drinks were similarly good portions but not super strong. Prices were a little too high in my opinion but overall we had a good experience.

The food was really good and the portions are big. I recommend the birria tacos and the tostadas.read more

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Taqueria Mexicana

4.3(86 reviews)

2.6 mi

What a gem! Good prices, good food and friendly staff. Small joint serving up some really good…read moreMexican food. I ordered ala cart and decided on a tostada gordita and sope. The Gordita was stuffed with al pastor and they did not skimp on the filling. The sope was shaped like a boat which I have never seen before. They were all tasty. I washed it all down with an ice cold jamaica.

Wow! We ordered the spicy margaritas and it was the best margaritas I've ever had. The Tostada de…read moreCeviche was out of this world. Hubby had chiles rellenos de queso - delicious! Love a good hole in the wall. Will be back!

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Chips and guacamole

Te Amo Tequila Bar & Tacos

3.7(380 reviews)

0.4 mi

Taco Tuesday was amazing. Mango chicken tacos are out of this world. Real fresh food made by some…read morereal expert chefs.

Popped in for a few beverages before dinner, service and drinks were spot on!…read more Saw so much amazing food walking by us, if we didn't have reservations we would have dined. Will be back for sure.

Fried Nutella Plantains

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Tequila Honeybee

Salsa’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant

4.1(25 reviews)

2.1 mi

This is the worst Mexican food that I have ever eaten! I had an order delivered by Uber eats last…read morenight and the two orders of nacho were missing, the Cameron's was turned upside down and the sauce leaked out all through the bag. The portions were small, and you eat with your eyes first. In this case you go blind. The portions were not satisfying at all. This isn't authentic, it's a shame. And the rice and beans were godawful. We had to place an order to a real, authentic restaurant in Branford because the hunger pangs needed to be fuelled. We paid a lot less, had portions five times the size and were finally satiated. We even have some left over. When I called this restaurant and asked to speak to the manager, I was told that they wouldn't be back until next week. How convenient. This is the first, and last time that I will ever order from this restaurant!

We asked Salsa's to help with a last minute catering event. The staff are kind, easy to work with,…read moreand incredibly accommodating. Additionally, the food is delicious and fresh! I will be recommending Salsa's Authentic Mexican Restaurant to anyone and everyone in the New Haven area. Thank you Salsa's!

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Milanasa de res torta!

Camacho Garage

3.9(373 reviews)

1.8 mi

Everything from service to to being appreciated by everyone that works for your establishment I…read morealways feel important when I go in there.

Food? Yes, they have food AND it's awesome!!!…read more Everything we've had here was delicious. The guacamole $18.00 is delicious and 3-4 can share a bowl. The menu has the best tasting taco options I've ever had: The 2 for $12 offers a number of options available on corn, flour or for $3.00 more, lettuce. We've had the Fish, Salmon, Carnitas, Pastor and Vegetable. Size is small. Flavors are big. There are 5 $18.00 tacos, various salads including a couple of ceviche - sound delicious as does this: BIRRIA PIZZADILLA $58.00 Triple Stacked with Chihuahua Cheese, Onion, Cilantro, Beef Consomé, Flour Tortilla and they have more... Service is friendly, wait time is reasonable. The interior is really interesting. Sorry, no pictures

Bar

Lime Creme Brûlée

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Vegetariano Taco

Tacos Los Michoacanos

4.1(14 reviews)

1.5 mi

3.5 stars, overall beautiful presentation and fast and friendly service but the seasoning and…read moreflavor just wasn't there on the Birria Tacos. The consume was okay and the tacos were beefy and cheesy but lacked flavor and seasoning. The green sauce that came with was good, they had plenty of flavors of jarritos. 3 birrias tacos for $15

Went on a solo Birria taco crawl.. I have to say, this came…read moreout on top! Service was quick with a smile.... Tacos may be a bit more expensive than other places BUT they're FULL of meat and cheese... The broth is not oily at all like other places (yuck)... the green salsa is delish! There was no line which makes me think this is the hidden secret! Great job guys!!!! My belly is thanking you.... I'm glad you're only ten min away!

