Tacombi, the most colourful taquería in Manhattan, has set out to prove that Mexican food can be light, fresh and incredibly diverse. And judging by the perpetual party atmosphere that radiates from inside this restaurant, they seem to be achieving their goal.
05 February, 2015
The
taquería was born out of a desire to break true Mexican
cooking out of its home country. And what dish better defines
Mexican eating culture than the taco, that staple handheld snack
that lines every street, beach and market in the Yucatán? With this
philosophy in mind, Dario Wolos, the founder of Tacombi, employed a
small army of Mexican food worshippers and drove his trusty food
truck from Mexico all the way to New York’s Lower East Side, where
his dream crystalised in 2010.
It’s hard to pass by the place without catching the scent of the
festivities that bubble away inside. Anchored in a warehouse in
Manhattan’s Nolita neighbourhood, the original truck that once
traversed the shores of Yucatán serving fresh tacos on the beach
before it made its way to Manhattan, is still a centre point of the
restaurant. “The van is the heartbeat of the room,” General Manager
Luis Berenbau tells us, “it was the beginning of it all!”
The open plan space is vibrantly festooned with strings of
lights and multicoloured murals. It was easy to forget, as we
watered ourselves with Margaritas, that we were in the midst of a
polar vortex and not at some afternoon party on a Mexican beach.
And that is the spirit of Tacombi, to transport its visitors onto
the balmy shorelines of Mexico where it all began.
The van is the heartbeat of the room
Their taco flavours are big, bold and bright, whipped up by head
chef Oscar Hernandez, who previously worked for Myriad restaurant
group (of Nobu fame). There is corn and poblano pepper, chicken and
dark mole sauce, and pork belly topped with radish and chicharrón,
to name a few. Over 85,000 of the house favourite – a crispy fish
taco lightly battered and served with chipotle mayonnaise and
pickled cabbage – are sold a year. Outside of taco territory, the
rest of the menu is pretty perfect, too. The ceviche is piled with
fresh market fish drenched in lime and served on a soft flour
tortilla, and the barbacoa is equally delicious, prepared using
imported Mexican cola.
‘The main focus is to bring in as many original products from
Mexico as possible.” Oscar says, ‘That way we can deliver the
truest flavours of the country in every dish.”
Oscar and Luis share a palpable passion for what they are doing.
Both are animated speakers leaving little room for breath, taking
us up and down the musical notes of the Tacombi story. We pulled up
a stool and more tacos than were necessary, listening as they sung
praises of Mexico, 9AM pork belly and why the taco is taking
over.
