Halstead Ave Taqueria

Best tacos in the area… Go to faves are the classic ground beef taco with some Mexican corn! Yum! Their juices and limeade. Particularly the pomegranate limeade is addictive.

This is a hidden gem on Halstead Avenue and without any fancy signage to announce it’s presence. That’s too bad because more people should know about this place and I wished I had sooner.
Stopped by with my coworker for a quick lunch yesterday. I settled on the Taco Special which offers 2 tacos plus chips and guacamole, plus a Jarritos mango soda. I had one apiece of the Carnitas and Carne Asada. I initially thought to add a third taco but decided against it until I could see how big their tacos were and how full I would be after throwing those down.
Pleased to report that the 2 tacos did the trick but I could have polished off a third «just because»…or out of sheer gluttony. They make their tacos to order and you’ll have to wait a few minutes as this is definitely NOT a fast food joint. In return for your patience, however, you will be rewarded with handmade, carefully assembled, authentic, tasty tacos (no crunchy shells either, folks). I liked the Carne Asada taco the most as the meat was tender and everything was tasty and fresh. I added a little mild sauce to kick it up a notch but without adding too much heat which may mask the flavor and quality. The Carnitas was just fine and I’ll definitely not hesitate to try some other varieties next time.
The chips and guac were also good but I wished they gave a little more guac, to be honest. I’m a huge fan of guac when it’s made right and they do make it right. Honestly, double what they give would have been on point. Maybe I’ll just ask for more next and pay extra, if need be.
As for the décor, let’s just say it’s functional. You won’t find a fancy or pricey item in the place but I couldn’t care less. I was happy that the place was bright, generally clean, and served up quality fare at a fair price. Seating is comprised of bars and stools. Again, nothing fancy but gives you a place to sit if you plan to dine in.
Although I got a Jarritos, my coworker enjoyed a freshly squeezed juice. I’ll have to try one of those next time as they serve them in a little mason jar (which you can take with you) and they offer several varieties to try out.
We grabbed a seat by the window overlooking Halstead Ave. so you can also people watch and enjoy the view if the day is a beautiful one, as it was yesterday.
I’m coming back here and I’ll be sure to do my homework and get my order ready in advance, so I can shave off a few minutes during my lunch break. Their menu offers many other items besides tacos and I can see myself trying out a few other things — including enchiladas — next time.

Great Tacos. Everything super fresh and great salsas. Recommend the Taco Al Pastor. Worth a detour.

This place is good. I have eaten in and gotten take out and I’m very happy. So far I have had the Carne Asada, Chorizo and Al Pastor tacos and they were all great. The ingredients are fresh and the size of the tacos are generous, My original visit when they first opened was a bit frustrating as service was rather slow, but those kinks have been worked out. I would like to see a better beverage selection for when I eat in though.

Finally! a Taqueria thats doing it right. Fresh and Authentic food. The guac was some of the best I’ve had with just the right amount of avocado chunks and lime juice. The carne asada was very tasty and not overcooked. Doesn’t seem like you can go wrong here. Excellently cooked chicken and very fresh salsa fresca. Not to mention that the salsas are a great balance between flavor and heat. This will definitely be my go to tacos place. As previously mentioned, the food is fresh, authentic, and absolutely amazing. Everything you order is freshly prepared and cooked to your specifications in a clean and open kitchen area. they spare no expense in providing you with the freshest veggies, fish, and other ingredients.

I have been here twice in the past month. The tacos I had were all fantastic. Beef, brisket, chicken and mushroom. I wish this was a sit down place because the food is super and they only have countertops. Worth a stop when in the area. Nice staff.

