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Home > Restaurants > La Esquina Taqueria and Cafe

La Esquina Taqueria and Cafe

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

114 Kenmare St., New York, NY 10012 40.721419 -73.997843
at Lafayette St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
work646-613-7100 Send to Phone

  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Price Range: $$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
    • Exceptional
    • Generally Excellent
    • Very Good
    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
    • Excellent
    • Delicious
    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
    • Very Expensive
    • Expensive
    • Moderate
    • Cheap
  • Reader Rating:

    5.1 out of 10

      |  

    18 Reviews | Write a Review

Photo by Shanna Ravindra

Official Website

esquinanyc.com

Hours

Daily, noon-2am

Nearby Subway Stops

6 at Spring St.; J, M, Z at Broad St.

Prices

$10-$22

Payment Methods

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Bar Scene
  • Celeb-Spotting
  • Delivery
  • Dine at the Bar
  • Hot Spot
  • Late-Night Dining
  • Lunch
  • Romantic
  • Design Standout

Alcohol

  • Full Bar

Reservations

Recommended

Delivery Area

Worth St. to 8th St., Allen St. to Greenwich St.

Profile

The neon sign reads corner, a nod to the deli that preceded it, but that’s just a colorful ruse. If La Esquina is as much stage set as restaurant, that’s because it’s owned by Serge Becker, the designer and nightlife entrepreneur behind such hipster loci as Bowery Bar, MK, and Area. The counter-service taqueria on Kenmare dispenses tacos and tortas (made, unfortunately, on baguettes instead of proper Mexican teleras), and a more extensive menu is served at the adjacent café around the corner, a double-height room with recessed shelves full of books and old record albums. A cool tomatillo-avocado soup was refreshing and mildly spiced, and the char-grilled string beans called ejotes do wonders for an oft-overlooked, overboiled vegetable. Authentic as East Harlem? Maybe not, but the chicken tacos are tasty and the prices surprisingly gentle for a neighborhood straddling the Soho-Nolita border.

Cafe Hours

Daily, noon—midnight.

Recommended Dishes


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Featured In

5.1 "Mixed Reviews"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10
Write Your Own Review
50% Would you go back?
50% Would you take a date?
6% Would you take kids?
31% Would you go on business?
37% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 6.0
Service: 4.2
Décor: 5.8
Value: 5.3
La Esquina Taqueria and Cafe

great horchata

cygnerose from 10032 | Posted on 6/11/09

Overall Rating: 108 (Recommended)
Food: 7
Service: 8
Décor: 8
Value: 10

the ambiance is quite different. The waitress was very helpful. food is quite good. The tacos are tasty.

La Esquina Taqueria and Cafe

Cafe Horchata

geiko_dom from 10011 | Posted on 4/1/09

Overall Rating: 106 (Mixed Reviews)
Food: 6
Service: 6
Décor: 6
Value: 5

Despite the shortcomings of this sceney/poseur taqueria, the location and stellar tortilla soup usually make up for it, until last week. I witnessed a mid-shift restocking - behold - their horchata isn't homemade. It's from cartons of rice dream. Very disappointing. When I expressed my shock to the staff - their response was very salty indeed, but that's expected.

Read All 18 Reviews >>

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