New Mexico Place (By Guest Reviewer Gabo Rodriguez)

You always seem to find that authentic flavor in everything you order.

It seems to me that at this rate, if this page has another Mexican restaurant review it will probably explode. Hopefully, this one isn’t the tilting point. As a young and humble resident of East “Willburg” (all gaudiness aside) finding a Mexican place to get a taco isn’t exactly the hardest thing in the world. As it’s been made exhaustively clear, there are Mexican restaurants in Brooklyn! It’s quite unusual, however, to find one that really stands out from many others. At New Mexico Place you always seem to find that authentic flavor in everything you order. Since my first visit, when I curiously stumbled into the restaurant looking for a cheap, decent place to have a meal, I became an instantaneous fan. For this article, I really wanted to test what the restaurant had to offer.

A friend and I got there fairly early, to which we were greeted, in Spanish, by who appeared to be the owner. I, being a native Spanish speaker (mind the ego), answered “una mesa para dos” (a table for two). We sat down in fairly comfortable chairs, blasted by “Norteño” music coming from a sound system and ordered two Modelos, a basket of chips (free) and some guacamole ($3.00). To our surprise, the chips were freshly fried and the guacamole had the perfect flavorings of salty and spicy joined into one; an avocado with onions and cilantro mix that balanced itself out.

For the main course we went all out, ordering almost every dish that seemed appetizing, we asked for what seemed to be a meal for 4. I ordered a chicken burrito, my friend ordered vegetarian tacos, a gordita (which we shared) and a tostada, way better choice. When they brought the food, everything seemed extremely appetizing. The burrito came with chicken, rice and beans, a crema-cheese-on-top-combo with a side of guacamole and salad all for $5.75?! (nuts!). To be honest the other dishes were the best; the vegetarian tacos ($2.25ea) came with a mix of sautéed mushrooms, some salad and crema giving it great texture and consistency, a good variation from the same old rice and beans veggie tacos. The tostada ($2.00ea) came with beans, salad and crema in a freshly fried tortilla that was not utterly amazing but it was crunchy and savory nonetheless.

Lastly, the gordita ($2.50ea) was the real revelation of the night. Having never ordered such a dish, I was skeptical on how would turn out. To our surprise it was AMAZING; it had a soft texture, also fried, with beans and salad, it was almost indescribable; similar to an empanada but a little thicker, all in all a great dish. The bill came to about $30.00, not bad for so much food. We left with full stomachs, full wallets and a good mood. What else do you need from a Mexican place? - Gabo

(Photos by Tamara Wise)

Address: 189 Graham Ave., between Meserole and Scholes (East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Website: Yelp

Payment: Cash, Credit

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: Open until 11pm every day

Large Group Friendly: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: Beer and Wine Only

Pequena

We decided to try Pequena one night on the way home, especially since they deliver to us (for future reference). The space is small with just a few tables and fairly cramped, but the mood was festive and the decor interesting to look at (as in, I don't get it, but it's shiny and colorful so I don't need to). We ordered our food to go and sat on a bench in the covered area out front.

It took a while, but there seemed to be only two girls working the phones and the tables and a couple of people in the kitchen. By the time we got home it the food was room temperature so we had to do a bit of reheating, but it was still tasty. We ordered some stewed pork tacos (appetizer size, which was two tacos with guacamole and salsa, $5) and a full order of black bean and sweet plantain quesadillas (two with cheese, rice and beans, $12).

We split everything, and even with us being ridiculously hungry we couldn't finish it all. The pork was good, flavorful although not overly tender, and was a nice combo with the salsa and guac. The quesadilla was also good, but lost a little in transport, since the crispiness from the grill was gone and it was a bit dry.

The food was fresh (when we got it) and filling and we'll no doubt be going or ordering again. If you're looking for some Mexican-ish food in the area, especially if you need delivery, I suggest you try it out. -Laurel

This night I was really craving Mexican food, and since Habana Outpost is closed until it gets warmer, I was excited when Laurel took note of this place one day when we were walking around the neighborhood. We were greeted by two nice but slightly flustered waitress/hostesses who were running around so much it took a few tries before we could get out that we just wanted our food to go. Not to mention the fact that the phone was ringing every five seconds so it was hard to get their attention. 

After we ordered, we stood/sat in their waiting area with some people who seemed to be pissed about how long they had been waiting. We heard almost the same two conversations by two groups of girls, basically saying that the food was worth the wait, so I was pretty excited to get my food. However, after waiting for 30 minutes, I started getting that same level of annoyance. When I walked in to ask if there was any hope (Lost was coming on and seriously -  we needed to get home), our food was there.

