Midtown Lunch

Ask the simple question, “Where’s the best Mexican food in New York City?” and you’ll likely be met with exasperated sighs, an eye roll, and the fierce proclamation that New York Mexican cuisine could never in a million years rival that of California’s (at least until California is swallowed by the Pacific). Part of me agrees. I’ve had the pleasure of eating at the clapped out taco trucks in random parking lots around Salinas and Fresno, CA – gleefully shoveling down $1.50 tacos meant for the local day laborers, now being elbowed out by DSLR toting hipsters.

But we shouldn’t be so self depreciating, for there’s perfectly acceptable Mexican to be had at Tehuitzingo Deli and Grocery (10th Avenue between 47th & 48th st) – well out of reach of Midtown, but accessible for the lucky lunchers that work on the western edge of Midtown, or those with very lax lunch breaks (they also deliver as far east as 6th ave).

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I haven’t touched tequila in years. Just a whiff brings back memories of my 20s and “just one more shot” at 3am on a Tuesday night. No, thanks. That said, I’ll do a go a long way for a good taco. When I read about Zengo’s new lunch of three tacos for $10 in their tequila bar, I knew I’d have to suck it up and bury those shredded memories to get my hands on some high class tacos.

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Pinnacle Bagel & Deli (3rd Ave. btw. 45+46th) is the latest to enter Midtown’s growing Korean taco craze, with a sign proclaiming Tacos Zen (I’m not sure if that’s the name of the taco counter within, or simply the mental state they expect their tacos to leave you in). I’ve never been to Pinnacle before, but they have the salads and sandwiches you can get anywhere. I’m not sure when they started serving this Korean-Mexican fusion (they also have burritos, burrito bowls and gimbap in addition to tacos), but it’s sure to make them stand out from their deli brethren. Chris H. has already written about Pro Hot Korean, Cafe Duke and Bann Next Door. Can Pinnacle be added to the list of places to satisfy your Korean taco craving?

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Before the lunch-pocalypse last Friday, there was a discussion in the forums about an out-of-bounds Mexican cart on 9th ave. btw 58+59th. I’d never heard of this cart before and I’m extremely grateful that I noticed this discussion before it was swallowed by the internet for all eternity. I’m happy to report that the Tacos y Quesadillas Mexico cart is very much in the mold of the excellent El Rey del Sabor carts and is bringing some very good Mexican food (and a wide variety of items) to the far reaches of northwest Midtown.

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Café Duke is such a tease. Ever since initial reports that bulgogi tacos were being haphazardly offered as a daily special at their Korean entrée counter, I’ve been fascinated by these tacos. After all, Bann Next Door took on the Korean taco concept and hit a home run, so I don’t see why Café Duke couldn’t replicate this success (and it’s a few avenues closer to work.) Besides, assembling a competent Korean taco is laughably easy in concept – just jam Korean meat into a taco (no double entendre intended), and you’re the next Roy Choi.

Café Duke has always been a staple in my weekly lunch rotation, given that it‘s a smorgasbord of wallet friendly options that appease my co-workers’ finicky spectrum of palates. But for weeks, I’ve bolted straight to the back counter, only to see a non-bulgogi taco special coquettishly playing with my emotions. We even sent ML contributor, Jeremiah, on a wild goose chase to hunt down these tacos at the 41st Street location, to no avail. However after weeks of speculation, my dumb perseverance and gullibility was finally rewarded.

I came. I saw. I conquered the elusive Café Duke bulgogi taco.
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As if I needed more reasons to stalk the ML Twitter Tracker (hopefully it will be fixed soon!), this week it brought me news of several new lunch menu items from the Eggs Travaganza Cart (on 52nd and Park). These are the same folks that brought me that de-freaking-licious Bacon and Chorizo Grilled Cheese sandwich, so naturally I had to check it out.
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We have long dreamed of the day that New York would get their very own KOGI Truck, the infamous Los Angeles based Korean taco vendors that teased us back in June of last year, before pulling the rug out from under us just a month later. Kogi has spawned a host of fusion taco imitators on the West Coast… to the point where it seems like every new truck that hits the street in L.A. has at least some kind of taco option- regardless of what kind of food it is.  Here in NYC, we’re not so lucky…  until now that is!  Enter the Mexicue truck, a scrappy new entrant in the street food scene which, through savvy marketing, has amassed significant buzz. We’ve watched with growing curiosity for the past week as the Mexicue crew zealously tweeted their location and wares to over 650 followers.

Expectations in check, I decided to check it out for myself.

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El Camioncito, the truck that popped up on the radar this spring when it added tacos and later tamales to it’s otherwise typical food cart menu, has returned to Midtown South. After weeks of disappointing many a taco hunter, the truck is back at its just out of bounds location on 31st Street and 7th Avenue. I stopped by yesterday to take a look at what’s new.

The menu’s Latin section has continued to expand, adding a number of tasty-looking options. See what’s on it and one of the new snacks after the jump.

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So, if Japanese curry isn’t your thing and a Cinco de Mayo pizza sounds too weird there are still plenty of straight up Mexican options in Midtown to partake in today.  Eating Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo is kind of cliched, but we’re not above using it as an excuse to chow down at one of our favorite taco spots for lunch.  Here’s a list of our favorites…

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Pork Tamales from El Camioncito. Photo courtesy of Lunch’er “nomnomnyc”.

Once again, Lunch’er “nomnomnyc” comes through in the forums with intel on El Camioncito (on 31st and 7th Avenue), the Ecuadorian Truck that added tacos to its menu last month. They have now expanded the Mexican portion of the menu to include tamales filled with your choice of pork or chicken. His initial report isn’t stellar, noting that the pork is a bit dry, but it is a new addition. Given the limited Mexican options nearby, all we can do is hope that it improves over time.

Related:
El Camioncito Truck Slings Tacos in Midtown South