The Best Mexican Restaurants in New York (2026)

We read 250 reviews across 25 Mexican businesses in New York to tell traditional cooking from competent Tex-Mex. With addresses and what customers actually say.

The short answer

If you only read one paragraph: for al pastor, La Morada.

How we put this list together

We did not sort by stars. We took the 25 Mexican businesses we have mapped in New York, read 250 Google reviews on September 9, 2026, and looked for four specific things in the text: several different customers describing traditional cooking, mentions of a neighborhood or family-run place, regional dishes named outright, and handmade tortillas or nixtamalized masa.

Then we adjusted the rating: a 5.0 with twelve reviews is not the same as a 4.6 with three thousand. And we subtracted points for Tex-Mex markers - legitimate cooking, but not what you came here for.

To be clear: this is not a verdict on who cooks best. It is what the reviews said on one specific day.

La Morada

308 Willis Ave, Mott Haven, Bronx, NY 10454. Rated 4.6 from 555 Google reviews.

6 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas; and customers name specific dishes: al pastor, mole.

Taqueria Ramirez

94 Franklin St, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY 11222. Rated 4.7 from 2,072 Google reviews.

2 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas; and customers name specific dishes: al pastor.

Los Tacos No. 1

75 9th Ave. Rated 4.7 from 5,604 Google reviews.

3 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas.

Los Tacos No. 1

75 9th Ave (Chelsea Market), Chelsea, Manhattan, NY 10011. Rated 4.7 from 5,604 Google reviews.

3 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas.

Carnitas Ramirez

210 E 3rd St, East Village, Manhattan, NY 10009. Rated 4.8 from 535 Google reviews.

2 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas; and customers name specific dishes: carnitas, gorditas.

For All Things Good

343 Franklin Ave, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, NY 11238. Rated 4.6 from 405 Google reviews.

customers name specific dishes: birria.

Tacos El Bronco

4324 4th Ave, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY 11232. Rated 4.3 from 2,734 Google reviews.

customers name specific dishes: barbacoa, al pastor.

El Kallejon

209 E 117th St, East Harlem, Manhattan, NY 10035. Rated 4.6 from 466 Google reviews.

2 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas.

Tulcingo del Valle

665 10th Ave, Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, NY 10036. Rated 4.3 from 975 Google reviews.

3 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas.

Tacombi Empire State Building

23 W 33rd St. Rated 4.4 from 2,744 Google reviews.

customers name specific dishes: birria, al pastor.

Where to buy the ingredients

If you want to cook it at home, we have 11 Mexican grocery stores mapped in New York. For what you cannot find there, see our guides to Mexican ingredients at Walmart and dried chiles in US supermarkets, both with real prices.

Frequently asked questions

How many Mexican places are there in New York?

We have 25 mapped, 10 of which are covered here. The full list, with addresses and hours, is in our New York directory.

How often is this updated?

Ratings and review counts are from September 9, 2026. Businesses close and change hands: if you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.