Bacalar (Taqueria Bacalar)
Joachim de Buck's taqueria on a Noord industrial estate, open since 2019, where guests still rank the tacos among Amsterdam's best.
Joachim de Buck is Belgian; he worked in Paris and Ghent, came to the Netherlands around 2005 and started out at Hotel de Goudfazant. He co-founded Taqueria Coba with Mirthe van der Schoot, left in 2019 and opened Bacalar that November, named after a popular Mexican beach resort. It sits on the Buiksloterham industrial estate behind Overhoeks. There is no menu online. Order the taco de pulpo on ground peanut and a purple tortilla, tacos de moronga with blood sausage and mango-habanero salsa, a crayfish tostada in leche de tigre or tacos de carnitas, with mezcal and cocktails to drink. Gilles van der Loo gave Bacalar a 9 in Het Parool in February 2020. Gault&Millau gives it 13 points and calls the carnitas a perfect example of more traditional work. Guests still rank the tacos among the city's best and praise the service; at least four find it expensive for a taqueria, cocktails included.
Open Thursday to Sunday, with lunch on Saturday and Sunday; book online via bacalar.amsterdam. There is a terrace for good weather.
What to order
- Taco de pulpo (octopus)
Octopus on ground peanut and a purple tortilla; Roadbook names this taco in 2026.
- Tacos de moronga (blood sausage)
Blood sausage with mango-habanero salsa; Gilles van der Loo (Het Parool) named it a highlight when he stopped reviewing.
- Mezcal
Roadbook calls the mezcal collection extensive; guests also praise the cocktails, though some find them expensive.
Also in The Mexican special
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