Oaxaca Taqueria

I came here awhile back with some coworkers after imbibing in a few fancypants cocktails at a speakeasy-​type bar nearby. It was on the coming dime since this was a team bonding kind of outing so that was nice… but food afterwards to ease our ragey, booze-​fueled munchies was on us… so we wanted cheap, but yummy.
After spotting the warm glow of this hole-​in-​the-​wall eatery I exclaimed to my crew, «LOOK YOU GUYS! TACOS!!! YOU GUYS WANNA DOOOO TAAAACOS?!!» — I was buzzed and this is how buzzed Steph communicates. I kid you not. Lucky for me they all nodded enthusiastically and off we marched, single file, into Oaxaca… like the hungry little ants that we were.
For having enthusiastically yelled about tacos earlier I ended up getting a chicken burrito and it cost me about $ 7.50. For a burrito in Murray Hill that isn’t from a Taco Bell kind of spot, this is GREAT. Tacos were about $ 3 – 4 depending on their innards.
My chicken burrito was pretty small without much girth (so many jokes here… so many jokes…) but it was also cheap so keep this in mind guys who can eat their weight in food — for me, a girl of below average vertical stature — it was just what I needed. I left full, but not too full that I felt gross and pukey. Considering that I was really hungry — this was like the Goldilocks/​Baby bear of burritos — it was «just right».
My coworkers all opted for tacos and one opted for a quesadilla. They were happy with their tacos and I was happy I didn’t go that route. They seemed not very filling to me and without much substance inside. I prefer my tacos to be filled with lots o’ meat, cheese, cilantro and sour cream and these seemed to have more greenery than meat.
My coworker who ordered the quesadilla was jealous of my modestly-​sized burrito and he ended up getting anther quesadilla and was still hungry. Guys, you might need 2 burritos here to leave content.
Beverage-​wise — the hibiscus aguafresca here was okay, not too sweet which I really like. They also have sooooo many hot sauces here — really fantastic selection of all the standard and necessary Mexican hot sauces — my beloved Cholula sauce included.
Overall, I really liked this place. Good tasting food with good flavor + friendly and efficient service. I would totally come back here again if in the neighborhood!

I write this review hoping to turn a few more people into the deliciousness Oaxaca has to offer. You can’t go wrong with anything you order. Really. Seriously. Go for any of it you won’t be disappointed. I love the enchiladas an guacamole especially! Really cool staff. My ONLY WORRY is that the person at the counter taking orders is extremely overwhelmed. While I get the whole idea of having one person manning the kitchen and one person manning the cashier, taking orders, serving and picking up the phone, it’s too overwhelming to watch. I hate to see such a successful busy place lose customers because there’s only person doing so much. I watched him spend so much time trying to appease people calling to complain that they haven’t gotten their orders. It looks like I will personally avoid the lunch crowd. Didn’t like to see full on panic mode and droves of people waiting around. A little sad to watch to say the least. One extra helper wouldn’t hurt. Just saying.

I decided to give this place a try after reading a lot of positive reviews on Seamless. I ordered the Oaxaca Salad with Barbacoa and I added Camaron (for an additional $ 1.50). I placed the order at 12:11PM and I received it by 12:23PM. I could not believe how fast it came and I was very excited to try it. The salad itself is a decent size however, I noticed right off the bat that I didn’t get any shrimp. I decided against not calling because well… I was hungry… I didn’t want to wait. and sometimes forgetting stuff just happens. Even though I lost $ 1.50 it’s not a dealbreaker. The barbacoa was good and the guacamole was OK. However, when you started to mix everything together it started to get this wet paste-​like taste. Perhaps it was too much dressing missing with the creama. but after a while, everything just became too wet and it was extremely off-​putting. Since it was too wet, I couldn’t finish eating it and I had to throw it away. $ 13 bucks down the drain. I don’t think I would order here again.

Damn this was good! Today I was strolling around during my lunch break and passed by this hole-​in-​the-​wall type of place. From the outside, it’s easy to miss and on a lower level as you step inside. The space is tiny with only a few tables along and edges (two face the street), but has a bar like ordering counter. Having never been there before, I ordered a Ceviche Pescado taco and three Barbacoa quesadillas. Out of this world! The flavor was bursting and the crispiness of the quesadillas was to perfection. The food came out piping hot and was brought to my table by the very nice staff. They made sure I was aware where the utensils, napkins, and sauces were which was even more hospitable. Both selections were delicious without a doubt. I can’t speak for other locations after learning this is a chain, but this one that I went to was great. The wait for the food was super quick and I paired it all with a Sprite (which came in a nice glass bottle). I forget the prices of everything, but don’t think it was much. Highly recommend for a tasty lunch choice.

