Federal Judge Rules That Salsa Is, In Fact, Supposed to Be Spicy
A federal judge had to sit down, put on his robe, and explain to a grown adult that salsa is known to be spicy.
Faycal Manz, a sales engineer visiting New York City from Germany, sued Los Tacos No. 1 — a popular Manhattan taqueria — for $100,000 after eating spicy salsa at the restaurant in August 2024. According to his complaint, the experience left him with gastrointestinal problems, high blood pressure, tongue blisters, and emotional distress.
His Apple Watch, he noted, registered an elevated pulse.
How It Went Down
Manz said he found the restaurant online while looking for tacos — something he pointed out isn't exactly accessible in his small German hometown. He ordered three tacos, walked over to the self-service salsa bar, and added two varieties to his food.
Then he ate them.
"For someone like me living in Germany and eating nothing spicy, it was a very big shock physically and mentally," Manz wrote in his complaint.
His argument was that Los Tacos No. 1 failed to warn customers about how spicy the salsas were — and that the restaurant should be held liable for the aftermath.
What the Judge Said
U.S. District Judge Dale Ho didn't need much time with this one.
He ruled in favor of Los Tacos No. 1, finding that Manz failed to prove the restaurant acted negligently and couldn't produce any evidence of other customers being harmed by the salsa. The judge also noted the restaurant couldn't be held responsible for injuries tied to a customer's own "idiosyncratic characteristic" — meaning the fact that Manz personally had never eaten spicy food isn't really the restaurant's problem.
Then came the line that should probably be framed and hung on the wall at every Mexican restaurant in America.
"Mexican food, and more specifically, salsa, is often spicy," Judge Ho wrote. "In fact, when it comes to salsa, the spice is often the point."
Case dismissed.
One More Thing
As it turns out, the salsa incident wasn't Manz's only legal adventure during his New York trip. He also sued Walmart — reportedly over its Wi-Fi policy. That case has also been dismissed.
The man came to New York for tacos and left with two dismissed lawsuits. Truly a vacation for the books.
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