Mezcla

Decided to check out Mezcla on a Sunday morning around 11:30 AM while in need of brunch. Upon arrival we noticed that there were no customers. Unsure if we were just way too early for brunch in NYC or if the restaurant wasn’t good, we decided to stay. The place was clean, the décor was cool and fit their theme, and the Latin music set a nice vibe despite the lack of people.
We ordered the scrambled egg quesadilla and the huevos rancheros. Both dishes were around $ 12 which I felt was a fair brunch price and in addition you get a complementary brunch drink which made the deal awesome. Toward the end of taking our order the server repeated back our order and after saying one of them asked if we wanted guacamole with it. We said yes and then when she walked away we wondered if we had just ordered a separate order of guacamole or if it was going to come on our plates as part of our meal (which we had hoped for). We could have asked but we’re feeling lazy and just went with it.
A few minutes later a large bowl and guacamole arrived with some chips to dip in it. Unfortunately I was not what we had hoped for however being hungry and realizing it was something we could have asked for clarification on we willingly ate it. The avocados were good but overall the guacamole tasted pretty plain as though it was just smashed avocados. I prefer guacamole that has tomato, cilantro, chili, etc to add some flavor. Next our breakfast arrived. They were both really good I thought a good amount of food.
As we were eating another couple came in for brunch. They were seated about 2 tables over from us when the entire restaurant was empty besides us. We thought it was kind of strange and that couple ended up politely asking if they could sit elsewhere to give us space (they obviously thought the same as us). For brunch drinks we got a Bloody Mary and and Bloody Maria. Both good and strong. Service was great in the beginning but toward the end we felt a little forgotten about because we were done eating and it took a while for us to have our plates cleared and receive the check. Kind of strange to us to have that delay when there were only two tables of two seated in the restaurant. I think this place has a lot of potential and would recommend it to someone else. I wonder if it’s a popular place at other times of the day.

Most of the stars are for the cleanliness and service. This place has a very spacious and indulging décor, and the staff was genuinely friendly. Very nice place to bring a date to.
I dropped two stars for the price, taste and quantity of food. I’ve been here twice and had the steak tacos, conejo al ajillo, skirt steak, Now these items are a bit more on the pricey side and to be honest had a very OKAY taste to it. I’ve had better for cheaper. Also the portions for the appetizers were very very skimpy, the conejo al ajillo [rabbit] was only three bite size pieces for $ 10, and the taste was pretty meh.
I must give it to the drinks though, I had a specialty drink vodka mixed with grapefruit and it was actually pretty phenomenal!
Although with my complaint about the food, I still do recommend this place to try out.

I had a few great cocktails and light bites at this cool latin bistro. Low key ambience, good background music from what I remember (e.g., whitest boy alive; M83) with friendly & attentive staff.
I wouldn’t bother with the guacamole… an easy staple but I don’t think they got it right. DO try their mushroom tacos, gambas tacos and their grilled shishito peppers w/​smoked paprika… I could eat countless bowls!
Try the smoked ginger margarita and then for «dessert» the piña colada mojito. You’ll feel like you were transported to an island and the need to slip on your sunglasses. So good.
Dreaming about it now.

Begin the night with five stars.
Adorable place with great potential… until you walk in. Let’s set some expectations:
If you make a reservation, expect to wait at the bar for 30 minutes. Though it was a Friday night, there were several open tables when we arrived. The table selected for us was still occupied, so we waited for those patrons to finish and pay. –1 star
A past life in food service showed that sometimes there is a method to the madness of seating. There is still hope for a successful birthday dinner tonight.
Once seated, expect to ask for a menu. Then ask for a cocktail menu. (Side note: tell them you are deathly allergic to avocado and then less than two minutes later… receive guacamole on the house due to lack of service. Ominous.) –1
After presentation of the cocktail menu, expect to wait 20 minutes until asking for water. And a food menu (again). And a waiter. –1
The drinks were great. Highly recommend the sweet heat and habanero margaritas. The tequila shots could easily be confused for water glasses. +1
Once the food was ordered, it arrived fairly quickly. Queso fundido, shrimp croquettes, tacos al pastor and tuna tartare were all enjoyable and served at perfect temperature. Later in the meal, we asked for the queso to be reheated and were given a whole new skillet. +1.
Expect one waiter check-​in during your meal. And, if you’re celebrating a special occasion, go elsewhere. The birthday cake slice provided (not complimentary, but ok) was very good, no doubt. But one gets the impression that the enthusiastic delivery is performed in hopes of saving the night. –1
Expect to be told that no manager is available and given a card with no helpful contact information. –1
I hope our experience was unique based on the otherwise positive reviews that lead us here. I would come back at a different time to sample the promising happy hour specials or to have a weekend brunch.