Small byob hole in the wall restaurant. I like what they’ve done with the space. Couple of long tables and the rest are solo spots. I got the papas y rajas burrito, I think the description of it was more appealing than the actual taste. Not bad by any means though. I was surprised by the array of options on the menu, including a bunch of veggie/​vegan and fusion ones which was nice. Also tried the horchata drink which was good. A good spot in a neighborhood which doesn’t have many decent mexican options. Worth a visit.

Delicious food!
Ordered burrito and quesadilla to try out! Very tasty! Coming back for tacos later!

Tasty Tacos, Good Guacamole, Easing Eating Enchiladas
I went here on cinco de mayo to get some tacos to bring home and they were quick despite the heavy amount of orders that were coming in.
The food was good for a take out spot and if I decided to stay it is BYOB! I got the 3 taco special, 3 enchilada special, chips and guacamole. The specials come with rice and beans which are very bland. I thought the enchiladas came out well with the melted cheese on top and it has a little bit of guac on the side. The tacos were good too and the chicken was my favorite. If you are in the neighborhood and looking for tacos quick this is the spot you got to go to.
In short:
— Good food
— Fast Service
— Friendly staff

Simeon and moe are the men. They have the best recommendations. The food is fast and prepared fresh. They are the best hosts with great service. We came here on cinco de mayo and they were extrmemely attentive and helpful. We didn’t even need to look at the menu and they had great recommendations and the food was classic Mexican food. Moe answered everyone’s questions and everyone was super happy

I really liked the tacos
Meat and and flavor was on point
The salsa was good
Very fresh
bYOB
Small place
I didn’t try the rice and beans but I hate black beans so (it looked basic)
Tacos were on point
And k had the pork torta
OMG that was bomb

The best taco spot in Murray Hill. Went to a few different Mexican restaurants in the area looking for a restaurant willing to cater a party, and the quality of food and customer service here was without equal.
The al pastor tacos are garnished with pineapple which really brings out the flavor. The Barbacoa was also delicious.
Simeon Williams, the manager, is so friendly and attentive. The whole experience was pleasant and satisfying.

Went here for a lunch. Has a quaint & compact atmosphere. I ordered the carnitas burrito for $ 7.57 (after tax) and my wait was about 6 – 7 minutes for the burrito. Not bad. My only desire would be for the small containers of rice and beans be included or even a bag of nachos (like Moe’s offers), which would put this place over the top, value-​wise.
I will definitely be returning as my office is close to this spot.

The food is good but the service has gone down the hole. My friends and I work 2 blocks away and the first few times we loved coming here. Service was fast and no-​nonsense. Lately, more specifically in the last 3 months, they hired a new crew to work the lunch shift and we have had multiple issues with missing items, wrong orders, and an overall lack of motivation to even feel bad for making a mistake. Consequently, we have stopped coming here.

Hole in the wall taco joint in Murray Hill that’s under-​rated and hard to spot! The prices at Oaxaca Taqueria were not absurd as other taco restaurants in Manhattan. Normal priced tacos average around $ 3.75, with a killer lunch special of 2 tacos (may get a surcharge if you get fish tacos) with beans and rice for a total of $ 8.66 (tax included). The tacos are small, authentic Mexican street tacos, so while it’s a nice size for a taco deal, I could use an extra taco for satiation purposes. I ordered the barbacoa and the chorizo– barbacoa was BY FAR the better option. The chorizo wasn’t bad, per se, but it was grainy and didn’t pack the same flavor of the barbacoa. Other lunch specials were offered, I believe a torta option and burrito option were given. However, I am always partial to tacos.
Therefore, I gave this place a 4 for their authentic tacos and the fact that they offer lunch deals; however it would get a 5 if I could get more in the deal (even if the price increased slightly).

Good, afordable, never let you down mexican food in Murray Hill. I recommend the tres tacos for you can try different meats.

