best authentic Mexican restaurants in New York City?

Question

googling stumbled me across "La Taza de Oro" in Chelsea which sounds like it's in the ballpark I'm talking about...

but word of mouth is better...

>>> and anywhere from 'upscale-diggity' to 'dive' restaurant recommendations are all welcome; and some of both would be preferred actually... $~$$$ but not much higher

thanks in advance

*bonus if they serve homemade-style cabrito~*

Manhattan and Brooklyn area~?

Answer 1

Theres one right by my office downtown. Can't remember the name, but its awesome..

Answer 2

Dos Caminos Restaurant Its really good i reallr love that restaurant great service great food and great upscale atmospher.
Located in manhattan in 373 Park Ave S, New York 10016
Btwn 26th & 27th St ULL LOVE IT

Answer 3

Gonzalez y Gonzalez on Broadway in SoHo is fantastic!

Answer 4

Mexican Radio - simply the best.

Answer 5

without a doubt, Rosa Mexicana!

Answer 6

La Taza de Oro does not serve Mexican food; it's a Puerto Rican restaurant - a hole in the wall - wonderful rice and beans.

My favorite Mexican restaurant (authentic cooking of the Puebla region) is Dell Valle on the west side of Tenth Avenue and 47th Street. I especially like their seafood soup, the shrimp vera cruz and chicken mole. They don't serve goat. The portions are large and it's very inexpensive - the most expensive dish is the seafood soup - $14. A large plate of shrimp comes with either rice and beans or salad and delicious tortillas - about $11.

I've had very good goat stew at Old San Juan - west side of Ninth Avenue and 51st Street. They make excellent mofungo (I like the mofungo topped with shrimp). Here is an old review of the restaurant from the New York Times; note thatthe critic was very pleased with the goat stew:

"$25 and Under
By ERIC ASIMOV
Published: April 11, 1997


The demands of marriage can be unpredictable, particularly where restaurants are concerned. Take Adela and Jack Talanga, for instance.

For 28 years, the couple owned and operated La Milonga, an Argentine restaurant at Ninth Avenue and 50th Street in Manhattan. It was hard work, and three years ago the Talangas decided they had had enough. So they closed the restaurant, sold the building and retired.

So what are they doing three years later with a new restaurant, Old San Juan, just a block away?

''He got lonely for the restaurant,'' Mrs. Talanga said. ''He's got me working, but I don't want to work.''

Old San Juan is not only about the marriage of a couple but about the union of two cultures. Mr. Talanga is Argentine, but Mrs. Talanga is Puerto Rican, and Mr. Talanga insisted not only that they go back to work but that they also serve the Puerto Rican dishes he loved, in addition to his Argentine specialties. More work for Mrs. Talanga, who oversees the cooking.

The Talangas' formula, big portions of robust, carefully prepared food at reasonable prices, is drawing crowds to the modest, good-looking dining room, where the ceiling is sky blue and trompe l'oeil windows overlook an ocean. Salsa plays quietly in the background, and despite the reverberation potential of the glass tabletops and a mirrored wall, the noise doesn't interfere with conversation.

The Puerto Rican dishes are the most interesting part of the menu, partly because they are surprisingly hard to find in a city with such a big Puerto Rican population and also because they are so good. Main course portions are big enough that appetizers are unnecessary, but I can't resist the pasteles ($2), which the menu describes as Puerto Rican tamales. While similar to tamales, pasteles are made with ground green banana rather than corn and are stuffed with pork, garlic, oregano and green olives, then wrapped in a banana leaf and boiled. The result is smooth, mildly spicy and delicious. From the Argentine side of the menu is another worthy appetizer, empanadas ($1.95), a crusty, savory meat pie stuffed with chopped beef, green olives and chopped egg.

Asopao, a signature Puerto Rican main course, is a kind of soupy rice stew that the menu describes as gumbo but that is not as thick as gumbo. Shrimp asopao ($11.95) arrives in a metal pot and is ladled over rice. The shrimp broth, full of cilantro and garlic, is richly flavorful with a generous portion of shrimp. Old San Juan's arroz con pollo ($8.95) is a wonderful version of this classic dish, an earthy combination of chicken on the bone, rice and vegetables. It also arrives in a steel pot. I love the mofongo, basically a mound of plantains mashed with pork cracklings and flavored with enough garlic to wake the drowsiest palate. This mofongo is not as heavy as some because Mrs. Talanga uses olive oil as well as the traditional lard. It is served with a choice of toppings, like roast pork ($6.50) and crab meat in tomato sauce ($11.50).

Mrs. Talanga insists that pernil, roast pork ($5.50), is a Puerto Rican dish, but I've always thought of it as Cuban. Maybe that's why this garlic-laden dish seems dry, as if were on the back burner of the chef's mind as well as the stove. Cabrito, or stewed goat ($5.50), on the other hand, benefits from long cooking, which leaves the meat tender and mildly flavored. The only Argentine main course I tried was grilled skirt steak ($13.95), nicely cooked and redolent of garlic and cilantro. All main courses come with rice and beans.

So much food makes it hard to contemplate dessert, but if you have room, Old San Juan has a marvelous caramelized bread pudding ($1.95). As an alternative, the batidas, or fruit shakes ($2.50 each), are refreshing and not too sweet, and they come in tropical flavors like tart soursop and mamey, which tastes like sweet apples.

While Mrs. Talanga moans about how busy she is, she feels she is doing her part for her marriage. ''Right now, I have to keep up with him,'' she said. ''Through the good and the bad, we stick together.''

Old San Juan

765 Ninth Avenue, near 51st Street, Clinton, [phone].

Best dishes: Pasteles, empanadas, asopao, arroz con pollo, mofongo, cabrito, skirt steak, bread pudding, batidas.

Price range: $10 to $20.

Credit cards: All major cards.

Hours: 11 A.M. to 11 P.M. Sundays through Thursdays, until 2 A.M. Fridays and Saturdays.

Wheelchair access: Everything is on one level."
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Hope this helps. Happy eating.

Answer 7

Nobody from NY mentioned "MOMMA MEXICO" ???? Ya kidding ? Right ? The place is "OFF THE HOOK" !

Answer 8

see menupages.com