Tacombi, the most colourful taquería in Manhattan, has set out to prove that Mexican food can be light, fresh and incredibly diverse. And judging by the perpetual party atmosphere that radiates from inside this restaurant, they seem to be achieving their goal.
05 February, 2015
The taquería was born out of a desire to break true Mexican cooking out of its home country. And what dish better defines Mexican eating culture than the taco, that staple handheld snack that lines every street, beach and market in the Yucatán? With this philosophy in mind, Dario Wolos, the founder of Tacombi, employed a small army of Mexican food worshippers and drove his trusty food truck from Mexico all the way to New York's Lower East Side, where his dream crystalised in 2010.
It's hard to pass by the place without catching the scent of the festivities that bubble away inside. Anchored in a warehouse in Manhattan's Nolita neighbourhood, the original truck that once traversed the shores of Yucatán serving fresh tacos on the beach before it made its way to Manhattan, is still a centre point of the restaurant. "The van is the heartbeat of the room," General Manager Luis Berenbau tells us, "it was the beginning of it all!"
The open plan space is vibrantly festooned with strings of lights and multicoloured murals. It was easy to forget, as we watered ourselves with Margaritas, that we were in the midst of a polar vortex and not at some afternoon party on a Mexican beach. And that is the spirit of Tacombi, to transport its visitors onto the balmy shorelines of Mexico where it all began.
The van is the heartbeat of the room
Their taco flavours are big, bold and bright, whipped up by head chef Oscar Hernandez, who previously worked for Myriad restaurant group (of Nobu fame). There is corn and poblano pepper, chicken and dark mole sauce, and pork belly topped with radish and chicharrón, to name a few. Over 85,000 of the house favourite - a crispy fish taco lightly battered and served with chipotle mayonnaise and pickled cabbage - are sold a year. Outside of taco territory, the rest of the menu is pretty perfect, too. The ceviche is piled with fresh market fish drenched in lime and served on a soft flour tortilla, and the barbacoa is equally delicious, prepared using imported Mexican cola.
'The main focus is to bring in as many original products from Mexico as possible." Oscar says, 'That way we can deliver the truest flavours of the country in every dish."
Oscar and Luis share a palpable passion for what they are doing. Both are animated speakers leaving little room for breath, taking us up and down the musical notes of the Tacombi story. We pulled up a stool and more tacos than were necessary, listening as they sung praises of Mexico, 9AM pork belly and why the taco is taking over.
