It's on 4 of my lists. Each entry below is what I wrote about it there, with my verdict on that list, the fullest first.
- Cost$
- Address229 West 43rd Street
- From my guide, updated October 2026.
Los Tacos No. 1 has a Times Square counter at 229 West 43rd Street, open until midnight most nights, and the tacos here are the real thing. Fresh corn or flour tortillas pressed to order, adobada with a little pineapple, carne asada with that avocado salsa, and the pollo if you want to be responsible about it. Each taco runs in the five to six dollar range, so two tacos slot in right under twelve, and a third pushes you to the edge of fifteen. Order two and a horchata and you are golden.
My non-negotiable is the adobada. The marinated pork with those thin sweet slivers of pineapple is the taco I measure others against, and the fresh-pressed tortilla is the whole reason it works. This is not a place for a sad pre-made shell.
What to skip, and why. It is counter-only with barely anywhere to sit, so do not come here expecting a table. Grab your tacos and eat them on a nearby stoop or take them to a plaza. And two tacos is a snack, not a meal, for most appetites. If you want to actually feel full under fifteen, you are getting three, which puts you right at the line. Plan accordingly.
Now for when you want to spend almost nothing and lose almost no time. Los Tacos No. 1 on 43rd is a counter, not a sit-down, and it opens at 11. You stand, you order the adobada or the nopal, you eat the best three tacos in the neighborhood off a little ledge, and you are back on the sidewalk in fifteen minutes with change in your pocket.
This is my honest answer to “we spent too much on the tickets.” Five minutes to the 44th Street houses, and you walk in having eaten genuinely great food instead of a sad pretzel. Confession time folks, on a solo matinee this is what I actually do more often than not.
One of the top spots in Times Square (and a personal favorite of mine) for food is Los Tacos No. 1, a renowned taqueria founded by Tijuana and California natives who aimed to bring authentic Mexican flavor to Manhattan.
Despite the initial shock of $5+ per taco, the juicy and tender meat quickly justifies the price, making it a great quick bite in Times Square (Los Tacos is actually one of the best cheap eats in all of NYC). With a simple menu honoring traditional flavors, even my Mexican in-laws agree, it’s one of the best things to do in the area!
229 West 43rd Street (inside the Times Square location). This is the one restaurant I’ll recommend that’s actually in Times Square. Los Tacos No. 1 makes legitimate, Mexico-City-style tacos on handmade corn tortillas, and they’re $4.75 each.
Order the adobada (marinated pork) or the carne asada. Get the green salsa. Get a horchata. The whole meal will cost you $15 and it’ll be better than anything at the $35 sit-down places surrounding it. The line moves fast. This is the best quick meal in the Times Square area and it’s not particularly close.