Finding a real, authentic food of any cuisine can be a challenge. No matter how “authentic” a place might look or say, most of them are somewhat Americanized version of the authentic food. When you find an authentic place, a lot of the time, it can be a small, hole in a wall kind of place, where they don’t really speak English. During my search for authentic Mexican food, I found this place called Taqueria San Pedro. It is a kind of place I normally don’t walk into, but then again, it is the kind of “hidden gem” kind of place where they might have really good, authentic food. So, we decided to give them a try. When we walked in, it was really a small spot, with just few tables. But, I also heard that they have recently done some renovation, and expanded the space a bit.
To the left of the cashier counter by the door, there was another room with more tables and chairs, and a nice size bar that was not really being used, rather, it was more of a storage space. They had interesting wall murals, with all characters having some kind of weapons. It seems like the mural is still work in progress.
So, we sat down in this dining area, and looked over the menu. Even though the menu had ample amount of offerings, we didn’t really know what to order. I wish if they had more pictures on the menu, so that we know what they look like… While we looked over the menu, they brought us some chips and very small amount of salsa. They were ok, nothing special.
We started off with some drinks. We wanted something sweet, so we decided to order some of their milkshakes. I oedered Mango, but the waitress said that they don’t have any mango (I assume they ran out of it, since they have it on their menu). So, we ordered Fresa (Strawberry) and Platano (Banana) Milkshakes ($3.50/each). The strawberry one was nice and sweet, but not overly sweet. Rich and thick, very filling.
The banana one was really good too, strong banana flavor, rich and thick. They were both very good shakes, sweet and velvety, filling.
As for food, we decided to go with tacos, the safest items on the menu. I ordered three tacos, Bistec, Chorizo, and Carnitas ($2.50/each). All the tacos had guacamole on top, which was interesting. They had two tortillas for each, ensuring that they will not fall apart (easily) with two layers.
The Chorizo, Mexican sausage, was pretty good, I liked their Chorizo tacos better than the one I had at another Mexican restaurant (http://www.foodlovergirl.com/las-palmas-restaurant/). This one was flavorful, not burned, and the sausage was tender and juicy.
The Bistec, beefsteak, and Carnitas, fried pork were also good. The meats were tender and tasty. But, the beef had more flavor than the pork though. The pork was the most simple one of all three, and the least flavorful.
We also ordered Pastor, Chorizo, and Bistec ($2.50/each).
The Pastor, roast pork, was very flavorful, much more so than the fried pork. It had nice kick to it, juicy and tasty.
While the tacos and milkshakes were good, the service was not so much. We didn’t even get a glass of water, but maybe we had to ask for it. But since we had our own water that we brought, we didn’t bother asking. I don’t think they came to ask if everything was ok, not even once, but this is not that kind of restaurant here, it seemed. It is more of a quick bite or to-go order kind of place. But, that also makes you feel not very welcomed. I always appreciate warm service at a restaurant or any eatery place. I don’t think I will go back, but it was a good to experience an authentic joint.
Taqueria San Pedro – 3662 Broadway, New York, NY 10031