Empellón Taqueria

The tacos were really good, but also the most expensive that I’ve ever eaten. The prices aren’t a secret, of course, and I was aware of them before I booked the reservation. I tried seabass, lamb, and fried fish tacos — all great. I also had guacamole and 7 salsas.
I paid $ 8 – 9 per taco, and got really great tacos. The thing is, I also REALLY like $ 3 tacos at less swanky spots. They may not be as good or unique as the lamb taco from Empellon, but for my taste the $ 6 margin makes up for it.
The spicy margarita that I had was wonderful. Next time I go back it might just be for chips and a drink. The business owner contacted me to let me know about some happy hour deals, which sound good too!

The tacos were really good, but also the most expensive that I’ve ever eaten. The prices aren’t a secret and you should likely be aware of what you’re paying before you sit down to your meal. I tried seabass, lamb, and fried fish tacos — all great. I also had guacamole and 7 salsas.
I paid $ 8 – 9 per taco, and got really good tacos. The thing is, how much better can an $ 8 taco be than an already delicious $ 3 taco elsewhere? Not worth it for me, but it’s up to you to decide!
The spicy margarita that I had was wonderful. Next time I go back it might just be for chips and a drink.

A birthday dinner brought me to this taqueria for the second time. We walked in on a nice, breezy Saturday evening for an 8pm reservation for 6 ppl. We started off with margaritas ($ 14 each) and two guacs ($ 12 each). AMAZING classic margaritas! The mezcal margarita was a bit too smoky for my liking so I stayed with the classic through dinner. The guac was pretty good but a little too heavy handed on the cilantro — but that might just be my aversion to the herb. We also requested the 7 variations of salsas (+$ 7): sikil pak, smoked cashew, salsa borracha, salsa verde, tomatillo — chipotle, salsa De Arbol, and salsa habanera. The milder ones were meh and I found the tomatillo chipotle a bit too overpowering in its smokiness. My favorite was the salsa habanera– a serious kick that’ll make you shed a tear or three but still reaching for another thrill kill.
We also ordered the two other apps: halibut ceviche ($ 19) and chorizo ($ 12). I can’t speak about the chorizo as I don’t eat red meat but it was awesome that they brought out warm tortillas to roll up your own bites. The ceviche was good and pretty fresh, and while the apple added a nice sweet and crispy punch, the dish didn’t otherwise have much wow factor.
Each of us ordered 2 or 3 tacos ($ 6-​$ 18 per taco). I ordered the chicken with crema and salsa verde. I didn’t try anyone else’s (nor could I, as the only meat I’ll eat is poultry), but my chicken tacos were delicious. There was no sogginess, so my tortillas were perfectly in tact as I took each bite. The taco seasoning and flavors mixed in perfect harmony without any overpowering the other. The chicken was softly pulled and soaked a good amount of juice, all bursting in my mouth at 100 mmMmmMmmms a second.
Service: nothing to complain about– our waitress was helpful with her recommendations but she kind of named everything off the list when we asked, that I wasn’t too sure what purpose that served.
Bathrooms are clean but there’s only 3 and they’re shared, so keep your eye peeled and make a mad dash when you see it free up!
I absolutely loved the wall décor — a funky spunk to the overall hip atmosphere. The small bar and the high tops area were intimate, cozy, and romantic. Kudos Alex Stupak! Can’t wait to visit the newest midtown Empellon joint which is scheduled to open by year’s end (and to be the biggest of Stupak’s empire).

Came here for lunch on a quiet Wednesday afternoon. I had the three-​course prix fixe which included an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. I definitely recommend the skirt steak tacos (2 per order); on top of an appetizer, they’re surprisingly filling.
Curious to see what dinner service is like – would revisit! I’m also a fan of their mural.

as a side note i just can’t believe that someone gave this place a three star review because they were thirty minutes late and lost their reservation. um, isn’t that your own fault? hello?
they make excellent margaritas here and the staff is on point — the minute you run out of chips they are there to give you more. fantastic Guacamole and the salsas are unique and to die for. we all had a variety of tacos. I think the winners were the Sunday night special, conchinita Prebil. the fish tacos were also solid. this place never disappoints and i will be back every time I am in town.

