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<\/p>\nHere I was, after all these years, face to face with the governor. Sitting at the bar of Mariscos El Submarino in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, I spotted him right there on the menu, his name, gobernador, marked by a little crown. He came out larger than I remembered, with griddle marks all over. But underneath that hefty corn tortilla, he was the same cheesy old guy from Sinaloa I knew and loved. <\/p>\n
Each bite of the massive, folded taco ($9) was a familiar mix of chopped shrimp and melted Chihuahua cheese, a simple combination that\u2019s surprisingly hard to find in New York. And Long Island, for all its Mexican restaurants, doesn\u2019t have a mariscos joint, at least not the kind that specializes in iconic Northwestern Mexican seafood dishes like soy sauce\u2013tinged aguachiles, limey ceviches and the shrimpy gobernador taco.<\/p>\n
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Tosatadas and more line the pass at Mariscos El Submarine in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan<\/p>\n
But Manhattan and Brooklyn have been undergoing a taco renaissance of late, and now the regional delicacies I\u2019d enjoyed at home out West and traveling across Mexico are suddenly within reach: real tacos al pastor from a roasted tower of meat like you see in Mexico City, creamy-crunchy milk tripe on heritage corn tortillas, and of course, the most satisfying taco filling of all time \u2014 silken, lovely Sonoran refried beans.<\/p>\n
Old-school charm meets industrial chic (and stellar tacos) in Greenpoint. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s greatest concentration of these taquerias is in funky Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which is filled with all sorts of interesting shops. So why not make an afternoon of it and do a taco crawl (con micheladas and other drinks)?<\/p>\n
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Here are four \u2014 make that five \u2014 places, all within a mile and a half of each other, so you can walk the route (or part of it, depending on your energy and how hungry you are) and get back to your car in under an hour, not counting taco-eating time. Just make sure to pace yourself because these tacos are rich, and you will want to save room for the finale.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udf2e Taco stop No. 1\u00a0\ud83c\udf2eMARISCOS EL SUBMARINO<\/p>\n
222 Franklin St., Brooklyn,\u00a0347-384-2422,\u00a0mariscoselsubmarinonyc.com<\/a><\/p>\n TOP TACO:\u00a0The Craken ($7)<\/p>\n Starting this crawl at Mariscos El Submarino just feels right: When you enter the tiny restaurant, it\u2019s like taking a mini vacation to a Mexican beach town. Grab a seat at the bar next to the cutesy submarine-themed merch table, and have the bartender pour you a michelada while you jam out to the brass-based oompa banda Sinaloense. It\u2019s true that this is a satellite location of the famed Jackson Heights, Queens, original, run by Alonso Guzman and Amy Hernandez. And that the brand is more well-known for its stunning raw fish aguachiles \u2014 but the tacos more than hold their own.<\/p>\n Order a michelada, the spicy beer cocktail, with The Craken taco, with succulent octopus in a cheesey, crunchy crust. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan<\/p>\n The aforementioned gobernador taco features a sizable housemade corn tortilla stuffed with cubed shrimp and melty queso Chihuahua. It\u2019s great, but my favorite of the afternoon is an original concoction called The Craken, which features a plump octopus tentacle layered over a crunchy costra (\u201ccrust\u201d) of melted cheese and the corn tortilla. There\u2019s also a smack of spicy salsa macha (hold that thought) and some buttery avocado to round it out. But this is all about that fresh, beautifully prepared octopus.<\/p>\n Pro tip: There\u2019s no salsa here, but like your typical mariscos joint, each table has an array of super-spicy Mexican hot sauces.<\/p>\n Check out the array of hot sauces and bags of crisp Buena Vista tostados, made in The Bronx, at Mariscos El Submarino. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan<\/p>\n While you\u2019re walking down Franklin Street to your next taco destination, pop into Big Night (154 Franklin St.; 347-725-3041; bignightbk.com), a store with a whimsical selection of bottled, jarred and tinned pantry products. I picked up some Mexican salsa macha ($18) from Botanica out of Los Angeles. Salsa macha is similar to the Asian condiment called chili crisp, but this variety is less crunchy and has a deeper roasted flavor from the guajillo and morita chilies.