Exclusive video: Burglar robs Long Island restaurant, prepares meal like a pro

HICKSVILLE, Long Island -- An unusual break-in was caught on camera inside a Mexican restaurant on Long Island.

Nelly's Tacqueria in Hicksville had an unwanted visitor around 2 a.m. on Tuesday.

A burglar was captured by surveillance cameras.

But did this thief really need the cash, or did he just really love the tacos there?

The video shows him wandering around the kitchen, putting on gloves, going through the fridge, picking his ingredients, and then cooking beans, chicken, and shrimp!

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He did all of this in near darkness!

"He was working the pot like a pro," the manager said. "He was sifting the food. Shaking it around. Making sure it was heated evenly, distributed evenly."

As his meal was warming up, he broke into the cash register with a hammer, pocketed $100, but then left a dollar in the tip jar.

Then he ate and appeared to savor every bit.

The manager at Nelly's said the suspect spent about 45 minutes inside.

"He knew food safety skills," the manager said. "He would change gloves frequently after handling food and then handling another object."

But how did the thief even get in?

He removed bars on the window and then squeezed through a tiny space in the back.

His footprints could be seen below the window sill.

And that's not all.

When he was done, he washed and dried the pots and hung them back up.

He even wiped down all the surfaces and picked up crumbs off the floor!

Then, he covered up the food and put it back in the fridge.

"He used the Saran Wrap the way I used Saran Wrap - you know, like a pro," said Nelly Balacios, the owner.

The owners said if he wasn't a crook, they'd hire him!