It is often said that the worst pizza in the NYC area is more often than not better than the best pizza you can get in California. I find this to be true.
Well…it also can be said that the ‘best’ Mexican food in the NYC area is worse than the worst Mexican food on the West Coast.
This is a cute place. Check.
Owner seems really nice. Check.
Ingredients are fresh. Check.
Folks, just because you put chicken, beef or pork on a tortilla does not make it Mexican food.
We had one of the specials of the day, pork enchiladas with small slices of pineapple. This ended up being three lukewarm (barely) tortillas with flavorless pork, all sitting in ‘enchilada sauce’ which looked and tasted a whole lot like watered-​down ketchup.
The assortment of tacos was equally uninspired and utterly lacking any depth, spice or flavor.
Bottom line, if someone finally steps up and makes real Mexican food available… they’re going to make a mint.
The search for Mexican food continues.

I am impressed by the quality and freshness of the foods. I ordered the taco combo and the freshness of the ingredients shined thru. The rice bowl is a good deal with lots of beans, tomatoes, and meat on top. The salad was a big portion with healthy romaine lettuce and a nice size portion of meat on top. The corn tortilla chips were hot and crispy. I couldn’t ask for anything more than this place, hands down beats all the chain Mexican places including Chipotle, Adobe, etc.

Such an amazing new place in Harrison! The food is great, fresh, and so tasty. The drinks are amazing. This is going to be one of our go to places!
I would just recommend they switch out the bar stools — uncomfortable seating for kids as well as older adults …

Excellent in every way!
We have visited several times and it is now official; this place is for real. Consistent in food quality, service, and it’s ambiance. Luis is the hard working owner and he is always there. The menu always has a few awesome specials and Luis has an inventive adventurous side using fish, meats and vegetables in tasteful ways.
I’ll add more to my review over time but for now, check this place out — you will not be disappointed.

We ordered several items off the menu and it’s rare that every bite was absolute perfection! We searched Unilocal!for a quick place to eat after getting off our flight on our way from NYC to VT. What a wonderful stop this is! Not only is the food delicious, service was thoughtful and the charming space made me feel like I was a friend coming for a visit. So how to describe the food: authentic and fresh. They also put all our toppings on the side so we could use items at our own discretion. Chips are made right there so are super fresh. Salsa had the perfect amount of heat. For the mains, we ordered veggie mole enchiladas, a ground beef taco, a cheese quesadilla and chipotle chicken tacos — all different and all wonderful. I wish I wasn’t just passing through or I’d go back tomorrow :-) They also have fresh juice, which, if you’re a juice fanatic like me, is a healthy addition to a truly memorable meal.

Super excited to have good Mexican food come to Harrison. We placed an order for takeout on the phone and it was ready when my husband arrived to pick it up, and packaged smartly (sauce on the side for the enchiladas, tacos wrapped up tight, etc.). As others have noted, ingredients seem really fresh, and everything was full of flavor. The favorite our first go-​round is definitely the aforementioned enchiladas. We shared the chicken tinga enchilades verde, and they were delicious! Spicy, good amount of each ingredient, and even the rice and beans seemed extra fresh and on point. We will definitely be back for more! Yum!
Note: My husband reports that there aren’t really tables… just counter seating with bar stools.

Seating is limited to bar stools, and the amount of bar stools is limited. The service was fantastic, they take credit cards which is always helpful. The horchata and fresh juices were delicious as were the nachos and salsa. We had a variety of tacos and were impressed. I could imagine this being a great takeout place if you want a casual dinner at home. It was quite warm the day we visited and the air conditioning inside was struggling to keep up with the doors constantly opening. You can tell they really put love into the food here and it shows, this isn’t some white polo wearing, mojito drinking Bar Taco type of joint.
This is a great addition to the town as there were no Mexican places around. Normally you’d have to go to Port Chester to find a taqueria.

Totally worth the money:
We ordered over the phone.
Food was high quality, well prepared, and fresh. Biodegradable containers too.
We ordered flautas, chicken, brisket, steak and chorizo tacos, rice and beans and a horchata.
Flautas: first time having these, I could eat 1,000 of these, they’re served with lettuce. Perfect and crisp.
Tacos were great! I loved the addition of kale and fresh lime. Meat was excellent, flavorful. I didn’t add anything, not even hot sauce. Tortillas were fresh, soft, yum!
The only reason I gave it four stars, they forgot the horchata, and from how the meal went I am sorry I didn’t get to taste it.
Please keep these guys in biz. Delicious!

