Astoria, LIC Eateries Named Among Best Mexican Restaurants In NYC

ASTORIA-LONG ISLAND CITY — An array of regional Mexican cuisine is cooked up in food trucks and restaurants alike around New York City, but two of the best places to get southern Mexican fare are in northwest Queens.

The new list by Eater NY names Ruta Oaxaca, located at 35-03 Broadway in Astoria, and Casa Enrique, located at 5-48 49th Ave in Long Island City, as among the 30 best Mexican restaurants citywide — all of which they describe as essential.

The Astoria and Long Island City spots were two among five Mexican eateries in Queens that made the list — most of the rest of which were in central Queens, which is known for its diverse, immigrant neighborhoods.

Eater describes Ruth Oaxaca as "one of the city's best evocations of the cuisine that of that southern Mexican state [Oaxaca], one of country’s tastiest"

They recommend any menu option that's smothered in mole, which they say "come in a rainbow of colors, representing ancient sauces whose history goes back to pre-Columbian times."

Casa Enrique, "a small but celebrated" Long Island City spot, has a menu featuring classics from Chef Cosme Aguilar’s hometown in Chiapas, Mexico. Among the best options, according to Eater, is the pork braised in red guajillo chile sauce.

The accolades from Eater aren't the first given out to restaurants in Astoria and Long Island City, which have been at the top of the food site's lists in the past.

You can check out the full Eater NY best Mexican restaurants list here.