Nenes Taqueria Plus — Restaurant in New York

Wow where do I start? I have been a loyal fan of this establishment for some time now. Never had an issue with their food or service. I always talked to the manager when I come in about baseball etc. He seemed like such a nice person. Last weekend I ordered 2 birria tacos for pickup for my wife. As she was eating her meal she felt a horrible pain in her tooth as she bit down on something very hard. After spitting it out and investigating she sees a large piece of metal in her food!. Not only did it hurt her tooth but if she had swallowed it she would have been in an emergency situation at the hospital. Thank God she didn't swallow it. Anyone who has a grill at home can look at this piece of metal and tell that it is from a grill brush that is commonly used to clean grills. Anyone who is Anyone who grills knows the health hazards of using one of these brushes to clean your grill. When contacting the store the lady on the phone was very unapologetic. We asked to speak to the manager and she said he was not there. She took our info to have him call us. A few days later the manager named Kevin called my wife and spoke to her. It didn't even seem like a concern to him. She explained to him what happened and he was extremely silent during the process. When my wife explained to him that these type of brushes are not safe to ever use he wouldnt own up to it. All he did was say sorry and offer a refund. My wife told him we got a refund already through Uber eats. She asked him if he would like to see the pictures. He said yes so she texted it to him. The text messages where seen but he never responded to them at all. Unfortunately you lost a customer for life. No matter how good your food is at your place the lack of compassion you showed will never bring me back. If my wife had ended up in the hospital because of your staffs carelessness and lack of knowledge on grill brushes then there would have been a bigger legal matter...

4.5 stars. Nene’s Taqueria has officially opened its doors in Astoria, Queens, adding excitement to the local dining scene with their celebrated Birria offerings. Upon entering, guests can place their orders at the register before proceeding to the end of the counter to pick up their food. This area also features a free toppings bar with several toppings, including onions, cilantro, habanero, Pico de Gallo, and various sauces to customize each dish to personal taste.

For those seeking a pleasant outdoor dining experience, the dining area at the back of the restaurant provides a nice ambiance for enjoying their food al fresco.

I was particularly looking forward to trying their Birria Ramen, a dish I had never experienced before. However, it was unavailable during the grand opening. So instead, I ordered:

Nene’s Birria Combo ($13.52): 3 Birria tacos with cheese, onions, cilantro and small cup of consommé. The tacos were so very tasty. The consommé had quite a lot of birria meat which was really nice.

Birria Empanada ($4.94): fried empanada sliced open and stuffed with Birria meat, onions and cilantro. This was surprisingly messier to eat than the tacos. The empanada soaks up the consommé quite well.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable meal. And, as a special treat, Nene's offered complimentary drinks (Horchata, Jamaica, or Tamarindo) along with a refreshing tamarind-flavored ice pop (Paletas de Tamarindo) to celebrate their grand opening.

I’m eager to return and explore more of their menu, especially the Birria Ramen and their unique Birria Pizza. Overall, a promising start for Nene’s...

Not really eye-catching outside, but inside is a very clean, white tiled long corridor, with pops of red. Menu by the entrance, placed our order (extra charge for credit card use) then headed all the way to the back to get tables in the glass enclosed patio, nice and bright, very casual. Finished orders were announced on speaker. Found out late but by the pick-up area is a self-serve station with paper plates, plastic utensils, 3 fresh salsas (1@ mild, medium and hot) , and other toppings. There are bottled sauces in the patio area as well. Water dispenser available.

Portions were generous. Prices were good, not based on the choice of protein. I guess I am not into birria but I liked steak and pork al pastor; tongue was good too. Sope is new to me- dry, fried masa with raised edges, so a good vehicle for the proteins and all the toppings. The toppings did soak up the tortilla, tostadas and nachos we ordered. Made it hard to pick up our food to take a bite so was a bit messy to eat. I didn’t like the texture of their rice, and beans- I will skip these.

Boing mango is mango nectar which I preferred over soda. Will try the other drink options like horchata, etc. next time.

Daily lunch special @$9.99.

Service is very pleasant. One...