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Every once in a while, Manhattan delivers a hole-in-the-wall taqueria that does our neighbors south of the border justice. Panchito’s never pretends to be that place. Instead, this neighborhood cantina promotes a summer-break-in-Baja cuisine for which the main course is the Margarita. Amid mismatched leather and canvas couches or sequestered off in a booth made from discarded van seats, partying NYU undergrads, FIT designers-in-training, and aspiring librarians from Parsons spill over into three expansive rooms where the pleasantly dilapidated ambiance is lit by punched-tin lights and decorated with Oregon Trail accessories. (Check out the time on the banjo clock.) As for the food, the greasy and generous portions of Tex-Mex classics—burritos, nachos, fajitas—are designed to satisfy alcohol-induced cravings exclusively. — Lauren Berger

Frozen margarita, $9.95