Tania Apolinar

The Climb

Before hospitality, Tania Apolinar worked as a professional photographer. That background shaped a direct approach to detail, one that still reads in her restaurant work: attentive, exact, and built around how elements sit together. Today, she is co-owner of Taqueria Ramirez (since 2021) and co-owner of Carnitas Ramirez, a move from image-making into the parallel discipline of food and service.

Today

At Taqueria Ramirez in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York City, the ownership is plainspoken and collaborative. The line describes a shop-floor kind of expansion: measured, named, and shared. She is also co-owner of Carnitas Ramirez in the East Village, New York City. The second address keeps the work within the city while giving the team another place to present the same idea with a separate identity and the same partners. It is a continuation of the same kitchen language, not a reset. At the Greenpoint restaurant, the tacos are built on a small set of defined preparations. The suadero taco is slow-cooked beef confit with crisped edges, a study in richness and contrast. The longaniza taco uses spicy longaniza in a lard-slicked corn tortilla. On Tuesdays, the Gringa al Pastor is grilled between flour tortillas, turning the al pastor preparation into a cheesy gringa. The work depends on control more than excess. The philosophy is stated without ornament: “We do in fact try to always prioritize tradition on top of innovation.” Apolinar and Cervantes tie that to memory and origin as much as to technique: “Foremost, the taste of our food will always carry on the traditions of our unique culture.”

Signature

Tania's signature dishes include al pastor, suadero, longaniza, and Gringa al Pastor. Together, they sketch a kitchen identity that is direct, recognizable, and closely tied to the restaurant’s voice.

In Their Words “Foremost, the taste of our food will always carry on the traditions of our unique culture.”

Recognition

Her path also reflects migration through New York restaurant life.