Great place, first time here and my server Armando was so friendly and professional I tried the Ceviche Ecuatoriano and I loved it definitely ill come back for more. !!!

Stumbled upon this place tonight with a girlfriend and had a great experience. We had drinks at the bar, so I can’t speak to the food. The bartender was friendly and the drinks are well-​priced for New York. We just missed happy hour but will definitely be back to try the food.
A great option on a block with not many options!

Visited Mezcla this weekend while craving some tacos! We were on our way to the East Village for Mexican there but were tempted into Mezcla by their paella special on Sundays and Mondays. The board suggested a free paella when you order a bottle of wine, or two drinks, or a pitcher of sangria, or a pitcher of beer, all of which would make sense for 2 people when you consider paella is usually a dish for sharing. Turns out they expected each person to fulfill the drink requirement, i.e. 1 bottle of wine/​person, in order to qualify. Seemed a little excessive for a Sunday night. The owner/​manager put up a little fuss when we wanted to order paella and 1 drink for each of us (2 people) but luckily the waiter pulled through and we got a great deal.
On to the food… we had the meat and seafood paella, tasty, plenty to share for 2 people. We also had the chips and guac (good, fresh), plus two sets of tacos (bbq– amazing, like a short rib, and surf and turf– also great, with a nice spicy aioli), plus said paella. Honestly the tacos were the highlight! Drinks: boyfriend had a spicy margarita that he liked, I had a pineapple mojito. Overall liked the décor and interior, felt like the neighborhood could be taking a step in the right direction, and wording of the special aside, a decent spot for dinner!

I love this place. I went twice in one weekend. The food was perfect both times, and the service was good as well. My boyfriend and I even got free cocktails on Friday night :). Very reasonably priced as well.

I thought I reviewed this place a while ago but I guess I forgot. The entire meal was pretty unmemorable. The guac wasn’t fantastic, nor were the entrees. I definitely would not go as far as to say the food or drinks were bad but I wouldn’t come back. I do like that they tried to diversify an area that literally no finer dining though – good look & feel and pretty plating.

My experience at Mezcla was a great one.
We sat at the bar and had a few cocktails that were amazing. The bartender Tommy was nice and knowledgable of the menu and made great drinks. The food was delicious and the staff was very attentive. We had many different appetizers including the grilled octupus, gambas and grilled peppers. All which we ordered twice they were so good. I can’t wait to go back.

Overall, cute interior but food is just okay for a high price and service a bit slow.
RECOMMEND
Gambas al ajillo — 5 large shrimps in delicious garlic sauce for $ 14
Skirt steak — served with delicious sides for $ 22, likely 10oz piece
DO NOT RECOMMEND
Pulpo a la plancha — only 3 tentacles for $ 10 but super tender
Paella Carne — not made in paella pan so not crispy at all. huge portion for $ 20 and easily can feed 3 persons including the meat but nothing special.
Hisbiscus Margarita $ 13, watered down, nothing special

I got sick right after eating their food. They should shut down their delivery service or revamp it. Food took more than an hour to be delivered. When I called the restaurant to ask about the status of my order I was told by the general manager that they were waiting for their delivery boy to come back, that he would himself deliver my order, that it would be fast and it would not be cold, that it was going to be out of the kitchen in a minute. Food got here 10 min later, but cold, mushy, and seafood had bad texture and smell. $ 33 down in the drain… I only gave 1 star because I cannot give zero star.
Our experience in the restaurant was completely different: food was fresh, hot, good and service was good. That one was a 5 star.

