Tacos Morelos

Why Come Here? Cheap, delicious and authentic tacos

Regular readers of this blog are probably aware that I view tacos as one of the most important food groups. With meat, veggies and cheese on a glorious corn of flour base they provide everything you need in a handheld format. Unfortunately New York’s taco carts are not a haven for this cheap eat staple with many using store bought tortillas and meat that could pass as Bazooka Joe chewing gum. However, if you know where to look great authentic tacos street tacos can be found on the cheap here.

One of your best bets is Tacos Morelos, which became my neighborhood go-to upon moving to Williamsburg (it helps that it’s open 24 hours). They also have a cart in the East Village and two brick-and-mortar locations. Morelos serves a wide range of tacos with standards like al pastor and chicken as well as the more authentic meats tongue, goat and salted beef. At $3 a pop, they’re priced for a good face stuffing. They come on two perfect homemade corn tortillas which have just the right amount of give and are never too dry. Toppings are the traditional heap of cilantro, onion, cotija cheese with a lime wedge to squeeze on at your pleasure. I also recommend adding their spicy salsas, one of which is called guacamole although it seems like more of a thick tomatillo salsa. All the meats are simmered in spices and have a great flavor. My recs are below:

Al Pastor Taco My favorite taco at Morelos. The pork is tender with a flavorful spice rub and the hunks of pineapple are particularly sweet and refreshing.

Enchiladas Taco The enchiladas are also pork but marinated in different spices and hotter overall without the pineapple. I’ve got no complaints.

Cecina Taco The Cecina contains salted beef and these are the only guys I’ve seen offering this in NYC. The beef has a salty-stewed taste with a good kick, although sometime it can be a little tough, costing it half a star.