Carnitas El Atoradero

Looks like this place is reopening in Brooklyn:

Great news: El Atoradero is reopening in Brooklyn!
Yay for Lina and thanks so much to Gillian for letting me know about this! Mark it down, NYC people because this is gonna be delicious. Lina only knows one way to cook and that is deliciousness personified. Or foodonified I guess would be more accurate. New word. My word. Patented. Add it to the dic… (cough cough). Sorry. Frog in throat. Reddit. Reddit. Reddit. Add it to the dictionary. I’m from Oxford. I’m allowed. Thx.
Here are my update edits on my old review, and please read the old review for more info on how amazing this place is, and was.
Update Edit: Thanks to Andrew, I’ve now discovered what happened. The landlord stupidly raised the rent by $ 1200 just because the place was getting popular, so Lina (who runs it) had to shut it down. You can still meet Lina and get some of her food at the bodega next door, which I recommend all of you do because it really is that delicious.
Do not visit the restaurant at this location, though, because it is no longer Lina, it’s someone else just using the same store. Go to the Bodega next door and get food from Lina instead.

This is for the old restaurant. It’s a trek but worth every single minute. It’s perfect for cold days especially because you can feel the love that has been cooked in. The symphony of flavors will make your mouth smile.
UPDATE: They are suppose to be making appearances at Vendy Plaza every Sunday.

Very sadly, per Eater NY, the landlord raised the rent, and the restaurant is closing. The owner hopes to open at Smorgasburg and is looking for another space.

After seeing all the amazing press that Atoradero was getting, the landlord of 800 E. 149^th St. decided to raise the rent an extra $ 1200 a month. It’s a deplorable tactic that makes me sick just to think about. Atoradero was becoming a bit of a destination to a neighborhood that gets the bare minimum of local tourism. That’s going to have to be paused until Lina finds a new location. But in the meanwhile, don’t go here. The food isn’t the same, the people aren’t the same, nothing is the same other than the address.

Yeah I am a fan! Been going here for three days straight now. lol
As other reviews said, it’s a small place. I get it to go. but they are really nice ppl and portion sizes are decent!
As for the food. other reviews say it’s «authentic» Mexican food so I was expecting it to be too salty and spicy. but to my surprise, it isn’t! And that’s a big plus for me.
Bottom line. if you in town, check it out!

This is the best Mexican food in town. That’s it, you will get the real taste of Mexico in this place. Ms. Lina really takes care of everything, organic ingredients, home made tortillas, nothing artificial, not even colorant !
The food is great as well as the service, look no further, this is the best.
Mexican certified

Horrible!
I ordered
1 Steak Burrito
3 Tostadas with Meat — Spicy Pork
1 Chicken Quesadilla
The only thing worth eating was the Burrito, and that belonged to my boyfriend.
The Quesadilla was a joke.
And the tostadas were a mess.

This is truly a hole in the wall, but nothing short of amazing. A true authentic Mexican restaurant, with finger licking good food. As you walk in the first thing you spot is the grill and cook, as you make your way to the back of the restaurant you’ll find about four table and a couple of chairs. They have Mexican art displayed on the wall and «novelas» on the tv playing. As soon as we were seated we were brought roasted salsa with fresh chips. While the salsa was extra spicy it tasted delicious. A group of us (four people) walked in around 9 p.m. on a Thursday night and found it completely empty but we weren’t complaining. Three of us order the quesadilla and one order tacos. We order two chicken quesadillas and one steak, and while the chicken quesadillas were on point the steak one was to die for. They came with mozzarella cheese, jalapeños, tomato and lettuce. We also order on the side extra «crema» and «queso fresco» with our food. The steak tacos also were amazing and came with onions and cilantro. The food was so amazing we ended up ordering another quesadilla to slipt. Our waiter, who I can only assume was also the restaurant owner was amazing and provided nothing less than five star service. He came and checked on us often, was more than happy to explain to us when we inquire on certain dishes and how they were prepared. After our meal he let us sample his Mexican «Café de olla» which is «pot coffee» that tasted delish. Obviously coffee made in a pot; with sugar cane and cinnamon. For dessert he also let us sample his Mexican jello which has three different layers of goodness. Our bill with the tip came out to be $ 50, which is amazing granted that we order five different meals and drinks. Will most definitely be visiting again and recommending this place to friends and family.

