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La Cocina - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Mexican Restaurants Brasseries Mexican, Brasseries [Edit]
3241 Steinway StNew York, NY 11103
Neighborhood: Astoria
(718) 204-0241
- Nearest Transit:
-
Steinway St (E, M, R)
46 St (E, M, R)
Broadway (N, Q)
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
14 reviews for La Cocina
14 reviews in English
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Review from Ben L.
3/6/2010
New York City is good for everything BUT Mexican food. Here's the little exception to the rule in Astoria.
Brought to you by the owners of El Rey del Taco truck, La Cocina serves all the same items plus a whole lot more. Free delivery with no minimum charge. The pollo and carne asada burritos are what I always go with. -
Review from Ran C.
Astoria, NY
4/20/2009
Alas, El Rey has outgrown his taco truck. This logical transition has a great variety of menu item including traditional Mexican breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The beef and the pork tacos tend to be stricken with fatty gristle, so do yourself a favor and stick to the chorizo or chicken.
Yes, despite this downfall, El Rey is STILL worth 4/5 stars. Delicious! AND every meal is cooked by El Rey himself...just like the old days at the truck. This taco is very similar to La Esquina (probably couldn't tell the difference in a blind taste test), but this is less than half the price (and in Astoria)! -
Review from Chap James D.
Astoria, NY
10/27/2009
This place is all about the food. There are tons of options for those who don't want corn tortillas, which I really prefer. I personally enjoy their Huarches which can have different fillings. I love the roast pork and the grilled chicken fillings.
Dining in won't give you a great atmosphere, but it will get you some of their tasty salsa. They also have a very impressive variety of Mexican sodas.
This place is really quick for delivery, and very very affordable.
For quality of food and value I say this is the best for the money. -
Review from raul r.
New York, NY
2/27/2010 1 photo
Buenos Dias!
I was excited to meet the owners today! Juan from the state of Guerrero in Mexico (where my mom is from hola!?! - yea that doesn't work so well in Spanish, but you get the point) who owns the good taco truck that is usually on the corner of 30th Ave and 33rd St in Astoria after 7pm most days and Rita from Italy...no not Mexican, but oh so nice.
I was hoping to finally see the elusive breakfast burrito that I miss from my hometown of San Diego, but alas not on the menu, however Rita said, "sure we can make that!" Cool! So I ordered an egg, beans and rice with chorizo burrito and my lovely wife who was patiently waiting for me in the car got the egg, beans and rice with ham burrito..correct not on the menu. Good stuff I say! I bet if you asked nicely they will make one for you too! Just make sure to frown if they call it a "wrap".
She asked if I wanted a side of home fries...I thought to myself, that's not very Mexican, but I do like them in my burrito, but ok fine I'll take them on the side. They were surprising good, perfectly cooked, just slightly browned and fresh with a little bit of salt, not like most of potatoes that you find at the local diners. (see pix)
They have all the usual Mexican food and even some pastas (that's where Rita comes in). So, I'm curious about those.
Definitely come in to say hola to Juan. I'm sure the tacos are great if they are anything like the ones he makes in his truck just a few blocks away. By the way, he's the guy that is always saying hi to people as they walk by his truck and is always in a good mood. You would be too if you were making friends by making good Mexican food with the greatest of ease.
They have huevos rancheros on the brunch menu on Sats and Suns. Don't get too excited its not your typical brunch menu like you see at the other spots in Astoria, but if you are always looking for good Mexican food this place is definitely worth a stop over. Let me know!
"iOrale Chicos, a comer!" - My mom -
Review from Leo C.
Rego Park, NY
9/27/2009
Food: (Review based solely on the mix taco I had. Will come back soon and try different stuff since I was satisfied.) Real good, love the mix of meats and flavor. The meat is a little charred, the way I like it. Alot of fresh toppings, but go light on all the sauces, too salty. This results in sort of a dilemma as you'll need to go heavy on the hot sauce to taste the heat. All of this goodness is served on two lightly grilled and oiled tortillas.
Drinks: Didn't try. Didn't see horchata so didn't order anything.
Service: Friendly, fast service. -
Review from Liz L.
Queens, NY
5/30/2010
This restaurant is not the same as Azteca Pride El Rey Del Taco which is what I had expected to find when I went after the renovations since it was always my go-to sit-down Mexican place. The menu selection is much smaller, excludes things I would expect from a Mexican restaurant (i.e. enchiladas), and includes Italian options like pasta. There are also fewer meat options with the exception of the tacos. Not sure if you can just request it for other items or not.
