Best Tacos Near Campus

There are days in the Have when I feel a deep, unfillable hole in my heart. And I can only fill this void with salsa dripping down my hands, chowing down a spicy, juicy, carne-asada-filled taco can fill. After nearly three semesters of yearning, I finally set out to find New Haven’s best taco. Before I begin my review, it’s important that I clarify my qualifications. First, I’m from California. The streets say it’s the second-best place in the world to get a taco, behind only Mexico itself. Second, and more importantly, I’m a Mexican-American who was born and raised in Los Angeles. There’s almost no person more perfect for the job. 

Because it’s been a busy week (when is it not), I had to limit my search to places within walking distance of Yale. I managed to hit the three I’ve heard the most about: Geronimo’s, Tacos Los Gordos, and La Cochera. Little did I know, I was in for quite the treat. 

I sat down at Geronimo’s with boatloads of excitement and high hopes. I began my meal with  customary chips and their Habanero Tableside Salsa, only to be shocked by the complete lack of spice. The habanero was nowhere to be found. Disappointed, but still hopeful, I ordered their Mexican Street Corn. It tasted like canned corn topped with a vaguely-chipotle-mayo-like flavored substance that tasted nothing like actual “Mexican Street Corn” (equites). Although dissatisfied, I was determined to keep an open mind about what I was there for – the tacos. I was hoping to try a few different meats to get a good gauge of what they had to offer but they only allow you to order tacos in sets of three, all with the same meat. Out of curiosity, I also ordered the newest addition to their menu, the Navajo Taco (with chicken tinga). The asada tacos came first and honestly, I have to give credit where it’s due: The asada was juicy and flavorful. The meat in the tacos was more like small steak pieces than shredded meat, which is how I prefer it (as opposed to softer and diced). Unfortunately, that’s about where the good ends. The taco was topped with pico de gallo and sour cream– no other salsa, no cilantro, no rábano (radish), no cebolla (onion), and to top it all off, a flavorless tortilla. Not awful, but only good if you’ve never had a real taco in your life or if you hate flavor. The Navajo Taco had the weakest and least flavorful chicken tinga I’ve ever had in my life. It was lazily topped with lettuce that offered no aide in flavor. What was most frustrating about my experience here was that it was hard not to notice that the menu borrows from both Mexican and Native cuisines but feels less like a thoughtful fusion and more like a surface-level imitation of both. 

After such a disheartening experience, I was afraid I’d come away from my journey disappointed, but Tacos Los Gordos saved the day. I spoke a bit with the owner, Edgar Marcial (a fellow Californian), who left his career in fine dining to make tacos that brought him closer to home and brought a piece of that home to the East Coast for others missing a proper taco. He told me that opening an authentic taco shop in Connecticut had been  a scary endeavor because most people on the East Coast are used to tacos loaded with lettuce and sour cream. There were times, he said, when customers came into his shop demanding exactly that. But he has stayed committed to tradition and so far, that commitment has paid off! Here, I ordered asada tacos and an asada burrito. The meat was tender and tasty and a lot softer than the meat at Geronimo’s. Marcial also explained that he has more than twelve sauces, each carefully paired with different meats to complement their flavor profiles. My only complaint about them was that there wasn’t more of each sauce on my taco! The carne asada tacos were paired with a refreshing tangy tomato based salsa and a dollop of a creamy avocado sauce. The tortillas are a homemade masa recipe that uses 100% heirloom organic corn, milled in house. While all these factors come together to make wonderful crafted tacos, they still didn’t quite feel like the ones from back home.  

Enter La Cochera. La Cochera is Marcial’s newest location inspired by late night street taquerias found in Mexico and California. Open until 3 a.m., they serve two-bite tacos on tortillas smaller than their main location but made from the same delicious recipe. Best of all there was a full spread of toppings available for you to customize your taco. Salsa roja, verde, taquero, cilantro, lime, and rábano. Since I finally had the chance to mix-and-match, I ordered an al pastor taco, asada taco, and a chicken taco. Every meat was flavorful and soft and even though I can’t masterfully pair sauces with meat, each bite brought me right back home. Everything from the layout of the shop – it’s toppings bar, tight space, loud music, quick service, metal containers full of meat and toppings, the line spilling out the door, and the tiny bit of seating attached the wall – almost perfectly captured the feeling of the the taquerias I’ve spent my life going to. 

Turns out, New Haven does have some tacos worth eating, and I’m sure Marcial’s restaurants are only a few of many. As for my final verdict, based on what I’ve tried, I can confidently say that La Cochera has the best tacos in New Haven. Not only are its ingredients high quality and flavorful, but Marcial’s commitment to tradition made the meal feel especially authentic. The thoughtfulness of the space itself, from the teal tiling plastering the walls to the neon lights, made the experience of eating there something worth craving and brought me a little closer to home. If you’re looking for authenticity and a delicious taco, La Cochera is the place to go.