NYC’s Rapidly Expanding Birria Craze Continues With New East Village Taqueria

The East Village’s speakeasy-style taqueria Borrachito gets its own street-facing restaurant today

Hidden in a small room in the back of East Village cocktail bar the Garret East, Borrachito used to be a neighborhood secret. But starting this afternoon, the speakeasy-style taqueria will level up with a more prominent, street-facing restaurant, located at 206 Avenue A, near East 13th Street. At the new spot, diners can order tacos from a walk-up window, with chicharron carnitas, short rib tacos, and chicken thigh al pastor on deck. The full menu also includes alcoholic paletas and a selection of cocktails from the Garret East, though diners can also opt to wash down tacos with a Mexican Coke, tamarind Jarritos, or watermelon agua fresca.

Notably, the new East Village taqueria also offers a new spin on birria, the stewed meat that’s long-captivated Los Angeles and San Francisco and recently started to make its way to New York City. Compelling versions of the dish have been served up in Jackson Heights and Long Island City, but Borrachito is the first taqueria to bring them to the East Village. Eater is still waiting on a version of the dish prepared with slow-cooked goat, rather than beef, as is popular in Jalisco, but the version at Borrachito — made with oxtail — inches New York City a little bit closer. The new taqueria opens this afternoon for takeout and outdoor dining from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m., with 20 outdoor seats. Lunch and delivery are on their way, as well.

In other news

— Trinity’s Services and Food for the Homeless in the East Village is providing free groceries for 300 families this afternoon from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 602 East Ninth Street, near Avenue B. No registration required.

— A new restaurant serving pizza will open in the former space of JG Melon on the Upper West Side, reportedly from the same owners. Permits for the space say a new grill and pizza oven are going in and the restaurant’s bar will be replaced with additional kitchen space.

— After 57 years on the Lower East Side, Rosario’s permanently closed in July. Now a new plant-based pizzeria called Zazzy’s Pizza is expected to open its doors in the same space next month.

— Shake Shack is teaming up with Upper West Side pizzeria Mama’s Too on a focaccia cheeseburger. Order the burger on Thursday, August 27 from the Madison Square Park Shake Shack.

— Greenwich Village’s newly opened street food restaurant Crop Circle will nod to China’s Qixi Festival with a guokui and red bean soup special this week.

— A star is born: