Last Updated on May 16, 2026 by Emma Fajcz | Published: May 24, 2022
Only a few decades ago, it was hard to find many options for Mexican restaurants in New York City. But starting around 2012, a number of new restaurants and street carts began firing up their tortilla-warming griddles for the first time. There’s no consensus why, but it’s not a coincidence that Mexicans have been the largest demographic to immigrate to NYC in the last 10 years. Now, at these 11 best authentic Mexican restaurants in NYC, you can feast on everything from Michelin-starred fare to flavor-popping street food!
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Mariscos El Submarino
If you wake up with a craving for shrimp (particularly the Mexican-accented kind), then point yourself to Mariscos El Submarino, a no-frills Mexican spot. Here you can get a palate-kicking bowl of shrimp-laced aguachile negro, a plate of avocado-topped shrimp ceviche, shrimp piled onto a tostada, or shrimp in a coctel. You can even get a shrimp-topped burger, and it’s all excellent.
π Address: There’s three locations in NYC, so there’s a chance you’ll be close to one!
Claro
Located in Gowanus, the once-desolate, now-hip Brooklyn neighborhood, Claro is a Michelin-starred south-of-the-border restaurant that delights on every level. The largely Oaxacan menu is prix fixe at dinner: for $72, diners get four courses (add $54 to get mezcal pairings). If you’re not up for a multi-course, fixed-price affair, plant yourself at the bar for the à la carte bar menu.
π Address: 284 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Cosme
Superstar Mexican chef (of highly lauded Mexico City restaurant Pujol) Enrique Olvera wears the chef’s hat at this Flatiron eatery. The dishes at Cosme are creative yet fun and, of course, delicious. The duck carnitas is the standout menu item that first-timers should gravitate toward, but the mole with sweet potato and the kimchi-spiked Swiss chard are also excellent.
π Address: 35 E 21st St, New York, NY 10010
Pair Cosme’s duck carnitas with a mezcal cocktail for a match made in Mexican food heaven. Photo credit: T.Tseng
Atla
The more laid-back restaurant from Cosme chef Enrique Olvera, Atla is not like its elevated sibling eatery. This NoHo restaurant stands on its own, serving up an all-day menu of excellent Mexican fare, including black-sesame-laced eggplant tacos, excellent beef birria, and the gringa version of the al pastor taco (which isn’t seen much outside of the Mexico City restaurant El Fogoncito where it was first created).
π Address: 372 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012
Los Tacos No. 1
Take our word for it – Los Tacos No. 1 really lives up to its name. Located inside the Chelsea Market, you can easily find this counter-service taqueria by the perpetual line that snakes away from the register.
Don’t be afraid to join the queue; you’ll be rewarded with some of the best tacos in New York City. That taco is the adobada, another name for the al pastor taco that is cooked on a trombo (or upright spit) and shaved off into a waiting tortilla.
π Address: The main loacation is in the Chelsea Market, but there are also locations near Times Square, in Tribeca, NoHo, and Grand Central.
Oxomoco
After opening in 2018, this Brooklyn spot quickly earned a Michelin star, and shot to fame as one of the top Mexican restaurants in NYC. The long bar, high ceilings, and giant skylight at Oxomoco make for a fine venue in which to enjoy the wood-fired fare from chef Justin Bazdarich.
The lamb barbacoa tacos are standouts, and so is the generously portioned grilled chicken.
π Address: 128 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222
La Morada
Located in the Bronx – the most underrated borough for great Mexican fare – La Morada is an excellent Oaxacan eatery, serving up classics and staples from the delicious southern Mexican region. In addition to being one of the best Mexican restaurants in New York City, they have also championed social causes helping undocumented workers.
π Address: 308 Willis Ave, Bronx, NY 10454
Casa Enrique
Opened in 2012, Casa Enrique was the first Mexican restaurant in New York to earn a Michelin star. And it still retains it. Located in Long Island City, Enrique has a loyal local following thanks to great service and dishes like the mole de piaxla, a chicken dish from Puebla that is complex and rich. The deceptively simple fish tacos are also excellent here.
π Address: 5-48 49th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
Empellón Taqueria
Chef Alex Stupak was the pastry chef at wd-50, the city’s only restaurant serving molecular cuisine. He left the eatery to open up Empellón Tasqueria and Bar, a West Village restaurant that serves up surprisingly straight-forward Mexican fare. High quality ingredients, masterful execution, and a dash of creativity make this one of the can’t-miss Mexican restaurants in New York City.
π Address: 230 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014
Taqueria Ramirez
Salt-of-the-earth Taqueria Ramirez has been among the best Mexican restaurants in NYC since opening in 2021 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Competition can be fierce for one of the 16 bar stools. Once planted at the bar at this CDMX-inspired spot, though, commence your taco feast, choosing between al pastor, tripa, suadero, or other fillings to be stuffed into a homemade grilled corn tortilla.
π Address: 94 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Birria-Landia
Birria-Landia is a food truck that parks nightly at Roosevelt Avenue and 78th Street in Jackson Heights. Amazingly, it has single-handedly shifted the Mexican food scene in the city and helped kick off the craze for birria tacos in New York and the rest of the country. Yes, it’s that good.
The birria in question at Birria-Landia is a slow-cooked Tijuana-style adobo-laced beef folded into a tortilla and accompanied by a rich consommé for either dipping or sipping between bites.
Looking for more street food options? Don’t miss the best spots for New York street food!
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Best Mexican Restaurants in NYC FAQs
What are the best Mexican restaurants in NYC?
Some of the best Mexican restaurants in NYC include Cosme, Casa Enrique, Los Tacos No. 1, Oxomoco, and Carnitas Ramirez. New York’s Mexican food scene ranges from Michelin-starred restaurants to casual taquerias serving regional specialties from across Mexico.
Where can you find authentic Mexican food in New York City?
For authentic Mexican food, many locals recommend neighborhoods like Jackson Heights, Sunset Park, Corona, and parts of Brooklyn and Queens, where Mexican communities have shaped the local food scene for decades. Restaurants specializing in Puebla, Oaxaca, and Mexico City-style cuisine are especially popular.
What Mexican dishes should you try in NYC?
Must-try Mexican dishes in NYC include tacos al pastor, mole, birria, carnitas, ceviche, tamales, and pozole. Many restaurants also specialize in regional dishes from Oaxaca, Yucatán, Puebla, and northern Mexico.
Is NYC known for good Mexican food?
Yes, NYC has developed one of the country’s most diverse Mexican food scenes, especially in recent years. The city now offers everything from traditional street-style tacos to high-end regional Mexican tasting menus at Michelin-starred restaurants.
