Essex Taqueria

Great little Mexican restaurant on Essex Street. Wide variety on their menu, prices are reasonable, and staff is friendly. Quick service too. I got the chicken nachos with a side of rice and beans. The nachos is big enough on its own that I didn't need the rice and beans but I ordered it just because I wanted to. It was all good, great taste. Typical American style Mexican food. There's seating if you want to eat there but it's not a lot, so if they're busy you might have to take it to go. I got mine to go even tho there was plenty of room for me to sit. I can see myself eating there again.

Really good horchata nice and creamy. Fish taco was really good and the burrito was pretty good but something in it was a little off I think it was the lettuce but the sauce and rest of it was enjoyable

My son treated me to lunch, and he likes the bowl from this location. We order to take out. They have a small space. The food is good and the place was clean.

I would definitely come back here and I do recommend! I was in the neighborhood, looked up taco spots and saw good reviews on this place. It did not disappoint. I demolished my tacos. I barely got a good picture of my food. Tasty, spicy, and delicious. All of the stars!

Hole in the wall delicious Taqueria spot. I've been coming here for years. My go-to are their Tacos and taqueria bowls. I usually order the shrimp or fish bowl. So tender and seasoned perfectly. The prices are a bit high for a fast food type spot, but that's the area for you.

Solid mexican food! Especially the Hawaiian empanada and chicken burrito bowl(p.s. burrito bowl is worth it and the deliciousness 😋)

On the night of May 4th, at around 12:42 AM, I purchased food from the Tacos Morelos food truck owned by Essex Taqueria. I paid and waited for over 30 minutes, but never received my food. I was alone the entire time, just getting home from a birthday party in Bushwick. First of all, I would like to clarify: I called Essex Taqueria three times and confirmed that the Tacos Morelos food truck in my photo — parked near Essex St and Canal St by Seward Park (Dimes Square area) — is operated under their business. (This is also the business name that appeared on my Apple Pay transaction.) And this is what happened to me — an absolute nightmare. The vendor only spoke Spanish. I had to ask two nearby people to help me communicate. Through them, I learned that the vendor claimed I had already taken my food and was with two other people — which was completely untrue. I was by myself. He refused to listen, refused to communicate, and even threatened to call the police. I never received my food, and no one from Essex Taqueria has followed up with me since. I feel scammed and humiliated. This is unacceptable behavior — especially from a business serving the public on a busy NYC street corner. What’s even worse is that it made me feel unsafe in the neighborhood I live in. It was deeply humiliating.

Made an uber eats ordered that was never delivered, called to see what was going on they lied and said that no drivers were being sent their way. I asked up j could pick it up, was told to take it up with uber eats. Tried settling it with them. Wasn’t satisfied with the level of service I received, nothing was explained well from my understanding.

On the night of May 4th, at around 12:42 AM, I purchased food from the Tacos Morelos food truck owned by Essex Taqueria. I paid and waited for over 30 minutes, but never received my food. I was alone the entire time, just getting home from a birthday party in Bushwick. First of all, I would like to clarify: I called Essex Taqueria three times and confirmed that the Tacos Morelos food truck in my photo -- parked near Essex St and Canal St by Seward Park (Dimes Square area) -- is operated under their business. (This is also the business name that appeared on my Apple Pay transaction. I took the screenshot on Sunday, so the timestamp shows "13 hours ago"） And this is what happened to me -- an absolute nightmare. The vendor only spoke Spanish. I had to ask two nearby people to help me communicate. Through them, I learned that the vendor claimed I had already taken my food and was with two other people -- which was completely untrue. I was by myself. He refused to listen, refused to communicate, and even threatened to call the police. I never received my food, and no one from Essex Taqueria has followed up with me since. I feel scammed and humiliated. This is unacceptable behavior -- especially from a business serving the public on a busy NYC street corner. What's even worse is that it made me feel so unsafe in the neighborhood I live in. It was deeply humiliating. I honestly feel so bad and humiliated posting a negative review like this. I'm not someone who likes to cause trouble or be dramatic. I just had an awful experience, and I hope sharing it helps someone else avoid going through the same thing. If you ever buy something from this food truck, maybe record the whole experience on your phone, just in case. I'm honestly glad I forgot to bring cash that night, because at least I had a payment record on my phone. But I still couldn't explain that I never got my food. So yeah... as ridiculous as it sounds, maybe keep your camera rolling next time. Sorry, but this whole situation really broke the trust.

