Hot Jalapeno

Amazing tortilla soup, hue is rancheros and peach sangria. Great service and family atmosphere

I’ve been going to hot Jalapeño for about a Year now, Every week I go with my family, my husband, & 9 month old baby girl but most of the time I go with my mother & sister. I use to love this place, the food is great. I love the tacos. But lately the service is very bad. Today 11÷14÷15 our waitress was extremely rude! My sister asked the waitress for a Michelada & she said in a nasty attitude «well what kind of Michelada would you want» with an Angry voice. Then my mom asked for another pitcher of Sangria & it literally took like 30 min to get a second round of Sangria. Usually our waitress is very nice & polite & hospitality is great. But after our favorite waitress is no longer is there, the service is horrible, I forgot her name, but she had a very nice way of approaching us & was very attentive. Change the waitresses. Or at least the one We had, I did’t even bother asking for her name. Please keep in mind if you want a good tip be educated & happy. A good restaurant is all about good hospitality. 1 star is what I’m giving.

I wish I could’ve given 4.5 stars here. I got a vegetable chimichanga and it was absolutely delicious. The outside was crispy and inside was so chewy and soft, filled with cheese and guacamole. The sauce was amazing and the vegetable were grilled right. I missed the happy hour but I want to check it out next time. It’s not a romantic date place but it’s super family-​friendly. This place definitely deserves more than 4 stars!

Small place in East Harlem, but this place packs a ton of flavor.
Since discovering HJ a week ago, my boyfriend and I have eaten here three times. All three times we got the Al Pastor burrito. We have eaten so many burritos and tacos in East Harlem, and we both agreed that HJ really serves some of the best.
The portions are perfect; you will leave feeling pleasantly stuffed. I’ve tried the beef burrito and the al pastor. DEFINITELY get the al pastor.

I tend to use this phrase a lot, but hot jalapeño is another «hidden gem of east Harlem». In the back they have a beautiful outdoor garden space with large tables — perfect for a big group. They only serve beer and wine. I’d go for a corona or their sangria:) I haven’t had their food but I did try their guacamole and it was fantastic. Their outdoor space is rare for this neighborhood, definitely worth checking out!

In the hood with the boy. Beer and wine only. They come out with some salsa. I ordered chops and guacamole. The green sauce is mild. The red is spicy with some smoked dry pepper taste. I have a hot pallets and I tell you this is hot. The guacamole is creamy and good.. The cactus was good the fiajiatus were ok not worth going out of your way for.

Came here for lunch which was a huge mistake. The service was terrible. There was one other table there and after waiting 30 minutes for our food (which never came) we had to leave. We saw the other table order after us and were told she was ‘busy’ with the other table. Never coming back there again. She couldn’t even refill our waters whilst we waited.

For now I am giving Hot Jalapeño 3 stars because I found it intolerable to stay for more than 5 minutes. How can I think and hold a conversation when there is a rando belting out terribly to Spanish karaōke? We left and did not look back.

Nice Mexican restaurant around Harlem. Very good tacos, especially the cesina and pastor.
The garden outside is a perfect scape from the city’s madness in the middle of the summer.
Good prices and the dishes are generous.

I’ve spent years trying to find authentic and interesting Mexican food in New York City for over a decade. After tasting some of the best cuisine at the south of the boarder, San Diego and even Chicago, I basically gave up on my quest in New York. I always walk away unsatisfied and shocked that these places can charge upwards of $ 15 for a plate of rice and beans and expensive Margaritas. The food is basic and shouldn’t be outrageously expensive. Even my 4lb Chihuahua agrees.
Well I recently stumbled upon Hot Jalapeño in Harlem for a quick lunch. Finally I found what I was looking for. The place is basic and typical Mexican with cheap Christmas lights and bazaar religious figures and candles, but what’s really outstanding is the food — reasonably priced, perfectly spicy, delicious and fresh.
I recommend the Al Pastor Taco pork marinated in Mexican spices and pineapple. It’s the perfect blend of roasted pork, spicy and sweet. I also recommend the Tinga: Chicken tostada with chipotle, lettuce, tomato, queso fresco, limón. ¡Que Rico! They also offer a lunch special that will satisfy your hunger without breaking the bank.

I’m a bit spoiled by haunting the Mexican joints in Jackson Heights/​Corona area. Hot Jalapeño is a great contender. The flavors are there and has a great atmosphere versus the mostly hole in the wall places in Queens. With that being said, the prices here are a bit higher as well probably due to the rent but still, very affordable for a lunch with colleagues or if you are in the area.

I started going here when the 116^th street location of El Paso Taqueria closed. The first time I went I really liked it. The service was not good, but the guacamole was sort of comparable to El Paso’s, which is my favorite. They also had notably good salsas. I got the Tostada, which was really good, and my friend got tacos, which she really liked. The last time we went, the service was even worse. We got the chicken fajitas, and were disappointed to be served a sliced grilled chicken breast on top of some peppers.
I give three stars because, in general the food tastes fresh and is decently priced, they have good guacamole and salsas, and they have cheap beer.

