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El Aguila

4.1 (252 reviews)
InexpensiveMexican, Salad
Open • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
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Business Info

EL AGUILA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - El Aguila

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chicken taco  steak taco al pastor taco
Junior C.

El Aguila NYC east harlem Chicken taco 2.7/5 Hella dry and boring I have no idea why they even serve this other than they have the chicken and tortilla its the poor losers fault for ordering this anyways I m sure they use that chicken for something better than the tacos Steak taco - was recommended Solid - was told it was a little fatty and that was true. It's p good though slightly above avg. not much to say about this 3/5 Al pastor taco 3.8/5 This taco was pretty good. I would definitely recommend coming here for this taco with the pineapples . Tortillas 3.3/5 I am not the tortilla whisperer this was def a vibe check for a score idk all i know is I've had a lot better and I've had significantly better so this is probably just a lil below significantly better Toppings - 3/5 Nothing crazy just standard Service - 3.8/5 I know what I said up top but this should let you know how much I care about service Price - 4.5/5 This price scoring is so arbitrary or wtv didn't even want to make this but everyone includes pricing in their scoring so Ill do it too. (This mindset is why the US still uses the imperial system btw)

Chicken tacos with verde salsa
saba k.

Decent spot right outside the 103 station. Good prices. Tamales were good but nothing special. Chicken tacos were good as well but they forgot the salsa and pico that comes with it (had to add). Pinto beans are fire tho. They have great portions for the price, however nothing is really special/missing something.

Goat taco  Pastor taco  Carnitas
Linh V.

Was a bit weary walking into this joint. Some lights are unlit on the awning. The surrounding area look unappealing. But do not judge this book by its cover. El Aguila has some good af tacos. Not the cheapest at $3-$4 ranges but they make it up in being a sizable taco with legit salsas. Had: Carnitas - not bland as usual. Use the red sauce. Fish taco - my favorite out of all. A lot of fish filling. Chivo Goat - unique filling texture is undefeated. Tamale - $2! Good filling to tamale ratio. I ate it with green salsa. Staff is friendly. Locations clean and there's small seating for quick bites eating or quiet low key hangout/date. Very happy to have stopped by here!

Steak Asada taco (grilled steak)
Cassie D.

Soo good. So mad at myself for not trying it sooner, went in for the second time for steak tacos, good both times. The service was okay

Joan S.

I got delivery from El Aguila, which was super fast. The taste was good but the meat was, unfortunately, all dry, which really took away from the enjoyability of the food. I ordered the following off of UberEats: -Non-spicy marinated pork taco (Pastor) ($3) -Roasted pork taco ($3) -Grilled Beef Chopped Steak Taco ($4) -Fresh Grilled Chicken Taco ($3) The portions were great and I was stuffed by the third taco.

Steak taco - dry and overcooked
Lisa F.

Menu changes and quality of their tacos have declined substantially over the last six months. I love finding hidden treasures, gems, undiscovered neighborhoods and even divey hole in the wall places with incredible food. A couple years ago I thought of this place as that, an amazing, authentic Mexican spot for great tacos, and had a five star review drafted. The first time there, a customer in line said he came from another borough occasionally just to get their unmatchable tacos including beef tongue and another interesting type of taco I never had. I was feeling brave so tried his recommendations which were so tender, juicy and delicious. When I visited once during COVID, the menu selection was the same but prices went up, which was fine. However, the recent visit, the menu had changed, and the delicious, interesting tacos were no longer on the menu (citing the beef tongue was too expensive). I ordered three tacos including the steak, fish, and pork: the pork taco was good, the fish taco was decent, and the steak taco was overcooked and dry. The chips were both stale and so greasy the grease seeped through the the bag they were in; and the guacamole was saucy and not good. One thing they still have that I like is the light green moderately spicy sauce for the tacos that is incredible. I would recommend keeping the interesting taco and burrito options and charging more for them. And keeping things fresh like they did in the past. Disappointing downturn for what was a fantastic, authentic divey spot for tacos.

Counter where you order
Christine A.

What's someone from the Lower East Side doing up here? Going to the Museum of the History of New York. And stopping by El Aguila for a taco lunch. I had the al pastor and fish tacos, and some ice cold horchata. Yum! Al pastor was moist with obvious pineapple pieces. Fish was fried tilapia I think. They had a nice selection of sauces. For NYC Mexican, this place is better than most. It's super casual. Kind of like a Mexican diner with a menu that includes breakfast options. It's a step above a dive--a small step. People were coming and going. The service was nice and fast. The place is clean. The decor makes you feel you're in Mexico. It's not fancy, but good tacos.

As pastor taco ($3) (and torta in the background)
Annuschka B.