Just ordered from grubhub, after reading the great reviews on Unilocal.Omg delicious!!! The cheese pupusa– ive never had his before tonight… where have you been all my life!!!
The chicken tacos were flavorful, and the tortillas were fresh (and didnt crack under the weight!) Perfectly seasoned. Also got the steak quesadillas– also-​excellent! The sauces that came on the side were tasty!
Will definately be ordering again! Soooooo goood!

This place is a hole in the wall, but the food is amazing. I had the albondigas (meatballs) in chipotle sauce. They were so tender and flavorful. I also had the carnitas and al pastor tacos. The carnitas were well seasoned and had a rich, porky flavor. The al pastor was delicious, with just the right balance of pineapple flavor. My girlfriend had the chicken flautas, and they were perfectly crispy. The complimentary chips were delicious and well-​salted. The man serving us also let us try the mole poblano sauce and the salsa Verde from the pork rib daily special. Both were so rich and deeply flavorful. I can’t wait to come back and try more items from the menu!
Just be aware that it is cash only.

Amazingly delicious Mexican food. Prices are more than reasonable and the service was fabulous. Owner came to the table to explain each dish and daily specials. Al Pastor and tamales are some of the best I have had in the states. We will absolutely be frequenting this place.

This place is what it’s like to have a Mexican grandmother. It’s Mexican Home cooking at it’s finest, and the chef is a very sweet lady who insist you try all the sauces she made. Reminiscent of my the time I lived in southern Texas and the years I spent traveling through Mexico. This is Mexican Food. Real Mexican food. It’s the model of how you should do things as a restaurant. Do one thing really well. The one thing you are passionate about and then let passion show in your food and service. My only complaint is that it is so far from my neighborhood.

Wow, a diamond in the rough. Many different tacos; pork, beef, goat, and the sauces red and green tomatillo and a mole that has to be tasted to be believed. The layers of flavor are amazing, 2 days to make for my 10 minutes of enjoyment.
The owner gave me a free tasting of all the sauces and taco fillings. The chips are the best I’ve ever tasted, thin, warm, and crisp. She is a perfectionist, every thing is made to order, no corn tortillas sitting around waiting to be used. To top it all off a fantastic cup of coffee infused with a hint of cinnamon, excellent!!! All this for under $ 12.
The prices are extremely reasonable, the place is immaculately clean, the service is great, and the food is the best Mexican I have ever had in the City. Today, my first visit, I barely scratched the surface of the menu items. By spring time I should be very well versed in this Puebla style of cooking. I will be back, next time maybe for breakfast. What a way to start the day.

Decided to go here after reading an article then seeing the great reviews. I have to say how disappointed I was. I don’t know what all the hype is all about? The carnitas that are sooo famous were all fat and with bones? In a taco really? Cesina taco was so salty I couldn’t even eat them and the Picadita was greasy beyond belief? I’m hoping I went on a bad day. I will go again only because the staff is very nice and I’ll try some other items. Hopefully I will not regret it as much as I did this time.

El Atoradero is as good as it gets.
We live near Sunset Park, Brooklyn but regularly travel up to the Bronx for their delicious picaditas, sauces, flor del calabaza, horchata, and carnitas, among other things. We had El Atoradero cater our outdoor wedding in Brooklyn and everyone raved about the food.
Lina is a treasure and her crew are so nice and love to spend time talking about food and recipes and taking care of their customers.
I highly recommend them for a great meal or for catering.

