While walking by the Hudson River Waterfront recently, I discovered Taqueria Viva Mexico in the Paulus Hook neighborhood of downtown Jersey City.
I was super excited when I noticed Chilaquiles on their menu, and so far I’ve had the pleasure of eating here twice… brunch with my husband and dinner with my friend, Sweta.
The ambience here is casual, relaxed, vibrant, and friendly, and most of the time this translates to great food at reasonable prices. Just fyi… this place started filling up after 1 pm for brunch. 
LOCATION
133 Morris Street
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(paulus hook)
MENU: Taqueria Viva Mexico Kitchen Café menu
COST: $
CUISINE: Mexican
RECOMMENDED TO: Couples, Small Groups.
AMBIENCE: Casual/Relaxed/Friendly
MY REVIEW
My first time at Taqueria Viva Mexico for Brunch, I ordered Chilaquiles with Red Sauce. It was delicious and portions were generous.
Look at the egg yolk semi-oozing out and the red sauce all soaked into the fried corn tortillas. Delicioso!
My husband opted for the Chicken Enchiladas with Green Sauce. The grilled chicken was tender and flavorful, and he most certainly did enjoy his dish.
We ended with a cup of American Coffee, unfortunately they don’t serve Mexican Coffee here.
And we split the famous Tres Leches (3 milk cake) which was heavenly. The cake was all soaked up with milk, but it wasn’t drenched and soggy. Definitely one of the most delicious Tres Leches I have had to date.
On another occasion with my friend, I enjoyed 3 soft tacos for dinner:
left – Pescado Taco (grilled tilapia) – good & healthy, but slightly bland.
center – Pollo Enchilado Taco (grilled Cajun chicken) – excellent, loads of flavor, chicken was perfectly spiced.
right – Vegetales Taco (grilled vegetables) – good, healthy, but if you eat meat, skip this.
My friend, Sweta, had a Vegetable Burrito in a bowl, she’s so healthy. Loved the flavorful Mexican rice and the wide array of colors on this dish. 
OVERALL: 4.5 / 5
I can confidently say most dishes at Taqueria Viva Mexico are delicious. The food here is authentic, and not overly greasy with tons of cheese. The waiters are nice and offer assistance with any questions you may have. I particularly loved the Chilaquiles, Pollo Cajun Taco, and Tres Leches w/Coffee. Next time though, I would love to try their Huevos Rancheros, Nachos Rancheros, and Guacamole – something tells me their guac will be amazing. Ideally, it would be nice if Taqueria served alcohol, but with food this good, you probably don’t even need liquor. Boy I’m just so glad they deliver for days I’m lazy to cook!
Food: Excellent (Chilaquiles, Pollo Enchilado Taco, Tres Leches)
| Drinks: Good (coffee) | |
| Décor: Casual/Relaxed | |
| Service: Good (friendly) | |
| Value: Excellent |
TELL ME: Have you ever tried Chilaquiles? What’s your favorite Mexican dish?
Never tried Chilaquiles but any restaurant serving authentic Mexican food is a win in my books :)! Lately I've been all about the burrito bowls but I do love a good fajita. Honestly though, it's hard for a dish to go wrong if it involves salsa and guac…even better with a margarita on the side ;)!
Chilaquiles is awesome, I need to make them soon, but I'd have to make it from scratch. It's a process I tell you. I love burrito bowls… especially love Chipotle. 🙂
what a fun restaurant! I love chilaquiles also and would defintiely be tempted to order them!
Thanks Joanne. Hope you made it out to Rocking Horse Cafe. This place is really good.. very authentic.
YUM! My mouth is water even though I just ate breakfast! I have a Mexican restaurant rec for you in Miami. 🙂 Can't wait to meet you!
Ooooh.. I can't wait to see all your recommendations P. THat would be great! I'll be dining out twice a day, so trying to figure everything out. 🙂
any time I see or hear about Mexican food I want it BAD!
Me too Dixya! Love it. It's a good thing you live in TEXAS!!! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this peek into what looks like a really great restaurant! You've got me craving tres leches cake now!
Thanks Georgia.. the Tres Leches was awesome. 🙂
Oh Honey, I'm missing good Mexican food now! Since moving back to Colorado, I haven't found a favorite place. This all looks so good! Especially the cake 🙂 Thank you for sharing. Now I'm dying to find some good and authentic fajitas (my favorite!)
Awww.. I'm sorry. I think really good Mexican food only exists in Texas and California within the US. The NYC region is probably second. Try Yelping or UrbanSpoon. 🙂
Ive never had chilaquiles before, and now I need too! Tasty review 🙂
Kiran – noooooo.. you should try them asap at a place near you. They are delicious!
Nisha! More Mexican food! My mouth is watering right now! Only thing missing is a mango mojito (obviously in a brunch size glass!)
Sejal – I know, I'm crazy about Mex. This place doesn't serve liquor, only bummer.
Oooh! I'm with Diaryofanindianmum – my mouth is watering also…esp. for the Tres Leches cake. I might have to go just for that. I have a big sweet tooth. My fav Mexican dish is fajitas, so good. Thanks for making me hungry!!
Jahnavi – You probably live close by, you should definitely check out this place. The Tres Leches is really good. I love Fajitas too. 🙂
My favorite Mexican food is guacamole 🙂 Everything looks good, and I want the vegetable burrito in a bowl!
Guacamole is like amazing! 🙂
hi nisha… i remember visiting your page a while back thinking i shall drop in here and then for the love of me couldnt remember your blog name 🙁 i knew we shared the same name and that you were from nyc but couldnt find you. And then i stumbled upon your instagram profile and voila I was back in touch with your blog.
Love your blog and the fun things you do..
keep in touch 🙂
Hi Nisha – awww.. so glad I found you again. Thanks.. I really like your blog too. Thanks for stopping by… I'll try that 1 minute cookie and let you know how it turns up. 🙂