Varrio 408

Varrio makes truly legit tacos and burritos. Go for the steak.
Fresh 110% of the times I visit.

I really like that they freshly grill the tortillas, and freshly fry the corn chips. And the woman serving is super helpful. If I’m gonna be picky there’s too much onion in the guacamole, and err that’s about it. I’ll be back…

Firstly the service is slow. Even for 1 taco.
But the taco, a king steak taco was quite good as far as Mexican food can be in NYC. The steak was cooked just right and a little bit charred to give it some extra flavor. They had peppers there and I don’t know what kind they were but they were green. Not jalapeño though. They had really good flavor and added to the taco taste. I was happy they had sour cream, salsa, and guacamole on the side and you can add as much as you want. Yes please! Unfortunately the guacamole was only meh though. By the time you add all that on your taco though, it gets pretty messy:)

The food is really good, but there are several negatives worth mentioning. The staff is not very attentive. Both times I have gone there, the girl at the counter didn’t acknowledge me when I stepped up to order for at least a few minutes. The last time I went, the tables had not been cleaned off and the chips were stale. I let the girl at the counter know and she brusquely said «ok, just a minute» but never did anything about it. Also, there was a thick hair in the tortillas.

I’ve had just about everything on the menu and it’s all amazing. That being said my favorite is the tortilla soup. A big bowl is only $ 4. Lots of roasted Chicken, veggies and tortialls. They serve it with a scoop of guacamole and sour cream. It has some kick to it too.
You can buy tortillas, fyi. A dozen is only $ 4! They give them to you hot and right off the maker.

Came here at the recommendation from a bartender at Mission Delores. The tacos are flavorful, with the meat cooked just right. Great little spot along 5^th ave in Park Slope. They serve beer as well. Beware of the red sauce on the far left. You’ll be drinking water for the next hour or so.

Very tasty and authentic hand made tortillas and quesadillas.
That is the thing that I appreciate more, I love that fresh corn taste and that they are soft and light. They also have a family plate option, which I tried with delivery. But my favorite remain tacos. Very nice the one with shrimps and both al pastor and carnitas.
They have a buffet with salsas and you can see al meats behind the counter, easy to choose what you are in the mood for.

This is my absolute favorite place for cheap, delicious Mexican food. Tortillas are all made in house, carnitas are always juicy. I’ve been here more than any other restaurant in the city, and I only started coming about a year ago! Let’s say, I’ve even gotten an event catered by them (carnitas by the pound??? Yes please). Staff is really friendly, place is super casual.
Carnitas or carne asada are my faves — in either burrito or taco form. They just added shrimp too — which is nicely grilled and fantastic in a taco. Mulas (quesadilla) are also pretty big for only $ 4. I’ll be seeing you there…

I can go here 5 days a week. Fresh, delicious food. Warm professional staff. Comfortable environment for a quick feeding frenzy and the least you’ll spend for somewhere you can sit down. For $ 19 something’ my husband and I have feasted on their tasty chicken platter with rice/​beans, 6 tortillas, added guacamole, enjoyed the salsa bar and a horchata too! Stuffed. And I do not have a bird appetite. Cash only.

Fact: I don’t like watermelon. Yeah, I know it’s ‘un-​American’ and weird (at least that’s what I’ve been told on numerous occasions) but I just don’t care for the texture of the fruit.
Fact: Varrio 408 makes me love watermelon. How? Why?! How did they do it? Well, friends, Varrio makes fresh Watermelon Juice! And that is apparently the only way I’m able to enjoy a watermelon. Cold, refreshing, slightly sweet, bright pink watermelon juice.* I now need a glass every time I eat tacos…
And Varrio’s tacos are goooood! Usually I’m not a corn tortilla fan… but these are so light and fresh, double stacked, and filled to the max with chunks of perfectly marinated meats and pico. So far I’ve tried three of their five tacos**. The Al Pastor is my favorite, fo sho. The marinade is crazy good. I’m convinced they use cinnamon in their seasoning — it has this underlying taste that makes me warm and cozy and happy. And of course the pineapple on top — YUM! I recommend adding a sprinkle of onion and maybe a drizzle of salsa for the perfect combo.***
The Pollo al Carbon & the Carne Asada al Carbon are also both were really really good. The pastor was just my fav. Nothing beats the salty sweet smoky taco goodness of the al Pastor.
Guac and chips are also mighty tasty and a good portion for two people to share.
FYI — Varrio’s is a cash only establishment so make sure you bring your dollar bills. Chips/​Guac + a bunch of tacos + a couple drinks will run you about $ 30. And it’ll probably be the best $ 30 you spend all week.
* If watermelon juice isn’t your thing — V408 has a variety of sodas (avg. $ 2.75) to choose from as well as a huge jug of water and cups (free).
** Taco options: Carnitas Michocanas (pork), al Pastor (pork + pineapple), Pollo al Carbon (Chicken), Carne Asada al Carbon (steak) and Nopalitos (cactus & corn).
*** Onions, cilantro and several different salsas are available at the ‘salsa bar’ for no additional cost.

