Ixtapa Mexican Tacos

Too fun! Literally right off the highway on the New Haven Wharf. If you type Ikea in New Haven into Google Maps you will find it! Seriously! You can’t miss it. Trucks just lined up on the street, by the water, Mexican flags waving high. A perfect first stop for my daughters and me on our epic road-​trip last summer! Three platters of insanely delicious tacos served with lime wedges, radishes, tomatoes, lettuce, onions and avocado (6 to be exact), chips and salsa, all the fixings, fresh in tubs on the counter (for FREE) with three drinks for $ 10! Whaaah? We had veggie tacos but they have tons of meat options. That’s just the beginning… It’s such a fun little strip of taco trucks where the music is bumping. Everyone is hanging out, having fun. Carefully cross the street and sit by water, enjoy your fresh, inexpensive meal and watch the birds. (You kind of forget where you are… By the highway, in Mexico or in New Haven.) We pulled a blanket from the car and did just that. Such a fun picnic! It’s the thing to do from what we saw. I would definitely come back when headed this way again.

Hipster foodies stay away! Don’t go here and ruin it for the rest of us.
5:30 on a summer evening will find the music blasting, tons of contractors relaxing after a hard day, soda pop flowing and tongue tacos being devoured. This gem could not possibly have gotten better from my first discover 10 years ago, after a trip to Mexico to DJ a rave left me craving «real» Mexican food not the sloppy cheese covere stiff. No I thought they can’t get better, but, indeed, although the prices have hardly gone up, this has gotten even better with nice touches like free chips and salsa, native greens that taste like a cilantro fennel hybrid, chairs, and yes… Boom box.
Husband loves the burritos but I me they are too Americanized. Stick with tacos for an authentic experience.

Cheap, fast, authentic, and DELICIOUS. Ixtapa is one of those places I miss the most when I leave New Haven for the holidays.
I usually order a taco or two to munch on before eating my ordered quesadilla at home. You can’t go wrong with any of the meats, but I especially love cabeza (head) and lengua (tongue). If you’re feeling adventurous, I would definitely recommend either, especially cabeza (head) which is cheek meat and both ridiculously flavorful and tender.
The tacos ($ 1.50) are served with onions, cilantro, and wedges of lime and fresh radishes.
The quesadillas ($ 7) have avocado/​guac, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cilantro, and your meat of choice all wrapped up in fresh flour tortilla goodness.
You can also grab a roasted leek from one of the trays to complement/​balance your decadence.
Cash only.

Great people nice ! Awesome food love taking the drive from Bridgeport just to eat there my Sunday pleasures !!

I hate this place becaus it makes my drive home from work longer almost every time I pass by when the trucks are here. You see the tacos are SO GOOD and the service SO FAST and the workers SO FRIENDLY that I can’t not stop and pig out on GREAT Tacos filled with either Pastor or Chorizo. I travel for a living and often get to Cancun and Mexico City always eating street tacos there as well as in both San Diego and Los Angeles. There is not a better taco to be had in any of those places then this truck.
This food truck is # 1, end of story…

Had the «vegetarian chicken» taco, veggies were super fresh and comes with grilled veggies. Salsa and topping options were awesome but chicken was a bit disappointing. Overall pretty decent!

Being a native of San Diego, I was looking for a place with good tacos. Low and behold this is it. The street tacos remind me of the tacos across the border on a drunk TJ night, good and filling. Even sober they are delicious and just as good as my local joints back home. I definitely recommend them.

Love their tacos — with carne asada or al pastor are my favorites. Steak or chicken quesadillas have been awesome too. Good price for authentic Mexican food.

Place is awesome!!! Must stop on your way through town.

Heard so much about this Mexican truck along long wharf and finally tried it today. I had the pork and beef taco and compared to the other Mexican food truck (can’t remember the name and can’t find it on Unilocal), the meat was not as tasty and the taco was not as crisp. The tacos were soggy and meat tasteless. It was quite a disappointment. I realize there were more Mexicans at the other food trucks too.

