Street foods. Photo by Chris Cooper on Unsplash

Where to eat the Best Tacos in Newark, New Jersey


 

Mexican fare ranks with Italian and Chinese as Americans’ top-three favorite global cuisines, according to the National Restaurant Association. Mexican flavors and ingredients have permeated all corners of American cuisine, infusing vibrant and varied tastes into Americans’ daily diets.

But while tacos and enchiladas may seem commonplace in America now, that wasn’t always the case. To be sure, Americans have been influenced by the flavors of our neighbor to the south for hundreds of years.

But it wasn’t until refugees from southern and central Mexico brought their culinary traditions north to the U.S. during the Mexican Revolution that dishes like tacos found their way into the mainstream.

An increasingly global culture (and a growing number of Mexican fast-food mainstays and high-end restaurants) have cemented Mexican food’s beloved role in U.S. cuisine.

1. Spicy pork taco, Taquitos Buenaventura, Long Branch

Taco meal. Photo by The Nix Company on Unsplash

The colorful, lime green-trimmed Taquitos Buenaventura is located around the corner from a McDonald’s. I love the enchilada/spicy pork tacos. There are also oreja (pork ear) tacos if you’re adventurous.

2. Machin taco, Orale, Jersey City

Tacos and Lime. Photo by Emily Simenauer on Unsplash

Orale loves to bend the taco “rules” — the chicken taco is topped with serrano chiles and a yellow tomato pico de gallo, and the tuna taco doesn’t even come in a tortilla. My favorite is the machin — roasted bone marrow topped with crispy pork belly and shredded cabbage.

3. Al pastor taco, Costa Chica, New Brunswick

Vegetable salad with tacos meal. Photo by Tai’s Captures on Unsplash

Costa Chica was once a Volkswagen dealership. I should know; I bought my second car there. Al pastor, the traditional pineapple-marinated pork taco, is packed with flavor and attitude.

4. Chorizo taco, San Pedro Tierra Mexican, Bellmawr

Tacos snacks. Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash

 San Pedro Tierra Mexican is a funky little taco joint with cheap, tasty tacos. The chorizo tacos feature homemade sausage, but the stars here are the salsa verde and salsa Rojo, mildly spicy and majorly addictive.

5. Barbacoa taco, Picante, Springfield

  Jarritos Pineapple with Al Pastor Tacos and Nopales.  Photo by Jarritos Mexican Soda on Unsplash

Depending on whom you talk to, barbacoa can mean steamed and smoked meat or slow-cooked meat. One thing that is not up for dispute: The barbacoa tacos at Picante are the standouts at this under-the-radar restaurant.

6. Chicken taco, Guate Rico Deli, Trenton

Tacos meal. Photo by Gonzalo Mendiola on Unsplash

Not much to look at outside or inside, Guate Rico can be packed at lunchtime, which is all you need to know. Inexpensive, satisfying tacos — three for $6.50. If seating is not available, eat them in your car, as I did the last time I stopped. Love the salsa verde here.

7. Carne asada taco, La Esperanza, Lindenwold

Jarritos Passion Fruit served with Al Pastor Tacos. Photo by Jarritos Mexican Soda on Unsplash

Hefty, tender chunks of meat make all the difference at carne asada tacos restaurant.

8. Al pastor taco, Taqueria Brenda Lee, Passaic

Served taco meal. Photo by The Nix Company on Unsplash

There are dozens of taquerias in Passaic; Taqueria Brenda Lee is probably the smallest and plainest. But the pineapple-topped pork on the spit says you’ve come to the right place.

9. Al pastor taco, Panchos Mexican Taqueria, Atlantic City

Tacos packed in white paper. Photo by Karol Rosales on Unsplash

I love Panchos, a no-frills taqueria next door to the fabled White House Subs. The tacos al pastor, on homemade tortillas, maybe the best I’ve had anywhere in New Jersey.

10. Pork taco, MOGO Korean Fusion Tacos, Asbury Park

 

Street Tacos. Photo by Frankie Lopez on Unsplash

MOGOstarted as a shipping container-turned food stand on the Asbury Park boardwalk. The stand is still there, while the Cookman Avenue storefront is one of the town’s most popular eateries.

The pork tacos get a slight edge over the others: chicken, beef, shrimp, fish, and tofu.

 

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