Almost everything at this Greenpoint taqueria is modeled after Mexico City’s legendary eateries, complete with plastic plates and a comal custom-made in CDMX. Their tacos range from shredded suadero and al pastor, to longaniza with orange porky juices. The tripa (our favorite) is stuffed with blowtorched cow’s stomach lining, but some bites are so creamy, we’d swear there’s bone marrow in there. This taqueria barely has room to stand in, so snag a spot on a bench outside or eat on the sidewalk.

Across from Corona Plaza, in the shadow of the 7 train tracks, there’s a street cart selling tlayudas wider than a steering wheel. We’re talking a crisp layer of freshly griddled masa, topped with cheese, beans, shredded lettuce, and your choice of meat. The correct choice is the combo with crumbles of chorizo, cecina that tastes like the salty essence of beef, and planks of both carne enchilada and carne asada. Grab a quesadilla and huarache as well.

Everything at Ensenada is good, and we don’t make that statement lightly. This beachy seafood spot in Williamsburg makes buttery tuna tostadas, saucy shrimp tacos, and three types of aguachile, and they have a daily Happy Hour from 5:30-7pm, when you can drink $10 margaritas and $5 tiny pescaditos fritos with chipotle aioli. But once Happy Hour ends, the real party starts, when the pescado del dia “al pastor” lands on your table.

This Tijuana-style spot is a New York City landmark, like the Statue of Liberty, except it’s a truck under the subway track in Jackson Heights. Birria-Landia now has locations in Williamsburg, LES, and the Bronx, and they still make the city’s best birria. Everything on the menu (tacos, mulitas, tostadas, and consomé) is bolstered by tangy, mildly spicy stew. Take your crunchy-soft tortilla filled with beef and dip it in some consomé. The word delicious seems somehow inadequate.

Carnitas Ramirez—the carnitas-only East Village sequel to Taqueria Ramirez—is an education in just how many different, pleasurable textures can be derived from one animal. The pig reigns supreme at this pea-green counter-service spot: from creamy brain stuffed inside a fried tortilla shell, to snout that could pass off as pork custard. There are 10 cuts, available individually as tacos, or all together in the must-order surtida taco.

For a food truck that sees the most action after midnight, El Jalapeño doesn’t need to be as good as it is. You can’t go wrong with any order, but the spicy pork burrito is our favorite. Ask for yours extra spicy, and they’ll throw in a mix of jalapeño, green peppers, and sichuan peppers, resulting in a tortilla dripping with chili oil and pork fat. If you want something a little less intense, their shredded chicken flautas are by far the best in the area.

We love all the seafood at this restaurant in Jackson Heights, but a meal here is incomplete without an order of Submarino ceviche. This massive bowl of jalapeño-covered prawns, fresh white fish, and tender octopus will mentally transport you to a chill beachside seafood shack in Puerto Escondido, when in fact you’re in a space that has the look of a fluorescent lunch counter with cartoons on the walls.

Filled with jet black accents and dim spotlights above each table, this upscale Flatiron restaurant works best for special occasions. Cosme serves things like a tlayuda covered in mushrooms, and a plate of lobster prepared al pastor-style. If you get just one thing, make it the duck carnitas, a massive, juicy roast duck paired with warm tortillas. Share this feast with a few friends the next time you earn a degree, have a birthday, or decide to spend the rest of your life with someone.

You should, of course, order the al pastor tacos at Taqueria Al Pastor, a counter-service spot in Bushwick with a couple of stools but no tables. They come piled with strips of crispy pork and cubes of pineapple. But the carne asada taco is even better. The chunks of garlicky beef are stuffed into sturdy, pleasantly chewy house-made corn tortillas with spicy guac. On one occasion they ran out of corn tortillas, and made our tacos with flour ones. The result? An equally outstanding handheld meal.

For All Things Good runs on masa, but you won’t find any tacos at this minimalist Bed-Stuy spot that looks like a coffee shop. The focus here is on Oaxacan dishes, like giant memelas topped with avocado and a fried egg, tetelas filled with everything from hibiscus flower to black bean, and tlayudas covered in a ridiculous amount of mushrooms. They make some of the best tortillas we’ve had anywhere in NYC, and you can get a package of these colorful heirloom corn creations to go.