Brooklyn Taco Co

If you like a street taco with a bit of a spicy kick, try this place. The veggie option is great, guaco taco. Brisket taco is a nice balance of rico and fresh given to mango salsa. Chicken moist… wish the tortillas had a bit of smokier taste which would top off and satisfy this San Diego natives longing for good Mexican food on the east coast.

Absolutely heartbroken to see Brooklyn Taco leave it’s outpost in the Essex Street Market. Their staff was so friendly and their cola-​braised pork taco was one of my favorites in the city. I sincerely hope they pop-​up at a storefront downtown somewhere soon or return to the market space when it moves to Essex Crossings. For now, I just don’t want to taco about it…

this is for service when you have hours of operation one would think you would be open at given times. IM glad you are closed and leaving essex street market… since you are always closed and never open anyway noone will ever miss you… i came here 2 weeks ago on a tuesday at 202pm they told me they decided to close at 2pm that day… yawn good bye brooklyn taco you will not be missed

I have a strong distaste for cutesy taco.
I prefer the down and dirty authentic tacos without the sour cream, guacamole, cheese and lettuce.
Brooklyn Taco Co lives inside Essex market, which is an adorable, authentic looking grocery/​market in LES.
The tacos are alright. I ordered the shrimp tacos, and that had a good coconut kick, but otherwise unmemorable.
We also ordered the cola pulled pork, and it was okay at best. SO got the chicken, which I think she liked. But again, if it’s not full of thick and rich taco flavor, I’ll pass.
I might come back for the shrimp taco. As dessert.
Also, kinda pricey for tacos.

This place is definitely a bit overpriced ($ 5 for one taco), but I do believe that it is worth it.
I didn’t realize that it was within the market, so I was that freak pacing back and forth on the street until I saw a sign that said it was within. It’s a tiny booth/​shack thing and the guy working was friendly, though juggling orders at the same time. I opted for the Chipotle’d Chicken Taco and it was made right on the spot in front of me. There are three chairs along a bar top where you can eat and after squeezing lime and taking my first bite, the flavors came through in my mouth. The chicken was tender and had a nice spice to it, and the lime definitely helped bring all those flavors out as well too. He also put in the perfect amount of meat, so that it wasn’t skimped, but also not falling out in a huge load, which I appreciate.
Would I come back for a taco? Yes.
Do I still think that it’s worth it? Yes.
Is it expensive? Yes
Yet, I really don’t see an issue with paying for good food.

We finally made it to this establishment for the sole purpose to devour tacos. Admittedly, I was a little underwhelmed of the limited seating arrangements, nevertheless, I remained focus at the task at hand. I ordered the kale & potato taco and the chilorio brisket taco. My beautiful Queen had the kale taco also and the chipolte’d taco.
After devouring the brisket taco, I was disappointed due to the large quantity of grease. The chipolte’d taco was also saturated with grease. Understandably, I was extremely disappointed until I tried the kale & potato taco. By far, this was the best taco I had in a long time. Having a little bit of hotness via haberno sauce was the icing on the cake. This taco was so good, I ordered another!!! It was pure bliss!!!

Me: (sigh) you know
Him: I know.
Me: Bu.
Him: I know. The chalkboard; I’m surprised you held out this long.
I’ll get back to the weirdness that is the chalkboard menu. We were looking for somewhere convenient to grab a quick bite before making the trek from our hotel to JFK. Enter Brooklyn Taco Co.
Brooklyn Taco Co. has a kiosk in the Essex Street Market. We were there on a mission, so I don’t know if there’s a common seating area somewhere in the market, but right inside the kiosk there are three stools. We were fortunate enough to score two.
When I walked up, I sighed feeling bad for my partner in crime. They had shrimp tacos (not a favorite of his), chicken tacos (again, not a favorite), kale and potato tacos, and a breakfast taco. Begrudgingly, he ordered two chicken tacos and a kale taco, only to find out the chalkboard menu was wrong. That day they had brisket instead of chicken; I saw the delight in his eyes when he opted for that. I ordered two coconut shrimp jalapeño tacos and one kale. I appreciated the guy at the counter counseling us on whether it was cheaper to get the $ 10 two taco meal, which included a drink plus an extra taco each or just order everything a la carte.
There’s a taco place back home that serves kale and grits tacos that we are crazy about, so we were both anxious to try BTC’s kale taco. Of my two tacos, the kale and potato was my favorite; not as good as the one back home, but a solid taco all around. The shrimp tacos were fine, but the flavors were out of balance. The creamy sauce distracted from any flavor of coconut and jalapeño on the tacos.
Overall, BTC is a solid taco stand for a fancier, non-​traditional taco.
TIP: The lunch deal says it comes with agua fresca, but it doesn’t. It comes with water, Mexican Coke, or Jarritos.
RANT: After we ordered, no less than three other people came up and tried to order chicken tacos. How hard is it to update a chalkboard menu? Wouldn’t it be easier than telling people over and over? Ok, rant over.