Hole in the wall delicious Taqueria spot. I've been coming here for years. My go-to are their Tacos and taqueria bowls. I usually order the shrimp or fish bowl. So tender and seasoned perfectly. The prices are a bit high for a fast food type spot, but that's the area for you.

Ordered a shrimp burrito bowl for delivery. It arrived in lighting speed. Lots of shrimp! Rice, beans, veggies as a base.. it's a good amount of food. The cook went crazy on the corn, feels like there's a can of it in here. If I'd known I'd ask for no corn. Came with a side of crema and salsa but no limes! Overall good:)

Ordered the grilled chicken plate and a veggie tostada for delivery. For starters, when I opened the bag both containers were sideways and a hot mess. Both dishes were supposed to come with red sauce on the side and the chicken was also supposed to have green sauce. I got no sauce at all. And the tostada had almost no refried beans or cheese--it was mostly lettuce and onions. The chicken was dry, which wouldn't have been a big deal if I had sauce. I called the restaurant and explained the situation and the guy on the phone said "neither were really supposed to come with sauce." Not true. Then he said he put sauce in the bag. Also not true. He then told me the tostada is only supposed to have a little bit of refried beans. That sounds right, but this was less than a little bit. It was almost none. I spent $27 on this food and it's barely edible. Won't be ordering from here again.

On a rainy night I took my soaked self into their establishment for quick eats. Ordered a chorizo taco which they made with fresh ingredients and cooked the chorizo from scratch. Impressive and delicious. Highly recommend

I'm a frequent customer. 5x per week. Usually I'm ordering burritos or nachos. And I like it SPICY. If I'm paying $12 for a plate of nachos, I'd love to get all the hot sauce I desire. The stupid idiot woman who serves customers at the front on Fridays (and other days) on nights, REFUSED to squirt hot sauce onto my nachos. She always gives me 1 hot sauce on the side. This time she offered me 2. I asked for 4 and she said "no that is $2" extra. Why would a Mexican place ask for extra money for SAUCE?! I loved ordering from America. She was very generous with the hot sauce and she is great at dealing with customers. The stupid idiot woman that works tonight is terrible at customer service. Doesn't realize common sense (if a customer wants spicy, make it SPICY!) do not ignore customer requests like they are bad people. Among all the drunks are normal people who give you a lot of business. Get rid of that idiot at the front asap. I will take my business elsewhere

Was a roach in my food . Disgusting! And the service was very bad . They are so rude in there . Beware and stay away !

Got to visit this taco place while visiting New York and I can honestly say that I will come back for the chicken quesadilla but not the beef birria.. Customer service was okay.. average for New York standards but the birria was just dry... no matter how many times you dipped it in the soup... drrrrrrryyyy

Seems like everyone is sleeping on the fish burrito. I think you should give it a chance. It is really good!! I ask for mine without salsa. So good!!

Solid spot for tacos in the area, was able to grab some tacos before work and definitely hit the spot! Decent prices. Favorites are the carne asada and steak tacos.

The food is good but i used my debit card and someone sent my information to someone in Florida who withdrew hundreds of dollars and amounting to almost 1000 dollars. I wouldn't recommend this place or pay cash. They are thieves.

For quite a few years I've been passing by this tiny spot that does Mexican street food. There's a plethora of eateries in this super busy area of the Lower East Side. What I've noticed about this place from all the times I've passed by is that it is usually a steady stream of customers ordering food. The menu is huge and has most of the typical Mexican street food you could imagine. The menu, although a bit overwhelming, is nicely laid out and pretty straightforward. As soon as I walked inside I already knew what I wanted. I've been on a "birria taco" kick lately so I went with the quesabirria tacos. For those who aren't familiar, Birria is a traditional Mexican dish from the state of Jalisco. The dish is meat stew traditionally made with goat meat but most popularly made with beef in the United States. There's no dine-in area nor are there any outside tables. My order of quesabirrias took a while (or maybe I was just that hungry). It came with consommé. Although I enjoyed the quesabirria tacos, they weren't the best I've ever had. I think I enjoyed the consommé a little more than I did the tacos. However, I would give this place another shot and try something different.