As Laurel said, it was lukewarm by the time we go home and a bit soggy, but still tasty. And for whoever reads this on a regular basis probably knows our shared love for plantains and black beans, so a quesadilla as such was an amazing thought. The guacamole was super spicy and kind of overwhelmed the sweetness, so I think next time I'll get it without, but otherwise the quesadilla was delicious. The pork tacos were quite spicy as well, but the pork was full of flavor and the salsa was unique in its own right. The best part of the tacos  were quite larger than I expected so I was really full by the end of it all. 

We'll definitely be back to this place, and order from there a lot. If anything, I know I'm going to be wanting a margarita soon. - Jennifer

Address: 86 S Portland, b/t Fulton and Lafayette (Ft Greene)

Website: http://www.pequenarestaurant.com/

Payment: cash only

Delivery: yes

Open Late: midnight on the weekend

Large Group Friendly: no

Bar/Happy Hour: yes, 2 for 1 margaritas, M-F 12-6

Neighburrito

We found this place nestled between Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop and Welcome to the Johnson's (world's darkest bar) when we finally stumbled out of the bar starving last week and saw that our fave sandwich shop was closed.

I was most excited by the fajita quesadilla (aka fajita-dilla, $6.50), and even more so by the fact that you could get spiced steak for the same price as chicken or any other meat. And it was greasy and pretty unhealthy looking and tasting, but everything was fresh and I'm going to pretend that means it's healthy. Also, the tortillas and chips are seem homemade (clarification: they aren't :) ), and you get your choice of mild, medium or hot salsa. The mild is simply pico de gallo without the spicyness, and then it slowly gets hotter from there. I actually dig that, because most of the time mild means it burns my tongue. But if you want more flava, go a little hotter.

The next time I went I built my own neighburrito, with chicken, soy cheese, black beans and rice. This one didn't have as much flavor, even with the medium salsa, but it was still good. The next time I had it was today, when it was delivered to my office. I'd like to pretend like I got something other than the spiced steak fajita-dilla, but 1) I LOVE steak, and 2) there isn't really a two. I just love steak.

Meanwhile...there are also lots of vegetarian and vegan options for those with special diets, whether chosen or otherwise. -Jennifer

Neighburrito is a tiny spot in the Lower East Side near some of my favorite places, including Sugar Sweet Sunshine, so it was only a matter of time before we discovered it. The spot largely serves as a take-out and delivery spot, but there is a saw-horse like counter dissecting the restaurant with a few stools for those who choose to stay. Food is made when you order it, so they aren't the speediest.. or the slowest, either.

Their menu offers various signature burritos (including a "breakfast" burrito, served all day, that included eggs and chorizo that I need to try), quesadillas, tacos, and make-your-own options. The meat options include carnitas, steak, chicken, and marinated tofu.

I also ordered a fajita-dilla with steak during our first visit, and it was pretty delicious. It was a good portion, sliced into four piecesand contained peppers, onions, cheese and steak. The steak was cooked just so and pretty generous. On my next visit, I ordered a fajita burrito, which contained black beans, cheese, peppers, onions, corn salsa and steak. It also came with sour cream and salsa, as well as chips. This was a pretty big burrito, big enough that I couldn't eat my chips, but mine also wasn't as good as the quesadilla. It lacked a little.. something, and the steak wasn't as good this time. Still a pretty tasty burrito.

All-in-all, I like Neighburrito. They use fresh ingredients and make things to order, and have lots of options. The prices are also good, and they're open late. I'd recommend for take-out or late night nosh. -Laurel

Address: 127 Rivington Street (btwn Essex and Norfolk)

Website: http://www.neighburrito.com/

Payment: Cash, Cards

Take Out: Yeppers

Delivery: Pretty big delivery area

Open Late: Sunday-Wednesday, open til Midnite, Thursday-Saturday, open til 2am

Bar/Happy Hour: Nope, but there are horchatas!

Alma

Alma is situated in Carroll Gardens right across the street from the water, and draws in customers with its three levels and rooftop seating. We came here with some of my family (Jennifer is now a member of the clan) to experience the views.

The menu is heavy on seafood and consists of modern Mexican food like guacamole, fajitas and margaritas. I order the Pollo Fajitas, which came with corn tortillas, beans, rice, guacamole and salad ($15.50). It was enough food but definitely not too much, and the chicken was grilled. Although it was fresh and thoughtfully put together, it was still lacking in flavor, largely due to (in my opinion) the chicken.

David ordered the enchiladas with mole sauce, which were pretty tasty from the bite I had and a ton of food. The general consensus is the real reasons for visiting this place are as follows: the guacamole, the margaritas, and the view. So if you’re in need of these three things, go! -Laurel

I had the pleasure of going to this restaurant in the pouring rain with Laurel's adorable family. While her family tried the tasty food of the day offerings, I opted for something a little more safe - fajitas. They were delicious, not the same run of the mill onions, peppers and optional meat that most Mexican restaurants dish from.

