La Taqueria Opens Third Location In Oceanside

OCEANSIDE, NY — Luis Molina opened his third Mexican eatery, La Taqueria, on Long Island, where he immigrated to more than a decade ago.

The taco-centric fast-casual establishment launched at 490 Merrick Rd., near the Rockville Centre and Baldwin borders, on Jan. 18.

La Taqueria serves tacos with choices of grilled steak or chicken, shrimp and pork sausage. The menu also features tortas, burritos, enchiladas, nachos, most of them served with the same meats and shrimp. Alambres consist of grilled meat or shrimp paired with pepper, onions, chopped bacon and melted cheese.

Molina based his dishes on a mix of fare from his native Oaxaca in southern Mexico and Tijuana near the California border.

“We make food from southern and northern Mexico, and that blend is simply delicious,” he said.

Molina highlights that his tortillas are made with authentic corn with no preservatives or glutton.

“We have a small menu, but we focus on the quality of the food,” he said.

An attorney in Mexico, Molina enjoyed working in the restaurant industry immediately after he immigrated to Long Island 12 years ago. After taking business and marketing courses, he decided to venture out on his own.

A Levittown resident, he found a vacancy in neighboring Hicksville where he debuted La Taqueria in August 2020, followed by a second location in Syosset in April 2021. When the space on Merrick Road arose, he researched the Oceanside-Rockville Centre area and jumped at the opportunity. He is currently working on opening a fourth shop in Long Island City.

La Taqueria offers catering, take-out and delivery services through his staff and partners with Doordash and Grubhub. Molina attributes his success to starting his business during the COVID-19 pandemic and related business shutdowns, when demand for delivery and take-out services were spiking.

“We had a lot, a lot of delivery and take out orders,” he said.