If I were reviewing just for the food, I'd give it 5 full stars. It was delicious and affordable for the area. The red sauce they provide is both flavorful and spicy. The chicken is cooked and seasoned beautifully. Every part of the quesadilla was delicious. The tostada was a bit soggy by the time I ate it, but I ordered delivery so that is to be expected. I'd definitely eat from here again. The only complaint I have is the service. It's possible they are abrupt because they are busy, but still. The workers are not friendly or helpful if there is a question.

For a quick neighborhood delicious Mexican food delivery, you'll get just that! It's not that I didn't enjoy and inhale the entire burrito in less than three seconds, because I did..... It's just that the pork burrito had no flavor of pork whatsoever! SO, if you're vegetarian, you could order this, you wouldn't know there was any meat in it I also got the beef Torta... it hit the spot, but again don't get pork. It's full of fat., but tasty!

Decent burrito for a reasonable price. The medium salsa verde is delicious. Wish they would actually dice the onion in the pico de gallo! Chicken thigh meat was tender , juicy and well seasoned. I'll definitely try the fish tacos at some point.

This has been one of my heavy rotations via Grubhub and am iM so glad I found them. I work nights and their delivery is second to none. ALWAYS arrives prior to posted ETA and food is super hot upon arrival. The delivery guy is super nice as well. Now I have tried Carne Asada bowl, chorizo bowl, pollo asada bowl and burritos and they are so packed with meat it is a feast for a reasonable price. Mind you this place is not a huge retail space rather a small mom and pop style taqueria that turns out amazing food. I promise you won't be disappointed giving them a try.

This place has been a staple in the neighborhood for a while now. I dropped by late night to grab a few tacos. The carnitas was definitely my favorite and the Al pastor was my least favorite. There are a lot of great taquerias in this area which makes this places shortcomings more evident. Some of the meat was overly chewy and I got the sense it wasn't prepared daily. The guacamole salsa they use was a bit unpleasant and not really necessary since it overpowers the taco. Rice and beans were good:

Heyyy maybe you just don't feel like waiting in the line around the corner at Katz to get a Sammy. Eat some great tacos at this little spot then cross the street to the candy store and fully indulge your sweet tooth!

I have been going to this taco place for years. They have always had great food & even better service. Yesterday I went to get a steak bowl & because of my diet I nicely asked if I could get just lettuce instead of rice with everything else. I asked if he could please add the black beans on top of the meat & not the lettuce because that would make the lettuce very soggy by the time I got home. The worker continued to fight with me telling me that was not possible. He said he plates everything and then add the meat on top. I continued to ask if he could put it in a cup & he told me absolutely not. I found this very cruel & harsh.. I couldn't understand why this was such a big deal to do. There was four workers in this little corner where they work & we were the only ones there. I could understand if they were busy but it was literally just me. He plated my bowl & added the steak last as he stated. I definitely will not continue to come here anymore. In such disbelief how something so simple bothered this man. I guess the customers don't usually get what they want even when they're paying for it. Shame on this place.

This place does what it needs to do. I usually get a burrito bowl but if has some stuff in it that I don't like. It had a giant glob of cheese in the middle that doesn't need to be there. It just becomes hard. It also has corn which I don't care for. It is yummy and I'd go back but next time I'd request some changes and I'd get guac. I haven't had their barria but it looks good

This is "high school baseball athletic complex snack shack" levels of taste and quality.

Could not confirm if order was on its way and it took several calls and a follow up email to find that out. Now we are waiting on an order that may never come. It's been over 1 hour since we ordered.

Solid. Flavor. Texture. Heaven. Try their salsa, their salad, even their fish. Basic, though generous, ordering system with fresh ingredients. Always add some lime. It makes everything better! The place is very small, but they make the best use of the space. About two tables and some high tops. They also offer mexican sodas and fresh juices like horchata, yum! Pay cash or credit! The line gets pretty long so come with an idea of what you want to eat. Bowl/Burrito, tacos, quesadillas and typical sides like fries and rings are some of your options. Browse the artwork while you wait for your food. Your order is customized to your liking and cooked fresh. Si hablas español es mucho mejor y facíl.

