Tag Archives: mexican food

Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Restaurant Reviews

Son Del North

September 23, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

This small burrito joint just opened up on Orchard Street in the lower east side. I had heard great things about it before learning that Golden Packing supplies their beef and chicken! Once I heard that, I was all in! I tried three different burritos: shrimp, chicken and beef.

Check out the grill marks!

The shimp burrito is the owner’s favorite, so I had to give it a try. It’s chock full of perfectly cooked, big, juicy shrimp. There’s a nice sauce in there too, along with the guacamole, beans and onions.

That’s right – NO RICE in these burritos. All substance. No filler.

The carne asada beef/steak burrito is made with high end middle meats and strip steak from Golden Packing, most of it being prime grade. The caramelized onions give you a steak sandwich vibe. Delicious.

My favorite, though, was the chicken burrito. They use thigh meat, which is the ultimate for retaining juiciness and flavor.

This place is absolutely incredible. Don’t be intimidated by the crowds in front. Most of them are just waiting for their order as opposed to lining up.

SON DEL NORTH
177 Orchard St.
New York, NY 10002

Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Queens, Restaurant Reviews

Queens Taco Crawl

September 4, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

First, check out my episode of Around the Hood in 8 Minutes HERE:

We hit six or seven spots on this awesome food crawl through Queens. Let me hit them one by one.

Taqueria Santa Fe

This first spot ended up being my favorite. The al pastor taco stood out. Crispy, yet juicy. Well seasoned, great toppings. The only thing to make it better would be a more toasted tortilla, like Mr. Burrito had.

Mr. Burrito Loco

The carnitas taco here took third place, but the tortilla shells were the best of the day. Great spot! I want to try the crispy fish tacos next, and, of course, a burrito!

El Sabor Del Rancho

The carnitas taco here took second place. All it needed was a little hit of salt and it would have been a contender for first place!

Al Chile Cafe

The al pastor here was a bit more saucy than other spots, so that made for a juicier and more flavorful bite, generally. The only down side was that there were a few bites with rubbery/chewy sinew that I had to spit out. Bonus here because they give you roasted onions and jalapenos on the side!

La Esquina Del Camaron Mexicano

This place was fun! Big portion for $17, mixed octopus and shrimp. Bring vodka with you to make a Bloody Mary with the leftover sauce/juice at the end. Or tequila for a Bloody Maria!

Lemon Ice King of Corona

An absolute classic. I got the lemon, and I loved it.

TAQUERIA SANTA FE
47-08 47th Ave.
Woodside, NY 11377

MR. BURRITO LOCO
4320 Greenpoint Ave.
Sunnyside, NY 11104

EL SABOR DEL RANCHO
41-21 58th St.
Woodside, NY 11377

AL CHILE CAFE
3809 69th St.
Woodside, NY 11377

THE LEMON ICE KING OF CORONA
52-02 108th St.
Corona, NY 11368

Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Restaurant Reviews

Bang Bang Mexican Puerto Rican

July 14, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

First, watch my Ride & Review HERE:

I’ve been meaning to try the tacos at Tacos Ramirez for a while, but when I heard they just opened up a carnitas joint here in the LES, I jumped at the opportunity. At the same time, I knew there was a Dominican/Puerto Rican/Cuban spot around the corner, so I let myself get super hungry so I could hit them both one after the other, bang-bang style!

The tacos were incredible. I had cabeza (head), ear, and mixed. All were excellent, but I think mixed had to be my favorite. WHen I go back, I want to try tongue and snout. They were a little small, but at $5ea they are worth every penny.

El Rinconcito is a hispanic food joint on Avenue C and 5th Street that I’ve passed by a bunch of times and never stopped in. It’s a small joint, very nicely appointed and with super friendly staff. I tried the chicharrones and the cubano, and both were the best renditions of the dishes that I’ve had in the area. The cuban sandwich was packed with juicy meat, it had great cheese melt, layers of tasty pickles and ham, and it was topped with crunchy, crackling pork skin. Perfect… and huge for just $10.

The chicharrones were juicy and also had lots of crispy skin bits all over. Also a steal at $15.

I can’t wait to go back and try more shit!

CARNITAS RAMIREZ
210 E 3rd Street
New York, NY 10009

EL RINCONCITO
75 Avenue C
New York, NY 10009

East Village, Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Other Cuts, Restaurant Reviews, Spanish

Bad Hombre

March 26, 2024 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:

Amigo is now Bad Hombre! Ruben transformed the space and made it absolutely gorgeous inside.

