In Lower Manhattan, you’ll find a perfect taco spot fit for any vibe. The area has a bit of everything, from beloved Tijuana-style stands to modern restaurants with unique menu options and festive boozy brunches. While you can easily just pick one to fill up at, downtown’s walkable streets make it perfect for a flavor-packed stroll. To help you explore, we’ve mapped out a 1.4-mile DIY taco crawl taking you to some of the best local Mexican eateries.
This route moves from south to north, beginning near the Battery and ending close to attractions like the World Trade Center, City Hall Park and Brooklyn Bridge for further exploration.
For a full list of taco and Mexican spots in the neighborhood, be sure to check out the Shop Dine Guide!
Toro Loco
Toro Loco is a lively Mexican restaurant known for its trendy vibe and wide array of enticing taco offerings, from shrimp to short rib and brisket birria and even cauliflower al pastor for the vegans. The best time to visit is during their weekday happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m., when you can pair your tacos with discounted beers, wines, sangrias and margaritas. During the warmer months, sip a tequila or mezcal cocktail — or a Mexican-inspired mocktail — on their expansive outdoor patio featuring giant murals, breezy palms, and Instagrammable backdrops.
And for one of Lower Manhattan’s best weekend boozy brunches, you can add bottomless cocktails for 90 minutes for $32 when you purchase a brunch entree like the chorizo-laced breakfast burrito, chilaquiles verdes, or chicken and waffle sandwich with Don Julio Tequila maple syrup. They also have a special offer for birthday brunch reservations! (15 Stone St.)
Mexi
Known for its huge selection of tequilas, mezcals and agave-based spirits, Mexi serves up Mexican craft cocktails alongside contemporary tacos. Opt to sit on their seasonal outdoor patio under the string lights of lively Stone Street, or in their moody indoor restaurant decorated with patterned tilework, wrought iron accents and a backlit bar showcasing over 400 bottles.
When it comes to tacos, Mexi offers classics like baja (tempura fish) and carne asada (grilled steak) alongside less-common options — like the Carnitas Michoacanas featuring Coca-Cola-braised pork, escabeche, pickled purple onion and salsa verde. All of their tortillas are made using a nixtamalization process with heirloom corn to add structure and enhance the flavor of each bite.
The best time to visit is during their daily 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. happy hour, where you can get $10 guacamole-topped nachos and discounted beers and margaritas. (57 Stone St.)
LOS TACOS No.1
This no-frills Tijuana-style taqueria is a beloved New York staple. Started by three friends from Mexico and California, the original LOS TACOS No.1 opened in Chelsea Market with the goal of bringing authentic family recipes made with fresh ingredients to NYC. While the brand has expanded to other parts of the city — including Lower Manhattan and Tribeca — each outpost serves up the same incredible flavors in a simple white-tiled, counter-service space.
The menu is straightforward yet delicious, with taco options including pollo asado (grilled chicken), adobada (marinated pork), carne asada (grilled steak) and nopal (grilled cactus) for the vegetarians — all served with onion, cilantro, salsa and guacamole on your choice of made-from-scratch corn or flour tortilla. You can’t go wrong with any protein, though the adobada is particularly noteworthy and carved fresh right off a rotating spit.
Round out your meal with some chips and guacamole and a refreshing Mexican soda. (67 Exchange Pl. #11)
Note: They also have a location at 136 Church Street.
Tacos del Barrio
Opened by wunderkind taco teen Aiden Sterlin when he was just 18 years old, Tacos del Barrio is an unfussy counter-service eatery with a mouthwatering menu. The shop has seven different tacos to choose from, like carne asada with juicy thin-cut steak, al pastor with spit-roasted pork, and chicken birria, which is a rarer find in NYC. Each taco is made even more flavorful by their homemade tortillas, salsas and cremas.
Pair your meal with the must-try elote (corn ribs) and an agua fresca, which is made fresh daily with real fruit. (71 Nassau St.)
TAQ
An ambient sit-down restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, TAQ boasts one of NYC’s most extensive and inventive taco menus, with several options for each meat and veggie choice. For instance, TAQ has four different chicken taco options, like the “Griego” featuring lemon-herb chicken, homemade tzatziki, fresh veggie pico and feta cheese.
If you’re craving seafood, opt for versions like grilled mahi mahi with Greek yogurt-crema, blackened cajun shrimp with corn-and-black-bean salsa, or even a seared scallop taco with chile-avocado puree, crispy citrus salad and herb vinaigrette. Vegetarians will also love the variety, as you can choose between tacos stuffed with blackened local tofu, garlic herb falafel, buffalo-style cauliflower and more. (81 Warren St.)
Jessie Festa is a New York-based content creator, photographer and tour guide. She is the founder of NYC Photo Journeys, which offers photo tours and shoots in the city’s most interesting and scenic locations.
photo: Jessie Festa