Hidden gem in Harrison!
Staff was very helpful and can customize the menu if you cannot eat spicy food. Highly recommend the shrimp taco.
Definitely recommend and will come back again!

This place is amazing. salsa is a little spicy (they put in charred jalapeños –yum!!) and addictive. Everything is FRESH! So obviously food takes some time to come out… But they are new and still getting the hang of things so idk why people aren’t giving them a break — anybody who frequents new places should know some kinks need to be worked out in the beginning.
Anyways, this place is definitely going to be a frequent visit of mine. Finally, something other than pizza or Chinese in Harrison (THANK GOD!!)
Favorites:
Salasa and chips
Chicken tinga taco
Veggie quesadilla
Mucho macho juice
Ps– not that many locals care (although I wish Harrison was more progressive) the owner used to work at Truck in mt kisco a place that prides themselves on using local vendors and from my understanding this place uses local when possible as well (prob why everything tastes so fresh!)

Yum yum!!! So so good. The brisket tacos have me coming back once a week. The guacamole is so delicious. Chicken tinga tacos also amazing.

Such a nice surprise in downtown Harrison. I had some delicious tacos and guac for a great price. Gluten-​free friendly as well! Can’t wait to come back and try some of their fresh juices. I really hope they do well.

Finally there’s is a great place to get some mexican food in Downtown Harrison! An area I love, but let’s be honest, sometimes feels overrun with pizzerias (though they’re good too). Let’s give this new local business our support for diversifying the menu in our little town.
The special mole enchiladas were great. Fresh ingredients from local farms, cool atmosphere, and the staff is always friendly, Looking forward to their liquor license (hopefully coming soon) and trying their breakfast menu.
Update:
Try the Chicken Tinga Taco. It’s awesome.

I went to Halstead Ave Taqueria last Wednesday. I was so excited to see a new place in Harrison (boring little town with every other new place most likely shutting down after a few underwhelming months).
I went in and I was happily surprised, the place looks great. The floors are decorated with authentic Mexican tiles, the walls are bright colors, the place just straight up makes you smile as you walk in. It has great potential to be a late-​night spot for the locals.
Their menu is small, and when I saw they had Tamales in their menu, I was so excited and immediately ordered one only to be shut down and told that that was a mistake of some kind and that they did not, in reality, have Tamales– no word was said if they would ever actually have them or not, but oh well, too bad. I then proceeded to order a Quesadilla with chorizo (very very mildly spicy Hispanic sausage). It was not a bad wait at all, waited perhaps 5 minutes and talked to the owner meanwhile– very friendly and humble guy, a Harrison local as well. While I waited I saw they had t-​shirts for sale with the Taqueria’s logo and everything– I was impressed for it being a very recently opened place, looked like they had their stuff together. I believe they had iPads or some sort of tablet for their cashiers, very fancy setting but had humble elements that gave the place such charm.
ANYWAY, I got my quesadilla after waiting momentarily and paid, I believe the total came out to $ 8? A bit pricy but I cut them some slack, them being a new and upbeat place to go to in Harrison. The Quesadilla was 6 $ plain, plus 2 $ for the chorizo (around that.)
I got home and opened the [very fancy and sturdy] take-​out packaging for my quesadilla. I was a little disappointed with the size and proportion. But the tiny quesadilla made up for its taste. It was absolutely divine. So yum. It was very small yes, and I do get full fast, yes, but for $ 8 I was expecting a little more. We all know we can go to some corner in Port Chester and get the double for half the price.
Overall nice meal, more of a snack, but I was glad I tried it. I want to go back but they need to get their business end together, I definitely can’t afford this on a daily basis but so wish I could. Also… I want tamales.
Hope they do well in Harrison. Will be back next time I get my paycheck.