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Where to Toast to Taco Tuesday in New York City

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The work week is young, but wow, do you need a drink. Or several. And why not add some cheese and cream-covered carbs into the mix? There’s a reason Taco Tuesday exists — it’s necessary. Before you let the Tuesday blues set in, make plans to relax with margaritas, tacos, and maybe a few gratuitous tequila shots to make the rest of the week feel bearable. When cravings for tacos and Cazadores Tequila call, on a Tuesday or any other time, here’s where to indulge.

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Viva Toro

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This unpretentious Williamsburg restaurant is outfitted in deep wood tables and chairs imported from Mexico, to transport taco lovers south of the border. The mechanical bull in this former warehouse space may be the pre-dinner lure, but stay for the tacos and pair them with frozen margaritas or sangritas, with a rainbow’s worth of flavors to add. Order up a Don Pepito, made with Tequila Cazadores, ginger liqueur, triple sec, and lime juice.

Four unique agave-tasting flights and 10 types of margaritas ensure that you won’t leave El Vez without expanding your tequila knowledge. And a few tacos on the side help sop up all the spirits so you can keep drinking. Roasted brussels sprouts with cashew crema, pork belly carnitas, and grilled or fried fish are just a few of the fillings the tortillas can embrace.

Amie Watson

Añejo Tribeca

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A good night in Tribeca (or Hell’s Kitchen, there are two locations) ends with a margarita at Añejo’s bar or sidewalk cafe, made with just the right proportions of citrus, Cointreau, tequila, and a dash of agave for subtle sweetness. Those looking for a riff on the traditional lime-based drink can also indulge in the spicier version shaken with Tapatio, reposado, grenadine, fresh lime, and spiced salt on the rim — not to outshine an order of short rib tacos with chipotle crema.

Courtesy of Añejo

Barrio Chino

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Mexican-Chinese fusion isn’t quite a novelty in New York City — a handful of restaurants have mastered the fried rice-taco combo platter — but Barrio Chino has excelled at melding the two cuisines. Citrus-rubbed grilled tilapia, sauteed shrimp with chipotle-almond salsa, and squid in a chile arbol sauce come blanketed in tortillas, served on the colorful plastic plate ubiquitous to Chinatown. Made-to-order margaritas range in flavor from fresh grapefruit or lime to watermelon, tamarind, elderflower, and hibiscus. Drinking your way through the entire menu, especially when platos fuertes await, is more than tempting.

La Esquina

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Calling this trendy taqueria Manhattan’s favorite taco spot wouldn’t be an exaggeration — crowds are so encapsulated with La Esquina (which means, “The Corner”) that the small restaurant has opened two uptown offshoots. At the flagship, you can choose from elevated tacos like rib eye with queso, rotisserie chicken with salsa verde, and garlic butter-coated shrimp served with bacon, lettuce, and pico de gallo, to eat on the bustling sidewalk cafe or inside the humble diner.

Courtesy of La Esquina

Caliente Cab

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Beloved (or otherwise) in the neighborhood for the iconic oversized margarita statue tipping out of the exposed brick walls, a Taco Tuesday at Caliente is a bucket list item for any New Yorker. Nights often start here at the interactive salsero station where guests customize guacamole smashed in a molcajete and progress to tacos filled with the traditional fillings and some more new-school options, like crispy panko-crusted cauliflower.

Courtesy of Caliente Cab

Dos Caminos

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It’s easy to spend an entire night at Dos Caminos, munching on guacamole from a molcajete, topped with chapulines (Oaxacan grasshoppers) if you’re craving some protein. Tacos are served on handmade corn tortillas or over grains and greens for those cutting carbs, and a slew of margaritas (or beers topped with frozen marg) flow all night. The frozen prickly pear cactus margarita offers a hint of sweetness to pair with the attractively hot pink color, while the grilled grapefruit version offers just the right amount of citrus-induced pucker.

jmm

Lucy's Cantina Royale

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If you’re looking to fit in Taco Tuesday before traveling through Penn Station or catching a game at Madison Square Garden, Lucy’s is an unexpected midtown after-work destination. In warm weather, happy hour ($7 frozen margaritas from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.) brings hoards to the open-air rooftop, which offers city views above the 34th Street chaos. Follow drinks with tacos de alambre, served sizzling on an iron platter, or the beloved taco taco — a riff on the Americanized hard shell taco stuffed with ground beef, cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, and diced tomato, all glued together with a sour cream-laced flour tortilla. Trust us, it sounds even better after a few skinny margaritas: they’re made with Tequila Cazadores, acai liqueur, agave nectar, and fresh lime juice.

Courtesy of Lucy’s Cantina Royale

Sinigual

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Mexican comfort food is seared on a wood-fired mesquite grill at this cozy restaurant where sizzling fajita platters offer a DIY taco-ish option. Given the neighborhood, Murray Hill, know that Sinigual isn’t shy about encouraging margarita imbibers, as evidenced by the 21-ounce El Dueño, served in a chalice otherwise reserved for margarita royalty. For a smaller-sized marg that’s still big in flavor, order the grilled pineapple margarita, made with Tequila Cazadores Reposado, fresh grilled pineapple, and jalapeño, served with a chile piquin rim.