Such a cute spot. Great music. Cool vibe. Friendly folks.
Bartender Joan is fantastic and will hook you up with something nice, even if it not on the menu.
This is my first time here and I will definitely be back.

The place was very crowded on a Saturday night but the service was good and fast.
Drinks are fine and there is a good selection of tacos — although most of them overpriced.

Loved this place!
Pork and fish tacos were amazing! We ordered the chips with dip which came with 6 different sauces ranging from mild to super spicy!
Margarita was good, a little weak.
Tacos were a good size.
Ambiance was amazing!
Live right up the block so will be going there often

Came for drinks Sunday afternoon and the service and drinks were awesome. I ordered the Bloody Mary and the bartender gave me a sample of different mixes. They were so delicious. My friend ordered the spicy cucumber. It was so refreshing and deliciously spicy.
We will definitely come back to try food! The menu had a little bit for everything for everyone. Till next time Empellon!

I’m obsessed with the shishito pepper queso and the brussel sprout tacos.

Sigh… I hate being late.
Unfortunately, thanks to driving into the city and waiting for parking, we were a half hour late for our reservation. We lost our table, as a result, and management couldn’t guarantee when another table would open up due to a full book for the evening. We ended up sitting in a corner area of the bar facing the front window. We had to go to the bar to place our drink orders, order our food, grab napkins, etc. through the Saturday night Happy Hour crowd. This took a very long time each time we wanted or needed something. We had very little room to eat comfortably and the noise level around us made it kind of hard to hear each other. I appreciate that the staff staggered our choices, since our corner was so intimately sized. Of all the things we ordered the standouts were the Halibut ceviche and the sunchoke salad. Their guacamole, as so many people have already noted, was chunky and heavenly. The two salsas that it came with were also very good — arbol and smoked cashew. As satisfied as I was with what I ate, it wasn’t worth the lower back ache and neck cramp I have as a result of sitting on a bar stool in a three quarter turn for almost three hours.

Service: pretty good, even though it was totally packed. It was a cold night and they had the air conditioning blasting in the back room, strange. They turned it off after I asked the manager but then it went back on 20 min later. We all sat there with coats over our shoulders! People at other tables were really cold too.
Food and drink: Really great pink grapefruit margaritas! Also loved the mezcal margaritas. The guac was delish but that’s hard to mess up. Sunchoke and cucumber «ceviche» was very meh. Tasted like nothing. Sauce in the shrimp ceviche was pretty good, we would order that again. Best food of the night was the fish tacos — they were insanely good. We also loved the Brussel sprout tacos — very different and very tasty. Short rib pastrami tacos were interesting — if you like pastrami with mustard, you will like these. The chicken tacos were really not good, though. Chicken was salty and the flavors were really off. Don’t order the chicken tacos. Also, don’t think this place is known for their dessert — we had two, one was a passion fruit with marshmallow thing-​really really bad. No clue why anyone would make something like that. Second was like a cardamom crumble with ice cream– very mediocre.
Four stars because the fish tacos, Brussel sprout tacos and margaritas were that good.

Great tacos and salsas, especially the short rib pastrami and crispy fish taco. The guacamole with 7 salsas is a treat.

Recently went with my girlfriend for Valentine’s Day dinner and we really enjoyed the experience. The atmosphere was nice and the restaurant was kept nice and warm despite the freezing weather outside.
The menu was a five course pre fixe including chips with salsa, queso Fundido to share, two tacos each and a chocolate flan. The food was delicious!
The chips came with two of their salsas: smoked cashew and Arbol. When we first got served, I didn’t think much of them as they were not any traditional salsas. However I was shocked as they packed a lot of flavors. The queso was also very good, we substituted the lobster instead of the shishito peppers.
The house made tortillas were tiny, but they came out warm and it was the best tortilla I’ve had. We got a combination of fish, skirt steak and short rib pastrami for our tacos and they were all damn good!
Overall, the portions were small and it was $ 60 per person. However it was to be expected for a pre fixe Valentine’s dinner. It was one of the more affordable ones in the city and we were still satisfied. I would definitely go back for some tacos or even just for the tortillas

