At First Bite: Tacos El Catrin

We kept hearing great things about the recently opened Tacos El Catrin at 265 E 7th Street (between Church Avenue and Friel Place), and this weekend seemed like the perfect time to stop in and see the food for ourselves.

Situated in a former nail salon space, Tacos El Catrin is owned by Chef Raul Leyva (formerly of Rosa Mexicano, La Botaneria, and Fonda)–and while the food is delicious, the atmosphere and price point are a bit more accessible than any of the former. Not to mention the location.

The restaurant seats about 18-20, and is open Tuesday-Sunday from 8am-10pm, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Immediately upon entering we were greeted by a very curious baby at the table next to us, whose parents said she’d loved the guacamole. It’s possible she was in cahoots with our waitress, who suggested we get some for ourselves, so that she could get a second serving.

Luckily for us, her parents whisked her away before our guacamole arrived–because it was great, and we wouldn’t have wanted to share. Not a huge amount for $6, but from a quality over quantity perspective, outstanding. It’s available in mild, medium, or spicy, and is made fresh in a stone bowl to go with Tacos El Catrin’s homemade chips.

We’d heard great things about the Tacos Al Pastor ($7 for three small tacos)–including multiple proclamations that these were the best people had tried outside Mexico City!–but unanimously found those to be the least impressive of the bunch. The meat wasn’t particularly special, and we couldn’t taste pineapple at all. However, things only got better from there, and you should still try the Tacos Al Pastor for yourself since it seems like we just got the one subpar batch.

Next were the lengua tacos (also $7 for three), which ended up tying for #1. The meat was so perfectly tender, a few cow kissing jokes were inevitable…

… and then the chorizo con chicharron (you guessed it, $7 for three), the other first place winner, which struck a wonderful contrast to the Lengua tacos with their sweet, salty, crunchy quality.

Did we mention everything came with different, fabulous salsas? There’s verde, roja, avocado, and the La Picante, which was sweet and smoky at the same time.

We put the La Picante on our Taco Arabe ($6 for one large taco), filled with juicy pork, crisp onions, and crema.

We also tried the Huitlacocha con Hongos  Quesadilla ($7), which is filled with corn fungus. We expected the dish to taste more earthy, but it was deceptively sweet and fantastic with salsa.

Finally, our waitress recommended her favorite–chicken enchiladas with salsa roja, served with rice and beans. The chicken was beautifully cooked and shredded, and the sauce a little more tomato-y than the other salsa roja we’d tried.

We left stuffed (and very happily so), and intend to come back soon. If you don’t live too nearby, though, Tacos El Catrin offers free delivery, and hopes to be on Seamless soon–but know that they’re cash only for now.

Follow them on Twitter, check out their menu below, and to try Tacos El Catrin for yourself, call them at 347-915-0350 or stop into 265 E 7th Street (between Church Avenue and Friel Place) Tuesday through Sunday from 8am-10pm. Oh, and watch out for babies who love guacamole!