The atmosphere is relaxing and laid back as well - hopefully you'll get to sit on top and enjoy the view of the industrious landscape and a little bit over, lower Manhattan. And even if it rains, it's still an option - they have the perfect shades to protect you from the worst of tropical storms.

Laurel's family has been going here for years. They commented that they used to go all the time, but the menu changed drastically and it just wasn't the same, and they didn't go back for quite a while. However, good news! The menu seems to be back in order, as we all enjoyed it immensely. - Jennifer

Address: 187 Columbia St (Brooklyn, NY)

Website: http://www.almarestaurant.com/

Payment: Cash/Credit Cards

Take Out: Yes

Delivery: Yes

Open Late: Not really, til 11pm on the weekends

Large Group Friendly: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: Yes, with tasty margaritas!

Lobo

We've been to Lobo before, but only for margaritas and chips and salsa. I did gather from that visit that the margaritas were tasty and well-mixed, which is pretty much enough for me to return. And return we did-- in honor of Cinco De Mayo.

We had a party of six, so we didn't expect to be seated quickly on the biggest Mexican food-eating, margarita-drinking day of the year. We were told there would be a 45 minute wait, but after standing around for less than 5 minutes we were told a reservation was canceled and a table just our size was ready. What luck!

The menu is large and sports standard Tex-Mex fare: tacos, fajitas, chalupas, burritos, etc. Everything is priced as usual in NYC, ranging from about $9-14 for an entree. Margaritas are $7 for a standard with different flavors and a large size available. I had chimichangas, which consisted of two fried burritos with chicken, rice and beans inside. Not the best, but definitely not bad and satisfied my Mexican food craving. The best parts were easily the chips and salsa and the margaritas. The salsa is free, fresh, well-seasoned, and the staff did a decent job of keeping some on our table at all time. The margaritas were strong and made with fresh juice and good tequila.

The service was decent, especially considering it was their busiest day of the year. I will most likely be back for some drinks and chips and salsa, especially when its nice out so I can relax in the garden seating. -Laurel



Let's face it - if you read our blog, you would think that we are alcoholics. Perhaps we are, but I personally don't think so. The first time we came to this lovely little establishment, we had just gone to the Essex for our first book club meeting and watched leatherheads (which wasn't that great, of course). We had been drunk all day and decided to keep going with some gigantic margaritas. They were still a tad expensive I must say.



Going on Cinco de Mayo was the next obvious choice, and a good one. I was pretty hungover from a night of hanging out with those dudes in The Protomen (by the way, my parents DO read this, and I apologize profusely for disgracing the family name), so I decided to forgo drinking. Instead, I settled in on some nice, delicious chicken burritos. And man, they were tasty. We go to La Esquina a lot in this office, and to be honest - I dig these Lobo burritos a lot more. The beans were pretty gross though, unfortunately, because I love refried beans. Other than that, the atmosphere was pretty cool, except they had the Mexican flag upside down for some reason. Not a big deal, and maybe I'm not in the loop of Mexican culture - but I just thought it was weird. And I like the employees - they were super attentive (probably because they wanted us to leave, but I'll take it that they were just awesome). -Jennifer


Address: 218 Court St at Warren St (Cobble Hill, Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/lobo-brooklyn

Payment: Cash, Cards

Take Out: Yes

Open Late: Midnight on the weekends.

Delivery: Yes

Large Group Friendly: Yes, and they take reservations for groups of 5 and over.

Bar/Happy Hour: Yes, and margaritas are cheaper during happy hour.

Arriba, Arriba (w/ Guest Reviewer Davis Cox)

After a groggy Saturday morning filled with my typical Saturday morning rituals - cartoons, Guitar Hero, and general laziness - I met the ladies at Arriba Arriba for a bit of Mexican brunch. I’ll have to preface this by saying that I’m allergic to eggs, so reviewing brunch isn’t exactly my forte. I do, however, enjoy any excuse to have a drink or two before noon on a weekend, so take that as you will.

Through rigorous testing, Amanda and I have found one of the simplest methods to deciding if a Mexican restaurant is going to be worth your time and money. If the name of the place is easily translatable for your average gringo, or if it’s a catchphrase from a cartoon character, it’s most likely not going to be good. While Arriba Arriba didn’t completely shatter The Rule, it did show it’s not an absolute.

They charge $11.95 for an entrée and a drink (screwdriver, mimosa, or bloody mary) for brunch, which isn’t cheapest you’ll find in the city, but it’s certainly not a bad deal. Also, free chips and salsa is a major bonus in New York; it seems most Mexican places just skip out on the free appetizer. It was incredibly fresh and was a great start to the meal.