This place isn't even "not good." This place FOUL and DISGUSTING. Multiple people ordering many different things and 100% consensus on this food being astonishingly awful. Like we will be lucky if we're all not deathly ill after eating this slop. To be clear - this is not a scenario where you may or may not like this food based on your preference for Mexican food. This is a scenario where the health department needs to step in and shut this place down. I can't even describe it because I might actually throw up right now. But definitely DO NOT EAT THE SHRIMP. Just don't eat any of it. Ugggggghhhhh

My kid and I travel across town to get the best chicken tacos anywhere we have ever eaten.

Order the fish tacos and thank me later! One of my friends introduced me to this place and I have been indebted to her ever since! Been to this spot multiple times for takeout and the fish tacos ALWAYS hits the spot. Upon arriving you place your order first then when it's ready you get the chance to add toppings onto the tacos. I usually ask for lettuce, pico de gallo, corn and their spicy sauce. The service here is quick and it never disappoints. The interior is clean and they have beautifully tiled floors (yes, I have a thing with floors) which gives the place come character. This restaurant is located on a busy block and may be easily missed but if you're in the area and looking for a taco fix, this is your answer!

The nachos are worth it! I can eat from it twice, I usually get the steak nachos. Guac is extra but tasty. The guys in the kitchen work hard and fast! Yummy, I have not tried the other stuff yet.

Quick recap: this place is as solid as it can be for Mexican in the lower east. Tasty, friendly, clean, and fast. Came here a few times and the burritos and quesadillas are delicious. The green salsa they have is fresh and delicious. Highly recommend the quesadilla if you're a quesadilla lover. And do expect to get messy bc the thing is usually cheesy and over flowing plus the salsa on top. Place is clean, not the biggest. Staff is friendly and will be glad to give you extra salsa if you want it. Highly recommend.

There are many things I thought I would miss about moving from California, but Mexican food never crossed my mind. I do believe that Cali has the best tacos. In my search for my taco fix, I found Essex Taqueria which was a few blocks from my apartment. I'm a taco man, so I ordered two tacos. I was sad that they didn't have corn tortillas. I love street tacos that are made with just meat, onions, and cilantro. They put lettuce on my tacos which I despise. The asada and adobada were both okay. Nothing to run home about. Service was a little slow and I was the only one there at that time. I wouldn't recommend if you want something quick. Their horchata was okay as well. Their salsa had a good kick which I appreciated as well. I don't think I will be a repeat customer. I hope I can find a good taco place in NY soon!

The beef tongue burrito I got was delicious. It has its own section on the menu. They nailed it with this signature item - I really enjoyed it!

A nice spot to stop by if you're on the go. I got a chicken taco with onions & cilantro for $4. The food came out in less than 5 minutes, and I enjoyed it upstairs after doing some shopping at Essex Market.

I cant believe I'm saying this about a mexican food but what i ordered here just lacked flavor. It was bland... Came here on a cloudy Saturday. Was the only one in the place. There was only 1 worker at the time. But i ordered tacos and they told me that they came in 3s. So you cant just order 1 you have to order 3 and you pay for 3. Everything was just bland...absolutely no flavor whatsoever, even their consome was bland. Was tough to eat cause it tasted dry too.

GET OUT. I frequent the bars near this place almost every weekend and have never heard of these heavenly tacos, until last weekend. Leaving the bars to come here was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. I got one chorizo taco and chips and guac. They load the tacos up with the toppings and the tortilla is solid. I would say this is a medium balance between authentic tacos and Tex-mex. I prefer authentic Mexican tacos but it was nice to have the cheese, lettuce, and sauces on it as tex-mex tacos do. The taco was so good, I went back to order another one even though I was so full at that point. The staff was great they even gave me a sample of their delicious horchata drink!!

Great quick Mexican spot in the lower east side. A great burrito that's quick delivery and jam packed.

The tacos is really good and has balance flavor. The selection of tacos were so fantastic. The carnitas taco and Spicy chicken tacos were really flavorful. The spiciness is really good and the sauce is so addicting. Amazing selection of tacos. Definitely, will go again. Great customer service.

Not bad. A quick grab and go Mexican place. We got their chicken, carne asada and al pastor tacos. They load the tacos with so much stuff, it almost felt like a mini burrito lol. Coming from California, I'm pretty picky about my Mexican food, but this one didn't disappoint!

