Eat This Immediately: The Mozambican Style Street Tacos at Berber Street Food

Blink and you’ll miss Berber Street Food. The tiny African cafe from Chef Diana Tandia is tucked away on restaurant crowded Carmine Street in the West Village. It’s a street where you’ll restaurants serving Temaki hand rolls, shakshuka, plant based meals, and plenty more. Though it’s a tiny space, it would be sad if you passed by Berber Street Food without taking the time to review its menu. That’s because Tandia’s dishes pack big flavor, none more evident than Mozambican style street tacos.

New York’s taco scene is not Los Angeles, San Diego, or Austin. But what gives NYC its edge over America’s taco hot spots is its variety, which is why Mozambican style street tacos caught my attention.

The first thing I noticed is that instead of a corn or even a flour tortilla (they have their moments don’t they?), Tandia uses roti flat bread as her landing pad. The flaky, soft roti holds up extremely well whereas tortillas tend to rip when stretched, holding Tandia’s shrimp, sauce, and topping combo inside neatly. This isn’t some flimsy shrimp taco that needs a metal stand just to hold itself upright. And you don’t need three of them either to feel slightly full. The plump shrimp with cilantro cabbage slaw and piri piri sauce that come inside one roti are generous. You’ll be fine with one order.

As for the spice, the piri piri sauce gives this shrimp taco a unique kick that levels on good memorable, but not in a “I just burned my face type I’m so strong look at me” kind of way. Granted, we presume you enjoy garlic of course. But what gets me the most about this taco, or any taco really, is the texture. Your bites come complete with the crunch of the cabbage slaw followed by savory tearing of shrimp, and ending with the gentle pull of the roti. It’s a phenomenal feeling you’ll have to make time for. Though it might not get the attention it deserves for this particular dish - Berber Street Food’s entire menu really is a greatest hits list - if you ever crave a unique taco like I did that fateful night, wrap yourself in the thought of what a Mozambique style street taco can do to accomplish your dreams.

Chef-Owner Diana Tandia Photo: @BerberStreetFood/Instagram

Eat This Immediately profiles one delicious bite at one local business. All food is paid for by Leisurely staff out of our own pocket, and all menu items were currently available at the time of publication.