Iguana New York

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This tri-level restaurant and club is a go-to in Times Square for Mexican food and drinks, as well as music and dancing. Stay seated for grilled chicken, steak, fish, shrimp, or veggie tacos, all drizzled with chile con queso, then choose from one of nearly 30 flavors of margarita and head upstairs to work up an appetite for round two.

Courtesy of Iguana New York
This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and our sponsor, without involvement from Vox Media editorial staff.

Viva Toro

This unpretentious Williamsburg restaurant is outfitted in deep wood tables and chairs imported from Mexico, to transport taco lovers south of the border. The mechanical bull in this former warehouse space may be the pre-dinner lure, but stay for the tacos and pair them with frozen margaritas or sangritas, with a rainbow’s worth of flavors to add. Order up a Don Pepito, made with Tequila Cazadores, ginger liqueur, triple sec, and lime juice.

El Vez

Four unique agave-tasting flights and 10 types of margaritas ensure that you won’t leave El Vez without expanding your tequila knowledge. And a few tacos on the side help sop up all the spirits so you can keep drinking. Roasted brussels sprouts with cashew crema, pork belly carnitas, and grilled or fried fish are just a few of the fillings the tortillas can embrace.

Amie Watson

Añejo Tribeca

A good night in Tribeca (or Hell’s Kitchen, there are two locations) ends with a margarita at Añejo’s bar or sidewalk cafe, made with just the right proportions of citrus, Cointreau, tequila, and a dash of agave for subtle sweetness. Those looking for a riff on the traditional lime-based drink can also indulge in the spicier version shaken with Tapatio, reposado, grenadine, fresh lime, and spiced salt on the rim — not to outshine an order of short rib tacos with chipotle crema.

Courtesy of Añejo

Barrio Chino

Mexican-Chinese fusion isn’t quite a novelty in New York City — a handful of restaurants have mastered the fried rice-taco combo platter — but Barrio Chino has excelled at melding the two cuisines. Citrus-rubbed grilled tilapia, sauteed shrimp with chipotle-almond salsa, and squid in a chile arbol sauce come blanketed in tortillas, served on the colorful plastic plate ubiquitous to Chinatown. Made-to-order margaritas range in flavor from fresh grapefruit or lime to watermelon, tamarind, elderflower, and hibiscus. Drinking your way through the entire menu, especially when platos fuertes await, is more than tempting.

La Esquina

Calling this trendy taqueria Manhattan’s favorite taco spot wouldn’t be an exaggeration — crowds are so encapsulated with La Esquina (which means, “The Corner”) that the small restaurant has opened two uptown offshoots. At the flagship, you can choose from elevated tacos like rib eye with queso, rotisserie chicken with salsa verde, and garlic butter-coated shrimp served with bacon, lettuce, and pico de gallo, to eat on the bustling sidewalk cafe or inside the humble diner.

Courtesy of La Esquina

Caliente Cab

Beloved (or otherwise) in the neighborhood for the iconic oversized margarita statue tipping out of the exposed brick walls, a Taco Tuesday at Caliente is a bucket list item for any New Yorker. Nights often start here at the interactive salsero station where guests customize guacamole smashed in a molcajete and progress to tacos filled with the traditional fillings and some more new-school options, like crispy panko-crusted cauliflower.

Courtesy of Caliente Cab

Dos Caminos

It’s easy to spend an entire night at Dos Caminos, munching on guacamole from a molcajete, topped with chapulines (Oaxacan grasshoppers) if you’re craving some protein. Tacos are served on handmade corn tortillas or over grains and greens for those cutting carbs, and a slew of margaritas (or beers topped with frozen marg) flow all night. The frozen prickly pear cactus margarita offers a hint of sweetness to pair with the attractively hot pink color, while the grilled grapefruit version offers just the right amount of citrus-induced pucker.

jmm

Lucy's Cantina Royale

If you’re looking to fit in Taco Tuesday before traveling through Penn Station or catching a game at Madison Square Garden, Lucy’s is an unexpected midtown after-work destination. In warm weather, happy hour ($7 frozen margaritas from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.) brings hoards to the open-air rooftop, which offers city views above the 34th Street chaos. Follow drinks with tacos de alambre, served sizzling on an iron platter, or the beloved taco taco — a riff on the Americanized hard shell taco stuffed with ground beef, cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, and diced tomato, all glued together with a sour cream-laced flour tortilla. Trust us, it sounds even better after a few skinny margaritas: they’re made with Tequila Cazadores, acai liqueur, agave nectar, and fresh lime juice.

Courtesy of Lucy’s Cantina Royale

Sinigual

Mexican comfort food is seared on a wood-fired mesquite grill at this cozy restaurant where sizzling fajita platters offer a DIY taco-ish option. Given the neighborhood, Murray Hill, know that Sinigual isn’t shy about encouraging margarita imbibers, as evidenced by the 21-ounce El Dueño, served in a chalice otherwise reserved for margarita royalty. For a smaller-sized marg that’s still big in flavor, order the grilled pineapple margarita, made with Tequila Cazadores Reposado, fresh grilled pineapple, and jalapeño, served with a chile piquin rim.

Iguana New York

This tri-level restaurant and club is a go-to in Times Square for Mexican food and drinks, as well as music and dancing. Stay seated for grilled chicken, steak, fish, shrimp, or veggie tacos, all drizzled with chile con queso, then choose from one of nearly 30 flavors of margarita and head upstairs to work up an appetite for round two.

Courtesy of Iguana New York

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