Loved the shrimp tacos! Small shop so only a few tables and a wall counter to sit at (luckily we got a spot!). The guac tasted very fresh and the proteins were fragments. My friend got the nachos and loved the portion size. We got our food promptly as well. Great local business!

I always ordered from this place and the food and the customer service experience has been nothing less than excellent. But today for some reason it took a down turn. I placed two orders for steak tacos and clearly under instructions requested the sauces on the side. I walked away without checking my bag. When i get home i noticed my green was missing. Clearly on grubhub your menu states that the tacos come with a green sauce. I walked back to the restaurant, When i got there i asked the lady at the counter if i could please get the sauces on the side she got an attitude and told me if i wanted any sauces that i could paid for it. Please fix your staff. I manage a company in the lower east side and we buy lunch for our staff every other day from here. We are just not going to come back here again. I spent almost $50 today and i can't get few sides of green sauce for my tacos!?

Food was lacking in flavor and Mexican in general depending on what you order does not travel well so that isn't the restaurants fault. Things like tacos and quesadillas are always better fresh. The tings quesadilla wasn't spicy really. The portions sizes were very big and worth the price. The guys that work there clearly working hard and nice just maybe not my favorite spot.

Very small space and super busy at night. But it's great if you have the munchies. The shrimp tacos were good.

4.5! I don't know how some other reviewers are saying tacos were bland, but I found them extremely tasty and seasoned well. Prices were also very reasonable. I enjoy eating with a friend in one of their small tables at the front. I had 4 different tacos, but I really enjoyed carnitas and the shrimp one.

Worst quesadilla you'll ever have...got chicken quesadilla and they were beyond soggy. Should have gotten Taco Bell. Do not recommend.

I had the Carne asada, pastor and pesca tacos. Steak and carnitas were very good. Fish taco (with red fish) had promise but was overall disappointing.

Solid solid solid spot!! It's a perfect after the club stop!! This is the second time I stopped in to eat and it was great once again. We order here last time and then took the food into whiskey ward and had a great time there. The fresh ingredients is what makes me happy!! I have had tacos each time but I need to try the quesadillas next time!! They look so delicious! They also sell chips and salsa, horchata =), and varies other Mexican novelties! The shop is fairly small but it certainly serves its purpose! The guys that work in the back were really nice to me. The cash register lady was the only female I seen and she was pretty nice as well. So you ready to party and hungry, or you drank you heart away and hungry...this is a great place to stop in and have some great food!!! Enjoy my friends!

Love this place and the way they season the meat! Burritos and bowls are both filling and delicious. Al pastor is always my favorite

Such reasonable price for delicious nachos and burritos. The Al pastor nachos were absolutely delicious with jalapeños, beans, and lettuce. Even after pick up and some time, the nachos were still crunchy and not soggy. Highly recommend.

It's a place for late night drunk food. The place is small, the staff is Mexican but make no mistake, it's Mexican food for gringos. I have had a lot of authentic Mexican food in my life and this place didn't do it for me. The food: Carne Asada Taco with cheese and guacamole- The issue I had with both tacos were the tortilla, I didn't like the taste or texture, it's usually more firm and the one here ripped too easily. The cheese was shredded which was new to me and the guacamole didn't offer a lot of taste and it was too thin in consistency for me. I didn't care for the Carne Asada, it didn't look like it was seared properly and quite honestly, in a way it didn't feel like beef. Carnitas Taco with cheese and guacamole- It was braised pork and it was just OK. I enjoyed the carnitas more than the carne. I liked the texture of the pork better than the beef, but was still expecting more flavor. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=7crRimKlUJn6bic82askGg&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA

Amazing tacos, got delivery 1st time trying and it was very tasty also food was warm . Definitely would recommend.

So before I say anything I should note that I am a Native New Yorker so my opinion on Mexican food is probably meaningless to those on the left coast. That being said, Essex Taqueria is quality. I'm usually a patron of taco trucks, which imo are the best places for Mexican food. But they not on yelp. But Essex Taqueria is the next best thing. The only place I can think of that's better quality is la Taqueria la fonda uptown. I've eaten at Essex Taqueria a bunch. I've had practically every item on the menu with every permutation of meat. I've even had their horchata, which is pretty good. All excellent. For 10 bucks you get a pretty sizeable burrito.