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Cilantro Fresh Mexican Grill

3.7(177 reviews)

2.3 mi

Haven't gone here in years due to having relocated, but when I went it was average to just okay…read more Decent size burritos and ok chips and salsa. Service was decent. Takeout is just meh. It would be loud inside when I dined in with a plus one. I'll try again soon to see if anything changed.

Cilantro Fresh Mexican Grill is a fast-casual Mexican-style restaurant that opened in New Haven,…read moreConnecticut in 2012. It was founded by restaurateur couple Chris Guerra and Sara Holycross. Guerra opened his first restaurant, Dayton Street Apizza, in New Haven in 1998 when he was just 23. The success of the pizzeria was enough for him to open a sister pizzeria, First Street Apizza, in Seymour in 2005. Eventually Guerra decided to purchase the building that Dayton Street Apizza was housed in. For the opposite side, he had originally thought about opening a Chinese restaurant. Then he and his partner Holycross realized that Mexican culture was thriving in New Haven. Many of the kitchen staff at Dayton Street Apizza were of Latino descent and they would frequently heat up their authentic Spanish and Mexican meals in the kitchen. Although fast-casual chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill or Moe's Southwest Grill were popular, Guerra and Holycross eschewed the assembly line style of food preparation for a traditional made-to-order style of preparation. This meant that their food would be fresher and the menu more nimble. When it opened in 2012, Cilantro was met with much acclaim. Guerra sadly passed away unexpectedly in 2016; Holycross continues to run his three restaurants. My wife and I have been to Cilantro several times and have never been disappointed. When they first opened, my wife and I had recently started dating and she lived in an apartment down the street. We've been fans of their food ever since. We recently stopped there for dinner with our two boys on Cinco de Mayo. Cilantro's take-out business was pretty busy that day, but the dining room wasn't too crowded for sit-down meals. We started off with some of their complimentary chips and salsas as well as a large order of their delicious "Guacamole". For our entrées, I had the "Tostada Salad w/ Steak" (fried flour tortilla shell filled with/ lettuce, black beans, guacamole, sour cream, & pico de gallo), my wife had the "Shrimp Bowl" (fresh grilled shrimp, lime, jack & cheddar, pinto beans, red cabbage, pico de gallo, tangy dressing), our older son had the "Kids Steak Taco" (soft corn tortilla w/ cheddar cheese), and our younger son had the "Kids Chicken Quesadilla". Everything was delicious; super fresh ingredients and all bursting with flavor! Unfortunately, Cilantro does not have a bar: no margaritas for us. However, they do carry bottle beer, wine, and sangria. I enjoyed a cup of "Red Sangria while my wife enjoyed a cup of "White Sangria". I must say that in addition to the excellent food, Cilantro also has excellent staff and service. Overall, we had another very enjoyable experience. The high-quality food and competitive prices here must not be overlooked.

Interior

My favorite burrito

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The sign

Taco Town

4.2(87 reviews)

4.4 mi

My coworker treated me to lunch and I took a bite of my hard taco and pulled out a long black hair…read more I pulled it out my mouth so disgusting. And this was my first time ever trying them. Never again.

Let me start off saying I was visiting when I ate at this location but food trucks at the flea…read moremarket food tasted better. It wasn't bad but the meal I had was cooked fresh overall now I couldn't get with the taco shell. That part of it tasted like straight grease. The service was attentive and straight forward. This would be a one time meal for me. But the appearance was amazing of this meal. Might be for someone else just not me.

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Pico De Gallo

Ground Beef Nachos

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Steak Rice Bowl

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32 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Beau B.