\u2009<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf2e Taco stop No. 2\u00a0\ud83c\udf2eTAQUERIA RAMIREZ<\/p>\n 94 Franklin St., Brooklyn (entrance\u00a0by Oak Street), taqueriaramirezbk.com<\/a><\/p>\n TOP TACO:\u00a0The suadero ($5.50)<\/p>\n The first time I tried this renowned hole-in-the-wall, just over two years ago, it was like taco Burning Man: Hordes of people were queuing up and stuffing into the tiny space like they were partying at a meaty rave. (There was even a bouncer.) Luckily, Taqueria Ramirez has calmed down since then. And whew \u2014 because this Mexico City\u2013style spot has quite the show you\u2019ll want to see. All eyes are on the megaton trompo, or spit of al pastor meat, a spinning mountain of chili achiote\u2013glazed pork that dwarfs any trompo you\u2019ll see on Long Island, or likely anywhere in New York City.<\/p>\n Suadero beef is put on the chopping block at Taqueria Ramirez. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan<\/p>\n Owners Tania Apolinar and Giovanni Cervantes also brought in a street food icon, the choricera, a cooking vessel used for braising meats such as tripe, suadero and longaniza (ground spicy pork sausage) in their own fat, much like confit. Tortillas are often swiped in the fat before getting a plop of suadero, a tough cut from between the cow belly and leg that has been slow-cooked until soft and tender. It\u2019s a hearty meal, so grab some bubbly Topo Chico Lime to wash it down.<\/p>\n Pro tip: Tacos arrive unadorned, so make sure to hit the salsa bar before you chow down.<\/p>\n At Taqueria Ramirez, diners garnish their tacos to taste at the salsa bar. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan<\/p>\n And this has nothing to do with Mexican food or tacos, but one of Brooklyn\u2019s top food destinations is right along our route and it would be a shame to pass it by. Inside the minimalist-chic 50 Norman building, which houses multiple Japanese shops and restaurants, you will find Dashi Okume (50 Norman Ave.; 646-434-2912; okume.us), the only U.S. outpost of this 155-year-old Japanese company. Customers can taste different types of dashi \u2014 the \u201csea stock\u201d that is integral to Japanese cooking \u2014 and create their own by choosing from an array of dried fishes and vegetables. It\u2019s a magical experience.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf2e Taco stop No. 3\u00a0\ud83c\udf2eTAQUERIA EL CHATO<\/p>\n 620 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, Instagram @taqueriaelchato.nyc<\/a><\/p>\n TOP TACO:\u00a0The tripas ($5)<\/p>\n The smallest taqueria on this tour, El Chato proves that you don\u2019t need a lot of space to have an absolutely bangin\u2019 flavor experience. This takeout spot \u2014 really, more of a hallway \u2014 has little more than a few stools lining a thin bar on the edges of the room. The entire menu doesn\u2019t fit on the wall, so they\u2019ve got everyone ordering through a computer screen that shows a stunning variety of vampiros (open-faced taco-tostada hybrids), tacos and quesadillas with supremely spicy salsas. The signature taco here is a midsize\u00a0al pastor from a spinning trompo, shaved thinner and with a more delicate texture than that at Ramirez.<\/p>\n The tripas, al pastor and asado tacos make a great combo at Taqueria El Chato. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan<\/p>\n It\u2019s also beefed up with a little, well, beef that\u2019s added to the porky mix. El Chato began life as an offshoot to the modern Mexican restaurant Aldama in Williamsburg; with three locations now, it has outlived its predecessor yet still has that sophisticated touch in this humbler setting. You can see this, for instance, in the asada, which features a thinly sliced slab of juicy beef, not the chopped steak you might expect. But if, like me, you go hard for Mexican tripas, there\u2019s none better than the crunchy, gristly-in-a-good-way fried tripas taco here. Slicked with fiery chili sauces, it\u2019s pedal to the metal for meat lovers.<\/p>\n Chili heads won’t want to miss the roasted green ones at Taqueria El Chato. