New York cuisine is having a Mexican Moment, and naturally, it’s mostly occurring south of the border Houston. Below, the three new hotspots dishing the best of comida mexicana.
Pulqueria: The owners of feudal drink den Apotheke didn’t stray far to open this covert Aztec speakeasy — it’s right next door. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it stairway leads to a subterranean entrance, through which you’ll find Mayan pumpkin seed dip and pork confit tacos served alongside the eponymous pulque, a fermented agave spirit infused with jicama, watermelon, or guava.
VIEW MENU | 11 Doyers St., b/t Bowery & Mott | 212.227.3099
Fonda: This second outpost from the beloved Park Slope resto of the same name is plating delicious standards like sweet plantains with cream and queso fresco, and shrimp and scallop enchiladas with spicy hazelnut mole — the kind of family recipes that earned their owner “Best Cookbook of 2011” accolades from Epicurious.
VIEW MENU | 40 Avenue B, b/t 3rd & 4th | 212.677.4096
Super Linda: Technically South American but what the olé, this achingly hip Tribeca restaurant from the Beatrice Inn and La Esquina crew offers an airy cervezeria-inspired upstairs and dimly lit subterranean “jockey club”. The café serves fare like smoked chicken and truffle croquettas and ceviches, plus margaritas, while the club boasts imposing horse murals and stiff highballs like “60 Seconds Over Buenos Aires” — a concoction of Stoli Vodka, cold-brewed coffee, fernet, and Mexican Coke. As in Coca-Cola … it’s not that South American.
VIEW COCKTAIL MENU | 109 W. Broadway, b/t Duane & Reade | 212.227.8998
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