I've had this place saved for ages but never visited because most of the people in my small COVID-safe circle have lived in Cali and don't trust NYC Mexican food. Finally got to try and I am so impressed. While the Al Pastor meat is a bit non-traditional, it's still flavorful and tender. The pineapple could be a little more ripe but at least it's fresh and not canned pineapple. They double up on the corn tortillas for the tacos and don't skimp on toppings. Tacos are $3 and the torta $6.99. The plain cheese quesadilla is only $2! And comes with avocado/salad/tomato on the side. The vegetarian tamales (jalapeños & cheese) are by far my favorite and only $1.50! Such an amazing deal. Note that their hot sauces are HOT. First time we got the red sauce and almost didn't enjoy the meal. The second time we got the green (medium) sauce and still had to be careful. In the end I had one of my Cali transplants confirm this is the best Mexican food in NYC!

Carnitas burrito
Anna L.

El Aguila has become my favorite place to get tacos. And they are still open during the quarantine. Most of the taco toppings are an additional cost except for onions, cilantro, and lime, but it tastes delicious just with the basic toppings. They also have four different hot sauces that are complimentary. I love the double corn tortillas and the tender, juicy carnitas. Best carnitas ever! The carnitas and lengua tacos are my go-tos.

al pastor taco and a tamale.

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7 months ago

Food was not worth the cost, feels like it was fiated. There was a cost for the condiments and the experience felt rush.

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

Great burritos at reasonable prices! The spicy sauce is amazing and all the ingredients are very fresh! A regular!

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3 years ago

Outstanding tacos, burritos and everything else we ordered. The price was right as well!

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2 years ago

Probably the best burritos I've had in my lifetime. Very authentic as far as I can tell and great ambiance.

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6 years ago

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Toloache 50 - Balcony

Toloache 50

4.0(2.4k reviews)
2.8 mi•Theater District, Midtown West
•$$$

Lunch at Toloache yesterday is Lori's favorite meal so far, and tied for me with Kanyakumari. It's…read morea contemporary upscale Mexican bistro located at 251 West 50th Street in the Theater District of Manhattan. Founded in 2007, and led by chef-owner Julian Medina (who grew up in Mexico City and trained in prominent New York kitchens like Maya and Pampano) along with Chef de Cuisine - Fidel Rodriguez, and Sous Chef - Julian Medina. They have real Mexican food like huitlacoche, and Oaxacan-style seasoned grasshoppers. There is a dedicated guacamole and ceviche bar, and a wood-burning oven. The name toloache is Jimsonweed, a flowering plant in Mexican folklore said to be brewed into a love potion that guarantees anyone who drinks it will always return. For drinks, Lori had the Paloma De Pepino - Gran Centenario plata, cucumber, grapefruit soda, lime, and I had the Margarita de la Calle - Maestro Dobel Diamante, cucumber, jalapeño, lime. Both were excellent, and perfectly balanced. Toloache has one of the best guacamoles we've ever had, and they made it fresh and customized it for us. Cilantro tastes like soap to Lori, and each of the three guacs listed it. Also there is a mild traditional, fruta medium, and rojo spicy. We wanted traditional but spicy, and without cilantro. That's what we got. The accompanying chips were better than most as they were the perfect size, not greasy, and strong enough to not break. With the guacamole came a Roasted Tomato salsa that was spectacular. It has roasted tomatoes, chipotle, onion, cilantro, garlic, and a "secret ingredient". It is medium spicy. I'm going to try to figure out how to make this one. Lori loves Fajitas, which are course Tex-Mex, but they make it with Prime NY Strip Steak, and it is amazing ... and huge. Two could share this for lunch. I had the Enchiladas Borrachas - pulled chicken, tomatillo-5 chiles salsa borracha, Mexican cheeses, crema, and avocado-radish salad. This was a delight with great layers of flavor - smoky, moderately spicy, slightly tangy, with a lot of richness from the cheese and crema. The shredded chicken was tender, savory, and relatively mild, mostly there to carry the sauce. When you eat this, be sure to put a slice of the enchilada on your fork, and then with your knife scoop up sauce and pour it over the bite. It's so flavor-packed. We LOVED Toloache, and highly recommend it.

Visited with a reservation on a weekend evening and the place was packed. All seats upstairs and…read moredownstairs were filled except one table, which was reserved for us. I noticed a few people standing outside the restaurant waiting for a table and were less prioritized due to no reservation. Ordered Platos Fuertes Carne Asada, and Frutas Guacamole. Unfortunately I do not remember what my friends ordered but they did order tacos and noted how bold the flavors are and how delicious they tasted. Guacamole was not too spicy, but perfect. Carne Asada dish was smoky and savory. Overall, recommend!

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El Aguila - mexican - Updated October 2026

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