Taqueria St. Marks Place

The food and the margaritas we’re fine. The place feels authentic and the environment is cool. The waiter was extra nervous and unpleasant. 3 stars for the food and it’s prices, 2 stares off for the service.

The food here is soooooo good!!! One of the best Mexican/​taco places in the city. Had catering from them and they were extremely helpful and VERY responsibly priced (actually cheapest place I found in downtown). Everyone loved the food and couldn’t believe it was from NY (most of us are from Cali). The only downside was they wouldn’t deliver, so we had to pay someone to pick it up. Def recommend going!

Man I love this place. Killer margs, cheap tacos, and no bullshit. Coming right after work might put you in for a wait, but any other time it’s easy to get in. This place single handedly makes me not hate St. Marks st.
The chorizo is out of this world with flavor btw!

This is my friend’s favorite spot for Mexican food in NY, and for good reason. We actually came twice in one day! The atmosphere is vibrant and full of energy. They have a full bar, but we chose to sit at a table. The chips are thick and the salsa is full of flavor. I couldn’t stop eating them because the salsa was so tasty. The tacos are similar to the delicious ones you find in LA, and are packed full of meat. I had one steak and one chicken. The steak is really spicy but has amazing flavor and was my favorite of the 2. They come simply topped with cilantro and onions. This is simple, casual food done right.

Can’t believe I didn’t know about this place earlier! My friend and I actually stumbled upon this place looking for this other taco place, but ended up here instead.
A bowl of chips and salsa was already on the table when we got seated. Niceee. We started off with guacamole. Could’ve passed on that because it was nothing special. I got the carnitas (pork) taco, pescado (fish) taco, lengua (beef tongue) taco, and a margarita. Lengua has always been my favorite and this place did not disappoint! The margarita was good but a little strong. Reason why I forgot my credit card there… Oops. Didn’t realize it was missing until two days later. Luckily they told me they had it when I called and went to pick it up the next day.
Great service and great tacos! What more can you ask for?

The new Nazi bartender doesn’t fit in here. Maybe Zum Schneider would be a better spot for her.

Great atmosphere, but more importantly serving simple and tasty tacos. Their salsa they serve is delicious as well.
Echoing a few other reviews — try the lengua tacos, you won’t be disspointed.

My husband and I have been there a few times and really liked the tacos– very authentic, with a good selection of fillings and house-​made corn tortillas. The restaurant is usually packed at night, and very noisy, so we’d never gone there with our children.
Today, however, we went with our 3 kids at lunchtime. We were pleased to find that the restaurant was almost empty, and settled in. Our children are 13, 9 and 3, and well-​behaved in restaurants. We were in the middle of placing our orders; the older two are big eaters, so they were getting a full entrée of 3 tacos per person. However, I’d brought a pb&j for our 3-​year-​old (this is standard restaurant procedure, not something that we’ve ever gotten any grief about since we’re already ordering 4 full meals).
After my husband and son had placed their orders, the server looked at me and said coldly ‘no outside food allowed’. Really??? What did he expect us to do at that point, throw out the pb&j and have our youngest watch us all eat our meals? Force her to order a tongue taco? (Obviously, if the food there were something she would eat, we wouldn’t bring our own.) I was blown away by this. Again, the restaurant was totally dead-​we weren’t taking up anyone else’s seat, just keeping our youngest from fussing (something you would think a restaurant would want).
I understand why restaurants make rules against patrons bringing in their own food, but clearly this was a situation where they should have used their judgement and ignored it. All this did was generate some bad will on our part and deprive the restaurant of our lunch revenue. I definitely will not return there and strongly counsel other families against going.

Being from LA, taqueria is such a treat and a blessing to have in NYC. Taqueria feels cozy, yet fun and cool. The music is great and so is the staff.
The drinks are always good, the margaritas are not margarita mix and simple syrup, you can actually taste the lime juice! As well as their micheladas. I
’ve never been disappointed with any of my food orders here! Always starting off with their chips and salsa (which actually has a quick to it), as well as a side of guac! You won’t be getting any store bought guac here. The chorizo taco is a must! flavorful, greasy, and overall mouth watering. The taco de lengua is also quite delicious and don’t forget the nopales and fish taco. Their quesadillas and sopes are also yummy! Haven’t ventured onto any of their other items but I don’t doubt they will be good.
Yes the wait can be long at dinner time or after work, but it’s totally worth it! You’ll want more tacos after you are done.

