Harry’s Burritos

It’s now closed, and I’m super bummed. The mushroom burritos were soooooooo good. Was a great place to bring vegan friends as they had soy meat, cheese, and sour cream options. This place will be missed.

Harry’s is closed. Was going there today and place closed down. So did Benny’s in the east village. Was a great place

3.5 STARS.
I got my pulled pork burrito to-​go. Paid around $ 11. Took about 10 minutes, as they predicted. As I was handed my order, I was very surprised at the weight — very heavy, which is what you want if you’re on a budget. It came with pork, rice, and beans, but nothing else. Salsa and sour cream on the side.
The taste wasn’t half bad, but the burrito was still a bit bland due to the lack of things in it. Veggies and cheese would be a nice addition. And some spice, for pete’s sake. Even the «salsa» was extremely mild. Though this Texan-​turned-​New-​Yorker should know better…
Come here if you want decent but underwhelming Mexican food with good portions.

Worst place, I cannot find any positive point about it.
1/​the place is approx. clean. Touching the menu was already disgusting (we should have left at this point)
2/​the food is barely eatable. Dishes are arriving cold, presentation would kill every will of eating. Ingredients are un-​tasty.
3/​atmosphere is cheap and shabby
4/​nothing to say about the service. Cold and not especially efficient
5/​and margarita are not good!
I cannot even remember prices, even if they were low they would have been always too high for what we ate and the experience we had.
Place to avoid.

Mehhh. I have VERY high expectations when it comes to Mexican. I often find that it’s kind of difficult to mess up Mexican cuisine… unless you’re serving a pile of slop over a bed of rice. Sadly, Harry’s was borderline pile of plop. Don’t get me wrong-​the food was eatable. But I wasn’t dancing in my chair. Hell, I wasn’t even tapping my foot in enjoyment. There wasn’t much to it. There weren’t bursts of delicious flavors, it was just… bland, lifeless, mediocre.

Once upon a time, I worked in the West Village where there was a Harry’s Burritos only a couple blocks from my job. I’m pretty sure that I ate there at least once a week for a while, then at least once a month until they vanished. I thought the chain was gone for good, but seeing the sign on the Upper West Side brought back many happy memories and I needed to check it out.
This Harry’s is two levels. The main level has the host station. Downstairs is a bar area, upstairs is the dining area. All three areas share one rest room on the main level. The look is decidedly not what you’d expect from the UWS, more like a bar in the Village with lots of wood, some dark to medium tone colors and neon signage. It’s welcoming in a way that you’d understand if you’ve spent a lot of time in bars (that you like).
The staff was welcoming and I was seated quickly. When I saw the menu, I had flashbacks to a very different time in my life (we’re talking the late 90’s here) so there was an odd sense of nostalgia I had not expected. They still had THE burrito I loved: the Bay Burrito filled with rice, beans and other goodness. However, their options had expanded! You could now have it as a salad! Or you could use whole wheat wraps with brown rice (which I did)! Options included ranchero sauce and of course staples like sour cream.
My burrito came in a timely manner and I had a Boylan’s Soda to go with it (that stuff is so great). I noticed the whole wheat wrap is a bit more «solid» than the flour one since they heat it up. This sounds like a bad thing, but it’s not. Actually it’s cool because it helps as you cut into the burrito, giving you something to get on your fork without the whole thing falling apart! The brown rice was a tad harder than the regular rice, but for me that gave it a really nice chew. I added in the grilled chicken on top of the rice and beans which gave the burrito a nice, smokey flavor. Slather some sour cream, hot sauce and salsa on top and this is a meal made in heaven!
I’m really happy Harry’s isn’t completely gone, and I look forward to returning for another burrito!

Went here again with my wife and friends last night. We eat at /​from Harry’s probably once a month; either in-​house or take-​out. There are lots of comparisons (complaints) about how the burritos aren’t true «San Francisco Mission-​style». I’m not here to refute that because I’ve never been to SF, nor am it going to compare a local cuisine. That would be like me comparing the food at an Italian restaurant to the stuff I ate in Venice.
What I am here to say is that this is a very good place to drop in and eat good Mexican food. I agree with one reviewer that the tortilla chips need salt — there’s almost none at all and tortilla chips are one thing I want loaded with salt — but when I get the Nachos Todos, they load the chips with so many good ingredients that I can’t even notice. I’m fine with eating the cold when my wife has picked them up and I’m stuck late at work, so you know they’re 100 times better served in the restaurant.
Service at Harry’s is almost always good, you can nearly always find a seat, and — as expected — there are many vegetarian options available. I’m going to keep going there. If you find you’re a pickier kind of eater, and you want to find a more «authentic» place … perhaps go to Mexico. If, instead, you’re looking for good Mexican food and good prices, head to Harry’s.

great lunch special! staff were efficient and pleasant but not overly friendly. We had the chicken and beef burritos — both were excellent. relaxing outside atmosphere. perfect for a low key lunch

This is the worst burrito/​Mexican place I have ever had. I wish Unilocal can have rate zero star. Don’t come here. It is such a waste of this location.
Sorry to be clear, the service was good; food is awful.