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan<\/p>\n Pro tip: Spice freaks will love the roasted green chilies from the salsa bar. They pack a wallop.\u2009<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf2e Taco stop No. 4\u00a0\ud83c\udf2eBORDER TOWN<\/p>\n 189 Nassau Ave., Brooklyn, Instagram @bordertownbk<\/a><\/p>\n TOP TACO:\u00a0Frijoles y queso ($5)<\/p>\n Taco tactic: Plan your excursion for the mid-afternoon, so you arrive at the last stop, Border Town, around 5 p.m., when it opens for the evening. This buzzy new restaurant started out as a pop-up and now has a loyal fanbase of flour-tortilla enthusiasts. (And yes, flour tortillas are authentic. They\u2019ve been a staple of Northern Mexican cuisine since the 1500s, when wheat was brought over by the Spanish.) I got there around 5:30 on a weeknight and although I didn\u2019t need to wait in line, the place was packed and quite a scene, very New York.<\/p>\n Jorge Aguilar, chef and co-owner of Border Town, is dead serious about his flour tortillas. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan<\/p>\n Chef and co-owner Jorge Aguilar can be seen behind a glass wall molding and cooking his flour tortillas, done in the Sonoran style so they\u2019re crackly and thin and covered in bubbly char marks. His menu is surprisingly simple, with fewer than 10 items, most being tacos.<\/p>\n Pro tip: A small but choice selection of cocktails highlights lesser-known agave spirits, such as sotol and pechuga.<\/p>\n Sit down with a cocktail at Border Town, and order the Sonoran-style heritage flour tortillas wrapped around a bean and cheese filling and the fried tacos de nada. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan<\/p>\n Now, this is a bit of a diversion from the heritage wheat flour that makes this restaurant, but the plate of fried \u201ctacos de nada\u201d is a must. This is a hyper-specific dish from Sonora\u2019s capital, Hermosillo, that features mashed-potato tacos in a mild tomato sauce with a frizzle of queso fresco. It\u2019ll put your regular fried tacos to shame. But the most comforting dish is an uncomplicated bean and cheese filling tucked into that stellar flour tortilla. The beans are velvety and as lardy as the best of them. Extremely full and surrounded by partying Brooklynites, I thought,\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve finally made it home.\u201d\u2009<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf2e Bonus taco stop\u00a0\ud83c\udf2eAN UNDER-THE-RADAR ALTERNATIVE<\/p>\n Just so you don\u2019t get the wrong impression: There\u2019s been great Mexican food in New York for decades. It\u2019s been coming from taco trucks and stands and small mom-and-pop shops in immigrant communities such as Sunset Park in Brooklyn and Brentwood on Long Island. If we had to nominate a taco that represents this enduring New York style, it would be one of Herculean proportions, the taco placero. New York is a \u201cmetropolis of tacos placeros,\u201d declared New York food writer and fellow Arizonan Steven Alvarez on Eater (eater.com<\/a>) a few years back. This is due to New York\u2019s high concentration of\u00a0emigrants from Puebla and Central Mexico, the birthplace of the taco placero. Piled high with rice, potatoes, a chili relleno and hard-boiled egg, a taco placero is typically a cheap, filling street food meal. But the genre-bending cocktail bar Frijoleros (131 Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn; 347-384-2957; frijolerosbk.com<\/a>) gives them a cheffy touch.<\/p>\n Tack on a stop at Frijoleros cocktail bar for an epic taco placero, marrow bone tacos with short rib and herb salad and silky raw tuna and avocado on crisp flour chicharron. Credit: Emma Rose Milligan<\/p>\n Sipping a fruity Daisy cocktail (the precursor to a margarita), I shared a plate of two tacos placeros ($16) with a friend. The hearty corn tortilla was thick enough to contain the onslaught of ingredients, which included crispy french fries and a jammy egg that reminded me of Japanese ramen. The bar felt like an under-the-radar alternative to Border Town, with moody lighting and lots of space, a place you can really hang out in.<\/p>\n \n\tAndi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she\u2019ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.\n<\/p>\n![\"Order](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777194751_753_image.jpeg\"\/)
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