Reviewing Rockland: Taco Boy’s in Nyack

I must confess that for much of my life, I have been quite a Philistine when it comes to Mexican food. Being South Asian, I had no real inclination to venture to try this cuisine much. Despite having studied in Southern California with all its Latin influences, I, for the most part, steered clear of Mexican food except for the odd Taco Bell on campus at UCLA.

So in 2022 when my Mexican-American coworker suggested we have Mexican food for lunch and I suggested Taco Bell, he looked at me like I was insane.. “Cherie, Taco Bell is NOT Mexican food.” The statement simply didn’t compute; “Why not Pedro?” I queried. Pedro responded, stating “It’s fast food which is not authentic Mexican food at all.” I was a bit wounded, since Taco Bell reminded me of the kind of tacos my mom used to make for us when we were kids. Anyway, Pedro took me down the road in Nyack to Taco Boys.

I must admit, the tacos that I tried at Taco Boys made my fast-food version of the Mexican staple feel a little “black `n white”! Eliseo Rivera and his co-founder/owner/Chef Angeles Valderrama’s Taco Boys is an authentic “street-style” version of Mexican food. That translates to dishes bouncing with flavor!

The tacos that I ordered with minced beef were simply incredible. Pedro told me the soft tortillas are considered more “authentic”, but due to my upbringing I much prefer the crunchy ones.

This time around I brought my wife, who ordered the family platter of nachos with steak, which honestly, were even better than the crunchy tacos that I ordered. The owner, Eliseo Rivera, sat down with us and I got a chance to get a bit of an interview with him. He shared with us that he was born in Puebla, Mexico, and moved to NY when he was 17. He worked in restaurants and five years ago started his own place in Airmont called Guacamole. That place has a slightly different cuisine from Taco Boys as it focuses on Tex-Mex cuisine. A year after opening Guacamole, his wife Angeles inspired Eliseo to open their second restaurant, Taco Boys in Nyack, where they would focus on authentic street-style Mexican cuisine. The namesake of the restaurant was derived from Eliseo’s three sons and their love of tacos. 

The restaurant is designed like a Mexican diner crossed with a convenience store, similar to one that you would find in Eliseo’s native Puebla:. There are endless amounts of Mexican snacks, drinks, and candies lined up near the cash register; this place is more of a walk-up-and-order joint. However, when it isn’t crazy busy, Eliseo & Angeles’ team can offer you table service as well. The Friday evening that I went, there was no chance of that happening as there was not a single empty seat in the house the entire time we were there! 

On top of the full house, there was a never-ending line of DoorDash, Uber Eats, and pick-up orders being serviced by Eliseo’s team, who managed to turn orders around with ease and efficiency. Our meal showed up very quickly, despite the mad rush at the place, and as we looked around it seemed all customers were thrilled by the quality of the food and efficient service. Most seemed like repeat customers, and even customers who had become Eliseo’s friends. Some were inviting Eliseo to attend their private parties, and others wanted him to cater their events. Eliseo, in addition to Taco Boys and Guacamole in Airmont, runs a food truck that he sends for catering, and has it parked in Memorial Park during the day in Nyack.

Back to the food: We also  ordered a rice bowl with Carne Asada, and while it was delicious, it was not as flavorful as the tacos and nachos. However, Eliseo has a mean offering of various sauces like salsa and green and red spicy condiments to awaken the flavors further should one need them. The tostada, though nice and crispy, also seemed a tad on the bland side. Eliseo offered us to try 3 of his homemade beverages: Hibiscus (amazing!), Horchata (enchanting, aromatic white milky beverage) which was a bit too sweet for me, and finally my favorite  – a sweet and spicy Tamarind drink that was similar to an iced tea. The Hibiscus and the Tamarind both would have been great with some vodka or rum, I thought.

Eliseo is a great host and would not let us leave without trying his mouth-watering chocolate churros. Order these with vanilla ice cream and I promise you will thank me for it. So good! We were also offered some Mexican Coke (made with real sugar cane and no High Fructose Corn Syrup), alongside some very interesting Mexican sweet and spicy candies as well as a cucumber dish with a sweet and spicy red sauce.

Prices at Taco Boys are quite reasonable by today’s standards and this restaurant is quickly becoming a favorite choice in my family for dinner. 

Go to tacoboysny.com/ to peruse the menu, or go to 21 NY-59 in Nyack and say hi to Eliseo for me! They’re open Monday through Sunday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., so you have plenty of opportunities to snatch up some great, authentic Mexican food

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