El Aguila

I frequent here often. I’m from California where Mexican food is abundant, so I’m happy to have found a place that fills that spot.
Affordable and delicious. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fresh made salsas! I always get the carnitas which is cooked traditionally in a copper pot!
Chips (0.75) so delicious!

A gem in SpaHa. I am a mexican living in the city, and was pretty pleased with their chilaquiles. I mostly like how at home it makes me feel. I recomend getting their rajas tamales, but don’t expect a thing from home. They have queso oaxaca, which is unheard of and basically a sign of authenticity. The best thing is how full you can get for a small amount of money.
I take a treck up there from Chelsea to eat breakfast there and go to a nearby bakery that sells the world’s best Conchas.
Also I happened to go Halloween day and they gave the kids free candy.
SUMMARY: It’s cheap and delicious and you will feel like you are with «your people» haha if you are Mexican. Feel free to order in Spanish. Ah how I miss speaking Spanish.

Horrible customer service. I walked inside not knowing where to even stand and everyone just kind of stares in the distance as you look askance obviously lost. After finally getting someone’s attention, I order the quesadilla and hot chocolate right from the menu. She rings me up for both and then proceeds to pour some liquid in a glass that is obviously not chocolate. After I notify her, she says they don’t have hot chocolate, even though it’s right on the menu. Would you still like this drink? Having no idea what it even is, sorry no. The quesadilla was sadly one of the worst I’ve had. I could make a better one at home (and will!). Save your time.

Small Mexican joint, that actually has quality food considering there isn’t a Chipotle around this area. I had a burrito and I have to admit, it was great. Great flavoring and taste to it. Felt like I got my money’s worth and would definitely trying this spot again for lunch. It was a legitimate burrito. The inside looks similar to a Hole in the Wall but I would highly recommend it. Although I would suggest you know, Spanish due to the fact that would help get your order expedited quicker. Highly recommend it!

I’ll preface this with the fact that I’m from Texas and a vegetarian. Flavorful options in Mexican cuisine that satisfy my palate have been next to nil in my time in Manhattan.
With that said, this is the tastiest non-​Chipotle Mexican restaurant I have come across. They make a well stuffed vegetarian burrito which includes seasoned rice, black beans, onion, tomato, cilantro, lettuce, and guacamole; I request to add Oaxaca cheese and sour cream. The burrito is decent on its own and pretty damn good after adding their spicy creamy jalapeño sauce at the salsa bar. They have 4 varieties or salsa ranging from mild, medium, spicy, and very spicy. Great place to satisfy a Mexican craving. Total cost is about $ 8.40. Definitely recommend.
Staff is quick and on the quieter side. They recognize me when I enter and know my order.

Totally solid Mexican joint! Solid tacos (real, fresh corn tortillas), home made horchata, good salsas, and affordable prices. Really glad I found this place.

I’m not a big fan of Mexican food but the food here was actually good. The prices aren’t bad at all & the food is good. Next time you’re around, give them a try.

I’ve only been here once for a late lunch. Had the chicken tacos which were super dry and mediocre. Needless to say I definitely will not be returning

Stopped by for dinner earlier and I must say the food is great! I had a grilled chicken Torta with avocado, onion, cheese, tomato and black beans. Some Light green hot sauce on the side. YUM! This place is cute and they’re 24hours! Can not wait for all the construction to be done with though.

I came here for a pre Ezoo lunch last week to grab a legitimate burrito (sorry Chipotle!) so that I wouldn’t have to spend money on overpriced and small portioned food over at Randall’s Island. The place was pretty much empty when I walked in (aside from 2 other customers) but that didn’t stop me from trying whatever they had to offer here.
I settled for the al pastor burrito with guacamole, lettuce, tomato, cheese, cilantro and sour cream. And it tasted like heaven. ¹⁰⁄₁₀. The meat was tender and succulent while the guacamole definitely added a nice kick to it. I wanted to try their tamales for the first time, but unfortunately they didn’t have any in stock. What a bummer. Maybe next time.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience here. The staff were courteous and the seating area was big enough to accommodate large crowds. Would I come back? Definitely.

While there are better tacos in NYC, I’m not sure if there are on the island of Manhattan and that gives El Aguila big props in the trade-​off between taste and convenience.
Their lengua is good as well as their barbacoa but the meat to get is al pastor as it’s definitely the most flavorful of the options. If you’re getting chicken tacos, sorry but we can’t be friends.
The salsa bar is also one of the perks of this place — I can’t yet identify the light green salsa but I like to drink it by the gallon and then watch my ankles swell up the next day.

Not your typical date place, but avoids the long trip to queens or Washington heights to get $ 1.25 tamales that are awesome, and a very competent derivation of classic tacos for a couple of dollars. Salsa are particularly good. Staff is nice, no restrooms. For the price of a soup at El Paso across the street you’ll have a very good meal for two. But no denying that the other side of the street is worth the time and money when you want a nice meal.