What an amazing bar, matched by amazing cocktails.

We basically tried the entire menu, except for a few items here and there. As is common with Ruben’s restaurants, everything was off the charts delicious. These were some of the best, most delicious oysters I’ve ever had.

This scallop crudo was a great balance of natural sweetness with some seasoned heat.

Shrimp and octopus aguachile? HELL YES! The octopus here was cooked perfectly.

This corn gratin dip was a nice combo of sweet and heat too. It may not look like much, but it packed a wallop of flavor.

We tried three different tortilla based items: shrimp tacos, a fish tostada, and a mushroom quesadilla. I am hard pressed to choose a favorite among these, but I think the mushroom was a real standout to me. Much like the mushroom carpaccio at Nai and Emelia. A true winner.

The grilled octopus here was absolutely gorgeous, and the black bean puree sauce hits you with some Indian and middle eastern spices that will blow you away.

I could not resist the chimichurri skirt steak. Delicious!

These St. Louis ribs fell apart when I picked them up. So friggin’ tender! They were cooked confit style and glazed with soy and sesame.

But honestly, I was caught off guard by how insanely tasty these crispy habanero aioli Brussels sprouts were. I could eat them every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of them.

Dessert was also a home run. The chocolate mousse with sea salt flakes was rich without being heavy. It was fluffy and extremely well balanced – not too sweet.

This semi-frozen panna cotta with pineapple granita was so creamy and delicious too. What an understated and gentle but powerful flavor bomb!

I can not wait to go back here for more meals. Everything Ruben touches is incredible.

BAD HOMBRE
29 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10003

Brooklyn, Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Restaurant Reviews

Sunset Park Taco Crawl

September 4, 2023 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Some foodie friends from Instagram gathered for a taco crawl of Sunset Park’s best and most price friendly selections.

First was Tacos el Bronco. There’s a sit down spot on 4th Ave and 44th Street, but we hit the food truck nearby. We did a beef tongue taco and veal head taco. The veal head was slightly better since it was sort of stewed, and had more flavor. The tongue needed a hint of salt.

Next up was Don Pepe Tortas & Jugos. Here we tried a watermelon juice, the special “arab” beef taco, which was spicy and delicious, and a cemita (grilled sandwich). The arab taco was the winner here.

For the last spot, we went to a hidden speakeasy restaurant in the back of La Union Deli Grocery (Mi Pequno Chinantia). Here we tried a goat taco and mixed meat pork taco. The mixed meat was the king here. The goat was a little too gamey for us. We also has some tamales here too. The verde was really delicious.

TACOS EL BRONCO
Food Truck
5th Avenue at 37th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11232

DON PEPE TORTAS & JUGOS
3908 5th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11232

LA UNION DELI GROCERY CORP
(MI PEQUNO CHINANTIA)
4011 5th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11232

Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Restaurant Reviews

Casa Mezcal

May 4, 2021 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Casa Mezcal is a fun Mexican bar/restaurant on Orchard Street that serves up some great food and drinks.

My wife and I stopped in here on a whim because a place nearby where we wanted to eat was closed for renovations. It turned out to be a nice unforeseen change of plans.

We noticed that they give free shots of mezcal if you post and tag them on Instagram, so that was a no brainer for me.

Those mezcal shots were deliciously hibiscus flavored and spice-rimmed. I tried one of their sipping mezcal too and really liked it (Del Maguey Wild Jabali).

They also had awesome cocktails on the menu. We tried a couple and loved both.

Speaking of drinks, this place has an awesome bar set up. There is even seating there now, COVID be damned!

We started with the carb meat tostada, which was our favorite item of the meal.

They accidentally brought out an order of chicken quesadillas instead of my burrito. I let them know and they took it off the bill. However, rather than let it go to waste, they told us to keep it anyway. So I gave the value of the item extra in tip at the end to make up for it. That was a really nice move on their part so I wanted to make them whole.

Both were excellent, but the burrito was probably one of the best I’ve had lately. My wife got fish tacos, which I didn’t shoot, but they were the best entree.

Over all this was a really great meal with really great drinks. We will definitely be back here.

CASA MEZCAL
86 Orchard St
New York, NY 10002

Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, Union Square/Flatiron

Camacho’s

April 6, 2017 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Camacho’s is a new Mexican joint with great cocktails and a fun cantina vibe. Named after the executive chef, it features a variety of classic Mexican favorites, including tacos: