If you’ve spent any time eating tacos and/or drinking tequila in Florida, Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar, a casual Mexican restaurant chain that has nine locations from Naples to West Palm Beach, might be on your radar. Just announced: The brand will reopen in New York — it had an outpost in Brooklyn that closed during in 2020 as a result of the pandemic — with its first Long Island restaurant at the Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station in early December.
Founded by Long Island native Rocco Mangel, Rocco’s Tacos offers a buzzy setting in which it serves Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes including the requisite guacamole, tacos filled with ingredients from mushrooms to meats, and enchiladas, molcajetes (Rocco’s version of fajitas), burritos, bowls, salads and nachos, plus plenty of options for kids. There is a wide-ranging selection of agave spirits spanning tequilas and mezcals. The large, boisterous eateries all have celestial-themed ceilings, avocado-green dining booths and wood accents throughout.
Mangel grew up on Long Island, so the opening of a Suffolk County flagship feels fated. The 5,500-square-foot space — which will inhabit the long-vacant restaurant space near Urban Outfitters — will feature a 200-seat, all-season patio space and will be open seven days a week for lunch, dinner, happy hour and weekend brunch. Also plan on Margarita Mondays and Taco Tuesdays featuring a selection of weekly specials.
Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar, 160 Walt Whitman Rd., Huntington Station; roccostacos.com
A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.
Dining and Cooking