Taqueria Monarca — Restaurant in New York

As a Mexican-American who knows good Mexican food when she tastes it, this has been my go-to Mexican restaurant since they opened a few years ago. They started off excellent and I recommended them to everyone in our neighborhood. I loved that they cooked their Al Pastor meat on the stick just like it’s done in Mexico.

I was never impressed by Paraíso Azteca across the street and the Taco Truck by the train station has been a hit or miss.

I remember the owner/manager was always there at the beginning. He seemed to keep things clean and seemed to care about the quality control which seemed to keep the employees on their toes. Eventually he left, not sure if he sold it or he was just a manager, but then I started seeing different cashiers. Which was fine. Then different Taqueros aka Cooks started working there. And little by little the food started tasting different. Sometimes it was good, sometimes it was just okay. I noticed they Started pre-cooking the meat and holding it in hot plates. So the steak tacos were not freshly grilled, it was just meat that had been sitting in the hot plate. Usually tacos are made with freshly grilled meats.

This past week I entered the restaurant and there were no other customers. Their hot plates were full of food. There was no Air conditioning, so I I think that led to the food spoiling without them noticing. But as an experienced cook, you should be looking out for those things.

I ordered a steak burrito. Again the meat was sitting in the hot plate. They prepared it fast and I left. When I got home and bit into the burrito the meat had a spoiled taste. It tasted fishy and just off. My husband and I took 3 bites and we stopped eating it. I was so mad and hungry because that was our dinner and it was obviously spoiled meat. I wanted to call them to complain, but I didn’t want to have to walk back to the restaurant after a long day at work. I didn’t want to argue with anyone on the phone. I just threw it to the garbage and gave up and we vowed that never again. The green salsa looked old because it had started to turn brown. So it just leads me to believe that nothing is fresh anymore and they hold on to old ingredients.

Not to mention, the entrance is full of pigeon poop. I know it’s difficult to control pigeons in the air, but they can at least power-wash their entrance to get rid of it. You can tell the employees don’t care.

It’s sad because there aren’t that many Mexican restaurants on Kings Highway and this location is very convenient. But it has gone down the hill and I will never order from them again unless they bring back the owner/or whatever he was to bring back the quality they...

If I could leave this place zero stars I would, and I almost never post a negative review. I'd rather try to wiork it out with the business. This place made it impossible.My husband and I ordered from here earlier this week due to my sister-in-law 's recommendation. When we went to pick up our food the place wasn't exactly immaculate but it was well into dinnertime/rush hour (it's right by the train station) so I didn't think to much of it. My husband and ny daughter only had items with cheese - they were okay. Honestly, while they said they liked the food better from Paraiso across the street it was oretty good. My son and I ordered chicken dishes and there had to be something wrong with it. We were both up all evening sick from the food. The funny thing is WE didn't make the connection since there's a stomach virus going around. It wasn't until the next day that my husband went to eat my leftovers and spit the food out of his mouth. He said it tasted off. This WAS the next day, but truly fresh food wouldn't have spoiled in less than 24 hours, especially refrigerated. When I told my sister-in-law what happened she told me that her coworker ordered the same day, had the chicken, and also got sick. When he called the restaurant the person who answered the phone, who spoke English just fine all the other times they called in orders, suddenly did not. They asked me to call, and when they pretended not to know English I started speaking to them in Spanish (I'm bilingual and translate at my job) the phone line went dead. Look, and restaurant can have a bad day which is why I didn't post this before. It's their actions regarding the issue that made...

I came in here last month wanting a quick bite before catching the train. By the way you can't walk/fit past someone who is standing in front of the counter/cashier; it's a very tight pathway the first 6 -9 feet into the store. Not a big deal for a takeout order but it's definitely not somewhere you want to go for a date nor a hangout spot.

I ordered a chicken bowl. The cashier was rude and had an attitude when I was asking food related questions. It was clear to me that she hated her job. I'm not surprised that the store was empty. I was immediately disappointed when I received the take out bowl. It looked so empty. I paid $15 for a half empty bowl. The chicken was incredibly bland/ tasteless and not salty enough. The rice was horrible as well; it was dry and hard. The beans were ok. The tomato salsa or pico de Gallo was soggy and mushy. They charged $1 for any side sauces or anything "extra" like sour cream. For a dollar you will get a tiny 1 oz cup (if even that big) of sour cream. I usually don't leave bad reviews but I came a month ago and I'm still bothered by the service and food I received here. I've cooked many Mexican meals that taste better than this meal (and I don't even think my food...