Mi Mariachi Taqueria
“Love their Al Pastor and carnitas tacos, shredded lamb, pork ribs with salsa verde and their tamales!”
“Fresh ingredients and savory selections make this a hidden gem in Journal Square.”
“This small restaurant really delivers so much flavor in their tacos that you really can't stop at one or two.”
Mi Mariachi Taqueria
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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One of the great thing about L.A. is that wherever you go, there is either reasonably priced parking on valet that is willing to park it for you. New York, not so much.
As with much of the naked city and surroundings, trying to get to and park in Jersey City for a meal at Los Tres Chilitos was a nightmare. No parking lots, no available street parking. After going around the block 3 times, we gave up and wandered over – 20 minutes later – to a different part of town and into this hole-in-the-wall. It's effectively a glorified indoor taco stand, with a couple of seating tables. Busy, so we're thinking this might be a jackpot. We were wrong.
From the food standpoint, this is jackpot. Outstanding tacos. Wanted an enchilada but they gave us what looked like a taco, priced like a taco, but insisted was the enchilada. I'm still confused about that one but it was GOOD. Not sure if it was 5-star worthy but it was close enough, and if the service was great I definitely would have given it a 5. But here lies the downfall. TERRIBLE service. Let's just say their service was as bad as their food was good. So just think of it like this – if you're imagining their tacos are the best you've ever had, then their service is the worst you've ever had. Polar opposites.
They ignored us as long as they could, paid attention to us only after he was done with whatever he was doing, when we tried to get his attention he didn't even acknowledge we were trying to talk to him, and only responded to us about half the time when we did get his attention. Dude, that is not how you tend to customers. It was almost to where we were actually going to stand up to walk out without paying, before our last attempt at getting his attention actually worked.
So despite being one of the best street tacos I've ever had, I'm never coming back here again. We should have tried even harder to find parking at Los Tres Chilitos. Way to lose customers, amigo.
This place would have been five stars if I hadn't had Los Tacos No. 1 in Chelsea market. This place is not so flavorful as Los Tacos, but comes close to the authentic tacos I used to eat when I used to live in southern Cali and take weekend taco trips to Mexico.
Staffs are nice and the food is promptly served after placing your order.
Limited seatings. Not a good place to come in groups.
The menu they have up on the wall doesn't seem to be the accurate pricing anymore. Grab the paper menu on your way in or refer to their menu online for accurate pricing.
One order of tacos come in 4 small individual tacos, but you can mix with 2 meats for 2 tacos each. For example, if you just order one order of Al to Pastor tacos, 4 tacos will be served ($8). But you can also order 2 tacos of lengua and 2 tacos of pork, then you get 1 order of a taco set ($9).
No AC. But how huge fans on the ceiling does a pretty good job cooling you down.
You can also order by plates. We ordered a chicken plate that came with some green salad with shredded cheese and pieces of avocado, bean soup, and rice. It was a deal for $7! The two of us originally ordered it for to go for our dinner later that night, but ended up eating all at the spot. This is right after we finished tacos and chips and guac.
This place is as good as it gets for cheap quick fresh food. Don't judge it based on the decor as there is nothing to see here inside or out. But their food is out of this world delicious and fresh.
Every time we go we always try a whole bunch of different tacos and tortas. Our stomach is never big enough.
The service is always really friendly despite some language barriers. Between our broken high school Spanish and the chefs broken English in a little bit pointing here and there, we get our order in and right. And sometimes when order is not right we just go with it as is usually delicious and we are always in the mood for a culinary adventure surprise.
So if you're the mood for cheap fresh authentic Mexican food, just come on by and sit down!
So this review is going to include Taqueria Downtown, Taqueria Mi Mariachi, and Los Tres Chilitos. Before I break everything down I will rank them in order of preference (I still have a few more taquerias to try in the downtown area).
1.) Taqueria Downtown – still holds supreme with their Pork Taco. They must put cocaine in it.
2.) Taqueria Mi Mariachi – Their Carne Asada Taco can give Taqueria Downtown's Pork Taco a run for their money. However, it is two different type of meat. Their Carne Asada taco surpasses Taqueria Downtown's Steak Taco. Yes, it is true.
3.) Los Tres Chilitos was the weakest link of the three.
#3
I'll explain why Los Tres Chilitos was the weakest link. Flavor. There was such a lack of flavor in the food. One way I rate a Mexican restaurant is not by their tacos, but by their rice and beans. If you mess up the rice and beans then I can't even have high hopes for the rest of the meal. Well, the rice and beans were definitely lacking. I ordered Chorizo, Bistec, and Carnitas tacos. Nothing stood out. Everything was of course edible and good, but just good. I ordered an horchata and I have no idea what they gave me, but it was not horchata. I mean, it was technically horchata, but the flavor was completely off! Price was pretty good for the bountifulness of the meal, but Mexican food should be inexpensive – Rice, beans, meat, and tortilla – very basic cuisine. The service was great, very friendly staff. The best part of Los Tres Chilitos was the ambience. I liked the decor and open space. Parking was a bit of a pain, but seating was spaced out and comfortable. I wasn't a fan of the menu. Too much going on. Just keep it simple.
