Felipe's Taqueria Review: The Best Mexican Restaurant within the French Quarter?
You can scent lime and char as you method Felipe's Taqueria, a low-lit counter-type spot tucked many of the louder bars and souvenir stores of the French Quarter. The first time I went, I was once following a late-afternoon starvation that demanded anything shiny, quickly, and truthful. What I located was a compact menu that favors strategy over theatrics, a salsa bar that asks for small experiments, and tacos that jogged my memory greater of vicinity joints in Mexico City than of the Tex-Mex plates that dominate many menus in New Orleans.
This is a overview rooted in repeated visits over several months, eaten at peculiar hours and with the different companions. I did now not got down to crown the region the undisputed greatest Mexican eating place in the French Quarter. Instead I attempted to discern out what Felipe's does smartly, where it fits in the neighborhood, and no matter if it must always be in your listing should you wish reputable Mexican delicacies in New Orleans.
arrival and atmosphere
Felipe's doesn’t pretend to be whatever thing rather then a taqueria. The internal is slender with several prime tables and a counter facing the open kitchen. There are colourful posters, a chalkboard menu that alterations, and the more or less faint grease smell that delivers excellent things. It’s casual sufficient to experience snug in denims, overdue sufficient to be pleasant with people on the lookout for a fast meal after the golf equipment, and effectual sufficient to deal with boulevard-crowd surges devoid of turning chaotic.
Noise stage is reasonable. At height times you’ll hear kitchen banter, orders referred to as, and the Mexican Restaurant New Orleans soundtrack of locals and tourists mixing. Seating is restricted, so I put forward grabbing foodstuff to-pass should you’re with a bigger crew and choose to walk the Quarter. If you propose to dine in, come formerly in the evening or be capable to await a table during Friday and Saturday nights.
what to reserve and why
Felipe's menu reads like a brief love letter to conventional Mexican avenue meals. It facilities on tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and some small plates. The restraint is a part of the appeal. They do fewer things, and the issues they do are tended to.
I return for those pieces more most likely than others:
- carnitas tacos. The meat is tender, with little crisp edges that arrive heat and brilliant with onion and cilantro. The balance among fats and char is fascinating, and the lime wedge lifts the complete bite.
- carne asada. Sliced thin and seared just adequate to leave a pleasing smoky word, the steak tacos are straight forward and riskless when you prefer something meaty but not heavy.
- fish tacos. Using a less attackable white fish, they fry it flippantly so the shell stays intact with no collapsing. The crema and pickled cabbage upload welcome acidity.
- al pastor. If it’s to be had, get it. The marinade leans closer to toasted achiote and pineapple, and the portions are reduce skinny, which makes assembly more easy and the flavors sing.
Those four possible choices will not be exhaustive. On different visits I sampled a mole-ish enchilada and a rather clean shrimp burrito that have shyed away from the wide-spread over-saucing lure. Portion sizes are desirable for avenue-taste tacos, so plan for 2 to three tacos consistent with particular person in the event you're consuming as a prime meal.
salsas and extras
Felipe's salsa bar is where the meal will become confidential. There’s repeatedly a efficient salsa with a sparkling herb area, a smoky crimson that indicates dried chiles, and a vivid percent de gallo. I want to pattern small amounts after which dedicate. The efficient salsa plays nicely with fish and Mexican Restaurants in the French Quarter pollo; the smoky red lifts the carne asada and al pastor. They be offering pickled onions and lime wedges that certainly make a taco sing if used judiciously.
Drinks are practical — aguas frescas, Mexican sodas, and a small beer resolution. I appreciated that the liquids don’t try and outshine the food, they sincerely aid it. If you would like margaritas or craft cocktails, this will never be the area; Felipe's retains the main target on truthful taqueria staples.
authenticity and technique
"Authentic" will get used tons, more often than not loosely. Felipe's feels legitimate in a realistic feel: cooking ways topic, tortillas are handled with care, and flavors are layered other than masked. Tortillas are hot and pliable instead of stiff. Proteins are professional intentionally; they may be no longer drowned in sugary sauces. The staff uses phrases you’d hear in a functioning kitchen that is aware of its lineage in preference to in a menu written simplest for spectacle.
That observed, authenticity is just not a binary. Felipe’s menu is tailored to the environment of the French Quarter. There are nods to regional options, and low parts replicate availability and settlement. For illustration, even though a few vendors in Mexico might press their possess masa on web page, Felipe’s assets tortillas that are correct and regular, that is a practical possibility for a busy urban spot. The effect is a product that honors Mexican systems even though assembly expectations for a New Orleans group taqueria.
the way it compares to different Mexican eating places within the French Quarter
The French Quarter is not very saturated with strictly Mexican innovations; you’ll to find extra Creole, Cajun, and fusion choices. When in contrast to different Mexican Restaurant New Orleans possibilities within sight, Felipe's stands out for some motives: its laser concentrate on tacos and taqueria preparations, an inexpensive fee level for the area, and a modest footprint that maintains service brisk.