6 years ago

New Review: Excellent Mexican food. Quesadillas are particularly strong. Lot of food for the price in the burritos and bowls. Pina Colada smoothie is very tasty. Fast and solid customer service. Edit: I returned from active duty in Afghanistan to be a US Army Recruiter with PTSD and a severe opium addiction and because I was using all my money to buy Oxycontin in Long Wharf, I shook down businesses for free food under the threat of a bad review citing bad customer service if they didn't give me a free sample and were rude about it. In the army, I learned to "shoot to kill" so I could be very mean in reviews where a person rudely turned down my request for a free sample. I think a lot of local businesses caught on to what I was doing and started contaminating food, so I also gave 1-star reviews if I thought a business intentionally gave me food poisoning, but I don't blame them because I was being such a jerk in the community to local businesses. Now that I'm in Narcotic's Anonymous and 3 months clean of opiates and all drugs and alcohol, part of working the program is doing a fearless moral inventory and am adjusting all the businesses I gave 1-star reviews to up to 5-stars. Apologies to Tomatohero Taco Joint and any other affected businesses. God bless. read more

Rachel W.

14 years ago

Delicious! I've ordered here for myself and co-workers about a dozen times, and each time Tomatillo has delivered consistently delicious food. My favorite menu item is their nachos, very cheesy, tons of toppings, comes with salsa, pico, sour cream and guacamole. Coworkers have enjoyed tacos, burrito bowl and burritos. We have only tried the hacked chicken, but it's tasty and never dry. I'm a little obsessed with their salsa and always order extra. One great thing about Tomatillo is that they deliver. We normally take the ride over to the lunch carts for Mexican, so having a new Mexican restaurant in the area is always welcome. If you're looking for basic Mexican food that's consistent in quality and taste check this place out, you won't be disappointed! read more

K. D.

14 years ago

Three words; Fast, fresh, and friendly. As a working professional residing in New Haven I usually get home from work after 8. Typically my demanding schedule means no time to cook dinner. Fortunately for me since Tomatillo has opened I'm able to stop in on my way home for fast and authentic tasting Mexican meals that take only minutes to be freshly prepared. The variety of meats, veggies, and sauces means I will never run out of different combinations to devour. In addition to the food, I always make sure to wash it down with a delicious smoothie. Once again variety is key, so I pick 2,3,or sometimes 4 different fruit flavors to be blended together. Eating fresh and tasty yet healthy Mexican fast food is no longer impossible... thank you Tomatillo. read more

Gregory F.

156

12 years ago

DON'T DO IT! and do not order via grub-hub or your order will get severely screwed. ordered for a family of five I received the food around 3:45ish via delivery, they charged me for extra condiments (which I did not receive) and I did not receive my meal, I called back and I was informed I needed to wait till 5:00 PM for the rest of the order. I asked for a refund for the items not received and was told I needed to call grub-hub. They did not try and rectify their error because the food was made but over looked SMH. Let's just say I had to order from somewhere else due to the fact that the kids did not like the taco's. VERY BLAND read more

Mark B.

454

10 years ago

I ordered a lot of food for me and a lot of my other friends, so far Tomatillo is one of the best Mexican Restaurants around the New Haven area. I usually go after I'm done with my workout to get all of my proteins, so if you are looking for any place to get food that's high in protein and low in fat, that's absolutely your place. before I typed my comment I saw a lot of negative comments on here, so if you don't go yourself and try then you're really missing out. read more

Joshua C.

8 years ago

Literally not only one of the best Mexican food joints in the area but also one of the nicest! With very accommodating and courteous staff, my experience of going to tomatillo with just service alone leaves me wanting to come back to them every time! And their food is IMMACCULATE! I urge anyone who wants to try this place out, to see for themselves how amazing it is! read more

Marina N.

10 years ago

I highly recommend this place, their food is AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS, always fresh, service is faster than expected. Staff is unbelievably friendly. Mark, Salim, Arturo, Michael and the rest of the staff are always greeting me with the perfect smile. I drive to this place from New York to CT every 2 weeks. You should definitely give it a try if u haven't done so yet. read more

Linda C.

10 years ago

I just stuffed my face in here and am satisfied completely. I ordered 4 tacos lol. That's a lot for little ol me lol. I had a hacked chicken, 1 dirty steak, 1 braised beef and 1 carnitas. Wow were they all really good. Stuffed all of mine with rice sour cream cheeses and pickled jalapeños. Definitely worth a shot. read more

Rebecca B.