I had to try a couple of tacos from here since everyone I work with kept raving about them. I had steak tacos, and despite the fact that it was difficult to peel one tortilla off the other (because I’m trying to watch my diet), the tacos were tasty. They use two tortillas to make each taco which I think is a nice touch. It definitely ups their authenticity score. The steak was juicy and prepared wonderfully. I love (I mean really love) onions and cilantro, and unfortunately, my tacos were lacking. Better luck next time, I suppose.
I just wish they weren’t cash-​only! They do offer an explanation, and it’s taped up in front of the cashier. Be on the look out for that.
For the atmosphere, I also think that they are a little pricy at first glance and that can throw people off, but the tortillas are house made! How can you blame them?

Had the burrito bowl and it was really good. It’s the same owners as Rachel’s two doors down. Last time I had Rachel’s I didn’t feel well. I was hesitant to try this place, but it proved me wrong. The portions are great for the price. It’s almost like a chipotle style counter. Easy and convenient ordering.

There’s a salsa bar here. Do you know how hard it is to find a salsa bar in NY? In CA, every self-​respecting Mexican taqueria has a salsa bar.
Definitely order the family size platter for tacos because it’ll be a ½ lb of food with rice and beans. We got the al pastor for $ 12, which was enough meat and fresh handmade corn tortillas for 6 tacos. A single taco would have been $ 3 and there would have been no rice and beans. So the family platter is definitely the way to go.
Very tasty food and we’ll be back!

No mames güey. I think that’s how it’s said in Mexico. If not, then at least you can rest assured that these tacos are phenomenal. This isn’t your average, run-​of-​the-​mill taco joint. This isn’t Chipotle. It’s truly authentic Mexican fare at reasonable prices.
What makes Varrio so delicious is the freshness of the ingredients. You see the cooks doing everything in front of you. There’s even a sweet, little lady making tortillas fresh every day. Never had fresh tortillas? Then get thee to here.
I highly recommend the fish taco, the carne asada taco and the taco al pastor. For an incredible take on a quesadilla, get the mulas.
And let’s not even talk about the wonderful horchata…
Bring cash. They don’t take cards which helps keep costs down.

Man I’m still dreaming about this place. While the décor could use a bit of work, the flavor of the food is pretty spot-​on. We as a party of 5 ordered in line and then found our place to sit.
The seating was alright (being mostly a take out place) but when the food came, worth. We ordered the al pastor and carne asada family style, which comes with beans, rice, salsa and a bunch of hot tortillas (we also couldn’t forget the guac).
I think the star of the show was the al pastor pork. It had a nice char and full of flavor. However, the carne asada was a bit drier and didn’t live up to its counterpart. It also lacked a bit of flavor (but if you pair it with the salsa it wasn’t so bad). The sides were good (the guac tastes really fresh) and most importantly they had all the sauces you wanted on the side so you could help yourself.
All in all, I would definitely come again. The food was pretty great. The atmosphere was inviting and I really want to try the rest of the menu. Our party of 5 left satisfied rubbing our big tummies as we walked outside.
Pros:
Good service from the waitstaff
Al pastor — so juicy and full of flavor
Cons:
Carne asada was a bit drier than I would like :(

