Victoria Marie Moyeno 
All around Northern New Jersey, residents can find restaurants boasting cuisines from every culture. Cities like Hoboken and Jersey City are no different. As a testament to our diverse identity, the local area provides over 15 eateries serving authentic Mexican dishes and drinks, as well as two new spots coming soon. Read on for the list of authentic Mexican restaurants in Hoboken and Jersey City.
Hoboken
Baja Mexican Cuisine | 104 14th Street
A traditional Tex-Mex destination since 1987, Baja Mexican has no shortage of savory dishes. Some of Baja’s best-sellers are chile con queso with chips, the fajita salad, the Burrito Texano, fresh guacamole with chips, and the grilled skirt steak quesadilla. Other delicious options include the ceviche, caldo de Camarones, the caldo xo-chili, and a whopping eleven options of quesadillas. Vegetarians have at least ten dishes on the menu to choose from, including enchiladas de espinaca, chimichangas and vegetables, fajitas, tacos, and burritos.
Read More: Best Spots For a Margarita in Hoboken + Jersey City
Jersey City
La Brujeria | 200 Summit Avenue
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Roberto Islas has been a resident of Jersey City for over 22 years and has worked in the Jersey City culinary scene his entire career. Roberto and Chef Santos Xochiua worked collaboratively to create a very authentic menu, staying true to real, original Mexican flavors that they feel a lot of places in the area don’t always stay true to. Plus, everything on their menu has some “Brujeria” in it, of course. The menu features items like birria, carnitas, chorizo, flautas, and tostadas, among other dishes.
La Milpa Taqueria | 45 Franklin Street
La Milpa Taqueria, a project from Chef Jamie Ramirez, the head chef and owner of BYOB spot The Franklin, exclusively serves tacos, tortas, flautas, and quesadillas, which come with the option of steak, chicken, chorizo, fish, cheese filling, and more. The spot also serves vegetarian options, and other dishes are available to share, such as nachos and Elotes Callejeros, a type of Mexican street corn. Diners can pair their meals with an agua fresca.
Los Cuernos | 499 Washington Boulevard
The owners of Taqueria Downtown and Taqueria Downtown Catering Co. decided to take their expertise to the next level by opening this upscale, massive Mexican restaurant a few years back. Customers can find all the Taqueria Downtown favorites featured in this spot plus other dishes like Cecina (a salted flank steak with chilaquiles), picadillo (ground beef simmered with peas and potatoes), and seafood options including red snapper with grilled tomatoes, bell peppers, capers, olives, and onions, or a garlic grilled shrimp dish over Mexican rice.
El Gallo De Oro | 360 Ocean Avenue
For old-fashioned, delicious tacos with no extra twist, this is the spot. The tacos are generously packed with meat, and the prices are modest. Other dishes to consider are the enchiladas verde de pollo, carnitas soft tacos, and the taco salad with chicken. The guacamole and chips are homemade with fresh ingredients. Don’t forget to ask for the spicy sauce.
Los Tres Chilitos | 456 Central Avenue
This popular restaurant is known for Mexican comfort food, large portions, and low prices. Some of the popular menu items are the chicken gorditas with chipotle sauce, pollo flautas, and pollo enchiladas. Another fun treat is Las Enfrioladas, diner’s choice of meat dipped in black bean sauce and stuffed in corn tortillas, which are topped with cream, Oaxaca cheese, avocado, and pico de Gallo. This also comes in a vegetarian option.
Mezcal Kitchen | 665 Newark Avenue
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With choices like Mexican-style corn on the cob, quesadillas, tacos, molcajetes, tostadas, burritos, and enchiladas, this is a go-to for Mexican fare. Try the carne asada tacos, fish tacos, or the pollo burrito. Other dishes that are sure to be a hit are the flautas (four crispy rolled tacos topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sour cream, and cheese with rice + beans), as well as the mole enchiladas (three stuffed tortillas topped with cream, queso fresco, onions, radish, cilantro, avocado, and mole sauce with rice and beans).
Mi Mariachi Taqueria | 213 Sip Avenue
Mi Mariachi Taqueria serves classics like burritos, enchiladas, chilaquiles, and 11 other taco options. Some of the taco options include classics like carnitas, al pastor, carne asada, and others like barbacoa de chivo (pulled goat), lengua (tongue), and campechano (a hearty taco). Try the shrimp fajita, Mexican sausage huarache, or one of the Mexican breakfast platters like the huevos rancheros.
