Tres Carnes

OMG! I love mexican but this is like a downgrade from chipotle. The worst part is that it is expensive. The meats are dry, the food barely has flavor and the place is tiny. There is no real ambiance, it almost make you want to take to go. I would stick to chipotle and n ever come here again.

OMG… mexican bBQ. my new fav. my husband picked up the brisket chilli and the veg tacos for me. The tacos were good, they cold have used some guac and the chilli was to die for. I will be taking my children here as there is one closer to our house.

Tried this place on Monday — got the stomach flu from eating veggie tacos! Have been home for past two days feeling very sick and running to the bathroom every ten minutes. Never eating here again! Only gave 1 star because I had to.

Indulge if you must!!!
Plus delightful server Juan.
The smoked pork was the right amount of smokiness and tasty. Love the ambiance

Waited for 2 hours for my food to be delivered. Delivery man had an attitude and food was cold and soggy by the time it reached me. Disappointing service. However, having ordered the Double Carne Bowl, it was very filling and the brisket quite tasty.

«Do better.»
On the outside, this place looks very appetizing and inviting. But, you may be better off going to McDonalds because you know the food will be crap.
I ordered smoked brisket bowl and i found the brisket to be dry and burnt. I think that the brisket may have been under the heated lamp for too long. The end pieces were stabbing my esophagus as the beef was going down my throat. No bueno. You do have a wide variety of fixings (red cabbage, pickled onions, various salsas, etc.)that you can put on your food. I also got the chips and salsa but the salsa was super bland and I had to add a bit of hot sauce. Actually, the brisket bowl was bland too. At least they provide large bottles of hot sauce.
The service was a struggle because the woman preparing my food seemed more interested in the conversation of her coworkers. The place has the menu in an awkward place, so you have to keep looking over your shoulder to see the order of things to put on your food. I was expecting the worker to guide me through the assembly line format, like they do at Chipotle. But, like I said, she was more interested in the conversation of her co workers.
Well I will mention a couple of good things about this place.
1. Free self-​serve water
2. They were playing a lot Juan Luis Guerra.

It’s a shame that my beloved Chipotle is going through a dark time. Although it’s nowhere near authentic, I can say that it has opened me up more to fast Mexican food.
I placed an order on
and showed up about 25 minutes after I placed my order. It had a line, but it wasn’t out-​the-​door-​crazy. My order was nowhere near ready. In fact, it took another 15 minutes of waiting. Seriously, how hard is it to receive an online order and add toppings that are laid out for you on paper?! The cashier looked super annoyed and didn’t get to my order until awhile, but was nice enough to offer a free limenade. The limenade was average… tasted like a carbonated drink with loads of sugar poured in a cup.
I had a Smoked Brisket El Tres Bowl and an order of Street-​Cart Corn. They gave me chicken instead of brisket (but the nice gentleman added the brisket moments after I got my order) and also forgot the cotija cheese. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by great Mexican food (by that, I don’t mean Chipotle), but the bowl just didn’t deliver – there just wasn’t that zing in flavoring and was pretty plain, compared to Chipotle. There wasn’t anything that stood out from the brisket or chicken; the brisket was pretty burnt and the chicken was just chicken. The Street Cart Corn was also not extraordinary. I was expecting a corn on the cob, but instead, I got a container of steamed frozen corn niblets that only had taste for a good 2 seconds.
Pretty expensive for average fast Mexican food. Would probably not return again.

So walked past Chipotle a few blocks away in search of something that could possibly be better.
Meh, I was not impressed.
The flavor was lacking and the food was overpriced.

Best food delivery ever, we order the burrito box for our office and it was gone with in minutes.
Very tasty food. Authentic flavors, chicken was extremely soft and tender. The brisket was flavored and seasoned properly. Price was extremely affordable (ten dollars per burrito). Delivery took 35 minutes to be here we ordered for the entire office 35 people.
Definitely will order again… maybe tomorrow

The brisket chili is the best deal at Tres Carnes, so that’s my go-​to with levelUp credits.

B R I S K E T B O Y S
This place is outstanding. The cool drawings on the wall and the cheery staff. Those guys were having a blast not looking miserable at all. Tres Carnes is pretty much a Chipotle with superior meat. You walk in and its dark and your nostrils are filled with the scent of smoked meats.
I went on the Chipotle-​like assembly line and got a Smoked Brisket, Poblano Green Rice, Charro Pinto Beans, Corn, Squash, Guac, and Salsa Bowl. Man that smoked brisket was so real for this kind of establishment. GODDAMN that Brisket was smoked. It was soft and juicy and I wish I ordered double meat. The rice was great along with the beans guac and pretty much everything.
If the Brisket bowl was like $ 2 cheaper I don’t think I’d go back to Chipotle ever again. Can’t wait to try the other things. Actually I probably won’t cause that brisket bowl was just too ridiculous.

