Empellon Al Pastor — Restaurant in New York

In the corner of St Marks and A avenue you can find this modern taqueria, Empellon al Pastor is the third of series of restaurants directed by the recognized chef Alex Stupak, yes a Massachusetts native cooking Mexican food that will give you a surprise. Stupak it’s looking to upgrade Mexican food without stealing his soul or flavor this is no easy task in a competitive venue like NYC.

Arriving you’ll find the taqueria environment, next to the heat and the salsa pot (green one very spicy) on the other side you got this sort of rocker bar with a menu full of tacos, tequilas and mezcales.

Well sized and with real corn tortillas Al Pastor it’s the basic taco, filled with well seasoned meat, this one followed by the Bistec Taco and Chorizo Taco both with same good quality but all of the above below the Short Rib Taco, soft, juicy and good flavor, this one the best of the place.

Vegetarian menu it’s in the house with the Nopal Taco or the Mushrooms - Epazote Taco, for those looking for an adventure Stupak presents the Cheeseburger Taco, the Chicken - Chipotle Taco and the Beer Braised Pork Tongue.

The big surprise it’s the dessert, Mexican Fernet Ice Cream, covered with chocolate will overflow your taste, its flavor and texture it’s the perfect pairing for your tacos.

Draft beer selection its ok, drink as you wish, about cans and bottles mind the Allende IPA from San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. From the wide tequila menu don’t waste your time, 7 Leguas Reposado and Meteoro it’s the mezcal choice.

132 St Marks Place, East Village, New York, mon-thurs 12-24 h, fry 12-2 h, sat 13-2 h, sun 13-24 h, $ average 40 USD,...

While there may be a dearth of quality affordable Mexican food available in the city, this place does not fill that void at all with tacos priced at around $6 and traditionally cheap Mexican beers priced at around $8. The tacos are definitely well made, and there is a high level of attention to detail, especially with the al pastor (it was well seasoned and crispy). There is also the matter of the tacos simply being skimpy on the amount of meat, and the lack of the availability of salsas.

I'm not saying great Mexican food doesn't deserve to be expensive, but I've had tacos of comparably high quality for half the price from a truck. To put things into perspective, if you match it up against the duck carnitas at Cosme, the prices are barely cheaper, which is frankly a laughable proposal given the difference in the spaces, food costs, and quality. The space and ceiling art are without a doubt very cool, but for me it can't make up the prices, especially in a neighborhood with an abundance...

Came here on Oct 19th to get some drinks with friends. As there were no tables outside available, my group spent most of our time standing and drinking our drinks, which was fine. We finally were able to secure an outside table (with no chairs, mind you, so we still had to stand), and after being at the table for only 10 minutes while we finished our first round of drinks a staff member came over with a plate full of food for another group and said that we need to leave because our drinks were empty and the other guests couldn't find any tables (not our problem). We were not asked if we planned to order any more food or drinks, which we were. We were so turned off by the rudeness of the employee in trying to kick us out of a self serve table (there was no one being sat elsewhere; it was first come, first serve) that we decided to leave anyways and not spend anymore money here. Won't be...