If you're hunting for a Mexican restaurant in New Rochelle, you're spoiled — this is one of the most genuinely good taco towns in Westchester, with family kitchens on Main Street and Union Avenue that have been feeding the neighbourhood for decades. This page covers where to go for tacos al pastor, sit-down Pueblan and Jalisco cooking, margaritas, quick lunch takeout, and the Latin American places nearby that are worth knowing about too. Last updated October 2026.
No rankings-by-numbers here, just how I'd actually point a friend: grouped by where you are and what you're in the mood for.
This stretch is where New Rochelle's Mexican and Central American cooking really lives, and it's worth walking a few blocks rather than stopping at the first awning you see.
Little Mexican Cafe (581 Main St) is the one I send people to first. Family-owned since 1990, with tacos al pastor that got a nod in the New York Times and a full bar, so it works equally well as a quick plate of tacos or a proper sit-down dinner with a drink in hand.
Restaurant Tecalitlan (123 Union Ave) is Jalisco-style and family-run, the kind of place where the menu reads like someone's home kitchen rather than a concept. Good for a long, unhurried table.
The Mexican Corner Restaurant (497 Main St) does tacos, tamales, burritos and quesadillas without fuss — a solid default when you want everyone at the table to find something they want.
Esquina Mexicana (214 Union Ave) is a neighbourhood favourite that rates as highly as anywhere in town. Worth a look if you like discovering a spot before your friends do.
La Herradura (563 Main St) leans Mexican and Tex-Mex, and is locally known for its Mexican pizza — order it if you've never had one, it's not what you think.
Fresh Taco (673 Main St) is the budget workhorse: casual Mexican and Tex-Mex built for takeout and delivery when cooking isn't happening tonight.
Margarita's Cocina Mexicana (229 Main St) is small and home-style — the kind of cocina where the daily cooking matters more than the decor.
Pura Vida (615 Main St) rounds out the Main Street run for another Mexican option in the same walkable stretch.
Tlaquepaque Restaurant (347 North Ave) is traditional Mexican with a full cantina bar, and one of the highest-regarded spots in the city. This is the one for a proper night out — order like you mean it, stay for a drink.
The Taco Project (596 North Ave) is the modern taqueria of the bunch: tacos and margaritas, brighter room, good for a date or a group that wants a lively table rather than a quiet one.
Mister Taco (619 North Ave) has the best origin story in town — New Rochelle's original Mexican restaurant, family-run since 1981. Inexpensive, unpretentious, and still here for a reason.
Estrellita Poblana (134 North Ave) cooks Pueblan-style, which is a distinct thing and worth seeking out if you've only ever eaten generic taqueria food.
Westchester Taco Grill (712 North Ave) sits further up the avenue and is handy if you're coming in from the north end rather than downtown.
Santa Cruz Restaurant (6 Memorial Hwy) does Latin and Mexican near the waterfront — a good pick when you want to make an afternoon of it rather than just eat and run.
Salsa Y Brasa (10 Maple Ave) blends Mexican and Peruvian, and is best known for ceviche and rotisserie chicken. Order both. It's a bar as much as a restaurant, so it holds up for a group.
La Hacienda (77 Centre Ave) and Las Palmas Restaurant (7 Church St) are both central, both easy to fold into a downtown evening.
Ava Ava Restaurant, Bar & Lounge (13-15 Division St) isn't Mexican — it's Latin-Caribbean fusion with a cocktail lounge and a nightlife side — but it's the move when dinner is meant to turn into something later.
New Rochelle's strength is that the Mexican kitchens sit shoulder to shoulder with Peruvian, Venezuelan, Salvadoran, Colombian and Dominican ones. Don't ignore the neighbours.
Arepa Mania (572 North Ave) is the Venezuelan cafe for arepas and empanadas; its downtown sibling Arepa Mania Bar & Grill (12 Division St) adds a full bar and is one of the highest-rated rooms in the city.
La Esquina Salvadorena (529 Main St) is where to go for pupusas and Salvadoran home dishes, cheap and satisfying.
Olibar Peruvian Cuisine (583 Main St) is run by longtime Lima restaurateurs; Sabrosura Peruana (231 Union Ave) and La Brisa Marina (601 Main St) both lean into Peruvian seafood.
Colombian House Restaurant (585 Main St) is the bandeja paisa and arepas stop. El Sabor De Mi Tierra (324 Huguenot St) does Central American home cooking at low prices, and Rinconcito Dominicano Luncheonette and El Sabor Latino (391 Main St) cover Dominican plates, mofongo and breakfast.
PALETERIA LA MEXICANA (111 Union Ave) is the paleta stop — ideal on a warm walk, and a far better idea than whatever's in your freezer. Alicia's Bakery (498 Main St) handles Latin breads and pastries, and Bakery and Deli Tikal (640 Main St) covers the Central American bakery-deli side of things.
And yes, there's a Taco Bell on Main Street. With everything above within a few blocks of it, I'd keep walking.
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