One of the places to get tacos in NYC.

Ordered bistec (steak), carnitas (pork), pescado (fish), buche (pork stomach) tacos (each comes with onions, cilantro, and salsa). $ 3 each. No pico de gallo and if you want salsa its $ 2 extra.
I didn’t like the stuff they put with the fish, the pork was salty, the pork stomach was a lot worse than I expected (not even sure how to describe it), but the steak was ok –it was slightly spicy and I wonder if that made the food seem better than it actually was.
The staff seems relatively nice and the atmosphere seems friendly, but I didn’t stick around and ordered my food to go.
Disappointing since I’ve had better tacos from a taco cart nearby.
I might revise my review if I ever come back and try something else that impresses me, but maybe not anytime soon ;/

Came here for lunch on Saturday, and the place was still really quiet when we got there. No more than two other tables in the dining area were filled, which was surprising given its prime location on St. Marks place. Then again… I’ve walked by this place multiple times and have never noticed it!
The menu is simple, and there isn’t a lot to contemplate over, but I would definitely recommend getting an order of guac and chips to share. However they make their guac, they are doing it right! It’s super creamy and super yummy!
For our entrees, my friend and I each ordered sopes (2 in each order), one chicken and one chorizo, so we could swap and try one of each. He said he enjoyed mine (the chorizo one) more than his, but I didn’t really have a preference for either. The chorizo one was definitely more flavorful, but it also felt a little greasier than the chicken one.
For those of you who’ve never had sopes before, they are basically small open faced tacos with a thicker, chewier, soft tortilla base. One order was not particularly filling, and I would have left with my stomach grumbling if we hadn’t also ordered the guac. However, if you aren’t too hungry/​are just looking for a snack, this would be perfect for you to order!

I lived in LA for five years before moving to NYC. This place has this comforting feeling and the best tacos in New York City. And trust me, I have been on the hunt for a good taco for a year now.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Guac + tacos + marg = LESS THAN $ 20 IN NEW YORK
2. Lengua tacos. LENGUA TACOS. You need to get them.
3. The margs are real and they be real strong.
4. The menu makes me laugh. Damn right they don’t got fajitas.
5. LA teams are featured here. As an avid Bay Area supporter, I only state this to establish the environment of the establishment.
6. I may or may not dream of the guac cause I’m so far from CA.
In terms of the turn up, this is a restaurant/​bar with more emphasis of the restaurant. If you want a bar vibe, this probably isn’t the spot for you.
When it comes to deals versus quality of food versus vibes, this is easily one of the top places in NYC. I highly recommend this spot if you’re in EV. It’s a local hangout with some of the best Mexican food you can find in the city.

My favorite place on St. Marks. Whether I’ve come home completely sober after a long day of work or a few drinks beyond normal consumption on a Thursday, Taqueria always delivers. I’ve had, quite literally, everything on their menus (food and drink) and love it all.
I’d say don’t go, because you’re just going to make it harder for me to get a table there, but it’s outrageously good, so would not recommend missing out. Leave your kids at home.
¹⁰⁰⁰⁄₁₀₀₀

My go to place if I just want to eat good tacos and drink margaritas for a good price. It gets a little packed on the weekends and after work hours so expect to wait 30 – 40 minutes depending on how big your party is. I recommend the chorizo tacos!