Went for dinner with my son, the service was great. Everyone was so friendly and courteous. Dinner was phenomenal. We started our meal with guacamole, it was fresh and the chips were crispy. I, then had the garlic shrimp and BBQ pork tacos! Everything was exceptional. We left happy and full. I’d definitely come back with friends or family.

The drinks and the food is fine, but the service is awful. I’ve been here twice now, and each time we’re basically ignored. Though, the second time was easily very weird. A friend and I just got drinks and guacamole and were chatting (the place was pretty empty, so we weren’t taking up space). We were there for three hours and the waiter only talked to us twice. The bill was $ 60 and we tipped $ 4 each. After the waiter took our bill, he came back and tried to tell us there was a minimum tip amount of 20%. Of course, I told him there was no such thing as a minimum tip amount. He asked if the service wasn’t that good (he was not polite, I should add), and I told him it really wasn’t very good. To which, he retorted, «Well, you only got drinks.» It was a very awkward and uncomfortable experience.
If you go here, the drinks will be strong and the food is fine, but the service is always slow and you might get a waiter that thinks he deserves money he never earned.

3.5 Mezcla is a gem on a block that seems to have a paucity of dining options. The vibe is what you might get if you crossed a hipster living in Brooklyn with a LES bartender.
The menu is enticing. The dishes on it you’ve probably seen before, but the particularly iteration of it, likely not. Everything has a Latin twist without it being overpoweringly ethnic.
Mezcla has the best Bloody Mary in the city. Go with the version they refer to as «Bloody Maria». Don’t be scared by what they call this drink. It’s a smoky, well-​balanced Bloody Mary with ample acid and spices. No one has been killed or maimed in the making of this drink. (At least I would hope so.)
A lot of variety in types of seating. Benches, dining tables, high tops and bar seating. You have all the options here.
I’ll be back.
Tips:
Known for the delicious and funky egg Benedicts
Desserts are a must.
Your brunch comes with a free cocktail. The «Bloody Maria» and peach based drinks are great.

We had several tapas dishes that dominated the menu, which were all very good. The octopus was so tender, and so was the rabbit, the mushrooms had fabulous intense flavors, patatas bravas was ok, and the chorizo was three very thin slices on thin baguette — nothing special. Tapas dishes are smaller than most other restaurants in nyc — good for 2 ppl to share.
Seafood paella was a huge disappointment for me. It just didn’t taste like paella at all. It was so tomato-​y and had no flavors of seafood broth in the rice (dish came out very fast).
Sangria was not as good as other places’. It wasn’t too sweet (good) but flavors were not so well-​blended, and the pitcher was on the small size w/​a lot of ice.
Décor is very nice. However, it is all hard surfaces that bounce the noise all around. Tin ceilings, hard floors, brick walls, hard furniture with nothing to absorb sound. You can be sitting by the front door and can still hear the hinges of the kitchen door squeaking that echoes all around, and bus boys tossing the flatware or stacking up the dishes, and ppl’s conversations several tables away.
Also there’s a draft between the brick walls and the windows along the bench facing 2^nd Avenue. I was freezing.
We’d stick with certain tapas dishes and avoid some. Perhaps during the week when noise bouncing is less overwhelming.

This is my first ever Unilocal review. I can’t resist not writing one because this place is TOO AWESOME! I had their Marinated Steak and Eggs, pasture raised churrasco steak, farm-​fresh eggs served with garlic, scallion, cheese potato au gratin.
This place has two farms in upstate NY where it gets most of its ingredients (beef, chicken, pork, eggs and even rabbits, etc). The steak and egg was really good, especially the scrambled eggs were very smooth! Ask for their homemade hot sauce because it was so good!
The ambience was nice and cozy. The servers were all very friendly. I love going to eat during non-​peak hours because it’s quiet and I could enjoy and have nice conversations with the people there. This time I met their General Manager Fernando, who’s really nice and friendly. He actually made an order of their quarter Pollo Asado with rice and beans for me to take home FOR FREE after I told him that I wanted to try their roast chicken but it wasn’t on their lunch menu.
Easily one of the best restaurants I have been to in NYC and one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. You really don’t expect this type of great customer service in New York! I would have given it 6 stars if it’s possible.

