Fish taco. This spin-off of a Tijuana, Mexico, taqueria channels the Baja original with fresh fish tacos. Golden fried fingers of beer-battered mahi-mahi line a single tortilla and are dressed with crunchy shreds of green cabbage, onions and an herbaceous streak of cilantro-mayo.

Birria de res taco. At this top-notch taqueria, beef simmers with dried guajillo peppers and avocado leaf for three hours, until the meat is tender and infused with aromatics. The saucy, spicy stew is finished with a sprinkling of cilantro, onion and guacamole on a double layer of corn tortillas, which can barely contain the filling’s savory juices.

Cecina taco. Beef is grilled to order at this divey gem. The salty, tender strips are stuffed into two corn tortillas and spruced up with a dicing of fresh tomato, radish, onion and cilantro. Crack a cold Negra Modelo from one of the refrigerators while you wait.

Al pastor taco. Some of the best Mexican restaurants in town use the tortillas made at this factory. Go straight to the source Fridays through Sundays, when Nixtamal’s small café offers tacos al pastor: marinated pork butt roasted on an outdoor spit. The juicy slices are topped with pineapple and cilantro and folded into a house-made tortilla.

Pescado A Las Brasas taco. La Esquina’s sit-down café and takeout taqueria offer a number of dependable bites, but we particularly like their straightforward treatment of fish—a hunk of grilled mahi-mahi, speared with a skewer and brightened with shredded cabbage and salsa verde.

Al Pastor Taco. This East Harlem hole-in-the-wall may serve the city’s best al pastor tacos, sliced to order off a rotating spit crowned with a hunk of grilled pineapple. The tortilla-to-meat ratio is perfectly balanced.

Cabeza taco. Soft chunks of rich, pungent cow’s-head meat are spread on a pair of griddled corn tortillas with tomatillo salsa at this Sunset Park stalwart.

Chilorio brisket taco. Taco slingers Jesse Kramer and Erica Molina braise brisket for four hours with ancho chili, garlic and a mix of spices for their beefy riff on a traditional pork dish, which is finished with mango, red onion, cilantro, cotija and crema.

Suadero taco. Late-snacking hipsters can offset whiskey binges at these Williamsburg and East Village trucks, which are satellite operations of an Elmhurst taqueria. The suadero is cheap and satisfying: Chewy, charred slices of brisket are pepped up with a mix of onion, cilantro and guacamole.

Langosta taco. Inspired by tacos he tasted in Veracruz, Mexico, chef Julian Medina sautés buttery hunks of poached lobster with a chile de arbol–based morita salsa. The decadent mix is finished with a dice of creamy avocado and a drizzle of chipotle mayo.