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Home > Restaurants > Zarela

Zarela

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

953 Second Ave., New York, NY 10022
nr. 50th St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-644-6740 Send to Phone

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  • Price Range: $$$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
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  • Reader Rating:

    7.0 out of 10

      |  

    4 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: Mexican
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Photo by Robert K. Chin

Official Website

zarela.com

Hours

Mon-Thu, noon-3pm and 5pm-11pm; Fri, noon-3pm and 5pm-11:30pm; Sat, 5pm-11:30pm; Sun, 5pm-10pm

Nearby Subway Stops

6 at 51st St.; E, V at Lexington Ave.-53rd St.

Prices

$16.50-$23

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Delivery
  • Good for Groups
  • Prix-Fixe
  • Singles Scene
  • Take-Out
  • Teen Appeal
  • Catering

Alcohol

  • Full Bar

Reservations

Recommended

Delivery Area

40th St. to 60th St., FDR Dr. to Fifth Ave.

Profile

What passes for Mexican cooking in New York is a joke, though Zarela Martinez has never found it all that funny. So it's lucky for you that her fierce pride in her country's maligned cuisine is backed up by her fiery bravado in the kitchen. Taste her blazing poblanos rellenos, snapper hash, or her slow-cooked Oaxacan lamb, and you may suddenly have an urge to buy a great big Doberman pinscher on the outside chance that you might come across that Taco Bell chihuahua in a dark alley. Now, Zarela might find that funny. — Hal Rubenstein

Prix-Fixe Lunch

Mon.—Fri., $16.95

Catering
Couples who have enjoyed romantic dinners at Zarela’s eponymous Mexican restaurant in midtown will appreciate the huitlacoche-crêpe casseroles, crab tostadas, and mango-mousse-filled cake she serves at weddings.

Recommended Dishes

Tuna steak, $20; roasted duck, $21

Related Stories

Featured In

Recipes at Zarela

7.0 "Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
75% Would you go back?
50% Would you take a date?
0% Would you take kids?
50% Would you go on business?
75% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 8.0
Service: 7.8
Décor: 7.5
Value: 7.5

Authentic vs. Fusionized

creechan from M4L 1J5 | Posted on 5/5/09

Overall Rating: 6 (Mixed Reviews)
Food: 6
Service: 7
Décor: 7
Value: 6

Zarela's cookbook led us to expect authentic Mexican dishes. A wonderful pico de gallo and salsa verde rich in cilantro taste and a magnificent margarita raised our hopes. Sadly, the specials during our our visit would not be found within Mexico. The Cochinita Pibil was sweet and included pineapple chunks a la Tacos al Pastor. Its achiote sauce lacked the bitter (agria) orange quality of a true pibil. No hint of platano leaf either, and served without tortillas but with a sweet rice pudding usually offered as desert. The fish tacos were a battered English style fish (a halibut) better served with chips and not tortillas. Nothing like the rico "shredded" style fish tacos found in Nayarit or Sinaloa. Desert was a pumpkin cheesecake with a rich "leche de cabrita" sauce, but more of a New York offering than a traditional Mexican treat. overall, we were sadly disappointed.

I second that deadly drinks comment...

michaeld5 from 11102 | Posted on 7/18/08

Overall Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Food: 8
Service: 8
Décor: 8
Value: 8

I was warned about the margaritas...they called them "crack" margaritas because they were so potent. The food is serviceable, certainly for the price. No complaints here. Great place for meeting people after work and getting blasted.

Read All 4 Reviews >>

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