The absolute BEST thing I’ve put in my mouth, hands down, this year is the Al Pastor taco. STUNNINGLY good. Like, when you think, «how good can food possibly be?» and then are literally shocked by the aroma and taste of a warm, freshly cooked corn tortilla wrapped around the most flavorful slow marinated pork you’ve ever had mixed with all the cilantro, lime, onion, and homemade hotsauce you want from their open condiment bar.
The people who work here are very friendly and the lady rolling, pressing, and cooking the fresh tortillas is the hardest working person in all of New York but still has a smile on her face. Give that woman a raise! =) Will be coming back here every single chance I get.
Oh and cash only… don’t complain… it’s well worth a trip to the ATM.

If dreams were made of tacos, they would be the tacos from Varrio 408.
If there were tacos in heaven, they were surely ordered from Varrio 408.
If I was threatened with death by tacos, I’d want them to be the tacos from Varrio 408.
… specifically the chicken tacos.
As the Brooklyn taco wars blasts it’s way across 5^th Av, Varrio has whipped its competitors into submission. I’ve heard rumors that this place is owned by the same folks as Rachel’s, but I cannot understand how and why. The food quality is about as different as it could possibly be. If this rumor is true, then they’ve done something right in Varrio.
So if you’re a taco aficionado, get yourself 2 or 3, load up on salsas at the bar, and bring cash (cuz it’s cash only), and be prepared for the taco sensation of your life.

Excellent fresh burritos! Cash only.
The meat is always to perfection. AL Pasteur burrito is the way to go! !
The fresh juices are great!

This has become our neighborhood take out spot. They have great variety of tacos with daily specials, a burrito that weighs legit 5lbs and delicious beverages.
Their tortillas are also handmade fresh, there’s a woman standing at the end of the counter pressing them. My only complaint is that they’re corn and I love flour tortillas
My favorite thing here is the watermelon agua fresca. It is unreal. For $ 2.25 you get fresh and delicious watermelon juice which is literally the most refreshing thing I have ever drank. The same thing at whole foods costs $ 5 and its prepackaged.
My boyfriend gets the carnitas burrito here which is HUGE. He usually gets 2 meals out of it. It’s jam packed with meat and veggies. Sour cream is extra but they never skimp on it.
The guac is great. It’s creamy, not chunky and reasonably priced.
Also love their salsa bar with 5 different salsa types.

First off, this place is very easy to walk by and miss with its heavily tinted glass and dark storefront with no name on front (other than a «tortllias» neon sign in the window). We actually walked by it twice and were about to give up when we noticed a little folded sign board on the street that said «No #1 Tacos».
Inside it has a nice mix of old school divey taco joint feel combined with a few modern updates and painted signage on the wall. There is a big long counter filled with workers making fresh tortillas and mountains of great looking ingredients. The vibe is relaxed and everyone was very friendly.
We went with a carnitas michoacanas taco ($ 3) and burrito ($ 7.50), al pastor taco, carne asada al carbon taco, and guac and chips. While waiting for the cashier pointed us to their extensive (and free) salsa bar. This was a really welcome surprise as they are rare to find these days (I still lament the loss of Calexico’s salsa bar, which is part of the reason I don’t go there anymore).
The taco portions are pretty good and the corn tortillas are unbelievably fresh. Of the 3 types, the al pastor was a true standout. The burrito is a little smaller than typical places but also a hair cheaper so maybe it is a wash. Unfortunately the carnitas was very dry so we were thankful to have access to a salsa bar (I drowned my burrito to bring it back to life). Despite being dry, the flavors were still quite good.
The chips were excellent and fresh, but the guac ($ 6) was nothing to write home about. Not bad, but definitely nothing like the fresh guac places like Calexico, Fatty Daddy, and Kimchi Grill have. The good news is that the salsas made up for the guac so our chips did not go to waste.
Overall my meal may have been more of a 3.5, but giving 4 for the friendly vibe as well as the tortillas. Unfortunately for them, I will still probably primarily go to Fatty Daddy a block away, as while not as traditional, flavors beat them out.