Tacos los Cielitos Mexican restaurant opens in Hicksville

A colorful new Mexican restaurant in Hicksville, Tacos los Cielitos, is making a standout cemita, the signature sandwich of Puebla, Mexico.

While it's true many neighborhood Mexican spots have cemitas on the menu, the one at Tacos los Cielitos makes a case to skip tacos altogether. The Central Mexican style of torta is known for being exquisitely stacked, with layers of shredded queso Oaxaca, avocado and chipotle chilis that add flavor and texture to the crispy milanesa cutlets. The name comes from the sesame seed bread, which in Mexico tends to be fluffier and fatter than the sesame loaves here.

Owner Gregory Cielo is very particular about his bread, and says he sources it from Buzzanca's Bakery & Cafe in Jackson Heights, Queens. Cielo hails from the city of Cholula in Puebla, and ran the now-shuttered kiosk Tacos los Toritos in the Broadway Commons Mall in Hicksville. His son, Bradly, who was helping out at Cielitos, said they were pushed out of the mall last year amid the property's ongoing redevelopment. They opened their new Hicksville shop in December in the former home of Kunga Kitchen, which moved next door. 

To prepare the cemita, Cielo fills the sandwich with a layer of black beans that act as a mortar base. Then he adds delicately fried strips of beef milanesa, thin strands of queso Oaxaca (like a string cheese) and then a fan of buttery avocado, mayonnaise and sweet and spicy chipotle chilis. There's also a pop of papalo, a Mexican herb that's got a zingy flavor similar to cilantro. When you bite in, your tongue registers a pleasing symphony of sweet, spicy, savory and rich flavors.

The menu's also got a large variety of taco selections, including chivo, or goat tacos. There are also flautas, quesadillas, Mexican soups like pozole and freshly squeezed juices. The green juice ($8.95) put some pep in my step with its blend of kale, green apple and parsley.

But if you order one other thing, make it the mulita, which is sort of like a taco sandwich prepared with house-made tortillas. They make a sizable one here, in fact it takes up the entire plate. But the carne asada inside was freshly cooked and quite lovely with the melty cheese and thick corn tortilla.

Tacos los Cielitos, 390 Woodbury Rd., Hicksville, 516-396-0837, tacosloscielitos.com. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.