BREAKING: Pinche Taqueria Coming to Midtown East

Huge news via Eater: “Pinche Taqueria is opening a third location in the old Mantra space at 986 Second Ave (at 52nd) tonight at 5 o’clock. Downstairs it will have the usual Pinche setup with the same Pinche menu of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and tortas… they’ll be open after 5 p.m. today through Saturday. Next week they’ll start opening during lunch and doing deliveries throughout Midtown East.” Sure, it’s one avenue outside the standard Midtown Lunch boundaries- but whatever! For Pinche Taqueria it’s totally worth it. This just in: Be afraid Pampano Taqueria (on 50th & 3rd).  Be very afraid.  Your overpriced, Midtown East, hipster Mexican food reign of terror has just come to an end!

Photo courtesy of Kathy YL Chan

14 Comments

  • HAAAAAAAA! ” The usual Pinche setup”
    LOL!!!
    I bet you loved writing that!

  • Well now i know what i’ll be eating next week.

  • One should drink a very cold white with tacos,tortas…et al.

    Beer and food isn’t good.

  • Hurrah!!! I can’t wait to try this place. I will probably still make my El Rey de Sabor treks, but this is also worthy of investigation.

  • You often find those of us who work on 3rd Ave eating on 2nd Ave, so why don’t you extend your boundaries/hire an Midtown East correspondent?

  • Sorry Lisa, we must *colour within the lines!!

    (*that spelling was for Rudy)

  • Mama, when are you and Wayne going to explain how you two broke the conveyor at that sushi place?

    Im thinking saki induced shenannigans!

  • I think it was when Mamacita slammed down her towering stack of empty plates on the belt and drunkenly bellowed “YUSHI ME!!” at the manager (who was cowering in fear behind the faux leather couch)

  • Anybody else find it odd that this joint is almost exactly opposite Tehuitzingo on the westside? Is there some sort of universal law about great tacos that’s keeping them so far apart and on the fringes?

  • Pardon me while I shed a tear for the trendy hipster wannabe Mantra losers.. Gee, I can’t imagine while they failed???? Because we all know how tough it is to stay in business if your food is worth a crap in the decent restaurant wasteland otherwise known as midtown east..

    May the Mantra wonders now go spread their crappy service to more suitable environs like Soho or the Upper West Side.

  • They’re honestly not that good. My friend and I gave them a shot at their first shop in Soho.

    The tacos were extremely small. There was no substance and when we ate it, it was slightly warm. The service sucked and the owner was right there. He didn’t care for his existing customers as his son (?) came to visit with his friends. We waited and waited for our food, only to watch the kids get their food first.

    Fans of pinche can flame me all they want, but when you get your food late and it’s not even that good. Plus you pay quite a bit for it, it just doesn’t add up. Whoever wants to try it out, I say steer clear… it’s not worth it.

  • I looked at the Pinche menu…are the tacos that much better than pampano? because the prices are just as high…and at least pampano has the 2.95 add-on for a drink, rice and beans, and a bag of chips (and a salsa bar)…

  • Pampano is a hipster taqueria? Every time I’ve been, it’s mostly business types from nearby offices.

  • I just went by the Old Mantra and saw ZERO sign of anything new happening. There is no way this place is opening up, unless they’re operating without any signs of their own. Am I missing something?

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