Rocco's Tacos opens at Huntington Station's Walt Whitman mall

If you’ve eaten tacos in Florida over the past two decades, there’s a very good chance it was at Rocco’s. The state has nine outposts of cult-favorite Rocco’s Tacos, from Naples to Orlando to West Palm Beach. Eighteen years later, Rocco Mangel, who is from Hauppauge, is back on Long Island opening his flagship New York restaurant at the Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station. It opens today at 5 p.m.

With a choice of tacos, tequila — over 200 brands — and a slate of Mexican favorites, begin with Rocco’s tableside guacamole ($19), which can be mixed with pomegranate seeds, chipotle pork belly or grilled shrimp add-ons, flautas ($15), nachos ($12) with toppings like shredded brisket, or melty, queso fundido ($15).

There are 15 tacos in traditional varieties, including chicken, chorizo, grilled or blackened fish, and carne asada that range from $6.50 to $10 each, while platters include two tacos and rice and beans. Street tacos like carnitas-style pork ($23), quesa-birria ($25), battered crispy Baja-style mahi mahi, and pork belly ($19) come three to an order. Specialties include quesadillas, enchiladas and simply grilled meats like skirt steak, served with chimichurri ($40). Portions of all are generous. 

New Huntington menu items enhance Rocco’s playbook, including chicken tortilla soup ($10); a herbaceous, tomatillo ceviche ($18) smashburger tacos with American cheese, chipotle smash sauce, sweet relish and pickled red onions ($18); hot honey chicken tacos topped with charred corn esquires tossed in avocado ranch ($19). But fanfare surrounds the sizzling chicken, steak or shrimp fajitas ($26 — $36) served over pepper and onion strips, or rajas, alongside corn or flour tortillas. "I think it's a guilty pleasure; everybody’s been asking for fajitas for 18 years,” Mangel said. For dessert: Try the cinnamon apple empanada, or Charley’s churros, named for Mangel’s older daughter.

"I was never a good student,” Mangel said about his career trajectory. His father owned a Motor Parkway restaurant where he worked when he was younger. He wound up in Florida in 1997, working odd jobs while tequila was being redefined in the States by brands like Patron and New York City restaurants like Rosa Mexicana. Add tableside guacamole, and Mangel saw an opportunity. After a cross-country trip to visit 64 Mexican American restaurants, plus a stopover in Mexico City for research, Mangel had his concept: Mexican food. He returned to Florida and launched the first Rocco’s Tacos, in West Palm, in 2007.

The Huntington Station space, which used to be Zinburger, has been gutted. There's still a large, rectangular bar, now with suspended televisions and a base decorated with colorful cultural images from the 54 cards of Lotería, the Mexican game akin to American bingo. Twinkly celestial lights hang from the ceilings and Lucha Libre wrestling masks adorn the walls, which are made from exposed bricks on the diagonal. Lime green banquettes border the perimeter, wood and leather-slatted chairs dot the dining room’s center. A bonus all-season, enclosed patio space fronts the restaurant. An upbeat playlist sets the mood, which is buzzy, familial and warm.

Mangel's next Rocco's will open in Boston. He’s also looking at New Jersey and Connecticut, plus more on Long Island. Although Mangel briefly had a Brooklyn restaurant that closed during the pandemic, he sees his Huntington debut as an opportunity "for me to put myself back where I started, and embrace the community that I came from. I love all my stores, but this is the best one that I've ever done.”

Rocco’s Tacos at Walt Whitman Shops, 160 Walt Whitman Rd., #1170, Huntington Station. Open daily 5 p.m. to midnight, roccostacos.com.