Inside longtime resident favorite The Little Food Café lies a relatively unknown rotating menu by Urban Taqueria, a purveyor of authentic Mexican tacos and local event chef. The tacos which are available only on Tuesdays at the café might be the best tacos in all of Bayonne.
Cesar Castro is the imaginative chef behind the tacos and has long had a dream of opening a food business that pays homage to his Mexican heritage. Part of his mission in opening Urban Taqueria was to give the community a food experience that highlights his Mexican heritage. Cesar, a Bayonne resident since 1996, is encouraged by the increased diversity in the city and sees his Urban Taqueria as a way to feed the Latin and broader community.
He is appreciative of The Little Food Café who has given him the opportunity to highlight Urban Taqueria’s tacos. On Tuesday, Urban Taqueria is in charge of the revolving taco menu. While the taco menu rotates, the reviews the chef receives have been consistently good “Everybody says they love my tacos” Cesar plainly stated.
Cesar has always enjoyed experimenting with food and it shows up in the rotating menu. Past Tuesday menu appearances include fish tacos, shrimp tacos, and even a Korean BBQ pork belly taco.
The Review
On the day we went, birria tacos were the special. The birria style is similar to a pot roast style as the beef is slow cooked in a thick broth that blends a variety of spices and dried peppers. The tacos are then traditionally accompanied with the birria broth.
While I’ve had many a taco in my day, the broth, which was thick and approached the consistency of a sauce was a new experience for me and I wasn’t quite sure if I dip the taco in it, pour it on the taco, or spoon it like a soup. Unsure how to proceed, I asked Cesar how the birria broth is traditionally eaten with the tacos, he responded, “there’s no rules for how to eat a taco.”
Couldn’t agree more! For me I decided to start off with just eating the taco as is before deciding to dip the taco after a few bites. The taco by itself was very good. The corn tortillas were soft and easy to bite into. The birria taco had a generous portion of slow cooked beef and the fresh cilantro lent the dish a touch of brightness. The cotija cheese offered a touch of creaminess to the dish while melding the rest of the flavors together. The first couple bites were delicious. For me the spice level felt like a medium heat, although I do find myself enjoying typically hot spice levels.
Then I dipped my taco in the birria broth. That was a great decision! The depth of flavors captured in the savory broth was truly impressive, and once it mixed with taco, the complexity and richness were taken to a whole new level. The broth was thick enough that it stuck to the taco, but did not overpower it. It was the perfect complement in highlighting flavors of the beef, yet adding an enjoyable savory and creaminess to the tacos that I never knew I was missing. I quickly scarfed down the rest of the tacos, not knowing whether I should savor each bite, or that it was so good I had to have another bite immediately.
Overall Rating: 5 Stars
Tips for a Good Experience
Tacos are only available on Tuesday at The Little Food Café and typically sell out by midafternoon. Additionally, Urban Taqueria is also available for your local event via their catering service.
To find out what tacos will be available each Tuesday, head to the Little Food Café’s Instagram page, @littlefoodcafe, or Facebook page, The Little Food Café Bayonne. The restaurant will upload a menu in the morning with their daily specials including the tacos featured that day.
The little Food Café is located at 330 John F. Kennedy Blvd.