Ok, I’m not sure what all the horrific reviews were about.
A friend suggested we meet up at Harry’s last night and, like a good Unilocaler, I checked it out online beforehand. BIG MISTAKE — all the terrible reviews scared the crap out of me! But really, I shouldn’t have let them.
My friend raved about the food and drinks, so I decided to try what she normally has — enchiladas. I got pulled pork with mole sauce and a medium house margarita to wash it all down.
Verdict: both were pretty dang good. This means a lot coming from me, since nothing in NYC has come close to the Tex Mex fare I was used to in Texas. But the tortillas in the enchiladas were soft, the meat was tender and the sauce was finger licking good. It could have been the margarita, but everything was delicious — even the rice and beans.
I will say that the service was dismally slow on a night that wasn’t really busy, but our waiter was nice enough. The bathroom was kinda gross too and the food’s a little overpriced (welcome to New York). Ultimately, I would recommend this place to anyone who wants good enchiladas and margaritas. I can’t speak for the burritos that other Unilocalers seem to have an issue with, but I’d come back!

These burritos are bad. They’re bland; the ingredients aren’t evenly distributed (there was one hunk of cheese off to the side) and they’re overpriced. The salsa does a great impression of ketchup.
Hilariously, the cashier thought «a la carte» was a type of burrito filing.
I swear I did not make that up.

I went with a bunch of my west coast friends and the waiter ignorantly but arrogantly tried to explain what a mission burrito is by comparing it to chipotle. He then told us that he used to love the pork burrito but has been having a lot of stomach issues lately so has not been able to eat any of the food at the restaurant. Seemed like he was eating a lot of the burrito we were about to order and it gave him stomach issues which was such a wonderful icebreaker.
Our beer arrived warm and our food came out looking extremely inadequate. It was hilarious that three strips of lettuce was so sadly cut on the side as garnish. They should not have even bothered. The rice tasted hard like it was leftover rice that wasn’t cooked well from yesterday. The two and a half stars this restaurant currently has is absolutely generous.
The waiter never came to check on us after the food arrived. I didn’t get a chance to order another lukewarm beer. I could have eaten three bad not mission burritos in the time it took for us to get the check.
Also, please get another bathroom if you stay open, there was a constant line and everyone had to wait so long to use it.

It has been years since I had been here. Walking by recently with some friends we decided we wanted some Mexican. I thought why not.
It was around lunch time and we wanted lunch. (Makes sense)
We looked at the lunch specials which were $ 11.25 for an entrée, a soup or chips and salsa and a soda or iced tea. Not too shabby but none of us were in the mood for all that junk up in our trunks.
I pointed out to a friend that they offered veggie chili. Well he was decided. And so was I, as was my third friend. Can you believe we all got the chili. My one friend got the chili with chicken.
I also got a side of Spanish rice.
After we ordered I thought any Unilocal check offers… Then my heart dropped. 2.5 on Unilocal uh oh.
I mentioned it to mis amigos. They were cool with sticking it out.
And you know what it was fine. Poquito esspensive though for chili $ 7.25 for a bowl. Could be a dollar or two less. Nice surprise the rice was a dollar less, it all evened out.
Overall I wouldn’t run back but I would eat the chili again. And as for the other reviews regarding the chips we all thought they were fine.

While the Mexican food here ranges from unremarkable to bland, I would pop in periodically to sit outside, have some fish tacos and a couple of margaritas while in the area.
The last time I stopped in with a friend, I ordered my typical fish tacos, and two margaritas with my typical request for Herradura Silver tequila, as opposed to the garbage house tequila.
When the bill came I was absolutely appalled. They are now charging SIXTEEN DOLLARS for a call drink. SIXTEEN DOLLARS FOR ONE DRINK. Insane! I’ve had these margaritas for years and never paid more than about $ 10, with my favored tequila.
I pointed out the outrageous price to the server and he at least had the good sense to be embarassed, and explained that some of the menu prices had gone up recently.
Well, forget it! You can have a much better meal around the corner at Santa Fé in a cleaner environment and their drinks are fairly priced to boot.

The good: THE MARGARITAS. Wow. Mine was equally balanced in flavor and alcohol proportions, with a complimentary amount of ice, a nice coating of salt on the rim, and the ability to make you pleasantly buzzed and happy after just one. You can’t beat the Happy Hour specials, too!
The passable: The food. It wasn’t horrible, but I’ve had better. I opted for the tacos with seasonal vegetables with the option of wrapping a soft taco and melted cheese around a hard taco. Yum! As for the seasonal vegetables, there was corn and… cheese. Yep. The rice and beans were fine as well. That simply sums up my plate. My friends enjoyed their respective veggie quesadilla and Mission Burrito. There were no complaints from either of them.
The bad: The tortilla chips! I can say with total confidence that the tortilla chips I ate were the worst I’ve EVER had. They were flavorless and unsalted. I thought it might have been a fluke when we got our first batch at the bar for Happy Hour. When we moved upstairs for dinner, we got another order of chips, and they were just the same. Even their crunch was weak. Perhaps someone ground up cardboard and baked into the shape of tortilla chips? Harsh, but an absolute truth.
I’d happily come here for a very happy Happy Hour in the future, I’d be on the fence about staying for dinner, but I’ll be damned if I get a basket of chips.

