Food News
The restaurants are in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Tacos at Tuxpan Taqueria in Central Falls, Rhode Island.
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Two Mexican restaurants in New England were named among the best in the U.S. by The New York Times Wednesday.
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Over the course of a year, a team of reporters, editors, and photographers traveled across the country to determine the 41 best Mexican restaurants in America.
“There has never been a better time for Mexican food in the United States,” the article said. “A culinary renaissance over the last 15 years has expanded the American palate well beyond Tex-Mex, tacos and game-night nachos.”
For New England, Connecticut’s Food Truck Paradise and Rhode Island’s Tuxpan Taqueria made the list.
Food Truck Paradise, located off of I-95 in New Haven, is not just one food vendor. Instead, it’s a row of 28 food trucks on Long Wharf Drive serving everything from Mexican fare and Puerto Rican pinchos to Ethiopian and Southeast Asian food.
The Mexican vendors have a clear specialty: “tricked-out bebidas,” the article said. “Take your pick from mangonadas, avocado slushies and Shirley Temple agua frescas.”
“The New York Times is highlighting what everyone in New Haven knows: if you want to get a great taco, burrito or torta, our Food Truck Paradise at Long Wharf is the place to go,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said in a statement. “Every day, there are dozens of food trucks selling delicious dishes to hundreds of customers.”
Red Salsa over chicken enchiladas with rice and beans from Tuxpan Taqueria in Central Falls, R.I. – Alexa Gagosz
In Central Falls, Rhode Island, Tuxpan Taqueria serves “standout” tacos, gorditas and fried quesadillas filled with squash blossoms grown outside the restaurant in the summer, according to the New York Times.
Tuxpan Taqueria’s speciality, however, is its sandwiches. “The house signature is a drippily seductive chicken Milanesa torta crossed with chilaquiles verde” and served on a locally baked Portuguese roll and a slice of bacon on top, the Times said.
In 2023, the taqueria, which opened in December 2023, was a James Beard Semifinalist for Best New Restaurant and was also voted Best of Rhode Island by Rhode Island Monthly.
“We are so proud to be included on this list by the prestigious New York Times,” Tuxpan Taqueria wrote on Instagram. “We know there are many others who also deserve to be here, which is why we value this recognition even more.”
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