What’s the key to my heart? Tacos. Every kind. All of the time. A variety of different flavors come together on a glorious bed of tortilla. All of the ingredients become one. Tacos can be fast food (I’m a sucker for Taco Bell), but can also be really dressed up and maybe fancy! (Romantic, even…)

If you’ve read my previous post about tacos, you know that tacos are my favorite food in the whole wide world. They’re so convenient, easy to hold and pack so much flavor. There is happiness in a little taco.

You can get creative with them, too. I can eat them every single day. Last summer I went through a phase where I would have a taco at least once a day, no joke. It’s a lifestyle.

It’s even a diet! It’s called “The Taco Cleanse,” which is a vegan diet where you eat tacos for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s based off of a book of the same title. 

For more information, you can view the taco cleanse article on E! Online here. I would try this out, but I’m too afraid the diet will make me get tired of tacos. And I never want that to happen. It can’t.

Last Halloween I was a taco. A soft shell, white corn tortilla one. I walked around the East Village all night and actually ran into other tacos! I ran into, like, three others, and even some burritos. I was pleasantly surprised. Taco lovers unite.

I’ve had a lot of good tacos, especially around Queens. And so I want to talk about some more of my favorite taco places around Queens, that you NEED to check out:

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Chela & Garnacha

Located: 33-09 36th Ave, Astoria, NY 11106.

This place has such fresh food. All of their ingredients create such unique combinations in their cuisine, especially in their tacos. And they’re best known for an interesting add on: crispy cheese. It’s like almost burnt cheese. It’s the consistency of a pancake, it’s pretty thick. It’s so different but SO GOOD. The cheese just ties everything together. The only downer about this place is that their tacos aren’t big enough. I always finish mine in, basically, two bites. Whomp whomp.

I think it’s common knowledge that a margarita is always a good pairing with a taco. And when you order a spicy margarita with Serrano peppers at Chela & Garnacha, be prepared to ask for an extra glass of water. I can’t handle spicy at all, I tried it for laughs. Which was a mistake because things took a turn for the worst. I took a gulp and it went down the wrong pipe (my luck), so not only were my mouth, throat, and nose on fire, but I had a coughing fit. Heads were turning in the restaurant. Tears were streaming down my face. I was being fanned. Just kidding, it wasn’t like that at all. But it could have been that dramatic! You’ve been warned. It tasted good, though. I’d recommend a normal margarita, but if spicy is your thing, go for it!

Now let’s talk about their tacos. Each taco comes with onion, cilantro and salsa. I really like their Bistec en Pasilla taco, which is top round steak marinated in a drunken beer and pasilla sauce. Pasilla sauce comes from the pasilla chile, which is mild to medium hot chile.

But, you guys, the Camaron Adobado taco. This is, in my opinion, the best thing on the menu. This is the taco with the crispy cheese! It comes with adobo shrimp, guacamole and the crispy cheese. Look at that cheese! It’s beautiful. It’s so warm and gooey and loving. You can view their full menu here.

Come check out Chela & Garnacha in Astoria! Most of their tacos are $4.00 each, and
the restaurant itself is so cute. Their color scheme is green and they have furniture that looks like picnic tables. GET THE CRISPY CHEESE.

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Tortilleria Nixtamal

Located: 104-05 47th Ave, Corona, NY 11368.

Tortilleria Nixtamal was recommended in a comment on my previous Taco post (thanks, Jason!), so I decided to try it out. And I am so glad I did. This restaurant ships their homemade tortillas and masa to restaurants all over the city! Popular restaurant chains like Rosa Mexicano, ‘wichcraft and Dos Toros all use tortillas from Tortilleria Nixtamal. You can see the full list of restaurants here.

The restaurant is so pretty and colorful. Even the counter tops are so detailed and beautiful. The color scheme is mainly red and yellow. There are fairy lights in the window and outside, which creates this magical vibe. Magic taco vibes. And right in the window they have the tortilla making machine on display, which is so cool.

Just sitting down at our table looking around is an experience. There are so many different types of people who probably come from far and wide to try these tacos. And yeah, how could they not?!

Let’s talk about their tacos. They’re served individually, at around $3.00 each depending on what you get. They have eleven different types, and every one is so unique. They have Entraña, which is grilled skirt steak topped with cilantro and onions. They have a Pescado taco, which is made with skate. Skate is kind of an unusual choice, but it was delicious. The fish was breaded and pan-fried, and topped with pico de gallo. They have a Camarón taco, which comes with sautéed shrimp, served with chipotle mayo salsa, and topped with mango, cucumber and cilantro. They also have a taco called Nopales, which is grilled cactus!

