Casa Mezcal

This place is not good, in more ways than one. I came here with a group of 4 friends and we were hoping to enjoy a nice meal and some drinks. For $ 13 a margarita, you don’t expect a completely watered down drink. Not only were the waitresses rude, they repeatedly came back to ask for clarification on our very basic order, multiple times. Even though we were the only party in the entire restaurant during brunch, they somehow seemed completely overwhelmed.
My friend ordered a steak dish which very disturbingly tasted like liver, not steak. It was supposed to come with an egg, which clearly the cook had forgotten and which we pointed out to the server, but she looked at us like we were from outerspace. It was called Chilaquiles and I would avoid it, along with this restaurant itself.
The topping on the cake was an extra $ 5 charge on the bill, for an order of iced tea, which very clearly on the menu said it came included with a brunch order. The waitress then proceeded to explain in complete gibberish why we were charged the extra fee, completely contradicting their own menu. We just said okay because she made no sense and we desperately wanted the entire experience to be over.
There are a bunch of other Mexican places downtown that are much, much, better than this.

Awesome dot com diggity!!! I came here one night for drinks and dinner and it was amazing. The happy hour has some tasty drinks, which I tried a couple of. There is also a good deal for a beer and shot which I never would have tried if not for the happy hour special, and I’m glad I did. The margarita was also spot on. We got salsa and guac and chips and all were delicious. Dinner was tacos and were also delicious! We sat there for almost 4 hours and the servers did not seem to mind at all, and the atmosphere was great. The only thing I would change is that I would have rather been at a booth than at the long table in the middle, but considering we sat for so long I’m almost glad we didnt hog a booth for all that time. I haven’t been to many places, but this is definitely my favorite spot in NYC!

Came here for happy hour while there was no space. Obviously this is no issue but the bar was full due to employees that were off duty and enjoying themselves. They were nice enough to let us step through to order our drinks but then constantly asked us to move from the place we were standing and offered no alternative. They finally informed us that we could join them at the downstairs bar but when we tried to they told us they wouldn’t be open until 8pm when the website clearly says 7. Not coming back here.

Mixed feelings about this place.
Happy hour margaritas are on point. $ 7 for delicious spicy margaritas with fresh juices. How could you go wrong?
You go wrong when the service starts off smiling while pouring your drinks and ends up snarling when paying your bill. It has gotten awkward when it comes time to pay, because who really wants to argue with someone about the details while tispy? I am pretty sure they’ve overcharged my friends and I at least twice.
Order a drink at 4:01pm? They might tell you it’s happy hour price, but watch out, because if the bartenders change you will be getting a $ 14 per margarita price. Sometimes they will split the bill, sometimes they will (quite rudely) chide you for attempting to split a bill.
Lovely décor, amazing happy hour drinks, but skip the food and don’t go if you can’t deal with colder service. Not a bad idea to count your drinks as you go unless you want a surprise bill.
I think my friend summed it up best «This place has amazing drinks. Why is it always empty?».

Was here with two girlfriends on Friday. We were running late, and they held the table for us, which was really nice of them. That being said, I found the food itself to be somewhat lacking. I had a pineapple margarita, which was great. My friend ordered a grapefruit margarita, which I thought was only ok. I ordered the fish tacos, which is a favorite of mine. The tacos were filled with shredded lettuce, making them a little tough to eat, but overall they were fine. Another one of us ordered the vegetable tacos, which I thought were mediocre at best. We also split a guac for the table, which was average — nothing special setting apart their guac from anyone else’s.
The service was good, and they were attentive with the water, which I appreciated. But overall, nowhere close to the best mexican food or tacos in the city.

We accidentally stumbled on this lovely place over a year ago and were treated to awesome live music upstairs during Sunday brunch.
We decided to revisit this great place and happened to come on a Sunday when their performer was out. We were thus seated downstairs and enjoyed our Brunch there.
Having dined in both levels, I can assert that the decoration is absolutely top-​notch– what a cool and fun place to take visiting friends!
Food is always delicious and authentic. Plus, you can’t beat their $ 20 brunch deal for a main and a couple of spectacular cocktails! Finally, their Mexican coffee is out of this world.
The service was spot on and we cannot wait to return for more fun times.

