Borrachito Taqueria & Spirits

"What It Is: A tiny taco spot hidden in the back of an East Village cocktail bar. Perfect For: Late Night Eats The Garret East is one of our go-to bars in the East Village, and they recently opened up a little taqueria in the back of their space. Seeing as how we like both drinking and tacos, we decided to check this place out - and it was pretty cool. The tacos are solid and come with a lot of meat (to the extent that you might need a fork), and they’ll bring your food to you anywhere in the bar. The Verdict: You will most likely see us eating late-night tacos here again in the near future. We’ve added it to our Hit List." - hannah albertine, bryan kim, katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg, chris stang, matt tervooren

"This flashy East Village spot, descended from a bar, offers a range of tacos from a colorful blue window on the sidewalk, washed down with cocktails and Mexican sodas served from the same window. It flaunted its birria tacos from the start. They’re made from oxtail rather than the usual chuck roast, and available on corn or flour tortillas. No consomé, though." - Robert Sietsema

"Hidden in a small room in the back of East Village cocktail bar the Garret East, Borrachito used to be a neighborhood secret. But starting this afternoon, the speakeasy-style taqueria will level up with a more prominent, street-facing restaurant, located at 206 Avenue A, near East 13th Street. At the new spot, diners can order tacos from a walk-up window, with chicharron carnitas, short rib tacos, and chicken thigh al pastor on deck. The full menu also includes alcoholic paletas and a selection of cocktails from the Garret East, though diners can also opt to wash down tacos with a Mexican Coke, tamarind Jarritos, or watermelon agua fresca. Notably, the new East Village taqueria also offers a new spin on birria, the stewed meat that’s long-captivated Los Angeles and San Francisco and recently started to make its way to New York City. Compelling versions of the dish have been served up in Jackson Heights and Long Island City, but Borrachito is the first taqueria to bring them to the East Village. Eater is still waiting on a version of the dish prepared with slow-cooked goat, rather than beef, as is popular in Jalisco, but the version at Borrachito — made with oxtail — inches New York City a little bit closer. The new taqueria opens this afternoon for takeout and outdoor dining from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m., with 20 outdoor seats. Lunch and delivery are on their way, as well." - Luke Fortney

"If you need a first-date spot in the East Village, come here. The space isn’t huge, but there’s a long bar and a few booths that are perfect for getting to know someone you may or may not ever see again. There’s also a semi-secret counter-service spot in the back serving fairly decent tacos." - Bryan Kim

"The Garret East is a casual cocktail bar in the East Village, and Borrachito is a little taco spot all the way in the back of it. It’s in a semi-separate room with about eight little tables, although if you’d rather eat your tacos in the bar up front, they’ll bring them over for you. The tacos here tend to be on the meatier side - they have one called the “Pork Bomb,” which is really just a large mound of pulled pork, salsa, and chicharron on a tortilla. But we prefer the short rib one, and you might see us eating a couple of those here the next time we need a cocktail and a late-night taco in Alphabet City." - Bryan Kim