They have other cool things on the menu, like Tostadas, which are fried tortillas topped with beans, lettuce, tomatoes, queso fresco, avocado, crema, and your choice of meat. The meats include chicken, skirt steak, and, as a vegetarian option, cactus.

I’ve never had anything with cactus, but I’ve seen this option at so many Mexican restaurants. I don’t know, something about the idea of eating cactuses freaks me out. But I imagine it tastes like rhubarb, for some reason. But that’s just me guessing. If you’ve ever had cactus, tell me about it in the comment section!

This place also specializes in Tamales, Nachos, and I definitely recommend getting their Guacamole to start! They also have traditional drinks, such as Agua Fresca de Tamarindo, which is basically just Mexican fruit juice, tamarind flavor. You can see their full menu here.

Come check out Tortilleria Nixtamal in Corona, and experience why these tortillas are requested all over the city for yourself!

 

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Casa Enrique

Located: 5-48 49th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101.

Casa Enrique is a little pricey, and hard to get into. I had to make reservations two weeks in advance to be able to go on a Friday night, and it was so crowded. If you’re looking for a taco date night or a special occasion, this is the place to go.

When you walk in you immediately notice how chic it is. Every one is dressed so nicely, and almost everything inside of the restaurant is white. I got to sit in the “outdoor” space, which was so cool. This room made it seem like you were outside, with trees, fairy lights, fences, an actual roof. But it was all indoors, there was even a heater. I’m not sure if they open this space up in the summer, but they should.

The lighting is really dark in Casa Enrique, which added to the romantic vibe. If you look around the restaurant, almost all of the customers are couples.

Now let’s get specific about this romantic taco date night. The tacos. So good. The only problem I have with them is that they’re too small (or maybe it’s just me, I CAN’T HELP IT).

They have a good selection of tacos, and each order comes with two. There are Suadero tacos, which are brisket tacos, slowly cooked. There are Lengua tacos, which are cow tongue. There are Chorizo tacos, which are home made spiced crumbled Spanish sausage. There are Pollo Con Mezquite, which are chicken tacos seasoned in mesquite (which is a smokey blend of spices). They also have Pastor tacos, which are pork tacos marinated in chilies and pineapple, which is a bummer.

I’m allergic to pineapple, and usually the Pastor tacos are paired with pineapple. And I know this sounds silly, but I don’t want to try it without the pineapple because it seems like it’s an important ingredient in this type of taco, and if I were to get it taken out I would be missing the best part. So I just stay away. If that makes any sense.

They have other amazing things on their menu, like their ceviche! This ceviche was one of the best I’ve ever had. It was a white fish cooked in lime, avocado, onion and tomato. And they give you a ton of chips
to eat it with, I was kind of full even before we got the tacos. You can view their full menu here.

And, like I said before, a drink, in this case a mojito, is always a good idea while eating tacos. It even comes with a giant sugar cane stick in it!

Come check out Casa Enrique in Long Island City! Their logo is a puppy in a sombrero! Make a reservation. It’s easy to get to via the 7 train and is just down the street from Gantry Plaza State Park, for the perfect after dinner walk.

Have fun on your fancy taco date!

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Cuatomate

Located: 38-07 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11103.

“Cuate” is a Mexican slang word for buddy or friend, which is probably where their name originates from (if combined with the Spanish word for tomato). Cuatomate is a great Mexican spot serving up some of the best chorizo tacos, with a unique twist.

This place is conveniently close to the Steinway subway stop, and isn’t too far away to the Broadway N and Q subway station.

The decor is cute, there are sombreros and Mexican-themed things on the walls. The walls are also a bright yellow color.

Let’s get right into the taco talk. They have a lot of different types of tacos, three come with each order, which is a good amount. There are Carnitas tacos, which are pork tacos topped with mozzarella cheese, cilantro, onions, romaine lettuce and guacamole. There are also fish tacos, which comes with fillet of fish marinated in adobo sauce and then cooked, topped with mozzarella cheese, cilantro, onions, and avocado. Now, my favorite: The chorizo tacos.

These chorizo tacos are Mexican spicy sausage tacos topped with cilantro, onions, lettuce, guacamole and potatoes. Potatoes? Potatoes! I’ve never had a taco with any sort of potato on it before, but it just may be my new favorite thing. It adds the right amount of salt and crunch to the taco, and the flavor goes well with the chorizo. It’s almost like a french fry in your taco, which sounds like Heaven to me.

Like I’ve said before, a mojito or margarita is perfect when consuming tacos, and Cuatomate has a full bar with a large variety of drinks to chose from.

Come check out Cuatomate in Astoria! You have to try these chorizo tacos.

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Thank you for reading about my favorite taco places in Queens! I’m obsessed with tacos and I will never stop wanting to try new taco places.

Taco lovers: Did I forget to mention your favorite taco place in Queens? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time!