Oaxaca

This is not your fancy Mexican restaurant. More like a small hangout with a few items that might be okay for you. I had to hunt for something I eat since I’m on the picky side but the staff did tell me if things were spicy or not & I managed to find something I’d like. Small, kind of chilly but if you’re not planning to be here for hours on end or want to be someplace fancy, this will suit you just fine. I also like that they had water you could get for yourself.

Just ordered delivery. Never ate there. It was delivered in 10 minutes, very good, and very fresh. Will continue to eat there and try other dishes.

The food here is mediocre in terms of quality and quantity. Everything was presented like a lackluster frozen meal and tasted like one too.
3 Enchilada Combo with rice & beans — Chorizo, Carnitas, and Barbacoa Enchiladas, baked with salsa verde, cheese, topped w/​onions, cilantro, guacamole & sour cream:
The flavors of the meats were good. There wasn’t much meat on the plate though. It was mostly covered in cheese.
Pollo Guisado — Chicken simmered in guajillo peppers, pickled red onions, cotija, salsa roja avocado salsa,
Rice, Beans, Salad & 3 Tortillas:
The meager helping of chicken was very dry, as was the rice. The beans didn’t help, since they tasted chalky. I tried covering it in guacamole & sour cream just so I could swallow it.
I asked for a water cup. The server said they only sell water in styrofoam cups, for $ 1.50. For $ 1.50, I wish they at least sold bottles of water instead.
Based on the taste, texture, and amount of food we received, the $ 10-​$ 11 price tag for these two dishes is unjustifiably high. I would have preferred a microwave burrito.

I found this place on Groupon and decided to try their enchiladas. Since I am a vegetarian, I was limited with just one option in each segment on the menu. I went for the one with potatoes. The combo came with guacamole, black beans, and rice. It was great quantity for the value. Friendly staff, good ambience, and tasty food. I am not sure if it takes longer to prepare the enchiladas or my order was just delayed, but I had to wait for nearly 30 minutes!

This place is not worth your time. The tacos were given to me cold. I specifically said no cheese, but there was cheese on my plate. Barely anything inside the tacos.

Meh.
There was hardly any meat in the enchiladas. Guacamole was runny and had too many onion chunks. The beans taste like they’re from a can and the rice is terrible.
You’re better off going to Great Burrito across the street.

My boyfriend and I had a Groupon voucher for 10 tacos or enchiladas…
Pros: The tacos (that we did not order) were delicious! We were genuinely amazed by the taste in every succulent bite. Our favorite tacos were probably the Barbacoa and the Carnitas. Yum yum yum!
Cons: With the Groupon voucher, we were allow 10 tacos or 10 enchiladas (no mixing). We order 10 enchiladas, but the inattentive cashier put in our order as 10 tacos.

A very tiny place – a group of four of us almost went somewhere else, as when we arrived all three tables were table. Thankfully a table was leaving as we were ordering, so we were able to snatch up the remaining table. My friend said his quesadilla was the best he’s ever tasted, especially the tortilla. I ordered a plain burrito with no meat, and I suppose you can’t really go wrong with that… so I didn’t really have an opinion on the matter… but at least the food was cheap! Not a bad place to stop by for a quick meal on the upper west side, after going to the american museum of natural history for a few hours.

The Good: On the upper west side I find good Mexican fare is hard to come by. Having said that, I always am happy to return to Oaxaca. I got the three taco lunch special (Korean, ceviche, Barbacoa) with rice and beans. The Korean is my favorite and has a salty/​sweet beefy flavor that you won’t find at any other restaurant. Ceviche and Barbacoa were also good. These tacos are served in 2 soft corn tortillas, but I think flour tortillas would taste way better.
The bad: being the only patron in the restaurant at about 11:45 am, I waited about 15 minutes for my tacos… a little on the slow side for something as simple as tacos. The tacos also can be a bit too juicy sometimes and leak every were. Also, it would be nice to not eat out of paper platters. Its wasteful and downgrades the dining experience. Even considering these shortcomings (as I am picky) I always recommend Oaxaca to those craving this type of cuisine on the UWS

