The 16 best Mexican restaurants in NYC

Michilin-starred Claro shines on Third Avenue, where it makes cheese, chorizo, masa, mole and tortillas on-site for its Oaxacan seasonal tasting menus. A multi-course dinner might include tostada de remolacha (beets), uni empanadas, mole almendrado with soft shell crab or mole rojo with pork cheek, and churros or chocolate mole cake for dessert.

Try this: We highly recommend the accompanying mezcal flight ($50); plus a seat in the patio out back, a peaceful spot to enjoy a swordfish mole verde or fall squash tetela.

Enrique Olvera’s elegant high-gear plates—pristine, pricey and market-fresh—are among the most coveted in New York dining. Tacos make a solitary appearance on the menu, in an atypically generous portion of duck carnitas. But Olvera’s single-corn tortillas pop up frequently, beginning with a complimentary starter and accompanying entrées elsewhere.

Try this: It's just not a trip to Cosme without a spoonful (or six) of that stunning corn-husk meringue

Another Michelin sparkler, Oxomoco’s wood-fired oven turns out terrific crab, tender artichoke and toothsome barbacoa tacos—not to mention one of the best Wagyu bavettes we’ve had in or out of dedicated steakhouses. We’ve always been partial to its frozen drinks and plenty of other cocktails, wine and beer options are available as well.

Try this: Despite the chill of the season, we love the sunny cantaloupe-and-mandarin freshness of the "Ixmand" frozen

The owners of Bar Henry branched out to Queens with this 40-seat Mexican eatery, specializing in the regional cuisine of Cintalapa, Chiapas. Brothers Cosme and Luis Aguilar pay homage to their late mother with traditional plates, including chicken mole and cochinito chiapaneco (guajillo-marinated baby pork ribs), which are based on her recipes. The white-painted spot leads a garden out back. 

Try this: The Mole de Piaxtla, which blankets chicken and rice with a rich mole flavored with dry peppers, almonds, raisins, plaintain, sesame seeds and chocolate

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This family-run, neighborhood favorite bodega also makes some of the area’s most excellent tacos. They come two to an order for $6.50-$8.50. Choose from fillings like beef, chorizo, carnitas, or egg ‘em in the a.m. Burritos, quesadillas and nachos are also all on the menu, and, although there are a few seats available in the back, plan to take it all to go, just in case. 

Try this: Toluqueño eggs (with chorizo, avocado, queso blanco and salsa roja) on a roll—your hangover will be cured

This Park Slope shop named after Frida Kahlo’s famed homebase is run by a tight knit family with origins in Oaxaca. While the menu isn’t extensive, that’s by design—there is an obvious focus on doing things well and with love here.

Try this: The homemade daily tamales are always a good idea, as are the tequila flights—of which there are several carefully curated options to choose from.

Chef Ivan Garcia (Mercadito) explores his Mexico City roots at this eatery, named for the neighborhood where he grew up. The food echoes the multiregional snacks you might find on the capital city’s streets: A trio of tamales presents versions from Oaxaqueño (chicken and mole), Chiapaneco (pork, fruit and nuts) and Veracruzano (fish of the day with guajillo salsa). 

Try this: Other preparations come straight from the chef’s family, including a secret-recipe shrimp ceviche fragrant with tomato, onion, avocado and cilantro. 

Chavela’s is a longtime Crown Heights favorite for fresh and familiar Mexican flavors. It’s as great a spot for just drinks and apps (crab tostadas, taquitos de birria) as it is for a multicourse meal. 

Try this: Whatever you do, do not miss the smoked trout guacamole, which is simultaneously creamy and umami-laden.

The East Harlem outpost of this four-location mini chain makes a strong showing for the title of NYC’s best al pastor tacos. They’re sliced to order from a rotating spit crowned with a hunk of grilled pineapple, and the tortilla-to-meat ratio is perfectly balanced. Several other options are also on the menu, along with burritos, quesadillas and nachos. 

Try this: That textbook-perfect al pastor

Inside the boisterous graffiti-tagged room—clinging to the grit of its ’80s incarnation, punk haunt Alcatraz—servers move tacos from the ordering counter with a speed that would impress a track-and-field coach. Alex Stupak's tacos are unfussy, served on paper plates with sides that come in takeout containers. The tortillas—made from Indiana corn that’s nixtamalized (the grains are cooked in limewater and hulled) and pressed in-house daily—are thin and springy, with a delicate maize sweetness.

Try this: The $3 late-night tacos that you can get on Friday and Saturday night, starting at 10pm

Birria has existed for centuries in Mexico, but the beloved red taco dipped in consome (a thick, savory broth) has only recently had its moment stateside. With locations in four boroughs, Birria-Landia’s interpretation is by far the city’s best, offering another limited yet outstanding menu of just four items. Turn the experience into a neighborhood food tour with stops at the nearby elotes (corn) and churros carts before and after birria.

Try this: The titular consomé, which is equally delicious when drank as a soup or used as a taco-dunking vehicle

This Cosme spinoff is more casual than the Flatiron megahit, with a smaller but still delicious menu. Imbued with cues from Mexico City’s all-day restaurants, the 60-seat space features sleek black and oakwood furniture, a white terrazzo tiled bar and verdant vegetation lining the walls.

Try this: Start with the guacamole and chilaquiles, add a couple shrimp, Brussel sprout or suadero tacos, dip into the selection of three salsas and you’ve fashioned quite a feast. 

The team behind Colonie pivots from farm-to-table American to regional Mexican cuisine with this 60-seat canteen in Dumbo. The team turns out market-driven South of the Border fare, bolstered by from-scratch ingredients.

Try this: Homemade chorizo and hand-pressed tortillas sweet with heirloom corn

Small, scratch made corn tortillas puff up on the grill like blowfish at this west coaster–approved Chelsea Market taco counter, deflating before they’re piled with superbly juicy adobada pork.

Try this: The red-chili-marinated pig is trimmed shawarma-style from a glistening spit, its natural sweetness jacked up with shards of pineapple and a squirt of lime.

With breakfast burritos, tortas and chilaquiles at brunch, nachos, quesadillas and tacos at lunch, enchiladas, fajitas and moles at dinner (plus some crossover), this is a terrific spot to snack and sip margaritas any time of day.

Try this: Stuffed poblano peppers covered with fire-roasted tomato sauce

Siblings Leo and Oliver Kremer left the Bay Area to teach New Yorkers a thing or two about Cal-Mex cuisine. Across 18 NYC locations, the operation specializes in San Francisco–style burritos—California’s plump, pico de gallo–drenched big bites. Try one stuffed with rice and beans, along with your choice of protein: carne asada, locally raised, brined and grilled chicken, or slow-cooked carnitas. 

Try this: A "DT Quesadilla," which comes "crisped, melted, filled then tri-folded"—think of it like a crispy burrito