This was possibly the best Mexican place I’ve been to in Nyc UNTIL I found out they make their beans with lard. I wish they would just leave out the lard so that vegetarians can enjoy this spot too. I’ve asked them so many times if they could change the recipe for the beans, or at least have the option to have vegetarian beans, but they just keep saying that they have to do it that way because that’s supposedly the traditional Mexican way. That’s extremely hard to believe since there are many other traditional Mexican restaurants not using lard! It’s really unnecessary.
However aside from that it has a cool vibe but if you don’t eat meat there’s barely anything you can order food-​wise. I really wish they would be veg friendly. I know so many people who stopped going there once they found out it wasn’t veg. And some other people who have stopped going because lard is just pretty gross. Please guys-​Reconsider your beans recipe! It tastes the same without the unnecessary lard!

The food here is really great and I feel bad about only giving it 3 stars, but I absolutely hate the atmosphere and the entire feel of this place. The whole bar situation in the front needs to be changed. It’s so awkward and uncomfortable, the tables are all placed super close to each other and there is no intimacy. You can’t hear anyone talk. It looks dirty. For a place that is this famous, I would just hope that they change things around a little if that’s even possible. I’ve sat both upstairs and downstairs and have had anxiety both times because of the atmosphere and how uncomfortable everything is.
I recommend just getting as drunk as possible and trying to enjoy the food because the fish tacos and barbacoa are truly very delicious. The guac is awesome. Can’t bash the food, but just probably won’t be coming back here because there are places in town that are just as good and more comfortable.

This place is the closest thing to LA street tacos. From the ambience to the décor on the walls (lakers/​dodgers memorabilia, etc), I feel like I’m back home in LA. The guacamole is creamy, delicious. This may be the only place where I actually enjoy eating the tortilla chips — very crisp and crunchy.
The tacos are the things to get, especially the lingua and cabeza (a bit spicey). I ordered the lamb a few times, but it’s a little too salty for my taste.
Drinks are affordable and strong! You can upgrade a margarita with patron tequila and it’s only $ 10.

Tacos. Tacos. Tacos. Taqueria St. Marks has really tasty food. I had the fish tacos (they were pretty good, but the only that could make them better was if they were fried) and a lengua taco. Yes, that’s lengua as in beef tongue. I was feeling a bit adventurous and it wasn’t that bad! Really tender with a great smoky charred flavor.
There were so many different tacos to choose from: fish tacos, chorizo tacos, pork tacos… The list goes on and on.
I almost forgot the most important thing. GUACAMOLE. The guac was sooo good, delicious. I would go to Taqueria St. Marks just for the guacamole… I mean the tacos were good too. But I’m a guac girl. What can I say.

We’ve been to the jersey city location, LES and quite pleased with how they’ve decorated this location. I felt transported to Mexico.
The food is consistent with the prior two and I think they kept their prices. Our favorites are the steak and onion platter, flautas, sopes.
The steak and onions comes with rice and refried beans. The steak is on the thinner side but very flavorful and tender. For $ 10.95 it is a steal.
The flautas are fried taco rolls filled with either your choice of meat or potatoes (my favorite). They are topped with salad and a little guac. My favorite kind of apps.
The sopes are open faced sandwich with your choice of toppings. Flavor wise it is pretty similar to the flautas and I prefer flautas’ crunchier texture.
Service is light speed fast. The one thing I dislike is the fact that they kept you waiting by the bar upstairs even when there are plenty of open seats. Keep in mind sangria is $ 8 and a platter is $ 11 so you can easily outdrink your bill very quickly.

