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New York taco lovers have been making pastor-related pilgrimages to Taqueria Ramírez ever since the Greenpoint joint opened back in the fall of 2021, winning over ravenous eaters and industry lists with its focused and fantastic lineup of tortillas loaded with suadero, spiced longaniza and slow-cooked tripe. And now the team has graciously expanded, with a sister restaurant that just debuted in Manhattan.
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The taqueria’s owners, Giovanni Cervantes and Tania Apolinar, have taken over the former Café Cortadito space (210 East 3rd Street) for an East Village outpost that hosted its grand opening last Friday, June 21. The latest in a wave of Brooklyn-based eateries making the Manhattan move—including The Commodore and Win Son Bakery—the new taco restaurant is spotlighting carnitas, Michoacán's "little meats" tradition that features pork that's braised or simmered until it's unconscionably tender.
And just like at the original spot, Carnitas Ramírez is a whole-animal affair where the carne is concerned. The taco selection features slow-simmered cabeza (head), buche (stomach), lengua (tongue), trompa (snout), oreja (pig's ear) and more, with more exotic cuts like the uterus and the tail soon to come. You can get each taco for only five bucks a pop, or if you want a little crumbled chicharron on top for a salty crunch, that'll be a dollar extra. Outside of the taco shell, you'll find other Mexican specialties such as lonche de carnitas, a tricked-out torta hailing from the country's north, and quesadillas de sesos made with pork brains.
Right now, the taqueria is operating on weekends only: Fridays from noon to 10pm, Saturdays from 11am to 10pm and Sundays from 11am to 9pm. And the waiting throngs definitely showed up for a taste last weekend, so much so that the restaurant team posted on Instagram that they've already gone through an entire pig's worth of tacos. So plan your taco-feasting sessions accordingly!