Great décor. Amazing mezcal Margaritas. Good food. Loved it so much and had a wonderful date here.

We came in for Casa Mezcal brunch on a Sunday afternoon in March. We didn’t realize ahead of time, for brunch they only seat upstairs in the gallery. It seems disorganized at first as there is no host to greet you as you walk in and the service is a bit off. That said, the food is on point and the margaritas are delish!
Drinks:
Classic margarita: great!
Classic margarita with mezcal: great but mezcal is an acquired taste ;)
Hibiscus margarita: great, a little sweet but perfect if you like it a little sweet
Hibiscus margarita with mezcal: again, great bus mezcal is an acquired taste
Food:
Shrimp «Camarones» tacos: loved them. Topped off with avocado and a chipotle mayo drizzle, these were very enjoyable
Chicken «Pollo» tacos: although a bit dry, even with the lime that comes with, these tacos were on point. Tacos come served with a green and red salsa — the green salsa has a cilantro edge and were a perfect complement.
We were pleasantly surprised by a live jazz band playing a beautiful set during brunch, which supposedly is a regular thing here. I wanted to give Casa Mezcal 3.5 stars but Unilocal wouldn’t let me. For food and drinks, awesome. Atmosphere and service could use some improvement. (We were hoping to sit downstairs in the more trendy «mezcaleria.»)

After a few failed attempted to find a Thursday night spot, we happened upon Casa Mezcal.
The low rating is not so much for the food (which was decent enough for our group, chicken enchiladas, tamales and tamarind and classic margaritas), but for the service.
Our waitress was mostly absent and when she was present she wasn’t all that pleasant or helpful. In addition, when she came to check on us and we said we were ok for right now, she returned with our check. One of us in the group headed over to tell her we were in fact not done and wanted another round of drinks. Which took forever and only frustrated us more. If not for good company and conversation, I could have foreseen this being a very ugly encounter.
Also, good for her that tip is included here for large parties, otherwise it would have been a much lower tip for her poor service. Word to the wise, keep your patrons happy and they’ll order more, tip you more and appreciate you more. Rush them and we’ll be your worst enemy.

We stopped in thinking that this place would be great for dinner, but with the bags we had after a day of shopping and bar stool type seating, it would have made dining pretty uncomfortable.
No worries– we can always enjoy a cocktail or 2!
I really like that they specialized in different types of mezcal so we tried several different flavor margaritas. The waitress was great about describing the favors and different types of mezcal too. Certainly a good drinking experience.
After leaving to go to another restaurant to eat dinner, I realized that I’d left one of my bags there. I called Mezcal and the hostess was so awesome, totally remembered us and had already picked up my bag and put it in a safe place.
So ofcourse, when we stopped in for the bag, we had another drink. I think I subconsciously wanted an excuse to go back. The drinks were definitely worth it. Unfortunately I can’t speak on the food.

Great variety of margaritas but lackluster service and below average food. Chicken mole was fatty and swimming in a plate of mystery sauce. Rice and beans were in teeny, tiny bowls — the size a kindergartner might eat from. Had to ask twice for a basked of chips and side salsa (staff seemed reluctant) even though we ordered rounds of drinks and multiple entrees. This place gets a lot of undeserved hype and not at all
sure why.

It was good, fresh and the taste and flavor was there
It was not the best I have had.
The menu was inventive
like the 3 sauces they give
the drinks were good, wouldn’t go out of my way to go back, but I would go back

Came here for drinks with a friend. It’s a very… decorated bar. The margaritas are strong and come in many flavors, though they’re a bit pricey.
The downstairs is a separate music venue type of cocktail lounge which seemed really cool too.

Delicioso!!! Buena atención. Recomiendo el chile relleno.