Taco, Taco, Taco. Yum Yum Yum.
The guy working here was nice and I bought a Chipotle’d Chicken Taco.
Crema and queso fresco and dry Mexican cheese (chihuaha?) with flavorful chipotle braised chicken, and some fresh tomato. Yum, yum, yum.
Pretty big taco for $ 4.00. Solid price, Yum, yum, yum.
Wish they were a little further uptown or not hidden away in the Essex Street Market. Also, $ 7.00 minimum for credit card. Still awesome.
Taco, Taco, Taco. Yum, Yum, Yum.

If I were ranking vegetarian tacos, Brooklyn Tacos Companys Guaco Taco ($ 4.50) would be a close second to Five Tacos. The same can’t be said about their other vegetarian option the Kale & Potato Taco ($ 4.50).
The guaco tacos name says it all. It comes with avocado, red onion, tomato, sweet corn, cheese, crema and habanero sauce. I’m a huge fan of avocado, so this was perfect. Their other veggie option the kale & potato which comes with exactly that, didn’t work for me. I much prefer a more mexican flavor to my tacos, compared to the earthy flavor of the kale and potato.
The location isn’t ideal. It’s cornered off in the often overcrowded Essex St. Market, but don’t let that deter you. The staff really seem to enjoy what they do and are passionate about quality food. They make your tacos to order so they take a couple minutes, but when you get them they’re mouth burning hot as I have evidence.

Les meilleurs taco que j’ai jamais mangé! Des ingrédients de qualité avec des associations de goût surprenante mais tellement efficace!!! J’y ai mange lors du Broadway bites dans leur stand éphémère mais c’était divin!!!

Writing this review as I stuff my face with a guaco taco…
WOW, just wow. If you are torn as to what to get, GET THE GUACO. Perfect mix of guac, avocado, amazing sauces…
I also got the chipotle chicken taco which I’d give 2 – 3 stars (was a little dry), but the guaco taco just blew it out of the park for me.
Sad that the Broadway Bites location by my office is closing but good to know that they’re also located at the Essex Street Market if I get a guaco craving!

Wouldn’t call it authentic by any means but pretty tasty.
Decent size for tacos. Standard double corn tortilla wrap.
Habanero sauce on the guaco was unfortunately overpowering. Otherwise texture with fresh corn was a nice touch.
Brisket was tasty even tho it was a play on pastor which is hard to do.

Being an ex-​Austinite I had to check this place out. Oddly named, seeing as it’s in Essex Market and not in Brooklyn.
I went around 1PM — which is technically after lunch. They were down a few menu items as they have a limited supply — but I tried the chipotle chicken taco and the guaco taco and washed it down with a Topo Chico (in a glass bottle! be still my heart).
Both were solid tacos. The corn tortillas were good and not mealy. I’l certainly be visiting again.

Passing through Essex Market, I stopped at Brooklyn Taco for a quick bite.
This 5-​star rating is with the caveat that I’m rating it on what it IS, that is, a taco stand. This is not really a «restaurant» so I’m not going to knock off stars for the fact that there isn’t really seating or the like.
There are a few stools (4 – 5) but this isn’t a «stay a while» kind of joint.
I had the chicken chipotle taco and it was excellent. Counter service was a 1-​man job and he was friendly, efficient, and attentive.
No complaints.

I was looking for a quick lunch and went to find something inside Essex St. Market when I happened upon this little shop. Since I love tacos I had to give them a try. I was apprehensive and wasn’t expecting much with these ‘gringo tacos’ but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. The meat was tender and succulent and while there was quite a bit of liquid in the taco the tortillas held up and didn’t get soggy easily. Definitely a good spot to keep in mind if I need a quick lunch in the area.

