La Lucha

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spuffylover24

Joined 8 years ago

great authentic mexican street food. A great find that I nearly walked right by as it's so small it's almost easy to miss. The first thing you notice when you walk in is the flickering light of the projector playing a classic mexican movie you've probably never seen. No worries if you can't hear the dialogue, the stories of the old luchador movies are visually self-explanitory and entertaining none-the-less.

The menu proudly boasts that they do NOT serve burritos. That was my first indication that this was probably one of the most authentic taquerias I've been too in NYC.

The cazuelita de queso fundido is a great starter- I suggest having it with the chorizo. Served with warm tortillas, and chopped onion in what seems to be a warm balsamic vinegerette it's big enough to share with one other, small enough to keep your appetite for the main event... the tacos!

Our waitress suggested 3 tacos for a meal. The spicey matematico was a great meatless option, the pepper was flavorful, but not so spicey that it becomes umbearable. Simple, but delicious. Mano Negra, another meatless option, was fresh and light despite the meaty texture of the mushrooms, and the Anibal was a great finisher, with crispy chorizo.

Wanting to try a little bit of everything I also shared something from the "time off" section of the menu. The Blue Demon was a great side dish. Almost a cross between a quesadilla, and stuffed mexican pizza. Yummy and filling, without weighing you down.

And of course there are the Aguas Frescas, or seasonal waters. The Horchatas was sweet and delicious.

Overall a great authentic streetfood experience in a fun laid back atmosphere. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a cold beer.... which apprently they do not yet have a license for. That aside, it's worth stopping in for a quick meal... and if they do get their license for booze I imagine i could easily make this a regular spot becuase I'm already thinking of the next taco I'd like to try.

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DMANBURGER

Joined 4 years ago

DMANBURGER "La Lucha". As I was experiencing the frantic pace of people shuffling along Avenue A, I remember when there was nothing there but downtrodden and sad- looking people strewn about like pebbles on street corners. Avenue A now exudes youth and a stampede of affordable and sustainable decent grub. And in the pink and black corner... La Lucha! A Taquería with all the wrestling flips and holds on your palette and serving three times the food for the reasonable prices offered. General Manager, Jorge Godoy, is shy, yet powerful and definitive with advice on flavor and choice. The simple glass storefront is hammed up with a pastime that Americans don't know- Mexican wrestling. Just spend a few moments here and discover as I did when Jorge told me that the Lucha wrestlers in Mexico are “like James Bond-they fight all the bad guys and get all the girls”!



The dining room at La Lucha is a shrine to these masked warriors, with wrestling films flickering; it is a pilgrimage to the sport of wrestling. People are calm and relaxed as the smell of cilantro and fresh corn wafts through the tiny room giving the scent of a home cooked Mexican kitchen. La Lucha is a lined with purple gaudy banquettes on one wall and tight crammed chairs on the other. Even with the uncomfortable seating, you cannot deny this superior cuisine at affordable prices. Take the Brazo Del Oro, a spicy pork taco that bursts in the mouth and at [$4.50], is the cheapest sensation of perfection. The Super Porky, also [$4.50]-despite its corny name, is a myriad of pulled pork goodness-that is in a word as its name suggests-super! The various tacos are splashed across the menu, with colorful descriptions, like the sport it mirrors.



El Santo is a trip of salted steak, fried pork and chorizo: and I didn’t think that it could be possible to top the Brazo Del Oro, but there you have it. The most unusual and surprising dish, was that in an appetizer-the Las Chabelas [$3.50]. A limp, yet fire roasted pile of grilled baby onions, charred on the outside and soft on the inside, all sitting in a puddle of what tastes like an Asian oyster sauce. And there’s the corn, a knob of yellow bliss, soaked in spices and cheese. The best at La Lucha comes at the end, when Jorge, politely shakes your hand humbly says- thank-you.

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caryn donohue

Joined 3 years ago

Great Little Tacos. I tried this for theDealist's Taste of East Village event and was very happy with my taco. I had the pork one and my friend had the spicy chicken taco, which looked and tasted better. I liked the side onions and veggies, along with the sauces to add on. Overall it was quite tasty!

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Keith Wagstaff

Joined 8 years ago

Citysearch Editorial Review. Kitschy machismo and Mexcian street food collide at this tiny taqueria in the East Village. Once settled in one of the 16 seats, it’s impossible not to notice the theme: lucha libre, known in the United States as Mexican wrestling. Fight night posters plaster the walls along with wrestling masks and all kinds of memorabilia, lit by the flicker of retro Mexican movies projected in the background. The open kitchen produces tacos of all types, from simple concoctions containing salted steak or carnitas to more complicated arrangements like the El Santo (salted steak, fried pork and chorizo) and the Mistico (steak or chicken with cheese, bacon, onion and pepper).