Blog · The Best Bite · East Village · November 2026
The 5 Best Mexican Restaurants in the East Village, Manhattan
Time Out's No. 1 Mexican restaurant in the city, a cash-friendly St Marks taqueria, an Alphabet City cantina, a comal-centered dining room and a regional classic. We pulled picks from critics and local guides, checked ratings and recent reviews, and ranked them.
How we score: Tommy Shark Score (out of 10) = Google rating 35% · Yelp rating 25% · review volume 15% · critics' and local guides 25%, using numbers we checked on Nov 4, 2026. Yelp doesn't let us read its star ratings, so this round uses Google, review volume and guides. We read the ratings and reviews; we haven't eaten at every spot.
- Best overall: Carnitas Ramírez (Score 9.0; Time Out's No. 1 Mexican in NYC)
- Best value: Taqueria St. Marks Place (Score 9.0; cheap tacos, free chips)
- Best for a date: Rosie's (Score 8.2; sit-down, takes reservations)
The list
Carnitas Ramírez
CarnitasOpen
Google 4.8 (564) · Yelp rating unavailable · On 2 critics' or local guides · checked Nov 4
The second spot from the team behind Greenpoint's Taqueria Ramírez, opened in 2024 and devoted to carnitas: belly, ear, skin, cheek or a mixed surtida, on handmade corn tortillas with a self-serve salsa bar. Time Out ranks it No. 1 among the city's Mexican restaurants.
What people like: Every pork cut, juicy and well seasoned · Handmade corn tortillas · Self-serve salsa bar Watch out for: Lines, though they move fast · Pork-only menu
Picked by: Time Out (No. 1, best Mexican in NYC) · EV Grieve
Taqueria St. Marks Place
TaqueriaOpen
Google 4.6 (1,029) · Yelp rating unavailable · On 2 critics' or local guides · checked Nov 4
A cheap, no-frills taqueria on St Marks since 2015. Go for the lengua, carnitas, carne asada or lamb tacos, with free chips and salsa and fresh-lime margaritas. Chowhound calls it the taco spot its writer has kept coming back to for a decade.
What people like: Cheap, generous tacos · Free chips and salsa · Strong fresh-lime margaritas Watch out for: Extra charge for cards; bring cash
Picked by: The Infatuation · Chowhound
El Camión Cantina
CantinaOpen
Google 4.4 (818) · Yelp rating unavailable · On 2 critics' or local guides · checked Nov 4
A colorful 40-seat cantina at Avenue A and 12th St with more than 23 tequilas, house and frozen margaritas, and weekly specials. Reviewers keep naming the queso fundido and the shrimp tacos.
What people like: Queso fundido and shrimp tacos · Strong margaritas, big tequila list · Fun room, friendly service Watch out for: Small portions for the price
Picked by: Time Out · Village Voice
Rosie's
Comal cookingOpen
Google 4.5 (2,291) · Yelp rating unavailable · On 1 critics' or local guides · checked Nov 4
A bright sit-down Mexican restaurant from the Cookshop team (Marc Meyer and Vicki Freeman), open since 2015, built around a comal where tortillas and memelitas are made by hand. Signatures include chiles en nogada, tacos de cecina and mole poblano.
Picked by: Resy
La Palapa
RegionalOpen
Google 4.2 (815) · Yelp rating unavailable · On 1 critics' or local guides · checked Nov 4
A long-running, woman-owned regional Mexican kitchen from chef Barbara Sibley: Mexico City-style tacos and quesadillas, guacamole with house chips and duck in Oaxacan black mole, plus a deep tequila list.
What people like: Home-style regional cooking · Good margaritas · Warm service, lively room
Picked by: NYC Tourism
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Get First BiteFAQ
What is the best Mexican restaurant in the East Village?
Carnitas Ramírez at 210 E 3rd St tops our list (Score 9.0), and Time Out ranks it the best Mexican restaurant in NYC. Taqueria St. Marks Place (also 9.0) and El Camión Cantina (8.7) follow.
Where are the best cheap tacos in the East Village?
Taqueria St. Marks Place at 79 St Marks Pl serves inexpensive lengua, carnitas and carne asada tacos with free chips and salsa. Carnitas Ramírez on E 3rd St is the pick for pork tacos on handmade tortillas.
Which East Village Mexican restaurants take reservations?
Rosie's (29 E 2nd St), La Palapa (77 St Marks Pl) and El Camión Cantina (194 Avenue A) take reservations through OpenTable.
Sources: Time Out, best Mexican restaurants in NYC; The Infatuation; Chowhound; Resy; Village Voice; NYC Tourism; EV Grieve. Google ratings and review counts via Wanderlog's Google data; checked Nov 4, 2026. Hours and menus change, so check before you go.