East Harlem taco tour

Toasting Cinco de Mayo with a trek to uptown's booming Mexican stronghold

Spanish Harlem. East Harlem. El Barrio. Take your pick, so long as it’s not the realtor favorite “SpaHa.” For decades, Manhattan’s east side between 96th and the Harlem River has housed one of the city’s largest Puerto Rican communities. But the past few years have seen a sizable Mexican population move into the area around East 116th Street—and with them, endless variations on our favorite tortilla-bound food: the taco.

With Cinco de Mayo approaching, we set out to celebrate Mexico’s victory over the French on May 5, 1862, by eating our way through one of the city’s highest—and tastiest—taco concentrations. And also by hanging piñatas and inflatable Corona bottles, of course.

By Bret Stetka; photos by Gabi Porter

For more stuff to do on Cinco de Mayo, check out our party guide