The flavors of Mexico City will fill the air at Worldwide Plaza when Dear Rufino Taquería opens at the beginning of June, in the space formerly occupied by Blockheads and owned by Barking Dog across the plaza.
Chef Ivan Garcia, who runs two successful restaurants in Brooklyn — Casa Coyoacan and Zona Rosa — will be at the helm of the new taqueria at W50th Street bw 8/9th Avenue, along with his 28-year partner Gerardo Zabaleta and a third business partner Andrés Tovar in the front of the house.
Fifteen years after opening Casa Coyoacan, Ivan and Gerardo are ready to take the leap across the East River into the heart of Manhattan. They’re working with Barking Dog owners and brothers Angelo and Mario E Janku to open up in the space that housed a beer garden last summer.
Ivan’s menu is inspired by the tacos commonly served in Mexico City, where he was born. Dear Rufino will feature tacos, enchiladas, salads and more.
The name refers to Mexican painter Rufino Tamayo, a contemporary of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, who drew inspiration from New York City.
“I’ve always strived to conserve the authenticity of Mexican cuisine,” Ivan told W42ST. “The flavors, the family recipes, and ingredients.”
The most important element in making the perfect taco is the tortilla, he explained. “If a taco is made with a good tortilla that’s a guarantee. We make them every day, by hand with fresh corn flour.”
Ivan also makes his own sauces from scratch, including his grandmother’s recipe for mole poblano that he learned to cook as a child. It was cooking with his grandmother while growing up that inspired him to become a chef.
Opening in Manhattan is a full-circle moment for Ivan and Gerardo, who began their lives in New York 20 years ago working at the Mexican restaurant Barrio Chino in the Lower East Side.
The pair’s 28-year transnational love story began long before they moved to New York, and was fictionalized in the 2020 film I Carry You With Me. It began when they met in Puebla, Mexico, where Ivan had moved to study culinary arts, and Gerardo to study computer science.
They are planning to bring their experience and collaboration from Brooklyn to Hell’s Kitchen. “In 15 years we have learned to be very disciplined,” Ivan said.
Gerardo added that after many years in the restaurant industry “we are tired but happy.”
“Working in restaurants is very 24/7,” he said. “But it’s creative work, and we like it.”
Ivan and Gerardo are busy putting the final touches into Dear Rufino Taquería, which they hope to open on June 1 — in time for Pride month — or soon after. It’s been a mere two months since they began discussions with Angelo and Mario, but everything moved along quickly since the building already had a functioning bar and kitchen. They’ve given the interior their own personal touch, adding Mexican floral patterns and the colors of the Mexican flag, green and red, Gerardo said.
The taquería will be open seven days a week from 11am to 11pm, with lunch, brunch and dinner options that Ivan hopes will appeal to the neighborhood crowd, including office workers. For now they don’t have a full liquor license but plan to serve micheladas (a Mexican cocktail made with beer, lime and spices) and sangria.
Ivan and Gerardo have a dog named Cajeta, and just like Barking Dog, Dear Rufino will be canine friendly. There’ll even be a carne asada taco on the menu, prepared especially for your furry friend.