11 years ago

Delivery is always a disaster. They get the orders wrong and when you ask them to fix it they say they'll come pick up the food and give us our money back instead of fixing the order! Extremely rude, which is unfortunate because the food is good. I won't ever order from there again because of how rude they are. read more

Mary B.

196

299

2 years ago

Stand with the employees against Mike Boules the owner who threatens them with ICE and refusing to pay a fair salary. It's time we all stand against this type of behavior. Exploiting hard workers to their advantage, then destroying their lives. Read the Independent story..to stay informed. read more

Cam A.

7 years ago

i go here in the middle of the night and it always CRANKS!!! the churros will make you lose your mind (in a good way). i usually don't mess with hard shells but here i make an exception. eat here if you love yourself read more

Krystal K.

10 years ago

This is probably the best restaurant I've been to with my friend. Their food is great and the service is very good. The wait for the food wasn't long at all and I could tell that they use quality ingredients . read more

Zeus K.

12 years ago

yesterday my friend and I went to this restaurant and we saw a giant Cockroach walking by the food I will never go back to this dirty place again. I wont recommend this place to this restaurant to any body. read more

Alexander S.

11 years ago

Was stoked to find this place. I couldn't wait to try the fish tacos and they didn't disappoint. Food is excellent. The tres leche was good too. This coming from a NC boy, but heck it was a good meal. read more

Anthony D.

2 years ago

They pay minimum wage in 2025, and if you decide to leave to get a job that pays more than they're willing to pay, they call immigration on you. Pure scum. Avoid this place at all cost. read more

Doc Carey S.

11 years ago

Don't even bother going to Chipotle on Chapel. This place is so much better. Portion size is great, food is great, customer service is great. What more can I say. read more

Julie C.

10 years ago

This place is great! Great food and a really nice staff. Definitely recommend going and trying it out if you want really good Mexican food!

Demetria K.

10 years ago

Best place!!!! Best tacos in new haven!!!loved it so clean and friendly!! Will be back soon to eat more tacos!!!

Celine R.

174

10 years ago

Very good restaurant, the food and the service was really nice! Can't wait to go back again when I'm in CT.

Emmanuel M.

11 years ago

The food is good but when you call for a delivery they take for ever to take a simple order.

Tomatillo Taco Joint - mexican - Updated September 2026

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God I love this place. I want to gatekeep it SO badly so it's never too busy for me to dine in, but…read moreI also want them to make a million dollars and stay open forever, so here we are. The tortillas are made from fresh masa pressed to order, which is amazing by itself, but on top of that, every taco I've had is nothing short of delightful. Every time I visit, my order has been increasing by one taco because I can't get enough. They are so kind and friendly, they remember my order and preferred toppings (or lackthereof, met with zero judgement!!), and the atmosphere is super comfortable. It is semi-loud, which I personally have no problem with, but I have seen stuffy older people come in and be turned off (bye, more tacos for me!). When I die, please bury me in a mound of Tacos Los Gordos carnitas!!!! TLG, you will see me weekly as long as I live in New Haven.

I have never seen three people work harder than in this kitchen on Cinco de Mayo. Thankfully, I put…read morein my order about 10 minutes after they reopened at 5 PM. Minutes later, chaos ensued, and there was a line of about 20 people that never went away. They make the tortillas from scratch, I watched a woman in the kitchen, piecing off the dough and then flattening them in a press, and then putting them on the grill, over and over and over again. By the way, their tortilla chips are made of this same homemade goodness. I can see why there was a line out the door until I finished my meal. The tacos I ordered were perfectly seasoned, very tender, and incredibly juicy. I don't think I've ever had tacos like that before. Even if there is a line, I would highly recommend stopping in for these delicious morsels.

Taqueria Micheladas Don Efren

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Was great food and friendly people to order from would recommend this place for food and price was…read morefair

Awww! This place is family owned, clean, friendly and delicious…read more I want them to fill up with business. Yet I loved having the place to ourselves. Owner walks around and customer service is top tier. Hidden gem in a small strip plaza.

