Taqueria Downtown
“I had a cactus taco, which could only have been better if it was slightly smaller, because it felt like too much food for a non-meat taco.”
“Pick up a 6 pack of Corona or other preferred beer on the walk there (its BYOB, folks).”
“I've tried the steak taco, chorizo taco, ground beef taco, rice and beans , flautas, quesadillas, and even the guacamole with chips.”
Taqueria Downtown
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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Came here for dinner after a day of walking around New York. There was a 30 minute wait when we arrived at 9ish P.M. At first it looks like a dive bar, but there's also a back patio that was quite nice.
Everyone at our table loved the free chips and salsa they brought out. Salsa wasn't too spicy and we just kept filling up on it. I ordered the picadillo burritas and it was good! word of caution though: this dish is SPICY. I love spicy so it was perfect…my poor nephew though…he died.
I've been to Taqueria's other location before, which is just takeout/catering and I really enjoyed it. My only gripe about that location is that by the time you bring it home, or by the time it's delivered, everything is soggy already.
The solution is to come to their dine-in location! My boyfriend and I came in on a Tuesday at around 7ish. There was a wait but it was only for the outdoor seating in the back. If you don't mind sitting inside on a nice day, then you might be immediately seated.
I ordered my usual – fish tacos and the chorizo quesadilla and since it was eaten fresh, it was of course better than its sister location. He ordered the Cecina Plato (salt-cured flank steak with chilaquiles). I hated it. I'm not sure what the dish is supposed to taste like but the beef was just an abnormally flat piece of beef that had no flavor whatsoever – just salt. My boyfriend liked it though. I on the other hand am glad I did not order that.
The margaritas (tad pricy at $9) aren't really that strong. Instead, try a michelada ($6), which taste like a bloody mary made with a Corona instead of vodka. Wikipedia had me thinking I wouldn't like it but I actually did! It's not as heavy as a bloody mary but you still get all the flavor of one.
Will definitely be back for when I'm craving tacos but don't feel like ordering soggy ones.
Cozy, authentic Mexican restaurant in a nice section of JC. Street parking. They have a nice patio in the back. Very authentic margaritas. I enjoyed their sangria more. Came in for happy hour after work on a Friday and had some of their tacos. I loved their chips and salsa. Their tacos were good but not the best I've ever had. I'd def come back and try more of their dishes though.
Having lived in Jersey City for over a year now, I knew it was about time that I tried Taqueria Downtown. Feeling lazy on a hot summer day, and not wanting to cook, I stopped by here for dinner on a Wed night. There was no wait for a table, and we were given the option of dining indoors or outside. As it was quite hot and humid outside, we opted to sit inside. We were given some free chips and salsa (which were delicious). I ordered 3 tacos (pork, steak and lamb) while my boyfriend ordered the steak torta and a steak taco. The place does seem a bit divey, as it's sort of basement level. I had the lamb taco first, and the reviews were kidding when they said it was spicy. I can't usually handle spicy, so the taco was burning my mouth! However, I still did enjoy it. The steak taco was also pretty good, and the pork was delish. I had a bite of my boyfriend's steak torta, and it was amazing. For the price, you get a pretty decently sized sandwich! I would definitely recommend this place, and would definitely come back again (maybe for brunch)! (The tacos were $3 each, and the torta was $6.25).
It's taco deliciousness in the great state of…. New Jersey? Yup, you read it correctly, Jersey has good tacos… $3 gets you a taco that is generously filled with meaty deliciousness.
The stake is definitely the ticket, but the pork carnitas are almost as good. The line is out the door, but totally worth the wait if you are in Jersey City.
Two snaps up in a circle… GO!
This place doesn't do tacos the justice is deserves.
We waited about 40 minutes in semi-chilly weather (freezing for NYC/NJers) and I was expecting some life-changing mexy food. Instead, I had just mediocre tacos.
I had the fish tacos, cactus tacos and frijoles sope. All were just ok. Service was fast because it's prob all pre-made. A plus were the chips and salsa that kept flowing like lava. The chips in themselves were also just ok, but I was hungry and these held me off.
Our server was ok, like everything else. Just ok. Ok is fine for Taco Bell, which for me, this was a slight step above. The highlight of the resto is the environment. It's fun, packed and you have a good time even if everything else is just ok.
2.5
Shame on me for having previously lived in Jersey City and never coming here. My first impression: this is a place I would have expected Anthony Bourdain to visit on his New Jersey episode of CNN's Parts Unknown. Shame on him for not. A total dive and right down his alley.
Some of the drinks are more expensive than the food. That's how cheap this place is. Margaritas and sangria are $8. Micheladas are $6. The most expensive food item is under $12, and that's for an entree portion. But if you do what Jason V. and I did and go with 3 tacos each at $3 each and a set of sangrias, your total will be $36 before tip. My kind of place. The complimentary chips and salsa are also a nice perk.
We tried one steak, pork and chorizo taco and all three were delicious and super authentic. And people, I've lived in Mexico, so trust me when I say that if I had been blindfolded, I wouldn't have known the difference between there and here. Though if you're blindfolded in Mexico, that's probably not a good thing, especially if you're a gringo like me.
The "decor" (if you can call it that) is rather psychedelic, the one poor wall AC unit couldn't keep up with the 90 degree heat, and at first, I didn't think the service could keep up with the customers, but they eventually got around to us.
I've tried many other dishes here and I still think the Torta sandwich is my favorite. The enchiladas and tacos are good. Wasn't too big of a fan of the sope. The bread is too thick for my liking and there wasn't enough meat. Same reason I'm not a fan of flautas. There's barely any meat in it!
I am going to ding one star because of their service/operation. We came here one night for dinner. The wait for a table outside was half an hour, so we decided to sit inside, where there were plenty of seats open. It seemed like all the waiters were servicing the tables outside and only one guy was dedicated to the inside. The bartender helped out too and took orders for a few tables, including ours. It was a mess. It was tolerable at first, but once the inside got slammed too, our waiter/bartender was focused on making drinks. We waited for over 10 minutes to get the check and more water. I really hope they find a way to balance the service b/c I love this place so much!