Taqueria Lower East Side (CLOSED)

A list of ten "commandments" lays down the law at this casual, 36-seat taqueria, an outpost of Taqueria Downtown in Jersey City. No pillow-size burritos, no menus with history lessons, and no mini tacos, mini chimis or mini anything else. As at the Garden State original, what you will find is a homestyle Mexican menu of tacos, tamales, flautas, tortas and entrées, including chuletas verde (pork chops in green salsa) and cecina (salt-cured flank steak with chilaquiles). The same no-nonsense formula also applies to margaritas. They're offered four ways: ice or no ice, and with or without salt (no frozen blends, no strawberry-kiwi concoctions). Colorful Christmas lights are strung through the space, which is divided between rustic Mexican art—an Aztec calendar, a painting of a tortilla maker—on one wall and '70s memorabilia—Charlie's Angels posters and Ozzy Osbourne album covers—on the other.