Excellent Mexican take-​out. I eat here maybe once a week, their burritos are better than Chipotle. The food is inexpensive with great taste.

Very pleasant staff and great tacos! I went for the vegetarian tacos and they were great. Double tortillas, stuffed with veggies and topped with guacamole!

This place has really amazing tortas! I always get the chicken one. Ugh, so good. Better than any torta that I’ve had in Mexico! The bread is soft and the perfect match for the rest of the sandwich. Inside I get avocado, onions, tomatoes, some jalapeño, cheese, lettuce (I don’t put beans).
their tacos are good as well :)

This place is okay if you need a quick fix for your hunger… other then that the food is average.
The tamales are below average… tacos are average… burritos are good.
One time they over charged me… smh.
Their customer service isn’t good either.

Probably the best horchata I’ve had in New York yet with plenty of cinnamon and sweetness in every sip. The food is good too — generous in portion, ingredients extra fresh — avocado slices cut straight from the avocado shell. We ordered an al pastor taco and al pastor torta, the marinated pork was flavorful, fairly tender with crisp little edges. I stared jealously at the boy while he took bites of his torta, pulling out gooey cheese with every mouthful. I took it out on him by drinking more of his horchata (signs of a healthy relationship). Guac + chips for $ 2 is a great little add. The chips are nice and thick and the guacamole extra creamy, and it’s all a recipe for a solid meal in Spanish Harlem.

Late night tacos: check. Mealtime tacos: maybe not.
Living so close to El Aguila, I expected to come every single week, but it’s not the case. I’m still confused as to whether it’s open 24 hours or until 4AM (I’ve seen it closed before), but either way, it serves as a great pit stop over the weekends after a fun night out. I typically go for tacos, although their menu is pretty inclusive and they have a bit of everything.
One thing I don’t like too much is that aside from onion, cilantro, and lime/​lemon toppings, you have to pay for EVERYTHING else. And each additional topping costs per taco. So even though $ 2.50 a taco sounds decent, it’ll cost you $ 5 if you want a sampling of toppings (just the basics likes salsa, tomatoes, beans, cheese, etc). Maybe I’ve been spoiled with flexibility of Chipotle, but this was one aspect I couldn’t overlook.
Another kind of scary thing is that especially at night, nothing is really fresh. The meat sits in its own juices all day and they reheat it for each order. Maybe I’m too sensitive but for meat to be exposed to open air that long concerns me a bit.
Aside from that, their tacos and meat are decent quality. By no means the best taco I’ve ever had, El Aguila is still a nice staple to have in the neighborhood.

Best burritos I’ve had in the city. Period.
Then why only 3 stars you ask?
This place is a small hole-​in-​the-​wall chain mostly situated in Spanish Harlem that is overpriced and stingy. 7 bucks for a burrito that doesn’t even include cheese (extra 75 cents). The only free fixings are the tomatoes, lettuce, and sauce. Everything else is a surcharge including corn. Why?
Better question is why do I keep going? This place isn’t even that convenient for me. But damn, do they have some tasty ass burritos. If you get the pastor then you will not regret it… trust me.
I commend the owner’s business savvy because this place seems to have several locations in the city. All you need to do is make some good ass Mexican food, maybe sprinkle a little crack in it, and overcharge for everything.

Moved to New York from Los Angeles and I’m going to keep my Californian ranting about East Coast Mexican food to a minimum, but, thought we should start with that disclaimer.
I put off getting Mexican food in Manhattan until I was literally craving it so much I was having dreams about tacos and quesadillas (not even kidding), so I finally did a comprehensive google/​yelp search of where the ABSOLUTE best Mexican place in Harlem was, and El Aguila came up a bunch, so I figured it was worth a shot.
Serious letdown.
First of all, it’s slow. Like, painfully so. I went a little after lunchtime on a weekday, and there was only one guy cooking, and another on the register. And they managed to make EVERYTHING take forever. I legitimately stood in line for ten minutes after my tacos were done waiting to pay. There was only one person in front of me. WHAT. I’m usually pretty forgiving about slowness, but this was completely unacceptable.
I had al pastore and carnitas tacos, and my boyfriend had carne asada. First of all, if you do come here, stick with the pork. The steak was way overcooked and rubbery, with no particular flavor. At least my pork had some decent flavor. I liked the carnitas over the al pastore, although both were pretty dry and standard. Tortillas were barely crisped, and they are NOT generous with their portions.
Additionally, they advertise a 1.99 taco special, but it’s very misleading — you have to really ask them for it, and even if you convince them that that’s what you’re asking for, the 2 tacos that it promises only come with one tortilla and a tiny bit of meat each. Barely worth it.
There was nothing so horrible about El Aguila that you shouldn’t come here if you’re in the area and there’s nothing better, but as for me, I was NOT impressed, and will continue my search.