Super Taco

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
March 30, 2006

PIO MAYA [CLOSED]
40 W 8th St
(5th & 6th Aves)
New York, NY 10011
212-254-2277

Who would have guessed that a decent taqueria could have opened in my neighborhood on W 8th Street, the shoe street?

Pio Maya is a tiny little storefront that is turning out good Mexican fare like double-tortilla tacos, at low prices, using inexpensive but fresh ingredients. Finally an alternative to the ubiquitous Mexican-Chinese dives. While New Yorkers are still a bit conservative when it comes to Mexican food — we don’t see innards as taco fillings as you would on the West Coast — there’s a migration towards eating better and more authentic Mexican food rather than just the L.A.-style burritos, or Chinesefied tacos. For a little neighborhood dive, Pio Maya is not bad, but we still have a lot to catch up on in the genre of Mexican food.

I had a cheese tamale, a chorizo super taco and a shrimp super taco. Adding guacamole, cheese and sour cream deems the taco a “super taco.” But even a super taco is only $3.25. I was happy and satisfied by the end of my meal, not because it was amazing, but because it was fresh and cheap. The quality-price ratio is balanced. It’s never about how much you pay, as long as it’s worth it. When you have the option to choose a better meal at the same price, why would you suffer the lesser quality? I think much of the neighborhood has caught on, as Pio Maya is very busy. I wonder how they can handle all the business in such a small space.

I’m looking forward to trying other things on the menu, like the rotisserie chicken and the tostones, but everything the cooks were preparing looked intriguing to me. This is a good option when you are craving a little Mexican fast food.

Also in Greenwich Village, Mexican, Tacos