One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. The Saturday special is Duck Carnitas. So, go Saturday. Seriously amazing. This place has a relaxed, intimate vibe. They also were playing fantastic music on the night we dined, which never hurts.
The food was incredible — authentic, interesting, so flavorful. The service was amazing as well. I have a bad gluten allergy (an actual allergy, haters) and the kitchen messed up and served my tacos on flour tortillas instead of the gluten free corn tortillas. To make up for this, they served our whole table a free round of drinks and gave us a free dessert. Both were such nice touches, especially the dessert after they had already given us four cucumber margaritas on the house.
The tacos are definitely the star of the show, though the smoked cashew salsa is a close second. Duck carnitas was the winner. Even the kind of boring sounding chicken and kale was outstanding. Our group also had two different queso fundido varietals to start, with the shishito pepper option being the unanimous favorite.
Great drinks too — I had a mezcal drink and a margarita in addition to the cucumber freebie.
I really can’t wait to go back.

Came here on Sunday for brunch.
Overall, I was underwhelmed by Empellon. I felt that it was overpriced and just okay.
That being said, the meal was perfectly fine, just didn’t wow me.
My friend and I ordered the chilaquiles and cucumber margaritas.
The cucumber margarita I thought was good and refreshing, although it was sweeter than I expected it to be.
The chilaquiles weren’t what I expected. It was just a pretty basic dish. It had a good flavor, but, they could’ve done a lot more with the dish I felt.
Probably won’t return again because for the price, I expected more.

Really, who doesn’t have soy or almond or coconut milk for coffee these days?
People have food allergies. This is 2016. Wake up guys.
BUT:
Nice atmosphere, staff… and …drumroll please…
*Excellent food.*
Fresh, delicious.
Portions way too small for the money. I was starving after my $ 35 «brunch.»
So…Feeling wealthy? No allergies to dairy? Want to restrict your caloric intake? This is definitely the place for you!

Sexy atmosphere, pricey, good service (although maybe only because we racked up a $$$ bill)
Imbibing (heavily) here will set you back some good money. It’s probably worth it to just order a bottle of wine but I like my effing tequila and so that’s that. (Plus you’re a huge freak if you drink wine with tacos in my humble «but I’m always right» opinion.
The seven salsas flight is pretty good. The Sipil pak and smoked cashew were my favorite but the salsa borracha and habanero came in close. The salsa verde was missing that super green element that I love in jalapeño but tbh that was pretty good too.
Things to skip: both types of queso fundido we had (trumpet and chorizo) were quite terrible. I love queso fundido and was so disappointed! The dishes they serve them in aren’t placed in the broiler and so of course the cheese solidifies (and I love solidified cheese! Cold Nachos, anyone?) in way that is NOT appetizing. Like layer of hard cheese and layer of grease. The mushrooms were overcooked and the chorizo needed a bit more seasoning and char.
You should also skip the ceviches. I refuse to relive the halibut and the shrimp is essentially a glorified, lazy Tex-​mex version of a shrimp cocktail. Imagine a sweet cocktail sauce, throw in some extra salt and carrots in it and ¡voila!
The guac is good. You’ll probably order it so I won’t have to talk about it. The tacos are good, too. I only wish the tortillas were made with less lard (or whatever) to Lethe corn shine through– I didn’t taste any. My favorites were skirt, Brussels sprouts, lamb Barbacoa and chicken. The fish tempura was great also! I had high hopes for mushroom but the sauce they are cooked in just makes the tortilla soggy. Thinking this filling is much better for a sope.
Which brings me to sopes! These are probably the best I’ve had outside of queens/​BX in a long time! The crust has awesome corn flavor and has a perfect crisp to soft ratio. If you order the smoked plantain, do not expect a big smoky element to the plantains… It’s more subtle here.
No dessert really– just 1 or 2 options and all given verbally tableside.
The service here was superb and much, much better than I was expecting. The host team was also killing it– the place was packed and they never broke a sweat. Pro-​tip, y’all: being nice to those who work in this industry will get you a far, far way!
I’ll come back, but maybe just for drinks at the bar. Too good for great people watching to give up!
Good for first dates where you think you’ll end up hooking up, getting together with friends, shocking your best friend from back home that Mexican (mexican-​ish?) food can be more than Taco Bell
Ps– if this sort of space intrigues you… Definitely check out mayahuel in the east village! The food is slightly better and the décor is ultra sexy