This is closer to 3.5 than necessarily a full 4.
The food is better than average, and they have some fun things like Korean tacos.
I usually ask for something like putting the habanero salsa in my burrito and they always are happy to oblige.
Prices are fair and the service is mostly fine, except for busier times (like prime lunch) when they still only have the one guy making everything and he’s drowned by 30 orders.
The 3.5 over 4 is probably because I’m always left feeling a little… wanting. For example, the food is tasty but after I finish, I want more. And it isn’t that good «I’m craving more» kind of wanting, it’s the «I am still hungry enough to have another half a burrito» wanting.
I’d still happily recommend this place for a nice and quick lunch if you’re within walking distance.

Ok I’ve been back a few times since and can safely say this is a 4.
Have had a couple of their tacos and the flavor is certainly there.
Pricing is weird here. I don’t think I’ve been here and not seen someone go, wait, how much is it? Thought it was X but instead it’s Y. For example, today some guy went through it and had to pay $ 1 for sauce, the sauce that COMES with it. Like I said, weird.
Anyways, it’s now a regular lunch spot for me.

Don’t listen to the descriptions of the items, they don’t actually put those ingredients in. So disappointing. Second time I’ve ordered from here and the food item came different from what is described. Then when I called, they wouldn’t even rectify the situation.
It seems they also changed the braised pork. It used to be really good but now it’s really fatty and greasy and almost inedible.

Myself and a coworker visited Oaxaca Taqueria for lunch as it is near our office. We both ordered tacos, I went for the lunch special; two tacos and a side of rice and beans for 7.95. I ordered the ceviche taco and the patas y rojas taco and my total came to 9.45 as there was a .75 surcharge for the fish (which was not advertised). My coworker went for the three taco deal which also came with a side of rice and beans and cost 10.95.
The tacos, when they eventually came, were very good. The ceviche was stuffed with fresh, citrusy fish and the pickled onions atop the patas y rojas really lifted the flavours. I thoroughly enjoyed both my tacos. The rice and beans were pretty bland but a splash of hot sauce livened them up a little. My coworker was equally happy with her tacos (carnitas, korean and chorizo).
However, the service was TERRIBLE. The woman who took our order was so rude, she took her sweet time even coming over to serve us even though the restaurant was empty bar one man sitting at the bar. Then she managed to mess up my order, giving me carnitas tacos rather than the patas y rojas even though I’d had to repeat my order three or four times as she clearly wasn’t listening to me. She then essentially threw our food onto the table without so much as a smile and ignored us for the rest of our visit.
Overall, great food, awful staff. I would return again as my tacos were great and I’d love to try the other options they have on offer but I hope there will be a different person serving us next time.

I seamless-​delivered the 3 taco deal
I didn’t realize the deal came with a side of rice and beans, but I quickly found it underwhelming anyway. The rice was under-​cooked and the beans were bland. Litmus test of authenticity was immediately failed given that no latino could ever sell that.
Nonetheless, who cares about the rice & beans when the tacos are great. I ordered the braised beef, braised pork, and stewed chicken. Individually, they were all delicious, but as a group, you could easily sense the lack of creativity as their preparation/​seasoning seemed essentially identical to one another. It seems as if the recipe for their proteins are exactly the same with only the protein itself changed among the tacos.
Overall, I was impressed. I’m looking forward to taking advantage of their byob.
⁴⁄₅ means great. ⁵⁄₅ means damn near perfection and Oaxaca isn’t quite there.

Pronunciation guide by your friendly non-​Spanish Guy (joking:)
Oaxaca: Wa (as in what) Ha, Ka, Wa-​ha-​ka/​Oaxaca
Already had dinner so I stopped in here for a snack. Had a personal favorite, Esquites and a Horchata to drink.
For people who don’t know Esquites, think of it as Elote, (commonly worded as «Mexican Corn,») but served in a bowl instead of just being well on the cob. It’s a South/​Central Mexico food, such as well Oxaca. It’s corn flavored with lime, some cheese, some hot sauce or chile powder, salt and mayo.
The version here had a bit more mayo and was quite spicy. Nice little treat.
Horchata, as noted by another person is a bit too watery here (even for being an agua fresca.) Needed a bit more cinnamon also.
Food overall here is a bit pricy, around a buck or so more than you’d expect, but it’s quite good. I’m surprised at the super poor reviews, I mean it is Murray Hill so it can’t be dirt cheap or else the place will be losing a whole lotta $ daily and would close quite soon.
Place is super small by the way, not many tables, everyone there was speaking Spanish, felt very different there.
This place is in-​between a 3 and a 4 but I’ll give this place a 4 for the little snacks as the other reviews are way too low for how spicy/​good the Esquites is.