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Food arrived 1.5 HOURS after estimate. Food terrible and bland. Really sad place, do not go here.read more

Ordered takeout here for lunch with co workers the tortas were huge and delicious. Pork had tons of…read moreflavor. Was a little greasy but it was worth it. The order was ready fast. Will definitely be ordering here again soon!

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So many food trucks, how do you choose?…read more I went to Yelp of course and Ixtapa came up as the most visited/reviewed truck. Ixtapa it is! One Birria plate and a cheese quesadilla please! Of course Birria is messy and eating it in the car can be a challenge but we are up for the challenge! Over the last year, we have been on a birria kick. So I can share, this birria was good but I have had better. Their quesadilla was the winner for me! Super soft, loaded with cheese and flavorful. Maybe it's 2 kids of cheese inside? I would visit again.

We've driven by the Food Truck Paradise so many times & finally, at long last, we decided to check…read moreit out. I'm so glad we did. It's such a great lil stretch of food trucks along the water. So many options, all of which specialize in different kinds of Latin American food. There's plenty of parking along the stretch. It's worth getting out & walking down the line of trucks to check out the options. There are no real tables or facilities, though. We noticed a few portable bathrooms, but they were locked. The food from Ixtapa was delicious & affordable. They made me an excellent elote, & I appreciate that they stabbed it with a stick so that eating it was a neater, cleaner experience. The tacos were great, too. I definitely recommend stopping for the whole experience.

La Terraza

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"Serving 100% Mexican Food"…read more Having eaten a number of meals in San Francisco's Mission District - I have to agree. We've been meaning to stop for a while and finally did and could not have enjoyed the experience more. Ambiance is warm, and friendly. Service was excellent. The wait was short. The food portions were generous nicely prepared, and really, really good. Delicious Fried Calamari I had the Birria Burrito, huge very tasty and the side of beans were excellent and not just an afterthought. Impressive food and service at a great price! Many return visits will be made.

Very clean nicely decorated Very nice people. Seems to be…read morefamily owned, and the food appears to not be prepackaged. They're open for breakfast and I was happy. They had more than a few selections some traditional. Personally, my eggs and tomatoes and Cheese could use a little more egg or a little less vegetable. The rice was good and the beans tasted good but they were cold. They were warm and then they had some cold spots throughout, so I would've liked a little bit more consistently warm food. I'm coffee is very good tortillas good I would try them again

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Everything from service to to being appreciated by everyone that works for your establishment I…read morealways feel important when I go in there.

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Excellent lunch on the way to airport. They didn't have tamales today but the fajita salad was…read morefull of delicious steak and large. My pick two combo plate was absolutely fantastic, one shredded beef taco, one cheese enchilada since no tamale. The restaurant was quiet today, clean and impeccable service. Highly recommend.

I recently visited this Restaurant and I had an overall ok experience. They have a big menu with…read moreplenty of options. I ordered the birria tacos and enchiladas Rojas. The portions were pretty decent. The birria tacos were ok. The consomé was missing some flavor. The rice on the side was ok. The enchiladas were a little dry inside and the tortillas were a little hard to eat. The horchata was good not too sweet. Service and ambience were ok. It was early afternoon when we were there. It was quiet Overall it wasn't a bad meal. If you are looking for some Mexican with a good portion sizes this is the place.

Taqueria Tlaxcala II

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I had a craving for Birria Tacos, and my daughter recommended this particular place known for its…read moreauthentic flavors. After dropping her off at her college dorm, I decided to give it a try. I was greeted promptly by the staff, who took my order efficiently. My meal arrived in about twenty minutes, served hot and ready. The tacos were incredibly flavorful, with tender, slow-cooked meat marinated in a rich, spicy broth, and topped with freshly chopped cilantro and onions. The tortillas were crispy but could have been a bit crunchier for texture contrast. The meat was seasoned perfectly, complementing the savory broth used for dipping. Overall, it was a satisfying and delicious experience, and a perfect stop for authentic Birria Tacos. The customer service was friendly and attentive, making the whole dining experience enjoyable. I will definitely be returning to try more of their offerings, especially the accompanying consomé and homemade salsas.

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