Cocinando en Casa

3 tacos for 7.50. You can’t mix the types of meat and they don’t sell tacos individually. It’s good for the neighborhood and without have to trek further up. The carnitas are fatty but lacking the crisp. It might be worth it to go to 116 and find some tacos there.

Take a kitchen in Mexico, drop it into a small market, and you get Cocinando en Casa. This place is homemade, all the way down to the tortillas… and is a must try. The picture of the lady making tortillas that is posted says it all. Recommend if…
A) You’ve lived in southern California. When you get the shivers for some tacos, this place is the spot for your relapse. Carnitas… eat it.
B) You wanted to be treated like family, everyone is smiles and happy that you are there.
C) You’re a fan of hole in the wall places… Congrats, you’ve found one that’s delicious.

It is very easy to figure out what the focus of this place is, look no further than the name and prominent tortilla making station at the front of the restaurant. Home cooking is key here, and I was told that everything is made from scratch right here in house.
While I was here, the friendly lady started pounding the dough out behind me, making the bases for quesadillas. I also saw the distinct bases for sopes that were already finished. On this blustery day I was definitely in the mood for a soup, and found the caldo de res ($ 8) on the specials board. She warned me it was «un poco picante» but you know that is a diminutive code for packing heat.
The soup got a nice sweat beading on my forehead and was just what I was looking for. The tender beef hunks were joined by quite a group of vegetables, including the piece of corn on the cob that you can see.
I could not refuse her offer of a quesadilla ($ 5) since she had just finished making the tortilla. Sticking with beef I chose one made with bistek. While the meat and toppings were fairly standard, the tortilla was in fact delicious and fresh, making a difference.
She also set a homemade salsa de chipotle on the table that was really amazing. I would normally ask for a green salsa in a situation like this, but I cannot wait to drizzle that stuff on everything I order in the future. The best part is that she will sell you a portion to take home as well!
— Just a side note to the first reviewer, you must ask yourself if you are really after Mexican food when you hail from LA and order a burrito. A BURRITO! You know that is only on the menu to appease certain groups of eaters? You are looking for LA-​style Mexican. I am sick and tired of people who do not know they are talking about.

I haven’t had good Mexican food in NY yet and this statement still stands after eating at this place. Although, I would say that for what it was, it was still satisfactory.
I ordered a beef burrito (ask for a Carne Asada burrito, but the cashier said they didn’t have that so he told me what they had and beef was one of the options. Same thing, right?) which came with guac, salsa, and lettuce on the side. They also have the green hot sauce (not as spicy as the green sauce in LA) that added a nice touch to it. The burrito overall wasn’t bad but this is one of those places that I would rarely come to again since it was kind of pricey (for East Harlem standards) at $ 7.50 for a burrito.