It’s the taco the town.
A Mexico City taqueria made history in May when it was awarded the first-ever Michelin star and now the taco stand — still the only one in the world with the coveted award — is coming to the Big Apple for a limited time.
The humble family-owned El Califa de León has partnered with Tacombi to bring authentic tacos from the beloved eatery to the US for the first time, with pop-ups at all the New York locations beginning Thursday.
“In a perfect world, we would just take people to Mexico,” Tacombi founder Dario Wolos told The Post.
Open since 1956 and run by three generations, the unassuming taco joint in the San Rafael neighborhood is perhaps the smallest restaurant ever to receive the award. It consistently draws hourslong lines of people hoping to scarf down one of four menu options: gaonera (thinly sliced beef filet), bistec (beef steak), chuleta (pork chop) and costilla (beef rib).
It’s relatively simple: The slab of meat — never shredded or ground — is served on freshly made corn tortillas, seasoned only with a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lime.
Diners may drizzle the house-made red or green salsa on top “if anything” — but that’s it, owner Mario Hernández Alonso explained to The Post. No lettuce or cheese. Sour cream is “blasphemous.”
He hopes New Yorkers will be “pleasantly surprised” by his simple yet meticulously made tacos — though he won’t ever share the exact recipe with anyone.
“That is my concept and so I have followed it and that’s why Califa de León has that kind of service,” Hernández Alonso, the second-generation owner, said in Spanish.
He appreciated how “seriously” Wolos understood his taco stand when the Tacombi founder reached out and proposed the partnership.
The taco teams have spent months tracking down the right ingredients and perfect cuts of meat — thanks to meat purveyor Pat LaFrieda himself — to offer a one-night pop-up event at Tacombi Flatiron on Wednesday from 6 to 10 p.m.
Two of the recipes, chuleta and costilla, will also be served at all Tacombi New York locations beginning Thursday through Oct. 31.
“We’ve just gone through a lot of great lengths to try and respect his tradition and honor it and I think that’s why people here will appreciate it because it’s from the heart,” Wolos said.
“There’s a craft in Mexico of how you make tacos and the people that really care about it put a lot of effort into how they serve them up.”
And it seems they’re a hit with foodies, who are already buzzing about the pop-up online. “Run, do not walk,” one TikTokker wrote.
At a Tuesday preview event, New York blogger twins Kelsey and Baylee Soles, who were already fans of Tacombi, had heard of the Mexico City stand and were curious to try the dishes. The models, 29, touted the bistec and gaonera tacos.
“These tacos are so different than other tacos with all the toppings,” Kelsey said. “It makes you not feel greasy. I could probably eat like 12 of them.”
“I love spicy,” Baylee said of the salsa, adding that the homemade tortillas were a highlight since they’re “naturally gluten-free.”
Wolos, a first-generation Mexican, hopes the collaboration will help to spread a “love of Mexican culture through the taco.”
“It’s kind of the central point. To share a lot of the cool things that are special about Mexico. It is our food and our people and our and our traditions there together,” he said.
“It’s something for the whole world to appreciate.”
