Guacamole, friends, tacos, and margaritas; my ingredients for a perfect night. In the last two weeks, these 4 vices were combined at Empellon Taqueria in the West Village on two occasions, and it is fair to say I have a new found love for this Mexican hotspot. Not only is the food very nobread approved, but the Empellon team is fully aware of the ingredients in items on their menu and very accommodating towards people who have dietary restrictions…
Everyone knows that I love guacamole and I HIGHLY recommend the guacamole at Empellon. The guac itself is gluten free, but the corn chips have been fried so if you are sensitive to cross contamination I would ask for a side of corn tortillas. Also, Empellon offers an extensive list of salsas, all of which are gluten free! I’m dairy free, too, but all of the quesos at Empellon are gluten free and I’ve heard great things. In addition to the guacamole, I recommend the corn esquites, octopus with parsnip, and shrimp with fennel to start. The tacos at Empellon are served on a flour tortilla but corn tortillas are on hand, so if you are part of the nobread crowd be sure to ask for your taco on a corn tortilla. All the tacos are gluten free with the exception of the fish tempura and lamb barbacoa. I love brussels sprouts, so a brussels sprout taco is my DREAM. The lobster taco is my second favorite, and I also love the skirt steak and shortrib pastrami tacos!
I recently went to the restaurant for brunch, and I was beyond impressed! The steak and eggs with brussels sprouts was one of the most delicious and unique steak & eggs dishes I have had in NYC, and the bacon, egg, and cheese taco on a corn tortilla was incredible.
Empellon is incredibly popular for both dinner and brunch, and has one of the best large party group deals I have seen in New York City. I highly recommend Empellon for your next birthday party, group outing, or date night! Thank you, Team Empellon, for accommodating people with gluten allergies and other dietary restrictions, and for bringing another delicious Mexican hotspot to New York City. I’ll have to head to the East Village soon to check out Empellon Cocina!