I have been here a few times, my girlfriend is in the neighborhood and it has become one of her favorite spots.
The atmosphere is super nice, the décor is just right, and the service has been excellent every single time…
Gambassss, you gotta try the gambas al ajillo which are the best I’ve tried, EVER. For entrees, I have gotten the rotisserie chicken which is pretty cheap for the amount you get, & you also have the option to get a full chicken.
Churrasco skirt steak– perfectly cooked for 3^rd time in a row. I gotta give it to them.
& last but not least,
THE FLAN & CHURROS…
perfect way to finish our dinner…
I have tried A LOT of flans, and it definitely is one of my favorites in the city…
& great drinks selection
Overall a great place.

Unique and great atmosphere.
The sesame crusted seared tuna Cobb was delicious. Spicy and light at the same time.
Huevos Rancheros were great as well. Very authentic and delicious. They brought out their homemade hot sauce which hit the spot and pulled the dish together.
2 drinks included with brunch? Yes, please!

Mezcla started showing signs of promise right away. The big wooden doors and gold lettering in the window made me eager to try it.
Try it I did, since our neighborhood is desperately in need of some new blood. I went the first Saturday it was open, real jazzed up about trying all it had to offer.
My friend JAK and I went in around 6PM. We sat at the bar, and I was surprised to see that most tables were already filling up. We ordered the Sangria, which looked super dark, but was really tasty, light and very refreshing. Excellent summery sangria. Winning!
Plus, the space is well appointed, with wood, metal, exposed bulbs. Actually a fairly classic «modern-​vintage» vibe so many places are using as their décor these days.
We decided to try some appetizers (I believe it was listed as Tapas on the menu) to go with our delicious drink. We ordered the Rock Shrimp Croquettes (Serrano ham, watercress, red chile mustard on the side). This was such a weird dish. It was basically fried cheese. And some ham. There was almost zero shrimp in there. And while I love fried anything, especially cheese, this just wasn’t what I thought I was getting, which was both disappointing and frustrating. I wanted to taste shrimp! It’s summer! Shrimp is listed as a main ingredient! But we thought we might as well try some more things, since we all know not every dish can be a winner.
We tried the… watercress dip? It’s not on any online menu. It was the same as spinach artichoke dip. All warm and gooey and came with tortillas on the side. But only came with three tortillas, which makes sharing hard. We asked for more though and they were happy to accommodate us. I really liked this dish. It was light and fresh, interesting and a fun new take on a classic. I would order this again.
We continued to try different drinks at the bar, the bartender was friendly and inviting, he made us different things off the menu and split them into two glasses so we could try everything. The margaritas were the home run of the night. Other drinks were too heavy, like the Manzahattan. It’s an old fashioned, but a little too smokey for my liking and much too heavy for summer. It basically tasted like… rye. If I want rye on the rocks, I’ll go ahead and order that. This had very little flavor other than the smokey aftertaste… le sigh. The bartender did make us a few drinks that were off the menu, which were really good. He should really think about creating his own cocktail menu and throwing the current one away.
Once the others in our party arrived, we sat for dinner. Our table of four shared two orders of the pork belly taco tapas option. Don’t bother ordering this. The taco was soft but so dense, thick and heavy it ruined the rest of the dish. There wasn’t enough pork belly in the world to make that taco less offensive. Pass.
We also shared the Guacamole, which was tasty, classic and fresh.
My friend JAK and I split the Rabbit Paella (alborio rice, wild mushrooms, green asparagus, cotija cheese, truffle oil) as an entrée and it was pretty good. It was more like a rabbit risotto, but it sure helped sop up all the beverages we consumed at the bar. I wasn’t thrilled with this dish, but it really wasn’t bad either.
I do think the prices were a bit high, but the quality is there, even if the flavors are not. This new neighborhood joint is brought to you by the owners of Posto across the street, which boasts some of my favorite pizza. I was surprised this place wasn’t better, but I will give it another chance, because they probably have a lot of kinks to work out, being that it only opened this past week.