If you’re determining among a greater formal take a seat-down restaurant and Felipe’s, consider what you want. For a immediate, late-nighttime chunk that prioritizes handheld flavors, Felipe's primarily wins. If you desire an extended, plated multi-path meal with full-size cocktail lists, a extraordinary eating place could fit you improved. For legitimate Mexican cuisine New Orleans site visitors who prioritize approach and flavor instead of formality, Felipe's is a good contender.
service and value
Service at Felipe’s has a tendency to be competent, simple, and pleasant with out being theatrical. Orders are taken right now, nutrition arrives in a timely manner, and the personnel looks delicate explaining the salsas or the daily extraordinary. While turnover is brisk, workforce contributors mainly be offering hints while asked.
Value is relative in the French Quarter, yet Felipe's delivers outstanding significance for what you get: brand new ingredients, nicely-cooked meats, and a centred menu. Expect road-meals component sizes and costs that mirror the neighborhood devoid of the markup of vacationer-capture businesses. If you are trying to find more considerable parts, have in mind pairing tacos with a facet or ordering more.
a couple of designated visits
I understand one rainy weekday night time while the road become brief and the kitchen had time to speak. The cook prompt an off-menu carnitas genre they had been testing, a sluggish-braised variation with a bit orange inside the braise. It arrived basically like a confession, mushy and rich, and it transformed my psychological baseline for what their carnitas might be.
Another time I added a pal who grew up in Monterrey. He took three bites in silence and then pronounced, "These take me back to the fact of domestic, however with a little New Orleans ease." That became a compliment. Felipe’s looks to hit a center flooring: respectful of culture, however willing to be domestically pragmatic.
areas for improvement
No area is most suitable. Felipe's can get crowded at prime occasions and seating is sparse. If you worth a leisurely evening with a bottle of wine and a dozen plates shared between neighbors, Felipe's vitality won’t align with that plan. Noise and turnover could make it sense rushed.
A broader menu may want to allure a wider target audience, however expansion risks diluting what they do smartly. For now, their restraint is intentional, however it does suggest the restaurant won't fulfill diners on the lookout for selection or elaborate entrees.
practical advice for visiting
- timing. Aim for early night time or past due afternoon to forestall height crowds. Weeknights are broadly speaking quieter than weekends. If you need a table for four or extra, consider takeout and a picnic-style walk because of Jackson Square.
- salsa approach. Sample small spoonfuls sooner than committing. The inexperienced salsa is greatly herb-forward, even as the purple has a tendency to be smokier. A little pink on carnitas is a life improve.
- community ordering. Order assorted taco types to share. Tacos are small and shareable; mixing al pastor, carne asada, and fish reveals the number of the kitchen with no overloading someone.
- nutritional notes. They can accommodate guaranteed choices, yet move-infection is you could in a busy taqueria surroundings. Vegetarian options exist yet are fewer than meat possible choices.
- cashless. The eating place accepts playing cards, however it’s constantly well mannered to carry a small tip in salary if you'll.
is Felipe's the high-quality Mexican restaurant within the French Quarter?
Best is subjective. If your criteria are authenticity, targeted methodology, and risk-free avenue-flavor tacos in a compact, no-frills putting, Felipe's makes an awfully stable case. For sheer variety, lavish plating, or a proper dining adventure, it isn't attempting to compete. Ultimately, even if Felipe's is the premiere is dependent on what you would like from a meal in the French Quarter.
For me, Felipe's belongs on any simple listing of Mexican Restaurants in the French Quarter. It's a responsible end should you crave original Mexican nutrients New Orleans variety, which means flavors tuned to the city yet with roots and respect for Mexican taco traditions. It’s no longer a museum piece pretending to be conventional; it’s a living, working taqueria that serves true foodstuff shortly and without pretense.
last impressions
Felipe’s Taqueria captures the spirit of Mexican street foodstuff at the same time as acknowledging the realities of running in a visitor-heavy district. The tacos are the stars, the salsa bar provides you handle, and the group of workers continues carrier successful. It shines at what it units out to do, and that center of attention makes it more invaluable than a scattershot menu. If your consult with to the French Quarter consists of a craving for one or two honest tacos instead of a monstrous take a seat-down meal, Felipe’s may want to be in your rotation.
Reservations are useless and now not almost always furnished. Expect a compact menu that rewards repetition and recognition to sauce pairings. Bring interest, an appetite, and a willingness to eat in-the-second rather than orchestrate a protracted dinner. If you leave needing greater realization to facets or a bigger tasting menu, that’s no longer a failing, it’s conveniently a change in theory.
whether or not to go
Go when you prefer honest, skillful tacos that appreciate Mexican options even though accommodating the French Quarter’s rhythm. Skip it, or plan differently, once you choose a formal celebratory meal with slow pacing and a great cocktail application. For any one making a realistic seek a Mexican Restaurant French Quarter alternative that balances authenticity with comfort, Felipe’s Taqueria is a meaningful choose.
If you notice Felipe’s on a map or passing by means of, have faith your nostril and the small line. You will doubtless walk away with uncomplicated, pleasing tacos and the feeling that you selected a spot that understands what it is trying to do. That subjects extra to me than anointing any single spot as the absolute preferrred.
Felipe's Mexican Taqueria - French Quarter, New Orleans Address: 301 N Peters St, New Orleans, LA 70130 https://www.google.com/maps?cid=9432511428878860186