Driving down the I95 and seeing Mexican flags everywhere is quite confusing. Just look up the I-​95 on Wikipedia… IT DOESN’T GO TO MEXICO! So, how did Mexican Taco trucks make it to New Haven? I don’t know and I don’t care. However, I am now personally invested in their success simply for my own self-​satisfaction. I need them to stay. Actually, if they could stay and maybe even open up a truck on Cedar st, I’d be extremely happy.
Having done my bachelors in a city only 2 hours away from the border, I got fairly accustomed to amazing Mexican food. I took things for granted. And, as the old adage goes, «Never take things for granted». So, somehow I then washed up in Boston for two years with the most vomit-​inducing «Mexican» food I’ve ever had the displeasure of consuming. Life was rough.
Then, I moved to New Haven and found Ixtapa. Everything about this truck reminds me of the good old days. Red salsa, green salsa, Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas), grilled jalapenos, grilled onions, pico de gallo, and radish all available on a condiments bar by the order window. Follow up your fully loaded tacos with your choice of any Jarritos or Mexican coke (made from pure cane sugar) to caress your flaming taste buds. When you take a bite of that grilled jalapeño that you’ll soon regret, you get transported to a heavenly palace in another dimension where you can start and finish your plate of tacos. Wash it down with soda, and start to question your existence in this world.
My safe bets are usually either the pollo (chicken) or asado (steak). If you’re feeling adventurous, try the lengua (tongue) or cabeza (head). Everything is loaded with cilantro, so I hope you aren’t genetically predisposed to hating it. If you like it, then you’ll love the tacos, each of which is double wrapped with a warm corn tortilla. On top of the tortilla foundation is succulent and juicy meat with all the fixings you ask for. Remember though, squeeze some fresh lime before you go HAM.
Service is fast, but everything is cash only, so come hungry and leave feeling like you’ve actually accomplished something in life. Oh, if you can’t handle the heat, grab some IKEA chocolate.

Driving along I95, you cant miss these food trucks along the wharf.
Food — just cant beat the $ 1.5 tacos.
Chicken and pork tacos is a must try. One can go off the beaten path and try tongue or head tacos. The sauces are hot.
Service and Ambience — Quick moving line. Express service.
Cost — ~$ 5 per pax.

We’ve been driving by these food trucks on I95 for a bunch of years. Decided to make a stop this go around and found an unbelievable treasure. Ixtapa was fabulous; fast, kind and courteous servers answered our questions and provided guidance in ordering the best chicken quesadilla and beef burrito we’ve ever had. Each order is huge, served in a styrofoam box with sauce, a half jalapeño pepper, radishes, roasted onion and lime wedges. Talk about fresh, the pepper and radishes were crisp and fresh tasting, have to wonder if they picked them this morning. A word on the condiments ares, awesome. They had a hot paste made from chilli de Arbols, onions and oil. It had a slightly charred taste, was spicy hot and truly satisfying for someone who loves heat. This place is a CT attraction you just don’t want to miss.

I have to say this was one of the best taco, burrito experiences I have had. The freshness of ingredients, the salsas and perhaps 7 or 8 different condiments for your selections were nothing short of amazing. The memory of this little food truck still haunts me and you can be sure, when I am in the area again, I will make a beeline to Ixtapa as this little oasis is the thing that «Mexican foodie dreams» are made from.

No need to search through all the other trucks, this IS the best one, by far. Carnitas, cabeza, carne asada tacos are tops. Salsas are tops. Done.

I’m a Mexican-​American from California, living in CT and missing real Mexican food. I drove from East Hartford just for these tacos (lengua and carnitas… yummmm…) and I would do it again anytime. A little piece of home…

Ate here as a second choice when the Nextalli truck was not at Long Wharf, even though I had seen them parked earlier that day. I got the $ 7 chicken burrito from Ixtapa which was rather large and stuffed nicely. Came with a small bag of chips and tons of sides were available at the counter… everything from beans to hot peppers and cabbage. I got red and green salsa and both were good, I think the red was a little spicier. I only was able to finish half of my burrito, despite being starved when I ordered it.
I’d like to try something else on their menu to have a better opinion overall of this truck and when I am not starving because everything tastes better when you’re really hungry. Hopefully when spring/​summer comes around I can do a little «taco truck taste test»! :-)

I like nexcalli much more. I suppose it’s just a preference thing.
The tacos were good and cheap, and I really have nothing to complain about. I’ll be back because I do tend to switch it up when I go to the taco trucks and ixtapa seems to be one of the first there and last to leave.

Great tacos. Rule of food trucks: always go to one that has the most self serve condiments. The server asked how my empanada I got from another truck was. I said meh and he suggested a sauce to make it better and it did. Thanks buddy!

found this by accident on the way to Ikea! It was a delightful surprise, as they are parked off to the parking lot of the beachside.
Cash only — but boy was it yummy!
can’t wait to come back when it’s warmer!