Compared to California and Texas, New York is relatively new to the taco scene, but a host of innovative spots are making the city a bonafide taco town. Exhibit A: Goa Taco.
Created by South African chef Duvaldi Marneweck, Goa Taco started as a stand at Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg, where it became known for redefining the Mexican street food by replacing the thin tortilla shell with paratha, a buttery and flaky bread that Marneweck describes as the “lovechild of a tortilla and croissant.” The new-age taco comes stuffed with an assortment of options, like pork belly that’s coal-roasted on-site and topped with pickled red cabbage and homemade chipotle mayo; or paneer cheese with spinach pesto, garam masala-fried chickpeas, and pickled tomatillo. Twice the size of a normal soft taco, paratha tacos can hold more fillings without overflowing (or worse, tearing) and are topped with a crown of fried plantains.
Today, folks are no longer lining up on Saturdays for the envelope-like tacos, but also at two brick-and-mortar spots on the Lower East Side and in Greenwich Village. Grab a seat and have your tacos alongside house-made corn chips and salsa. Pair your meal with an ice-cold margarita, house sangria, or Mexican coke, and finish it all off with a dulce de leche cheesecake taco. And don’t worry all you West Coasters, NYC might be stepping up its taco game, but Goa Taco also has a location in LA and one planned for Santa Barbara so nobody misses out on the paratha party.
Check out how these tacos are remixed in the video above.
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