The restaurant is authentic Mexican and offers Pupusas, a dish native to El Salvador. My review is of the pupusas. They do make them «well» but by no means are they authentic in the Salvadorean way. (I’m from ES). They are not made by hand but rather using a tortilla press. The ingredients inside the pupusas, (like revueltas & chicharron) have mexican seasoning, are way over greasy, which I expected bc its a mexican restaurant and are spicy/​hot. Traditional pupusas aren’t suppose to be spicy/​hot or ooze grease like tacos! Their curtido de repollo (cabbage salad) is good, but its also spicy/​hot, which again is not a bad thing, but they don’t offer non-​hot. Don’t order pupusas expecting them to taste like the ones your mother makes or you remember from El Salvador, not trying to knock them down, but if you are in the mood for Pupusas with a mexican twist, this is your place.

I was craving tacos for weeks but Peruvian food, new burger joints and steaks kept distracting me. Fortunately, while I was starving I found the greatest Mexican hole in a wall. They had every type of meat here (lengua, bistec, chorizo, pollo) and carnitas. I never heard of that before but that seems to be their specialty so I ordered a taco with carnitas and… What is this beautiful looking cheese and guacamole thing? Picadita Rellena? What is that and what is it stuffed with? Frijoles negros (black beans)?! Hell yeah! Give me that. Then he told me that I could put meat on top of it. Man, this guy is great! I chose the steak so I could have a well balanced meal of pork, steak, beans, and flour :)
The carnita taco was the 2^nd best taco I’ve ever had – only bested by some rib eye tacos I had a couple years ago. I then tasted that picadita rellena and… my life changed. It’s 11 pm and I’m currently full, but I still want one of those right now. I really don’t know what else to say except that I had a sope a few hours after having that picadita and I was sooo disappointed.

This is the most amazing authentic Mexican I have ever had, and I have been to Mexico. A bit of a trek to the 146 st stop, but definitely worth it.
I have been putting off writing this post because I didn’t want anyone to find out about this place. However, the owner/​head chef is so sweet and kind, she deserves to succeed.
Warning: knowing at least broken Spanish is required to order.

Feeling a bit adventurous, I woke up on Saturday with an itch to hit this cozy Mexican food spot in the Bronx. After reading a few things here and there about their amazing carnitas, it was high time to expand my horizons and traverse the wild world of Mott Haven off the 149^th Street stop… and it’s a good thing I did. It was an amazing, humbling experience.
They’re renowned in the neighborhood for having the best carnitas in town, whether in a torta, taco, or burrito… but the creative mind of Denise (owner) goes well beyond the low hanging fruits of Mexican fast food. Her mind races with creativity in the form of unusual soups (we had a blended garbanzo bean soup with shrimp broth and two kinds of exotic peppers that was delicious), tasty hot cereal (she whipped up a savory-​yet-​sweet corn based hot cereal that had the consistency of Cream Of Wheat that was insane) and she’s already looking towards summer with visions of innovative cactus salads (just to name one item she’s already conceptualizing in her mind). This is of course complimentary to the deep-​seeded star of the show, the slow-​braised carnitas that you must experience ASAP.
If the meaty stuff wasn’t good enough, she makes her own tortillas by hand using homemade maize and wraps her arms around the same «eat real food» movement you see dudes in suspenders around Williamsburg spouting off about, but it’s rooted in tradition and rich flavors more than what some tattooed millennial read in the latest issue of Modern Farmer Magazine. She’s not following the latest farm to table trends and marking up her product by 80% — she’s literally cooking devoid of strange ingredients because that’s how her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother taught her how to cook. It’s refreshing, absolutely delicious, and whimsical all at the same time.
If this doesn’t convince you to make the short trip up from Manhattan, perhaps the fact that she gives you free chips and guacamole as you wait for your order will. I literally can’t think of a single other restaurant that wouldn’t charge you $ 6-​$ 8 for a bowl of guacamole, but here — it’s part of the experience.