I am a long time fan of Tacombi. Quite frankly, I am a fan of anywhere that pumps me full of tequila and tacos. This tequila & taco palace, however, is special. They started their journey in Mexico, opening two spaces in Playa del Carmen. You may have spent spring break there; I certainly did. After perfecting their craft in Mexico, they landed in NYC in 2010 for their first location in Nolita. They have since grown to 3 locations in Manhattan and one in Montauk. My favorite of the 4 is on Bleeker Street (above) because it is full of natural sunlight and beautiful colors. They recently opened an area in the front serving very worth while to-go ceviche.
I generally feel that there's a ceiling to how good tacos can be. Don't get me wrong; I love them, they are one of my favorite food groups. But a lot of these braised meat/onion/cilantro combinations are fairly interchangeable no matter where you go. Tacombi does things a little differently to set themselves apart from the pack. They make everything from scratch with sustainably sourced ingredients, including their corn and flour tortillas which are rolled daily. Their fish tacos are my favorite in the city. They are beer battered, super fresh, and topped with a poblano mayo. The versions with slow roasted suckling pig or chargrilled shrimp are absolutely not to be missed. They also have excellent seasonal vegetarian options.
Let's talk about the non-taco side of the menu. The ceviche is exceptional. Tacombi makes theirs with fresh local fluke in lime juice with cucumber pico de gallo and creamy avocado. There is great acid from the onion and it's slightly spicy which I love. The made-to-order guacamole is fantastic and the housemade chips are thick and crispy for maximum scoopability. They introduced me to corn esquites which is epazote, cotija cheese, chipotle mayo. It might as well be crack, I'd happily mainline this stuff. Here's what we had:
Guacamole - freshly made and served with home-made totopos