Food - I ordered a pork taco and a guacamole appetizer since I was not too hungry. The pork was spicy but not overpowering which was accompanied by sweetness of small pineapple chunks, something I was not expecting in the taco. The corn tortillas are noticeably smaller than before, so if I was hungry I probably would've order three or four. The guacamole came with about twenty chips (not super fresh, but still good), and the chips were stacked in layers with the guacamole in between so every chip was covered. Good, standard guacamole, but nothing to be excited about. The boyfriend ordered a beef burrito which I didn't try, but he was happy with it.
Service - Our waitress wasn't attentive and didn't refill our waters which would've been okay if we weren't the only diners that evening. We didn't wait long for the food though.
I was disappointed with the menu changes, especially since the portions seem smaller, so I'll have to find a different neighborhood Mexican restaurant even though the food here is good. I'll be sticking with the El Rey Del Taco truck until then. -
Review from ivy L.
New York, NY
11/12/2009
Finally a decent Mexican place! I can say that it is better than a lot of small mom&pop shops from southern Cali (or at least the one's I've been to). They make their own hot sauce too. I liked the chips and salsa, loved their pumpkin flower quesadilla and their shrimp burrito. The tortilla they used was super good too. I think they toast it to give it a slight crunch texture. Definitely craving this place again!
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Review from Juliette L.
Manhattan, NY
6/16/2011
This place is closed.
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Review from J V.
San Juan, PR
5/1/2010
I have been reading about this place and their cooks for weeks now and finally had the opportunity of trying a bunch of their tacos. And let me tell you, they are really good, very tasty, and reasonably priced. I would definitely go back to this place.
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Review from Cesar B.
Saugerties, NY
4/26/2010
Excellent chicken burrito. Well marinated meat, properly cooked so that it was juicy and delicious. Mixed greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette came with it. Healthy portions. Great service. Music a little loud...I'll be back.
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Review from Juan C.
New York, NY
2/13/2010
First off , i don't know if the restaurant was bought by other people, this place is now called La Cocina. I heard Azteca pride was owned by the famous taco truck guy of Astoria. I personally didn't get the chance to meet the famous taco truck guy from back in the day, so i can't say if they are still the same crew. There was a figure on the grill who glowed with respect, he had an aura of greatness, i may attest he is the one. Now for the food, Wow, is all i can say, pure bliss. Our compadres and i ordered different types of quesadillas, chicken, pork, flor de calabaza, suadero. etc. It was perhaps single handedly the best quesadilla i've stuffed my yap with, totally awesome. The flour tortillas were homemade, which just gives it a much more better taste. The fillings were ample, with a great sauce which i couldn't make out, it was a tad spicy, but still tasted very good. The service was top notch, very attentive, and accommodating wait staff. I will most certainly come back to this little hidden gem..
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Review from DB C.
Astoria, NY
2/24/2010
This is La Cocina - the same guys that own & operate the taco truck on 30th Ave (El Rey Del Taco). I've been a frequent visitor to the taco truck. I ordered the Nachos and was immediately surprised. They were quite delicious and different to other nachos I've eaten. I also ordered Quesadilla Al Pastor and it was great....large portions and very filling - great price too. I will definitely be returning to this place!
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Review from Patricia L.
New York, NY
5/3/2010
It seems like the El Rey del Taco Truck is gone for good so finally ordered from La Cocina. I got the chicken tacos I usually order so I could accurately compare to the Taco Truck. They were very similar, but not the same. The spices were a bit different- but still very good. They skimped a bit on the guac and the radishes. The limes were almost completely dried out. And worst of all, the tacos were about 1 inch smaller in diameter than they used to be even though the cost is the same. The delivery was free but there was a $10 minimum (despite other reviews saying differently). Don't get me wrong, they're still very very good tacos. But they're not the same as the truck. I'm disappointed.
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Review from v t.
Jamaica, NY
3/20/2010
I had planned on going to a different restaurant in the astoria area but it was closed so walked around until we found this place. We were the first ones in the restaurant. It was basic Mexican foods with reasonable prices. The food was really fresh I ordered a grilled vegetable that was supposed to come with choice of rice and beans, mashed potatos or french frieds but the side never came (I think more because of a slight language barrier) because I also wanted french fries so the waitress may have misunderstood me. My friend chose a taco order and chips and gucamole. This is where I give this place a lot of props--the presentation plating of the food was excellent and very fresh. I would repeat but be more careful when I order food.
