The Mexico City original is a standing-room counter run by the same family since 1968, and in 2024 it became the first taqueria anywhere to take a Michelin star - it has since dropped to Michelin-recommended, which changes nothing about the tacos. The Flatiron branch keeps the discipline: gaonera on prime tenderloin, bistec on strip, costilla on ribeye, each cut from Pat LaFrieda beef, open-face on a grilled corn tortilla.
What to expect
A tight, counter-focused room with a menu of five tacos plus margaritas and little else - the ordering decision is which cut, not which dish. Tacos arrive open-face on a single fresh tortilla rather than doubled and loaded, so most people order several. Peak-hour waits are common given the size of the space and the attention the opening has drawn.
Good to know
- F/M to 23rd Street or the R/W to 23rd Street both drop you within a block
- The menu is deliberately tiny - five tacos and margaritas, so come for the meat, not variety
- Order two or three per person; these are single-tortilla, open-face tacos
- There is a vegetarian option alongside the four beef and pork cuts
- Expect a line at peak lunch and dinner while the opening buzz holds
- It is a small counter-style space, so a large group is a hard fit
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Common questions
Does it still have a Michelin star?
The Mexico City original held one from 2024 through the 2025 guide, becoming the first taqueria ever to earn one. It lost the star in the 2026 update but remains Michelin-recommended.
What is a gaonera?
The house signature - a taco of prime tenderloin, traced back to founder Andres Hernandez's grandfather, a butcher who opened the original stand in 1968.
Where exactly is the New York location?
20 West 23rd Street in Flatiron, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
