NYC Gets El Califa de León from Mexico City
Mexico City’s El Califa de León Opens in NYC
A Family Affair and a Michelin Star
Even diners unfamiliar with Mexico City’s food scene know about El Califa de León, the 60-year-old institution that became the first taqueria awarded a Michelin star. After receiving that honor in 2024, third-generation owner José Andrés Hernández Elizalde and his father, Mario Hernández, realized it was time to think about expanding beyond their hometown. They partnered with Tacombi for a ten-week pop-up tour through New York, Chicago, Miami, and Washington, D.C., selling over 180,000 tacos nationwide. New York proved to be the most enthusiastic market and won the bid to house the taqueria’s expansion.
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Instead of seeking funding from hospitality behemoths or venture-capital firms, the family turned to friends and family for the financial backing needed for the new location. “This has been a family business forever,” Hernández Elizalde says. His partner leading the growth is Rodrigo Rivera, who built a career in tourism and restaurant tech in Toronto and has been best friends with Hernández Elizalde since the 11th grade. The restaurant is set to open its Flatiron location at the end of August.
The Real Thing, Not an Adaptation
The menu in NYC will match the CDMX original’s. The concise list includes tacos of prime rib eye, tenderloin, pork chop, and New York strip, placed in tortillas made with masa from Bushwick’s Sobre Masa. These are designed to be doused in homemade rojo or verde salsa. “We’re not adapting the taco to the U.S. market — we’re bringing the real thing,” Hernández Elizalde says. “New Yorkers and Americans have gotten used to a taco that’s been adapted to them, but every time they go out in Mexico, they’re like, Why did all those tacos taste that good down there?”
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There are a few new additions for the Flatiron site. The tenderloin taco now uses USDA Prime-graded beef, and a vegetarian option features roasted poblano peppers and huitlacoche. A large “MARGARITA” sign looms above a bar to signal a selection of mezcal, tequila, and beer. The interior feels like a second chapter compared to the original stand. While the original taco stand is less than 100 square feet, the Flatiron location seats up to 60 and includes a table-service section, a seated taco counter, and standing room. The family partnered with friends at CDMX-based interior firm MERO MX, which outfitted the space with glossy, blood-red subway tiles, accordion-style doors at the entrance, and an open-air grill that gives customers a view of their orders.
The move to New York is part of a larger American expansion. Hernández Elizalde plans to relocate his family to the city early next year to oversee the project, hoping to open several more locations in the coming year. “We’re here to set the standard, not only for the best tacos in New York, but in the U.S.,” he says. “New Yorkers will have exactly the same taco as we prepare in Mexico,” he says, “but I like to think it’s going to be a little bit better because of the quality of the meat we can serve here.”