Je suis toujours un peu agacé lorsque l’on me dit que la cuisine mexicaine est lourde et insipide ou quelque chose dans ce style la… Evidement ce n’est pas en Suisse qu’il faut s’émerveiller de ce que l’on nous propose car évidement c’est souvent mauvais… La France n’est pas forcément dans un meilleur registre et pourra penser que Londres reste la seule destination où l’on peut trouver quelque chose de bien. Même au Mexique ce n’est pas toujours «très fin «quoi que Mexico propose aujourd’hui une série de tables très impressionnantes au niveau de ce que l’on fait de mieux en Scandinavie, France et Espagne. Ensuite, né surtout pas comparer la cuisine mexicaine avec la cuisine Tex-​Mex qui n’ont finalement que peu de ressemblance et que l’on fait souvent passer pour Mexicaine.
Toujours est-​il qu’il existe un certain nombre de très beaux ouvrages de cuisine Mexicaine «moderne «qui ont été publiés récemment (en anglais) et que je recommande vivement. Malheureusement cela né reste souvent que de la lecture car les ingrédients nécessaires né sont pas trouvables en Suisse. C’est donc il y a quelques semaines de cella que je me suis procuré le magnifique livre de Alex Stupak «Tacos: Recipes and Provocations «. Un chef superstar qui adore la cuisine de ce pays et qui quitta le monde de la pâtisserie pour une table dont tout le monde parle à New-​York, «Empellón Taqueria «. Un livre avec un nombre impressionnant de recettes de tacos comme vous n’aurez jamais vu.
Le tacos est probablement le met le plus exporté en dehors du Mexique et pour qu’il soit bon, il faut tout d’abord qu’il soit fraichement réalisé avec de la farine de maïs. La farine de blé n’est qu’une vague imitation du tacos original qui n’a aucune saveur. A cela il faut également associer ce que l’on appelle «salsa «et à nouveau, pas sortant d’un bocal industriel mais soigneusement les confectionner avec des ingrédients frais. Un tacos se farci de maintes manières et le livre dont je vous parle justement propose diverses manière le faire.
Tout cela pour vous dire combien j’étais intéressé de pouvoir déguster cela sur place. Alex Stupak n’est pas le premier venu car fut comme précédemment dit un des chefs pâtissiers les plus reconnu au monde ayant travaillé entre autre chez le célèbre Alinea et WD50. A New-​York vous pourrez en réalité trouver trois établissements; «Empellón Cocina «et l» Empellón Al Pastor «dans l’east village, l’ «Empellón Taqueria «dans le west village. C’est donc à ce dernier que nous nous sommes rendus.
Au coin d’une rue, un bâtiment classique dans ce quartier en brique rouge vous accueillera pour autant que vous ayez fait une réservation.
Une salle en longueur avec sur la droite un très agréable bar de bout en bout où vous pourrez soit prendre un cocktail, soit manger, et encore mieux… les deux.
La carte du jour est apportée à votre table mais vous pourrez aussi en faire la lecture sur les ardoises murales contre un mur aux couleurs plutôt vives à côté du bar.
Au centre de la pièce une table communautaire où l’on peut manger mais de manière un peu surélevée.
Et sur le côté gauche une série de table avec une très jolie peinture dans le style de Frida Kahlo.
L’ambiance est chic mais non prétentieuse, le service est souriant et décontracté. Tout pour passer un excellent moment.
Nous choisirons pour démarrer avec leur Guacamole avec deux sauces mais je vous encourage vivement à prendre «l’extension de 7 autres sauces «pour 5 USD supplémentaires. Je né me rappelle pas d’avoir dégusté nulle part ailleurs des sauces aussi fantastiques qu’ici. Le guacamole est parfait, presque crémeux, agrémenté de piment jalapeño vinaigré découpés en petits morceaux, d’oignons finement hachés, de jus de citron vert et de coriandre fraiche.
Les sauces sont tout bonnement exceptionnelles. La Sikil Pak (graines de courge, tomate, oignon, ail, cannelle, epazote aussi appelé fausse ambroisie ou thé du Mexique, jus d’orange juice, piment serrano), la noix de cajou fumée (cajou fumées et piment chipotle), la sauce Borracha (piment pasilla Oaxaquena, jus d’orange et mezcal), la sauce verte (tomates vertes appelées tomatillo, coriandre fraiche et piment serrano), la Tomatillo — Chipotle (piment chipotle, tomates vertes grillées tomatillos, ail rôti et miel), la sauce De Arbol (piment arbol, vinaigre de cidre, graines de sésame, graines de courge et épices) et la sauce Habanero (piment habanero, jus d’orange, pamplemousse, origan Mexicain). Une série de sauces jubilatoires où l’on trempe des chips de tortilla.
Puis une série de tacos qui peuvent venir par assiette de deux ou trois selon sa faim. Le Poulet et chou Kale, crème et sauce verte. Un mélange de tomatillas, poulet, chou, fromage frais et la sauce à base de tomatillo, coriandre et piment serrano.
Le tacos à langue de porc braisée à la bière, chorizo avec sauce de Arbol qui fut absolument renversant car d’une très grande gourmandise.