Alright so– the outside of this place is pretty cool. They have a neat statue out front and lots of lights and things. It draws your attention as you walk by. Inside is very nicely decorated too. I was impressed. It’s got all this celebrity memorabilia hanging up. I love stuff like that! They also were playing 80’s music which is a big plus for me haha
So my friends and I were there to grab a fast bite to eat because we were going to a show nearby. I was a little late (as usual hehe) Anyway– I ended up ordering a Mexican orange soda which I never had before and it was really good! It’s bottled though — so it’s not something they «make» there– don’t get excited haha! I also ordered a beef soft shelled taco. Just one because I didn’t have much time to eat. As I was sitting there waiting for my taco and soda I was picking on some nachoes my friends had ordered, and a piece of flan as well. Strange combination lol
The nachoes were really good, and so was the flan! But my beef taco– not so much. It was «alright.» The meat was fatty and chewy– not good for a girl who likes her meat well done. So I ended up picking a lot of the meat out of it. Maybe if you like your meat rare and fatty — you’d appreciate this taco. Also– the sauce or whatever they had it in it was super spicy :-(I wasn’t aware before I ate it so that wasn’t cool lol I like spice, but it was a bit much for me. Don’t get me wrong– it was tasty but too spicy.
At one point– I got a little annoyed because the server was asked twice if we could have more sauce for the nachoes and she seemed to have forgotten. She was very nice about it though when she eventually brought it over. We were kinda in a rush so when you have to ask for something more than once– it’s a little frustrating.
So overall– I do like the ambiance here and the celebrity memorabilia stuff hanging up. The lights all over are pretty cool too. I’d like to give this place another chance though. I’m thinking maybe next time order a quesadilla or something else. I’m just not sure when I’d be over in that area again. But if I am– I’ll give it a second shot. The prices were pretty reasonable too.

I wish this place was a little larger! My party of 9 got there around 6 and we waited for maybe 20 minutes — which was actually very surprising since the place is the size of 2 nyc apartments. When we left, however, there was a much longer wait.
The place is so small and semi-​difficult to find. There is a bottom floor with a projector and screen — I guess for events, but they use it for normal service too.
The service was very quick. We were in and out in about an hour or hour and a half. Our waiter was quick and witty/​fun to chat with.
I got a Margarita to drink which I was very upset with. It wasn’t as good as other margaritas I have had, but still has the classic Margarita taste (perhaps I’m not used to the fresh ingredients they said they used). We tried to get a pitcher, but because everything is made fresh, they only do single cups.
Like all Mexican places, they started you off with some fresh chips and salsa. We went through about 6 baskets in the first 10 minutes. They were delish, but nada compared to the tacos. I had steak, chicken and lamb. BEWARE: the lamb is very VERY spicy. The others had a little bite to it but was nothing compared to the lamb.
This place is fun and friendly but better for smaller groups unless you’re willing to wait a bit or get there early.

$ 3 tacos that make me wanna taco about how deliciously juicy they are! I ordered the pork, fish, and tried my friend’s beef tongue taco. Out of the 3, the tongue was surprisingly my favorite. I took away 1 star because these tacos were a bit on the salty side, except for the beef tongue, when we had them, but service was extremely fast, server was attentive & also very quick to refill our chip bowl almost as quickly we had devoured them — they were the best I’ve ever had.
We decided not to order the guac because based on the pictures, the serving size did not match up to its price. My best friend also ordered the horchata, which tastes a lot like cinammon chai and was only $ 2! We didn’t have any issues with waiting or slow service since we rolled in at five and got quickly seated and served.
Love the theme in here as you can see that they try to make it look very pubmexican, but doesn’t do it to the point of making it look tacky!

Yo Quiero Tacos!
Great fun taco spot that is very lively and always filled with people. I was recommended to go here by a few friends but since it gets extremely packed and rowdy on the prime nights of the week I opted for a low key Sunday afternoon.
We got a table right away and ordered the guacamole as soon as we took a seat. The guacamole is a pretty small size for the price but is extremely delicious and well worth it and the chips you get have the perfect crunch.
When it came to to the tacos I got the salty beef, fish, carnitas. They were all delicious but the salted beef was by far the best taco they had! All of their tacos have a unique combination of spices and veggies which make them incredible delicious.
In short:
— delicious tacos
— cool ambiance
— quick waitstaff

This place is not overrated! Probably the best tacos I’ve ever had. I ordered the pork stomach and chorizo tacos, both of which were amazing, esp for just $ 3 each. Friend also ordered two tacos (chorizo and barbacoa) but wasn’t as crazy about them as I was. The chips and salsa were brought to us immediately as we sat down and we only had to wait about 5 minutes for our tacos to come. Friendly atmosphere. I think this is going to be my go to place for tacos and I can’t wait to be back again to try their guac.
Taste | 5
Atmosphere | 4
Presentation | 3
Service | 3
OVERALL | 4