A pork taco was a couple of notches up from fast-food, but not more than that.

There are several different pork tacos.

Think drinks topped with fresh sprigs of mint, pulled pork tacos with cilantro sprinkled on top, pasta with fresh tomatoes and chopped oregano, or a nice mug of relaxing herbal tea.

Standouts include chorizo tacos, rubbed pork tacos and mango and jicama salads, among other authentic and delicious options (most of which are also available upstairs at the anyone-welcome area).

For spicy pork taco, the meat is marinated in a red chili sauce, roasted and slivered.

You'll also discover lesser-known items like tacos de pibil (pork tacos) and tinga, little pasta pockets of chicken.

Ms. Hernández would use them to spice the pork tacos that she sells from the apartment on the weekends to help her husband pay their $600 monthly rent.

A pulled pork taco with fresh cilantro.

At Real Azteca, a tiny Mexican lunch counter in Hunts Point that serves a mean pork taco, few diners have even heard of Zagat.

Black bean-and-jalapeno soup is a good starter, as is the barbecued pork taco with papaya-tomatillo relish and sour-cream salsa.