I’ve been to Empellon Taqueria twice, both times for dinner, and we have always left very happy. The service is excellent, the atmosphere cool, and the food delicious. They showcase their tacos, of course, but the menu is also full of fantastic veggies, ceviches and quesos.
Let me explain this queso. It is a skillet of melted cheese topped with your choice of shishito peppers, black trumpet mushrooms, lobster or chorizo. Both times I have eaten at this restaurant, the queso fundido has been the star of the evening. Most recently, for five people, we shared the mushroom queso and it was sublime. The black trumpets had a phenomenal taste and texture. They reminded me of truffles but slightly more subtle. The queso is brought with warm tortillas.
We also shared numerous other appetizers including the shrimp ceviche, the octopus ceviche, the beets and the butternut squash. All were good but none can compare to the queso.
Next, for tacos, we each had two (although the menu says they must be ordered as a plate of two or three tacos, they are very accommodating and brought us plates with five): the lamb barbacoa and the fish tempura. The lamb was slightly lacking, in my opinion, in its flavor and uniqueness. It was also very greasy. However, the fish tempura was perfection. The batter was crisp yet inside the fish was soft and juicy.
Highly recommend!

I might move to New York for Empellon’s brunch.
Guacamole with Two Salsas: A humble name for an ah-​mazing dish! Empellon’s guacamole, already one of the creamiest on record, was elevated by pistachios and pickled jalapenos mixed throughout. And drizzled with sweet smoked cashew salsa? Practically divine.
Scrambled Egg Fundido with Potato, Chorizo and Salsa De Arbol: I thought nothing could be better than a melted mess of Oaxaca and chorizo – until I tried queso fundido for breakfast with scrambled eggs mixed in.
Shortrib Pastrami Taco: I know pastrami might sound like a lame choice, but I couldn’t imagine a better marriage of texture and flavor than smoked shortribs with pickled cabbage and mustard seed salsa.
(Younger Brother and I ate our calories instead of drinking them, so I can’t vouch for any of the breakfast-​time cocktails.)

This is the taqueria that reminds you what’s so great about the West Village of NYC! It’s got a cool vibe, with a hip atmosphere that makes you feel good about yourself as soon as you walk in the door. We sat in the bar area with a group of 6, and it was tremendous fun. It’s loud, but it just adds to the energy of the room.
The tacos… pretty damn good! The meats are slow roasted and succulent, the salsas add the right amount of flavor and kick. We had the Smoked Cashew and De Arbol (along with the excellent guac). The Cashew gets a lot of Pub here on Unilocal,and it’s pretty worth it, but my favorite was the Arbol. Banging spiciness and flavor to match!
In our party of 6 we had many different tacos, but my three favorite were the Duck Carnitas and Lamb Barbacoa, along with the fish tempura, with creamy slaw and lime. The fish was truthfully as good as the meats!
Good drinks from the bar round this place out… I would return!