Al Pastor Taqueria opens in Merrick
An al pastor taco, front, with salmon teriyaki and crispy cod tacos at Al Pastor Taqueria in Merrick. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
“Merrick-style tacos” isn’t the first thing a Mexican food-lover looks for in a new taqueria but that’s what Merrick’s new Taqueria Al Pastor promises.
“There are no real authentic Mexican tacos in Merrick,” said chef-owner Henry Riviera. “But I also wanted to do something different, lighter." He dialed down the crema and spicy salsas, turned up the salad and slaw quotient.
Riviera, who lives in neighboring Freeport, is a restaurant veteran who currently is a culinary director at Manhattan’s Fireman Hospitality Group. Ecuadorian by birth, he spent a month in Mexico City learning everything he could about tacos.
At this spruce little shop, almost everything is made from scratch, one exception being the tortillas, which are made from stone-ground corn by La Milpa De Rosa, a traditional manufacturer in the Hudson Valley. There are a handful of tables; takeout tacos are placed in boxes with three nests so they don’t collapse during their journey.
The “Merrick-style tacos” include birria (braised beef with cheese, served with consommé for dipping); shrimp with creamed avocado, lettuce and citrus slaw; Cajun chicken with “grandma’s sazon” and cotija cheese; tempura-battered cod with shredded lettuce and molcajete salsa. Also on the menu: guacamole, nachos, beef chili, Veracruz vegetarian fried rice, burritos, quesadillas, “messy tostadas,” tortas (Mexican sandwiches), tres leches cake, churros sundaes and milkshakes from classic chocolate or strawberry to cookies ’n’ crème and horchata.
In the case of Al Pastor’s namesake taco, “Merrick-style” seems to mean “not exactly.” Traditionally, “al pastor” describes a taco filled with pork that has been marinated with chilies, garlic, vinegar and achiote paste and then roasted on a vertical spit — just like gyro, doner kebab or shawarma. Actual spits, trompos in Spanish, are a rarity on Long Island so most al pastor tacos are filled with grilled pork seasoned “al pastor” and topped with onions, cilantro and diced pineapple. In Merrick, the pork is oven-roasted and shredded (not unlike carnitas) and topped with onions, cilantro and a pineapple salsa.
Al Pastor Taqueria, 2168 Merrick Rd., Merrick, 516-208-7879, alpastorny.com. Open Tuesday to Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Closed Mondays.