Based on so many people upset that the burritos were not «proper California mission» style, we almost didn’t go in to try Harry’s Burritos. It’s a good thing we are New Yorkers and couldn’t care less about authentic mission style burritos since the grilled chicken burrito was awesome as was the spinach and feta cheese quesadilla!
The only reason I didn’t rate it 4 stars was the poor and inattentive service. We asked our waiter twice for our sweet potato fries that finally got delivered when we were virtually done with our meal so we told him it was too late and we didn’t want it any longer. Rather than being apologetic he was shocked and turned to the table next to us and gave it to them as a gift! How obnoxious!
Too bad he brought down the whole dining experience.

Einen Stern für die sehr freundliche Bedienung.
Katastrophale Margaritas, katastrophales Guecamole, wir kommen garantiert nicht wieder. Warum der Laden dennoch gut besucht war, dies ist ein Rätsel.

What can I possibly say? I love the UWS, even more, I love great weather and sitting outside. On top of that, I’m a sucker for burritos. Put it all together and we’re out of this world. Very reasonable, and an awesome variety of ways to stuff that rolled tortilla. My only criticism is the lack of complimentary tortilla chips and salsa, or maybe that’s just how they roll.

This place doesnt’ exactly fit in with its ritzy neighbors too well. Perhaps that explains the multitude of low reviews. Don’t get dolled up for a glamorous night out at Harry’s– it’s not that type of place people. It’s cheap Mexican food of average/​good quality, large quantity in a dimly lit, comfortable atmosphere. There is absolutely nothing fancy about Harry’s Burritos.
As for service, I found our server very polite and timely without being intrusive. He brought menus immediately and took our drink orders just as we sat down. Two divine coconut margaritas arrived within 5 minutes (although the drinks were smaller than I’m accustomed to and served in plain tall iced tea glasses). The service was just as I like it. He was easily within hand signal reach should we have needed him. After the first round of drinks and guacamole have arrived, what else is there for a server to do but take the entrée order and stand by? Come here when you want to pig out on Mexican food without being seen by anyone you know. There are cooks– not chefs. Mixed drinks– not vintage bordeaux. Eat up!

I am always in this neighborhood and I really wanted to like Harry’s but everything I tried had little to no flavor. The black beans are terrible, I would rather have a can of Goya on the table then what I was served. There is a big bar scene downstairs and maybe I need to be drunk to enjoy the food.
I don’t know… I’m having flashbacks while I write this review and getting angry again. Which reminds me!!! The wait staff isn’t friendly either. Our waiter couldn’t wait to bring us our bill and take our table. Maybe they should be drinking as well.

My friend Tony is expecting a well-​detailed and incredible review of one of his favorite little known spots on the Upper West side. I rarely trek out this far north. You really have to either sell me on a hot spot or make too many trips down to Brooklyn that I feel mildly guilty that I haven’t been this far north in like two years. Gross exaggeration. But not really.
I have to say I love the happy hour deal. Forewarning, it is only for the bar and not the rest of the restaurant. Which led us to scoop up our waters and head downstairs to the barstools. $ 3.50 margaritas as opposed to $ 5.50. Yes, please. For a few cents extra you can throw in a flavor. I tried my friend’s mango and it wasn’t great and later got a coconut flavored one and must say, stick to the plain margaritas with salt on the rocks. It is a proper drink though with none of that silly pre-​made sour mixture resonating on the rim. Also, our bartender was pretty great with letting us sneak one more in after 7pm, which is when it ends.
The food on the other hand I wasn’t as much of a fan. My friend says its «BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T ORDER A BURRITO». I wasn’t hungry enough to eat an entire burrito and I didn’t want to have that temptation of leftovers murking around in the corners of my fridge, begging me to eat you. So.. .. I ordered a cheese quesadilla with a side of guac. The guacamole was $ 2 extra and I kind of wish I didn’t order it after I received it and just stuck to hot sauce because it sucked. It was a paste-​like texture and just tasted store bought. The queso was alright. I’m pretty sure it was traditional Colby jack cheese and didn’t have a ton of flavor and wasn’t even cut up. It came out like a huge pancake but it was exactly what I wanted I suppose. I just had my expectations set too high. His burrito was alright. I took a tiny bite and it was delicious but nothing special: The Pollo Verde. I do have to commend Harry’s for having free chips and salsa on the bar though. Excellent.