New York's Best Meat-Free Tacos, Reviewed!
Santo, Chato, Esse, Dolores, and other meaty taquerias make the cut, as do Brooklyn's trio of new burrito spots. Plus, a few words on Jajaja Mexicana...
I came close to green-lighting this meat-free Mexican guide a few times this year, but it was the mushroom chorizo burritos at Vato — they’re really good — that jolted me into action, as did a certain breakfast taco brouhaha in the Southwest.
Anyway! It’s a great time to be eating vegetarian tacos in New York.
On a semi-related note, here’s something I wrote last month about finding great vegetarian eats on Ligaya Mishan’s epic 100 Best Restaurants list for the New York Times. Mishan, the chief critic, also had a great two-star take on Lungi this week, a vegetarian-friendly Sri Lankan and South Indian spot (with halal meats) on the Upper East Side!
Looking Beyond Beef, in Our Steakhouse City
Sometime soon — perhaps in the coming weeks — Mexico City’s first Michelin-starred taqueria will open its first stateside outpost in Flatiron. Its name is El Califa de León. And its calling card is a thin slice of beef filet on a tortilla.
There will be lines.
New York, of course, already boasts a burgeoning cadre of spots that serve modern steak tacos. Among them are Santo, El Chato, and Cuerno. We’ve been a Steakhouse City for over a century, and now we’re a Steak Taco City.
That’s a good thing, if you eat steak. But not everyone does.
So today, let’s talk about something else.
Let’s talk about the city’s new class of meat-free Mexican dishes. They’re some of the best reasons to eat tacos in the Big Apple right now. And they pack the type of intoxicating seasonings, textures, and char that could keep pace with succulent pork shaved off the trompo or fatty ribeye seared over the binchotan.
Yes, I suppose that’s a meat-centric take on meat-free tacos.
So let me take a step back. Vegetables and fungi aren’t delicious because they remind of us bacon fat. Vegetables are delicious because vegetables are delicious. Most folks get this. I mean, you wouldn’t order a plate of spaghetti al pomodoro e basilico and tell your buds it wasn’t as tasty as sautéed veal wrapped in prosciutto, right?
But like I said, we live in a Steakhouse City.
And so the story goes that meat-free tacos have long served as a weak point in New York’s Mexican scene. Some of our most beloved chains and taqueros still treat vegetarian offerings as a perfunctory concession to folks with dietary restrictions, the taco equivalent of a “plate of sides.”
That’s changing.
At Carnitas Ramirez and Taqueria Ramirez — two of the city’s top Mexican spots — options for vegetarians are slim. But preview menus for Socceria, the group’s new fútbol bar, show what appears to be a solid selection of meat-free fare, including tlacoyos de nopales and epazote quesadillas.
Also: All three of Brooklyn’s new Norteño burrito spots offer lard-free tortillas upon request. Or here’s another fun fact: You’ll now find some of the city’s finest vegetarian tacos at the same exact places that offer some of our best carne asada. That’s a win for everyone, especially because these meat-free tacos aren’t consolation prizes; they’re ambitious, technically-minded snacks that could serve as marquee offerings at any prominent New York restaurant.
So there you have it. It’s summer. It’s time to grill. It’s time to eat tacos. And since eating meat is becoming even more of an inane litmus test in certain political and cultural circles, let me end with this: A corn tortilla with shiny green nopales — or a burrito with eggs and cheese — isn’t any less Mexican or American than a slice of strip steak. New Yorkers know this. And I like to think my good friends in Texas know this too :)
New York’s Top Meat-Free Tacos, Reviewed!
Plus: Meat-free gringas, vampiros, quesadillas, and Norteño burritos. Bonus: A few quick notes on a certain vegan taco spot….
Also check out our Steak Taco List and our full guide to New York’s best tacos.
