Chris E.
Yelp
When your restaurant is located in the back of a deli and in a neighborhood with the likes of taco kings Tacos El Bronco and Tacos Matamoros, your prospects of succeeding do not seem very promising. However, El Tenampa defies the odds and not only can go toe-to-toe with the best of them, but might very well be THE BEST out of all of them!
When we first approached El Tenampa, we were a bit confused because we didn't see a restaurant. We thought we were going a bit cuckoo since Yelp told us it was a restaurant, but all we saw was a deli. We only noticed a deli storefront and some aisles, however all we had to do was head further in and we were in the presence of a true hidden gem!
There was an open space, multiple tables, chairs and a kitchen with a counter in the back. We approached the kitchen and scanned thru the paper menus sitting on the counter. Like many of the Mexican restaurants, tacos seemed to be king here, but there were also tortas, cemitas, salads, burritos, tamales and entrees on the menu too. Since it was our first experience here we went with tacos and a single tamale to share.
The awesome thing about this restaurant was that everything was made and prepared in front of us. We had the pleasure of looking thru the kitchen counter window and watching them work their magic. Contrary to a review I read, the order was cooked up quickly. We ordered 7 tacos and the single tamale and it didn't take more than 5-8 minutes to come out. There was no waiter service, which was fine, so we picked up the order from the counter when they called it out. FYI, you pay after you finish eating.
One thing we absolutely noticed was the salsa bar next to the counter, which was completely unexpected! We had never seen a condiment/salsa bar at any of the Mexican restaurants we had visited in Sunset Park. There wereu unlimited sliced cucumbers, radishes, hot and mild salsa to add, green peppers and, most surprisingly, guacamole! The guacamole was a bit watered down, but still, it was guacamole!
As for the tacos, to summarize, they were the freshest I had ever tasted anywhere. They had just come straight off the grill and the tortilla and meat were actually hot when I bit into them, which is a real rarity at most of these small restaurants. The meats were very flavorful too and it didn't hurt that we put a ton of condiments in the taco.
Now that I've had a few days to reflect on this glorious experience, I must say this is now my new favorite taco joint. No disrespect to the other taco titans in the neighborhood, but there's a new king in my mind .... and it's the restaurant inside the deli, El Tenampa.
