Taqueria La Casita — Restaurant in Roselle Park

No matter who you are or where you’re from, there’s a strong chance that you’re familiar with the meaning of “Taco Tuesday,” which exists across the US, from Los Angeles to small-town Tennessee, from food trucks in the barrios to high-end restaurants in hipster haunts. For some of us, it might simply call for going out and getting tacos or even just preparing our own.

Situated in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Roselle Park, this establishment is set inside a small corner suburban home where some of my colleagues decided on takeout, which came highly recommended. Upon arrival at Taqueria La Casita, or “The Little House Taqueria,” we were confronted outside by the neon signage reading “Tacos Open” and Mexican flags, among other pieces of colorful decor.

Greeted by the staff inside an un-air-conditioned cozy dining room decked out in its Mexican splendor with 4 tables. In the back, a colorful menu with nearly a dozen different types of tacos and an array of other dishes written by hand.

We opted for individual orders containing 4 tacos with Shrimp, Chicken, Steak, and Pork. While waiting, we couldn’t help but notice the trompo—the spinning, shawarma-adjacent log of marinated pork used for Al Pastor, which translates to “in the style of the shepherd.” Originating in Puebla, this came at the hands of Lebanese immigrants during the 1930s.

The tortilla itself was freshly made, of the corn variety. They were stuffed to the brim with meat prepared in front of us and served with cucumbers and lime. Fresh condiments of diced onion, cilantro, and avocado were separated in their own container, and all were needed. Various sauces accompanied in small containers, such as green, which was jalapeño-based; the darker red salsa was smoky from dried and smoked chipotle chilis; and neon orange, which was a sauce made from chili de arbol and tomato. The guacamole was absolutely delicious along with the chips, and we couldn’t get enough. The portion was a healthy size.

The service was fast; Maribel was friendly and accommodating. Authentic, fresh, and affordable—we can...

This little taqueria became a life saver. One evening my wife had cravings for authentic Mexican tacos, but she wanted something not as formal as a restaurant or a bakery, she was looking for the experience where a taquero is prepping the food in front of you, like in the taquerias in Mexico.

Thankfully the always reliable Google Maps helped us and we got to this hidden jewel.

The whole operation is run by 3 guys: cashier/waiter and 2 cooks/taqueros The place is small, in fact, it is the same location where Roselle Park Deli used to be (BTW we still miss your food George)

The service was efficient and the tacos we ordered came out great. One of the taqueros even engaged in a conversation with my 6 year old and did a quick walkthrough on the taco making process 😃

We ordered tacos al pastor (which my 9 year old finished quickly), tacos árabes (Arab style tacos, pork meat cooked like gyro style in a flour tortilla), bistek tacos (chopped beef steak) and cecina tacos (sun dry salted beef steak)

Next time I will avoid the cecina because the meat was too salty.

Before our food came the waiter brought us fresh tortilla chips (the salsas were already on the table). The mild one is the red one, the green one is a little bit more spicy but the orange one is the spiciest of all three.

They have Mexican sodas, fruit juices and bottled water. One thing that got my attention was the fact that they have 2 litter soda bottles, which means that they can give you cups if you order one of these.

In summary, the food was great, nothing fancy but pure street style tacos (comfort food). According to their menu they follow the state of Puebla style, hence the Arab tacos, because the Arab community is big in the state of Puebla.

The prices are really affordable and the portions are enough to satisfy your cravings and your hunger. I will definitely become a regular customer and will recommend the place to my friends who would like to try authentic Mexican tacos...

10/10 according to a Mexican! The owner was very welcoming offering us the various meats and giving us time to decide what to order as this was our first time visiting. There was no loud music which is always a plus as majority of sit- down Mexican restaurants can be a noisy atmosphere. Review on the food itself : each taco consisted of two corn tortillas, lots of fresh meat and cilantro, onion, lime and cucumber, avocado slices on the side. There were three fresh- made salsas ( aka hot sauce) that varied in terms of spiciness and flavor too. I had the carne asada ( thin beef steak) and enjoyed the flavor which was definitely what I’ve had when in my motherland of Mexico. The meat was cooked on the grill when I arrived which helped me feel better about the freshness and I didn’t need to worry that it had been left sitting out for hours. We also had horchata which was also great and homemade. It didn’t taste like it was made from powder which some restaurants found to be cost effective! This horchata ( cold cinnamon rice drink) was not too sweet and it hit perfectly combined with the spicy tacos that I ordered. Best way to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I will buy again! Buen provecho. Bendiciones...