I’ve been here a bunch of times with my friends for a casual ladies night. All in all, it’s a solid location to grab a margarita. That said, the food is fairly bland and the service is always on the cusp of spotty.
I do appreciate the mezcal margaritas however I have gotten some that basically tasted like juice. Mind you, it doesn’t take too much to get me buzzed.
In terms of food, the portion sizes are tiny. That’s fine for me, but that’ definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, especially given the price tags on a few of the entrees.
The vegetarian tacos were pretty grim. The mushrooms in the Hongos taco just didn’t quite work with the cheese. The squash ones were very soft and tasted like ratatouille on moist corn taco. Meh.
Side note, we did try the grasshopper dish for giggles and found it to be … salty. I would recommend it — it’s dope to try new things!

Pros:
1) i’m usually a Unilocal star snob, but a friend suggested this place and I don’t think the 3.5 stars do it justice. This place is pretty damn yum!
2) Great service! Our waitress was super smiley eventhough we were a boisterous bunch of 10 and it was a busy Thursday night
3) THE MARGARITAS are on the money! So much flavor and exotic flavors (Tamarind, pineapple, cucumber, or blood orange!)
4) Decent guac and chips
5) About $ 60 a person after 2 margaritas, chips and guac and 1 entrée per person, tax and tip included
Cons:
1) Entrée was a bit small, but I compensated by drinking more

I’ll make this concise:
Day we went: weds night
Food: poppin drinks were good
Service: server was on the phone ¾ of our stay bartender had to come get our order. It was hard to get their attention although place is small.
Atmosphere: music-​great for a Mexican restaurant. romantic lighting, only complaint is the booths had sofa like material for the seat and it was teared at the corner of almost every booth. Didn’t look nice
$$: not too expensive

Are you kidding me!?!
Mezcal,
champulines,
Victorias,
and the Mexican black truffles!
Call it heaven!
Great happy hour.
Great working staff.
Sunday live melodies.
They dim the light slightly as the evening comes.
What attention to detail!
I’m very impressed.
Yes this was meant to be broken up into a poem like structure to show my love and appreciation ;) !
Awesome job.

Casa Mezcal, I must ask, did it hurt the ground when your restaurant fell from heaven and dropped onto Orchard Street?
Call me crazy, but a good lunch special can really make or break a restaurant. Mezcal’s is likely one of the best on the block, if not on all of the Lower East Side. For $ 12 you get an enormous burrito absolutely filled to the brim with meat and fixings (including guacamole) plus a soda or agua fresca. Their pulled chicken is fantastic; fresh and super flavorful. Their agua fresca is a unique addition to any meal – pineapple lime was fantastic.
While I can’t speak for the wait service, the bartender was extremely friendly and the atmosphere of the restaurant is fun and comfortable. While I’d prefer to cap my lunch spending at $ 10, Casa Mezcal makes you feel your money spent is well spent!

Casa Mezcal is home to some of the best margaritas I’ve ever tasted. Unfortunately, the limited bartending staff on a busy Saturday afternoon wasn’t able to keep up with the demand of thirsty patrons. I sat for a very long while between drinks before I was finally able to put in another order.
That said, I’d go back without hesitation because my spicy pineapple marg was the real deal. The only sweetness came from fresh pineapple juice, so it was just the right amount of fruity without being overbearing. The spicy rim was perfect for adding a kick of flavor and heat. The guac was good and the chips were super basic, but the two salsas alongside were great. I’d love to hit this place up for happy hour next time I’m in town.

I went here for an early dinner with a friend. The place was fairly empty (5pm) so the vibe was relaxed.
She had the arrachera skirt steak, which she was quite satisfied with. I had the chilaquiles which I thought were very good. Having recently traveled to Oaxaca myself, I thought the dish was a good recreation of the flavors I enjoyed in Mexico.
We both had one pork taco. She didn’t like it at all. It thought it was «just ok». Wouldn’t order it again, but the entrees were good enough that a return visit would be certainly welcome.