There’s an embarrassment of juicy, meaty, glorious taco riches happening in North Brooklyn right now, led by the great Taqueria Ramirez, of course, but joined last week by a worthy contender to whatever taco crown you happen to be bestowing, the excellent new Taqueria El Chato.
Chris Reyes and chef Gerardo Alcaraz are running the show here — they also operate Aldama, which they’re about to transform into a more cocktail-forward nightlife scene, and the nearby party place Ponyboy — and already El Chato is drawing crowds to this tiny storefront on Manhattan Avenue. There were lines down the block on opening day, a nonstop bustle in the middle of the afternoon when I went on a weekday, and a lively late(ish) night crowd.
And rightly so! The tacos at El Chato are awesome. The tortillas are made fresh on site, with Masienda corn nixtamalized overnight and pressed into firm, chewy discs throughout the day. Chef Alcarez makes all the salsas as well, of course. The jalapeños are flame-charred, and the onions that top each beast are diced fine and lightly pickled.
Lengua taco, $5.99; suadero taco, $5 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
But really, the meat’s the thing that elevates El Chato’s taco game here. Alcarez, who hails originally from Guanajuato and used to own a taco stand in Leon, channels his central Mexican heritage with a full lineup of funky, full-on bangers.
There’s a terrific suadero, a chunky cut of beef similar to flank steak and popular in Mexico City, that burbles away in El Chato’s choricera. The tripa is cooked to a lovely crisp, the slabs of lengua are as tender and rich as you would hope, the trompo (a.k.a. al pastor) comes loaded with pineapple, and the ground chorizo really packs a wallop. I had the latter done up vampiro style, where the tortilla is fried to crisp and blanketed with gooey cheese, and it was fantastic.
Chorizo vampiro, $6; carne asada quesadilla, $6.99; trompo taco, $5 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
You can also get anything on the taco menu turned into a quesadilla, which just means your meat is folded into a griddled flour tortilla with a layer of cheese. This is how I ordered my well-seasoned carne asada and it was one the best things I’ve eaten all year. Just pure, delicious, gloppy heaven.
Beverages at El Chato include a few housemade agua frescas, a couple of sodas, cerveza and micheladas. Seating is limited to about a dozen stools set before narrow counters — much of the small space is given over to the kitchen — but that’s ok, not everything has to be a leisurely hang.
“A taqueria has to be very, very fast,” Reyes tells Brooklyn Magazine. “We didn’t seek a full liquor license because I didn’t want people to linger. You come here, have some tacos, drink a beer or a horchata, and be on your way.” I plan on following those exact instructions as many times as possible this fall.
Have a seat at the counter (but not for too long) (Photo by Scott Lynch)
Taqueria El Chato is located at 620 Manhattan Avenue, just south of Nassau Avenue, and is currently open on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1 to 10 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 1 to 11.
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