#2
I went into Taqueria Mi Mariachi with an appetite. I ordered tamales, a torta, tacos, and of course horchata. Let's start with the horchata. It was okay. It was missing something, but still just okay. Tacos – That Carne Asada was absolutely delicious! I could easily eat three – no problem. The torta packed a lot of flavor depending on the type of meat you select, and the tamale unfortunately was extremely dry. The tortilla de maiz they use for the tacos was really really delicious. The restaurant itself is TINY. I suggest taking it to go as opposed to dining in. They take a little while to prepare the food since the kitchen is right behind the counter, so maybe calling in the order ahead of time would be best. You can see the workers make everything in front of you. Very nice family who runs this restaurant. Abuelita was in there heating up some tortillas. Made me feel like I was at a relatives house waiting for dinner. Prices were extremely fair. They offered more of a selection of meats than Taqueria Downtown does. Oh, the rice and beans? Great. Rice could have been a bit better, but the beans had the right amount of flavor. Good job!
#1 Taqueria Downtown still reigns supreme in my book as far as Authentic Mexican. What makes this place Authentic? When I sip their horchata I'm back in my Grandmother's kitchen. When I bite into their tacos and tamales I see my Tios and Tias sitting at the table laughing and passing food around. Taqueria Downtown's horchata comes very close to mi Abuelita's and the rest of their food takes me back to some good old family cooking. So let's start with the rice and beans. Their rice and beans are good on their own. I used to have a problem with the consistency of the beans, but I solved that by just mixing the beans with the rice. Jam packed with flavor. I could eat their rice and beans straight out of a cup. The ambiance and decor of the restaurant is very retro which is cool. Love the classic rock that is played along with some mariachi tracks – makes this place stand out. This place gets PACKED. Super packed. They have a lot more help now than they did back before Hurricane Sandy which only adds to the congestion of the place. I still prefer to take it to go. Now for their Tacos. Their Pork Taco must have some type of drug inside because that thing is addicting. I can eat 5 easily. My favorite Torta is their bistec and their tamales have been hit or miss, but most of the the time they are hits. Oh! Don't forget their flan. Oh lord heaven do not forget the flan. Regardless of the rules, attitude, price, pretension – whatever – the food is muy sabroso plain and simple. Get a pork, steak, or fish taco with a side of rice and beans, flan for dessert, and you're good to go. OH! Tortilla Soup Thursdays and Chili Rellenos Fridays – DO NOT MISS OUT! That tortilla soup is a killer – soooo delicious. Annnnd BRUNCH! Their Brunch is absolutely excellent. Their brunch comes pretty close to what mom makes at home. Huevos Con Chorizo – oh good lord that's my absolute fave breakfast of all time and Taqueria does it justice (we use different chorizo). Taqueria Downtown has so much to offer. If you've had a bad experience dining in next time take it to go, but don't let your bad experience deter you from some pretty delicious food =)
Aye dios mio these tacos are no joke!
This small restaurant really delivers so much flavor in their tacos that you really can't stop at one or two. You can order them individually or by the platter, either way you really can't go wrong. When you order the platter you can only order two variations of tacos so choose wisely. On this visit I went with the Al Pastor taco and Carnitas, yeah I know pork on pork but in my defense they are made differently.
With three small tables and an 8 stool counter seating you can dine in, pick up, or get your yummy tacos delivered. *Warning* they only deliver to the remote area and they only accept cash.
I found the owner Pablo and his employees to be hilarious, nice and friendly. Cracking jokes with them within minutes learned how they live in town and have been open over over 3 years. Definitely make a stop at this joint. It's delicious!
YES WEY, Finally a place that closely resembles a Mexican restaurant in Mexico. No need to travel far from home to search for something better. This place is almost invisible when you drive by and often mistaken as part of the hardware store. Regardless this Mexican food will take your taste buds to paradise.
I am going to be honest, it took me a long time to write a review for this place but I'm glad because I got to try many of its dishes and now I can confirm that the quality of the food is consistent.
Have the tamales verdes if you love chicken. You must try it. It's only $2!!
I was allowed to customized my own breakfast sandwich. Egg and mexican chorizo sandwich. Heaven on earth.
Arroz con leche. Well no comment from me but my wife loves it.
The TACOS: lengua, carne asada, chicken, papa con chorizo. Fresh meats and you can watch as they prepare them. Topped off with cebolla and cilantro.
Big selection of drinks and Jarritos.
The service is excellent. They are always taking care of you. They also like to keep the place clean and the bathroom has plenty of soap so you can comfortably demolish those tacos by hand.
Most likely the best low key Mexican restaurant in jersey city.
It took me a few times of coming here with someone else and watching them order take out before the light bulb in my head went off to ask them to make me meatless tostadas. I don't know why, I'm usually on top of the ordering game at places like this that have NOTHING vegetarian on the menus. But by my third visit I thought to ask about tostadas and I was rewarded with delicious tostadas with everything but the meat. After another look I also see I could probably also order a meatless quesadilla. For everyone else, the Tacos here are raved about so definitely try this place if you like tacos. Seating is minimal and the space is tiny and hot, so I recommend take out. Cash only.
This little hole in the wall probably serves the best Mexican Food. The menu is simple. They have all the basic meats available in taco, torta or burrito. They also have amazing rice and beans. I had 2 carnitas tacos ($2.50 each). It was stupendous. Lots of meat for the price. If you ever find yourself in the Journal Square area, you MUST stop in here for lunch. Who cares about the decor, the food is awesome and authentic.