Tacombi @ Fonda Nolita

267 Elizabeth St., Nolita, NY

7.6

map & more

Neighborhood
Nolita

Cuisine
Mexican

Nearby
Bowery Ballroom

Official Website

By Chris Stang
December 15, 2010

Tacombi is the name for the converted VW bus that serves the tacos. Fonda Nolita is the name for the space (we think). Put the two together and you have an interesting interpretation of what street food looks like on a really expensive street.

We don’t usually pay much attention to online chatter, but even before Señor Tacombi, who previously served tacos from this bus in Playa del Carmen, and Food Network regular Aarón Sanchez officially opened their restaurant to the public, people were talking smack on the internet. Why? Apparently there are other places (California) where tacos are better and cheaper. Also, it seems that giving four dollars to one guy and then having to get your taco from an entirely different guy is too much for some people to handle.

So here is a disclaimer that you should pay attention to. If you a) typically go to Sunset Park for your Mexican food, or b) have a difficult time following simple payment instructions, you are probably not going to be a fan of this place. We’ll admit that we were initially unsure about it ourselves. But the more we go back, the more we like Tacombi. Best tacos ever? Definitely not, though the barbacoa and breakfast tacos are pretty excellent. The Mexican courtyard atmosphere is also awesome, and Tacombi gets serious points for creativity and having the balls to try the concept. All in all, we back the place, and will back it even more once they have a liquor license. Maybe they should have waited to open until then…a few beers would probably have chilled out all those early haters.

Food Rundown:

Barbacoa Taco
The best taco in the house, made with beef short rib that’s been braised in wine and other delicious sh*t. This taco might have single handedly changed our opinion of this place. Get it.

Breakfast Tacos
Not served from the VW bus, but rather from another window in the back. There are two breakfast taco options. You want the one with egg, chorizo and potato. It’s excellent, and it’s served always.

Other Tacos
To be honest, the other taco options besides barbacoa and breakfast can be lumped into one category – decent. The chicken taco is good but not spectacular, and somehow the pork and fish tacos are our least favorite.

Tamales
The tamales at Tacombi are generally good, though they can be a little dry. The chicken tamale, topped with a tasty mole sauce, is the one to go for.

Tostada
A small tostada with avocado and salsa verde. This is good if you are meat averse. If not, get another barbacoa taco instead.