There was a good variety of food on the menu at Oaxaca (pronounced Wahaca — like the British chain) with burritos, tacos, quesadillas etc. None of it is going to blow your face off heat wise — but that’s why there is a range of hot sauces at every table to make up for this. We ordered several different things but the really stand out item has to be the beef barbacoa which we had in both a quesadilla and presumably it was used in the delicious Korean barbecue taco.
In both items it was excellent, supremely succulent and flavourful. The quesadilla was perfectly balanced and grilled and frankly I could have eaten those all day long. Whereas in the taco it was perhaps a little more interesting on the taste buds as it was partnered with kimchi (which as I’ve tried it in different places is certainly growing on me). But one basic component which we ordered also has to be praised is the chips and dip — really good gauc and salsa it has to be said.
I wasn’t struck on the shrimp taco as I wasn’t aware it was going to be served cold, so this temperature different jarred with everything else we had and I just couldn’t get passed it unfortunately. Service was fine — you order at the counter and they bring you the food. We also had Mexican Cokes which was the first time having those and I certainly preferred them to American Coca Cola (and it reminded much more of the British Pepsi than anything else).

Really enjoyed my meal!
I had the barbacoa quesadilla, and we shared chips & guac and elotes.
(Even though it wasn’t in my order, I’ve dropped a star because the shrimp taco is served cold, and that just put me off).
The meat in the quesadilla was really succulent and the flavour was nice. It wasn’t spicy but there was hot sauce to spice it up.
The guac was delicious, with lots of subtle flavours.
The elotes came as 2 mini cobs, slathered in the smoky sauce with cheese on top. It was really nice — I should have put a bit of crema on top but I was too busy eating it to realise.
Washed it all down with a Mexican Coke!
A bit pricey — $ 30 for 2 tacos, plus the food I mentioned above. Still though, I left full (but a few hours later, I could eat again…) and without any heavy ‘ugh’ feeling like I often get when I (over)eat Mexican.

The 3 taco combo with rice and beans is tasty and decent. Get 3 different varieties, as the subtle flavor combos are unique and playfully matched.
Wouldn’t come back unless I’m in search of a quick Mexican fix with snack size portions and moderately healthy options.

Any place that offers BYOB should be five stars, but that’s not the only reason why I’m giving them so many stars. I love the laid back décor of this place and the fast service.
Also, if you are a hot sauce fiend, they have bottles and bottles of different hot sauces that you can slather on your delicious tacos.
This is a short review because the only thing you have to know is that it’s BYOB… That speaks for itself.

I had a Groupon expiring soon, so the SO and I decided to trek uptown to try out Oaxaca, which I found out is pronounced «oh-​hak-​ah». On a Tuesday evening, the store was relatively empty.
The guy at the register was quite nice and helpful in helping us choose our meats.
I ordered 3 enchiladas — chorizo with papas (potatoes), beef, and grilled shrimp… all with verde sauce, as mole is chocolate-​based which I find a tad bit too weird for me. The verde sauce was proper spicy and Oaxaca has plenty of different hot sauces for you to choose from if you need a further kick. The baked/​melted cheese on top of the enchiladas reminded me of pizza… never had such cheese on my enchiladas before. They were stuffed well with filling and quite flavorful. The chorizo wasn’t really too flavorful and turned my tortilla into an orange greasy mess. The shrimp was my least favorite — I’ve decided not to mix seafood and enchiladas… not really a good mix. The best was the beef.
Enchiladas also come with a small bit of guacamole and sour cream.
The SO got 3 tacos and thought they were decent, but not filling.
Of the various taco places around the city, I would rank Oaxaca somewhere in the middle bunch — decent, but I wouldn’t choose it as my top spot to go for tacos and enchiladas.
Also, prices are alright — not the cheapest tacos. I prefer the cheaper hole-​in-​the-​wall tacos, to be honest. A Jarrito here cost almost $ 3.

