Nate- Chicken Taco: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Steak Taco: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Chipotle Tamale: 4 out of 5 stars
Alec- Carnitas Taco: 4.75 out of 5 stars
Steak Taco: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Guacamole & Chips: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Jack- Steak Taco: 3 out of 5 stars
Pork Taco:3 out of 5 stars
Carnitas Taco: 4 out of 5 stars
In the mood for some authentic mexican food, we ventured to Queens for some grub before catching a Mets game. Tortilleria Nixtamal cooks their homemade corn tortillas in house, and these are served with every taco. These tortillas are made using a style called "Nixtamal," which is corn that has been soaked in calcium hydroxide. One taco runs $2.50, and there are an array of meats available. I ordered a chicken and steak taco along with a chipotle tamale. Although the tacos are quite small, they are packed with flavor. The succulent chicken falls apart and is lightly covered in a carrot vinegar sauce. The corn from the tortilla added a mildness to the tang from the chicken and sauce. My only complaint with the taco was that the chicken became a bit dry as I chewed it. The steak taco was quite similar to the chicken in terms of juiciness. Sautéed with onion and cilantro, the steak was not too tough but had the right amount of chewiness. There was a great flavor from the onion that complimented the marinated steak. While the tortillas, one of the restaurant's specialties, were incredibly fresh, they were a bit soggy. This was most likely the result of our ordering them to-go. Tortilleria Nixtamal's tamale had an excellent presentation. Wrapped in a steamed corn husk, the chipotle tamale contains spicy pork and chicken. I have to say, this meat was some of the best I had. It was pulled and blended well together. The spice blend caused me to reach for a glass of water, but it added tremendous flavor to the dish. However, this was my first tamale in a while, and it is not really the right food for me. The masa based dough encasing the meat was grainy, and I thought the doughy texture was a bit unpleasant. This was by no means an ineptitude of the restaurant but rather my personal distaste of this food. At $3, you could definitely get away with eating two filling tamales for a full lunch. The meat made me want to finish it, though. Tortilleria Nixtamal was the perfect Mexican lunch food for an affordable price.-Nate
Being street food, I was taken back by the hefty $6 price tag on the guacamole, but I ordered it nonetheless because I was in the mood for some good guac. It definitely delivered, being that the portion was huge, it was served with various salsas, and it came with mucho chips. The salsas ranged in spiciness, and complimented the tacos very well. It was great to be able to customize my taco as I ate, instead of sticking with a singular salsa throughout the whole taco. Jack and Nate also got small ounce containers of salsa that were added complimentary with the tacos. The guacamole was evidently very fresh, and was studded with red onion as well as diced tomato. They may have used sour cream in it, as it was creamier than I like it to be, and thus not as chunky. Still, it was a great addition to my tacos. The biggest letdown for me was the chips. They may have been made out of fresh tortilla or maybe not fried at a high enough temperature, which resulted in a greased-soaked product. The freshness of the guacamole helped to cut through the oiliness of the chips, but they were still a bit unpleasant. It was by far the worst part of the meal, which in the grand scheme of the culinary world is still great Mexican food.-Alec
If you're looking for a happy-go-lucky review of Tortilleria Nixtamal, you've unfortunately come to wrong place. It was a combination of the heat, the long walk, and a bit of the food that gave me a bad impression of the small Mexican joint. I ordered three tacos: the steak, the carnitas, and the pork. The guy at the register also swiped my card somewhere between twenty and thirty times. Both the steak and the pork were a bit chewy for me as well. The meat in the carnitas taco was not too bad, however the server may have had it out for me because the tacos were given to me in the foil upside down. Nearly impossible to keep together, I tried desperately to get the tacos together to little avail. Overall I really did not have a pleasant experience and would absolutely not recommend Tortilleria Nixtamal for any occasion.-Jack
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