Molcajetes Mexican Restaurant | 520 West Side Avenue
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This spot has nine quesadilla options, including quesadilla con barbacoa de res (steamed beef with cheese on a homemade tortilla) and quesadilla con hongos (mushroom and cheese on a homemade tortilla). There are also twelve burrito options, including carnitas and basa fish options. Some of the main dishes include steak over salad and grilled basa fish with rice and beans.
My Mexico | 720 West Side Avenue
Some of the sought-after menu items at My Mexico are the steak tacos, tinga nachos, carnitas tacos, and the camarones burrito. For refreshments, My Mexico serves traditional Mexican drinks like horchata (rice water) and tamarindo (tamarind). Choices of shakes include platano con chocolate (banana + chocolate with milk), banana + papaya, and strawberry, among other options.
Orale Mexican Kitchen | 341 Grove Street, Jersey City
Orale’s epic decor is just as popular as its dishes. The restaurants serve a range of options from hearty dinners to delicious brunches to quick bites. With a large cocktail lounge boasting the authentic Mexican experience, serving signature cocktails full of flavor and with a fiery bite, Orale quickly became a fan favorite after it opened in 2013. Orale has outdoor seating in Hoboken and Jersey City, in addition to the spacious dining rooms.
Pico Taco | 418 Baldwin Avenue
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The cooking at Pico Taco is similar to Greek gyros — slices of marinated meats are stacked tightly on a long skewer and cooked under a broiler. Some of the popular menu options are birria de res tacos, fish tacos, and huevos rancheros, among other items like Mexican sodas and aguas frescas.
Sol Azteca Restaurant | 328 Montgomery Street
With an emphasis on fresh salads, there are plenty of options for vegetarians. Some of the salads include the Kitchen Cafe Salad (mesculin, romaine mix with marinated shredded carrots, cucumbers, cabbages, tomato, avocado, with chicken, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, balsamic vinaigrette) and Spanish Portobello mushroom salad (spinach, portobello mushroom, tomato, cucumbers, marinated shredded carrots, cabbages, smoked Gouda cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette to complement the protein). Some of the tacos include the grilled cactus, grilled veggies, chipotle chicken, and beef tongue.
Tacos Victoria | 324 1/2 7th Street
Known for authenticity, this Mexican restaurant is a hidden gem. Some of the popular menu items are the chicken, steak, shrimp, and al pastor tacos, carne asada burrito, chicken flautas, and tamales. Other unique menu items include lamb tacos, Cajun steak tacos, beef tongue tacos, a tilapia burrito, a fried pork bowl, and Mexican sausage chilaquiles.
Taqueria Downtown | 236 Grove Street + 354 Grove Street
This Mexican spot is best known for carnitas, steak, and chorizo tacos, strong margaritas, and homemade guacamole. Other tasty options include soup, chicken tamales, and chicken flautas. This spot is perfect for a date night indoors or on its hidden patio.
Viva Mexico | 328 Montgomery Street
With its endless breakfast options like its Azteca omelet and huevos rancheros, this spot makes for a great morning rendezvous with fellow friends. The menu also includes flautas, burritos, tortas, soups, huaraches, and 18 different tacos, among many other dishes. For dessert, locals can try sweet treats like the papaya milkshake and horchata.
See More: After 15 Years of Vacancy, 2 Erie Street Welcomes Mexican Restaurant Oso Felipe
Bonus
Los Tacos | 57 Newark Street, Hoboken
57 Newark Street might become Los Tacos’ new location. After a fire broke out in this building in 2017, which formerly housed residents and a hot dog shop (Papaya Dog), it was demolished, leaving the space vacant. Since then, the space has been revamped and reconstructed to become a residential space with retail spaces on the street level. On March 26th, a reader spotted a construction permit notice signed by Russell Basile, the owner of beloved Hoboken + Jersey City pizza business, Basile’s Pizza. Written in the permit description was “taco restaurant as per plan,” according to a source close to the owner of the building.
Meximodo | 25 Christopher Columbus Drive, Jersey City
Photo Credit: Celano Design Studio
The popular New Jersey-based Mexican restaurant, Meximodo, is opening its second location this spring. Given the Guinness World Records title for the biggest selection of agave spirits back in July 2024, this spot will serve an expansive agave list and cocktail menu, which includes seven kinds of agave flights, over 1,000 different tequilas, a variety of over 250 mezcals, and much more. The restaurant’s food menu will feature classic dishes like the Pollo al Pastor Tacos, made with grilled chicken al adobo, avo-crema, pineapple, white onion, and cilantro and served in a corn tortilla; and bold fusion dishes like the Chipotle Alfredo Rigatoni, which comes with rezzi rigatoni, chipotle alfredo, white onion, cilantro, queso fresco, roasted corn, and white truffle oil.
