Los Tacos No. 1
- Jason Eldredge
- Mar 9, 2016
- 2 min read
As soon as I moved to New York City, I put out an APB on Twitter searching for the kind of Mexican food that one finds in Southern California. For seven long years it has been an ongoing quest. Not to say that NYC doesn't have some great Mexican cuisine; Toloache, Barrio Chino, Hecho en Dumbo, and Mayahuel are all some of my favorites. But, for me it seems like Mexican food in NYC has fallen into one of two categories: 1) "overly refined" or 2) "lacking in quality."
There is something about Mexican food in Southern California that sits right in the sweet spot. It's not fancy, it's not refined, but it is still amazing. You can always taste a unique family recipe at the heart of most Mexican restaurants in California. And yes, I am aware of the obvious geographic advantage The Golden State has over the east coast on this matter. The argument here is that NYC proudly-- and 99.9% rightfully-- proclaims itself as the food capital of the United States. That missing .1% for me has always been authentic Mexican food... Until now.
Los Tacos No 1 set out to bring authentic Mexican tacos to the east coast and they have righteously done just that. Housed in an oversized taco stand inside the Chelsea Market, the eatery's simple menu offers flour or corn tortilla tacos with your choice of: carne asada, pollo asado, adobada, or nopal (grilled cactus). The clear standouts here are the pollo asado and the adobada, which is beautiful pork that has been marinating all day in luscious red chili sauce and carved from a giant spit in the center of the kitchen.
Oh my God, I just ate these and I want to go back right now and have them all over again.
Now that amazing tacos have been checked off of my NYC list, the hunt is still on for authentic enchiladas...
Los Tacos No. 1
Chelsea Market
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