I had the Mexican Sandwich - a well-seasoned breaded chicken breast with potatoes and a small salad. The breast was well cooked, generously sized (I’m pretty sure only about 3/4ths of the thing was actually covered by the bun), and all around pretty tasty. The potatoes were kind of an afterthought, and the salad served its purpose well enough – that is, to give me something other than just the sandwich.

I won’t say I loved Arriba Arriba, but it was pretty good food at a reasonable enough price for brunch. If your brunch needs some spicing up, give it a shot and you’ll be pleasantly satisfied. - Davis

I found this place ages ago, when Laurel and I ended up just going to Vynl, so I was glad to finally give it a try. I've never enjoyed Latin/Mexican breakfast, as I'm not terribly keen on pico de gallo in eggs, but I was way excited about trying something else. At the prix fixe price of $11.95, my Arriba quesadilla with chorizo and screwdriver were pretty tasty. I will say, however, it wasn't the best I've ever had. The company, however, was great, as usual. Forcing Davis to spend time with the ladies is always worth the effort.

The waiter was extremely attentive, and I felt like we were the only table in the joint. In fact, to be fair, we were only one of a few, but he had pretty much all of them. By the way, I'm watching Pulp Fiction right now, and Travolta's really high, so I'm a tad distracted in this entree (er, entry, see what I mean?).

Arriba, Arriba is worth it and I suggest a visit. A bad note, though - the one drink that is included with the meal is tiny and it's unfortunate if you want to get a little drunk in order to improve (ruin?) your day. I suggest that you drink more, because we simply didn't do it up right. Apparently (and from what we could see), their drinks are GIGANTIC, but the ones that come with the prix fixe simply don't cut it. I was definitely full, but I wasn't drunk enough. Oops, now Uma's high, too. - Jennifer

Address: 762 9th Ave (@51st Street)

Website: http://www.arribaarribawest.com/

Open Late: 1am on weekends

Delivery: yes, 42nd to 59th st (11th ave to 6th ave)

Take Out: yes, yes

Bar/Happy Hour: yes and yes, 4pm-7pm drinks are buy one get one half off, and on Mondays 4pm-close Margaritas are buy one, get one half off

El Nuevo Amanecer

This may sound weird from people who don't live in Tennessee, but I miss authentic Mexican food. I'm dying (literally) without my chimichangas, burritos, refried beans, and most importantly, 2 for 1 margaritas. Laurel and I have been searching and searching for a good Mexican restaurant in New York, especially with a good drink special.

Laurel found this place - El Nuevo Amancer - a place that seemed very authentic and therefore - delicious. Inside is decorated like any sports bar, but instead of soccer on the screens (okay, I'm not trying to stereotype, but in every Mexican restaurant I've ever been in, that's all that plays) there was basketball. However, it was so dark, I could barely see a thing - hence the pictures turning out so bad.

Our food came fast. I, of course, got a chicken chimichanga ($9). It had absolutely no vegetables, which I like a lot, but it did come with a little something extra - bones. Perhaps that was a little more authentic than I could have hoped for. Either way, it was still good, but I couldn't eat the rest of it after finding that little gem. Also disappointing were the beans. I love refried beans, and these were neither fried nor refried (think Mitch Hedberg). Either way, I don't think I could eat their chicken chimichangas again, but I would be willing to try out a vegetarian option. Oh, and the drinks? We didn't end up getting any. We were saving room for crepes (see below). - Jennifer

I have indeed been craving good Mexican food. So much so that every time I go home I eat as much of it as humanly possible. And then I miss it again.

To be in Manhattan this place wasn't too bad, but we did both get a bit of chicken bone in our chicken dishes, which is just unpleasant to bite into. Oh, and the salsa was HOT. And I am not talking spicy, I am talking temperature. Confused? You bet I was. I will say the chicken itself was well-cooked and had good flavor. The refried beans were a little odd, but every time I have tried refried beans in the Northeast/NY they have been weird. It's a fairly big deal that they had them at all. The rice was good, but pretty plain.

I hear they have good margaritas, but we unfortunately did not partake. It is incredibly dark in that place-- I had a little trouble seeing my food.. or the menu.. or Jennifer. The service was nothing special, either. If you are desperate for something resembling Mexican, it's worth a try. Otherwise, for those of you who know better, you may want to wait until you get home. I'll keep searching in the meantime. -Laurel

Address: 117 Stanton St (@ Essex Street)

Website: n/a (http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-nuevo-amanecer-restaurant-new-york)

Payment: credit, cash

Take Out: yes

Open Late: ?

Delivery: yes, and catering

Large Group Friendly: Yes

Bar/Happy Hour: colorful bar, happy hour I'm sure