3.5 stars.
I have been suffering a loss for a few months now. El Paso Taqueria & Cerveceria on 116^th street is no longer with us. This has been a rough few months for me — not being able to enjoy a decent Mexican meal in the area is a sad sad thing. But along came Hot Jalapeño.
I decided to check this place out because the new Mexican diner nearby no longer served the food my sister and I wanted to order. So we sifted through our pile of take out menus and saw Hot Jalapeño. Before placing an order, I went online (
) to check their letter grade, which was an «A» (I don’t trust a lot of the Mexican restaurants on 116^th street). My sister ordered Milanesa De Pollo Cemita, which is a Mexican sandwich, and I order a Chimichanga with chicken, which is basically a burrito minus the rice. My sister’s sandwich was tasty, but I wouldn’t order it for myself. The sandwich was huge and she ate the entire thing like a boss. I, on the other hand, saved my leftovers for lunch the next day. The order came with two Chimichangas, and a side of rice and beans. I never had a Chimichanga so I didn’t know what to expect, but it was pretty freaking delish.
Hot Jalapeño is no El Paso, but it does suffice.

Biggest disappointment. Came here because El Paso Taqueria on 116^th closed. I figured, «how bad could it be?»
Answer: very. The food was bland. The tacos were disappointing. The salad dressing was on a cheap plastic bottle they use at those pay-​by-​the-​pound places.
And if that wasn’t enough: THEY DON’T SERVE MARGARITAS! What kind of Mexican restaurant doesn’t serve margaritas?
Oh dios mio; I’d avoid the Hot Jalapeño.

What an amazing establishment! Had the pleasure of having my birthday here and the manager Jacky went above and beyond to make the experience unforgettable! She was generous, understanding and just overall fantastic!
The food, cold beers and delicious sangria will have me coming back for a long time. We had a group of 30+ people and they were able to accommodate us like it was nothing!
Bravo to the Hot Jalapeño. Beautiful backyard, amazing food and unbelievable customer service!

Great food and excellent service at this East Harlem spot. You can get what I assume are traditional Mexican offerings like tongue and tripe, and also the more gringo-​friendly fare like tacos carnitas, beef burritos and chicken chimichangas.
Plentiful helpings for the price… If this were about 30 blocks further south in my nabe the prices would be much higher. The food is very well prepared and nicely presented, and did I mention the great, friendly service? It is worth mentioning again.
They have about half a dozen Mexican beers, and some other Mexican drinks I really didn’t pay attention to. They also have Jarritos sodas.
Nice spot for a casual brunch if you are in the area!

My friend and I stopped by after Target hoping to get real tasting mexican food. The fajitas were pretty good, but don’t come with any toppings such as guac, sour cream, etc. We were very disappointed that the flour tortillas aren’t homeade! After trying the store bought flour, we requested corn tortillas which were pretty good. The rice was also pretty good, but the beans were just okay. They advertised refried beans, but what we got were half-​smashed, runny black beans.
Would I come back? Maybe… but I’m in no hurry.

So we made reservations, came by Saturday night for dinner with a group of 5. Reallyyyyy casual, no-​frills kinda place… no ‘ambiance’ to speak of. That’s OK… I have nothing against a hole-​in-​the-​wall spot as long as the food is good & service half decent.
The place was empty… only one waitress, she was sweet and tried her best, but rather clueless. Beer and wine only… Ok, not a problem, so a few of us ordered wine…“the guy has gone to buy wine”…Alrighty then! And just brings in a large bottle of Cab. hmmm. The owner might want to consider being a BYOB establishment? That way people can at least bring what they would like to drink.
Salsa was decent — spicy, Guacamole was OK.
For the entrees, I had the Churrasco, asked for it medium but was basically well done. Some of the spicy sauce on the Enchiladas was good, 2 of the people ordered that, but the tortillas themselves were not good. Chalky, odd tasting. One of my friends ordered fish tacos, she hated it, it was so gross she took one bit and had to return it, had barely any fish in it too. Got two desserts to share– again, just edible.
Basically the food is just *meh*, service *meh*, no ambiance… so why bother? The place was a disappointment, definitely not coming back. The Mexican spot a few doors down that we had tried a while back is actually way better, inexpensive yet better food, better service. By the time we left 4 – 5 other tables did get occupied.
Oh, did I forget to mention this guy singing Spanish karaōke on his own… not melodious at all, loud, rather annoying & highly unnecessary coz it’s not like anyone was paying attention or being entertained.

The food was subpar at best, unfortunately. The only charming and wonderful thing about this place is the dude up front, beer in one hand, mic in the other, over modulated speakers blaring karaōke style music behind him.
Super friendly staff and customers but not a place I’ll be craving any time soon.

I’ve become a VERY regular customer of this place and I love it. The prices are very reasonable and the portions are large! Some of my favorite things to get here are the tacos al pastor (seasoned very well and with delicious chunks of pineapple! It’s definitely worth it to get them ‘with everything’ so you get guacamole and other fun stuff), enchiladas (both green and with mole are delicious), their chilaquiles are INCREDIBLE and I highly recommend them! Their fresh pineapple water is super refreshing, and their jamaica (hibiscus water) is also very very good. Their carne tampiquena is very tasty and the slightly larger price tag is probably due to the LARGE portion. The carne asada burrito is solid.
The only issue I’ve ever had is that sometimes the tortas don’t always come out the same. Once they forgot the avocado, another time they used the cheese that is used for cemitas, etc but it’s always tasted really fantastic and they’ve always been very quick to fix something if it isn’t right. So no real complaints :)
The service has ALWAYS been friendly and prompt. The setting is not as romantic as El Paso Taqueria down the street (not eating by candlelight, the décor isn’t as fancy, etc) but the menu is much more diverse, the food is consistently delicious, the prices are way cheaper, and the service is always good.