Photo by Chad Montano on Unsplash
El Califa de León
The Mexico City taquería that briefly held a Michelin star for tacos, now in Flatiron.
Published
Reasons to check it out
- Opened August 24, 2026, at 20 W. 23rd St. — the first location outside Mexico City in nearly sixty years of business
- Same four tacos that built the original's reputation: gaonera, bistec, costilla, chuleta, made with Pat LaFrieda cuts on a lime-and-salt-grilled corn tortilla
- Interior by Mexico City firm Estudio MERO, built as a false façade simulating an outdoor CDMX street terrace
- Held the world's first Michelin star for a taco stand in 2024, lost it in the 2025 update, stayed Michelin-recommended
A butcher's family taqueria that started nearly sixty years ago in Mexico City now has a second address, and it's a storefront in Flatiron. El Califa de León opened at 20 W. 23rd St. on August 24, 2026, its first stop outside Mexico since Michelin gave a taco stand a star for the first time in 2024 — a distinction it lost in the 2025 update but stayed Michelin-recommended for.
The menu didn't get bigger to make the jump. It's the same four tacos: gaonera, bistec, costilla, chuleta, built on Pat LaFrieda cuts and grilled corn tortillas, the same recipe that made a butcher-shop counter famous rather than a scaled-up version of it. Mexico City firm Estudio MERO designed the room as a false façade meant to read like an outdoor CDMX street terrace indoors.
What the reviews actually say
Read past the opening headlines and a real pattern shows up in Google and Reddit reviews from the first two weeks: the meat and tortilla get real praise, but the price does not travel well — a $19, four-ounce taco next to the original's roughly $5 version reads, to more than one reviewer, as the New York tax rather than the New York upgrade. Worth knowing going in, not a reason to skip it: this is a plate to order two of and split, the way a good East Village counter rewards showing up without a big group and a bigger appetite than the portion.
Sources: Eater NY (Substack) — One of Mexico City's Most Famous Taquerias Is Opening in Flatiron Next Month, Cititour — First Look Inside El Califa de Leon in NYC's Flatiron, OpenTable Blog — El Califa de León in NYC: Now open, Hoodline — El Califa de León Opens First U.S. Restaurant in Flatiron NYC
