Las Nortenas Taco Cart

Another late night option is now live in Sunnyside and in my favorite form — a taco cart. Las Nortenas has migrated west, down Roosevelt from Corona, capitalizing on the $ 2.50 taco price that is sadly becoming commonplace all over Queens, especially in this part of town.
The woman behind the cart is a sweet woman (Ximena?) who knows her taco meats and knows we love it late at night. Though she speaks English well, her face always lights up when folks dish out their best attempt at ordering in Espanol. She’s not exactly the quickest taco maker ever, which means a small crowd can develop here at any given time.
Most of the time, the tacos are made with love. At $ 2.50 a pop, I still cringe at the thought of paying for these babies, especially when they’re a tad on the smaller side. They’re usually served on a small corn tortilla, with a choice of meat with one’s usual garnishes of onions, cilantro, and salsa roja/​verde. I’ve eaten several carnitas and lengua tacos from here, all of which are solid but not better than anything in Jackson Heights or even in Sunnyside.
What I do like is their quesadillas. They’re not your taco bell version but the more traditional Mexican version, which for some folks resembles a large taco that is folded over in a flour tortilla. Their quesadillas de chicharon and de papa are pretty tasty, especially during those nights when there are one too many cervezas in the system.
Las Nortenas is not a cart to write off any time soon. If things get better I can see this becoming a popular spot for commuters coming from the 7 Train. And it’s likely the food here will do the trick when the lines are too crazy at El Vagabundo (
) or Dalia (
).

This taco cart deserves return visits for a proper review, but the 4am lengua taco I had was enough to prompt me to add this place to Unilocal.The salsa roja is thick and tasty with the heady aroma of roasted chilies. And even when I bust out my best Spanish, the lady replies in English. I fail.