Snack Time Patrolling *\(^_^)/*
The place is incredibly small and tucked inside of the Essex Street Market in Lower East Side. The Brooklyn Taco is literally like a mini stand out in the open. There are a few high stools in the waiting area. Tacos are around $ 4 each. We ordered the Chilorio Brisket taco and the fish and Chipotle’d Chicken taco. The tacos are served on soft blue corn tortillas, which were fantastic *\(^_^)/* My favorite was beef brisket! I will try Cola-​Braised Pork next time!!!

Awesome

Kickass chilorio brisket taco – very fresh, great combo of flavors (the mango added a nice sweetness with the bite of the red onion), wonderful sauces.
Why 4 stars? I’m a taco snob (surprisingly, we get some amazing stuff in the Mexican-​filled Midwest) and these were great, but far too pricey for 5 stars. $ 4 + tax for a single taco is simply too much, imo. I know it’s NYC and all, but come on! Let’s be reasonable.
If you’ve got a fiver, though, go there. Seriously. Worth it, but pricey.

Emaan M. and I stumbled upon Brooklyn Taco at like 5:58pm not realizing that they close at 6pm… doh! The guy working the counter was very nice and made us 2 guaco tacos but we were very sad that they were sold out of their mahi mahi tacos :-(
Anyway, the guaco taco was pretty good. Flavorful guacamole topped with spicy green sauce stuffed in between 2 warm corn tortillas. I would have loved more green sauce, that stuff was great.
There are 3 seats and the surroundings really reminded me of the markets in SE Asia. So unless you’re lucky enough to snag one of those 3 seats, you’ll be taking your tacos to go!

I was gonna give a perfect review cause my Spicy Mixed Pork taco today we DE-​licious. But then I realized that they gave me a Potato and Kale taco instead of my fave Guaco Taco that I ordered, and it kinda of dampened the mood since I really wanted the Guaco… (‘ish is bomb!). Anyways, this trip kinda sealed the deal for me that these are the best tacos so far in New York. I will not even pretend to say I’ve tried all the tacos in this city, but this spot is the most straightforward and consistent thus far. The flavors really jump out and the tortilla quality is top notch. I was not a fan the first time, but it grew on me and I love that they operate in my down home hood of a open market, Essex Street Market. People have their love/​hate relationship with the market, but I LOVE it because it brings back all my good childhood memories of LES 20 years ago.
I heart you Brooklyn Taco! And I’d heart you ’til my dying day if you knocked off like 15 cents from your prices or offered some 4 for 3 deal or something. *hint hint*

:-(
Just stopped by today and although the food is still the same, the service went downhill.
I came with two of my coworkers and they took two of our orders and told my other coworker they were at capacity. He waited about 10 minutes and then the cashier took another patrons order which came afterward we had come.
When our first orders arrived I couldn’t find my lime because it was hidden below the paper under the taco. When I asked if I could have additional lime the cashier simply pointed out it was under the paper and was a bit annoyed. The cook came out and gave me a couple of limes (a good save for service but with the annoyed cashier it was a bit late).
Either way I am a big believer you shouldn’t make a patron appear stupid.
Experience was bad… I think this will stop my rotation here.

So flipping good!
My mouth is still watering…
This place is incredibly small. There are about 3 small bar stools and a little counter. The seats are usually taken. There is a longer counter nearby where you can stand and eat. Tacos are around $ 4 each. The menu is very straightforward. They serve tacos, a special of the day and drinks.
My favorite tacos are the Guaco Taco and Chilorio Brisket. The ingredients used are fresh and flavorful. The Guaco Taco includes chunky avocado, raw sweet corn, tomatoes, red onion, cheese, crema and hot sauce. The Chilorio Brisket Taco has braised beef brisket, chilorio sauce, pineapple salsa, cheese, crema and hot sauce. The Brisket was juicy, slightly sweet, savory and spicy. :Drool:
The combo of veggies and sauces make these tacos colorful and will make your taste buds happy. Two soft tortillas come with each order. I appreciate that they offer Vegetarian Tacos as well.
When walking around Essex St Market, you’ve got to check this place out.