You know those places that aren’t five stars but you go to them regularly so you feel you should give them five stars?
I think they’re a solid four. All I order is the Korean taco and as a Korean, I love it. Three is enough to fill me up. Each taco comes double wrapped in corn tortilla, a great idea because it is juicy and I can see one wrapper falling apart. The juice is a meat and kimchi combination which I love to soak the tortillas in or pour over the rice and beans. (Yes, that much comes out of it.)
It’s on the salty side but that’s why you need to eat it with both corn tortillas and the rice and beans. I had my husband’s carnitas burrito and that thing was so bland compared to the lil hangook tacos. But not so bland that the condiments can’t fix it.
I crave the Korean taco from time to time and though $ 4.50 isn’t cheap for a little taco by any means, three of them does fill you up pretty good so for UWS I guess that’s a good deal. And the craving is totally satisfied. I always mean to try other things like their quesadilla and pico de gallo but I always get full first.
Service isn’t the friendliest but I come not expecting anything (it’s not table service; you order and sit and they bring it to you) and all is well.
There was a fly hanging around my face but it wasn’t so bad. I guess the kimchi taco is that good.

The soundtrack’s consistently a mix of the Beatles, the Stones, Hendrix, etc. The walls are covered in colorful fabrics and bright, vector-​y Jarritos posters. You order at the counter and they bring out your food. Paper containers and plastic forks. This isn’t exactly a restaurant so much as a nice little place to have a bite. There are four or five tables with benches, and room for groups of 4 to maybe 6.
They’ve got tortas and quesadillas and burritos, but I’ve only tried the tacos, which range from solid to great. They’re mostly $ 3.50 and each comes with two tortillas and just enough filling to fill both. A teeny wedge of lime accompanies, and a dollop of gaucamole runs an extra 50¢. A side of rice n beans, occasionally bursting with the taste of some spice, is $ 4.
I love this place because you can come to stuff yourself, but also come in for only one taco. It’s like select-​a-​size Mexican. This isn’t inherently special but, on the Upper West Side, it might just be unique.

Came here after walking around Central Park with another childhood friend that I hadn’t seen in 14 years.
The food: I got the chicken quesadillas and my friend got a burrito. Delicious.
The service: Fast order-​taking. Normal (10 – 15 minutes) waiting period.
The facility: There are about three long tables that can seat 5 – 6 people each, and two 2-​person tables by the windows. We shared the long table closest to the windows. There is a bathroom, score!
Payment: My childhood friend insisted on paying, so I can’t speak to if they take American Express or not, but I know that he paid with a credit card.
Fun fact: There was an outdoor festival/​market type thing going on right outside. My friend said that it’s the same fair but at different various locations in the city every weekend. Pretty cool!
Overall: Highly recommend.

Brought a groupon awhile back for this place, $ 6 for 3 tacos. It expired but they still redeemed the $ 6 so I got a barbacoa taco and an al pastor taco. Both were very flavorful! They prepared it fairly quickly, and provided an assortment of hot sauces. The cooked pineapple on the al pastor was delicious! The sweetness went really well with the smokey flavor.
They could have used more veggies, and the guy at the counter taking orders seemed very disengaged when I was trying to order. But, otherwise, a pretty decent taco!

Decent tacos but nothing to rave about. There are plenty of taquerias in the city which serve better food than here. The service isn’t great either. Just keep your expectations low and this place won’t be a disappointment.
Try the pollo tacos, stay away from cactus taco which is pretty bland and mediocre.

Tiny little made to order Mexican spot in the upper west side! You’d almost miss it if you didn’t watch out for the sign. Came on an afternoon weekend with bf before catching a movie nearby. We both love trying new Mexican places and we decided to try Oaxaca after Unilocaling!
BF got the pollo guisado plato and I got the queso quesadilla with guacamole and we shared a Mexican sprite. I love the arrangement of Mexican hot sauces on each table, including my favorite Cholula! Food came quick and we were surprised at the portions. Though the prices were steeper than your average Mexican fare (location!) the portions were generous. BF’s plato came with side salad and rice and beans too! Everything looked fresh!
I really liked my quesadilla with Oaxaca cheese! Oaxaca cheese originates from Oaxaca, Mexico and this was perfectly delicious and melty dipped in quac and sour cream. A splash of Cholula did the trick for a kick! BF’s chicken was seasoned well and came with three mini flour tacos (obviously packaged.) I was hoping for corn tortillas. The flavors were solid, and the guac was nothing too memorable (missing the heat and cilantro…)
Mexican sprite is perfect though, you can’t go wrong with that! Overall a satisfying meal with decent portions and fresh, quality ingredients and tons of hot sauces!