Wayne & Sons is located at 57 South 5th Street, at the corner of Wythe Avenue, and is currently open on Tuesday through Saturday from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Wayne & Sons, the fun, funky Tex-Mex party spot that opened last week in Williamsburg after moving across the river from the East Village, was something of an instant hit when it first arrived on 14th Street just a little over a year ago.
The reason for all the immediate love, other than perpetual good vibes and strong drinks? The Wayne & Sons tacos, which, unlike virtually every other newcomer in our current, glorious NYC tacoissance, are served crunchy-style, with fillings—meats, mushrooms, queso, salsa, what have you—nestled within a crackling tortilla shell. I can’t think of anywhere else in town doing it exactly like this right now.
(Photo by Scott Lynch)
Wayne’s is run by a dynamic trio. There’s chef Oscar Hernandez, a co-founder and former “master taquero” of Tacombi who grew up in Guadalajara, Justin Seitzler, who acts as beverage director and whose roots in Dallas inspired Wayne’s whole Tex-Mex deal, and Tiffany Collings, the group’s “hospitality guru” who, among other responsibilities, spearheaded the move to Brooklyn after the DOT razed their East Village outdoor seating area, effectively destroying their ability to remain at that location—E-Vill’s loss, Willy-B’s gain.
Beef picadillo and pork asado tacos, $6 each (Photo by Scott Lynch)
Full disclosure: I’m a 1970s kid, and back then the only tacos I knew came courtesy of my mom and a box of Old El Paso crunchy shells. So there’s definitely some nostalgia at work here in my enthusiasm for Wayne & Sons. But even if I had been raised on all the delicious CDMX-style soft-tortilla tacos that have recently taken over the town (Think: Ramirez, El Chato, Dolores, etc.), I’d still be stoked that Wayne’s is now in Brooklyn, and in a space that, unlike their tiny East Village original, is large enough to accomodate everyone who wants to eat here. These tacos, and most everything else on the menu, are excellent.
Wayne’s signature beef picadillo crunchy taco, $6 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
The tacos here come in four varieties. The signature “Wayne’s Crunchy” is packed with well-seasoned beef picadillo, a bit of queso, a smoky, creamy sauce, and a simple tomato salsa. The Asado taco is rich as hell, a dense mix of pulled pork and refried beans that really comes alive with a squeeze of either or both of chef Hernandez’s zippy homemade sauces, served, cutely, in those bear bottles usually used for honey.
Mushroom taco, $6 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
There’s also a mushroom taco, and one with chicken thighs and ranch. They’re all on the small side for sure, but the flavors are robust enough that just a couple will satisfy, especially if you get a boat of Wayne’s superb chili cheese fries for the table. Another solid accompaniment are Herndandez’s housemade tortilla chips, or “Textopos
,” which get sprinkled with the same W&S seasoning as the fries and come with bean dip, queso, or both.
Cowboy caviar, $6, with Textopos, $5 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
Texquites, $6 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
For something a bit brighter and more vegetable-forward, both corn dishes, the “cowboy caviar” with black-eyed peas, and the texquites with queso, hit the spot. And every Wednesday—sorry, every “Waynesday”—the kitchen serves up a couple of specials, like last week’s “churro in a burro,” which was essentially a dessert burrito.
(Photo by Scott Lynch)
The partners emphasize that Wayne & Sons can function as a family restaurant, particularly in the early evening (the food is certainly kid-friendly), but most people who come here to eat also come here to drink. Margaritas are $14 and, as Seitzler said to Brooklyn Magazine, “we get a great crowd, and the drinks are good and strong. We use a great tequila in the well and for the frozens, so you can have a good time without a bad hangover.”
Hmmm, well, we’ll see about that. One thing I can say with assurance is that Wayne & Sons feels like a place where, with the right crew, you could have a lot of fun. And Seitzler, Hernandez, and Collings are super excited to be in Williamsburg. “We all live in Brooklyn,” said Collings, “So moving Wayne’s here is like bringing it home. We love our customers, and we can’t wait to build a community here like we did in the East Village.”
“The three of us are always at Wayne’s,” Hernandez chimed in. “When you come here, you can’t get away from us. There are no QR codes; we’re going to talk with you, we’re going to ask your name. It’s a place we want to hang out.”
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