Perfect for lunch. Perfect for dinner. I can’t recommend this place highly enough. I don’t want to just say it’s «Chipotle, But Better» — because it’s much more than just that! The food is great — definitely try to brisket or the rotating special «weekly smoke.» I open it at my desk, and the whole office is drooling. But sincerely, my favorite part about this place is the service. I came in here tonight, exhausted after a long day at work, and the guys here were so genuinely nice and happy to help me. Even when I come in with a big group, or when all of midtown wants to come in for lunch, they’re just incredibly fun-​loving and kind. If you’re having a bad day, come here and you’ll be smiling again soon.
P. S. It’s not until I write this that I remember a story from a few months ago when I came by. It’s weird, but I have to share it. There was a homeless man outside on the street, and eventually he came in to see if anyone would give him leftovers or buy him a meal. Any other food place would have kicked him out, I think. But the staff didn’t miss a beat. They called out to him as cheerfully as they did to me today, and invited him to fill a bowl with whatever he wanted. He was so happy, and I was pretty damn happy to see this, too. I think you can see why I had to leave them a good review! Great people AND great food.

I want to start off by saying that I love tacos but I am extremely picky with them.
That being said, these tacos were ok. I had the chicken soft tacos (2 for $ 9.75 including tax) and they were juicy, very filling and the fillers were pretty good but it really lacked flavor. Even though I do think it’s better thank chipotle because they press the tortillas and make them hot as well as adding rice and beans to the taco (genius), I still don’t think this tasted very authentic.
If it were only for the service, I’d give 10 stars. The guys prepping the tacos (and my friend’s burrito) were very friendly and funny. They explained all of their meats and beans and the flavors that were supposed to be in their food options.
Overall, I’d come here again when I’m craving a taco or two during lunch time but don’t see myself going out of my to come here.

Food is awesome,
Place is hip,
And the employees are hilarious.
Will keep coming back for more! Don’t forget to try their chef special creations — «el jefe» burrito is especially good.
Note: Guac, Corn, and squash are premium items — pay for one, get all of them.
Weekdays from 4−7pm are 2-​for-​1 micheladas and Saturday and Sunday are 2-​for-​1 drafts all day.

Probably the only thing keeping this from being a five-​star review is the price! Many of the other reviews compare Tres Carnes to Chipotle, and there’s a good reason for this: because they’re almost identical in every aspect — the setup, the way you order, the ingredients offered, etc.
I tried the bowl (no tortilla) with pork, and went with the green rice, pico de gallo, corn, guac, cheese, and lettuce. One of the biggest bummers for me was that corn costs extra. Seriously? I understand guac coming at a premium, but corn?
Honestly thought the food was pretty tasty, even though I popped it into my fridge when I got home and didn’t eat it until a few hours later. The pork was especially good (and considering that I don’t care for Chipotle’s carnitas, Tres Carnes will actually be my pick whenever I’m in the mood for pork). Again, the price was really the only thing I would complain about — my meal was a couple of dollars more than the same thing at Chipotle would’ve cost.
That being said, as I mentioned, I’d probably come back for the pork.

BETTER THAN CHIPOTLE.
Great service, delicious food, more options, overall great!

This Tres Carnes is at 57^th and 3^rd, and I work at 59^th and 3^rd. I watched them build it and am pretty sure I was their first customer — so mad I forgot to review them!
Hopefully everyone is familiar with the «NEW» mexican style food format… putting «company that shall not be named» out of business. Tres Carnes, Dos Toros, all the new contenders.
What Tres Carnes brings to the table is, well, tres carnes — MEAT! They slow smoke all of their meat in house for 16 hours up to like 2 days… and you know they aren’t lying because just walking by outside will make you smell like a smokehouse. The meat is tender, flavorful, smoky and juicy. The toppings are also super flavorful, even their «green rice» which is a nice alternative to white or even brown.
You’re loco if you don’t get their 3 toppings — street corn, squash, and guac — it’s the same price for 1, 2, or 3 so just go all out! Until Tres Carnes I’d never think to put squash on a taco (I’m from Texas… I just like meat and a tortilla) but now you can’t tell me there’s any other way.
They also make Churro Donuts (so sorry, but you HAVE to buy this), and a lovely/​refreshing cucumber apple lime agua fresca.
If there prices weren’t high, even for midtown, I’d give 5 stars. It hurts to pay $ 12 for two tacos, though to be fair it depends on the meat you get, not on the item. Since I like brisket, I’m paying more whether it’s tacos, a burrito, or a bowl. Maybe if they introduced a loyalty program where you could earn a free meal, that’d make me feel like it offset the price the rest of the time.

Chipotle-​format, quick service. TEXAS SMOKED MEATS. Boom. This Chipotle loyalist was won over in 2014.
Tres Carnes is just so flavor-​laden and freshness-​loaded. The radishes, pickled onions, roasted squash, street corn, and guac add a wonderful farmy flair.
I looove the brisket. Right before the lunch rush is when the meat is tastiest. Limit 3 orders per person during peak hours (but you can call in large/​catering orders). Later in the afternoon, there’s no wait at all (the line moves quickly anyhow) but sometimes the meats are dry.
Can you tell I’ve had Tres Carnes at all hours of their business day???
P. S. Chipotle, I still love you. You are always there for me even when I leave NYC (unlike Tres Carnes). You and Tres Carnes are like a 1 – 2 punch. You enhance each other’s awesomeness.

Pros:
— Their spicy «green rice» is unique and added a kick to normal white rice.
— I am extremely picky about my guacamole, and I loved the one I got here. It was mild and had a great onion flavor that wasn’t overpowering.
Cons:
— The «no meat» rice bowl came with very little food for an almost $ 9 dish.
— The staff aren’t great at listening, I told two different servers «no cheese, no pickles» and the woman working on my bowl gave me an awful attitude when I had to repeat that I asked for no cheese after I noticed she was putting some in. I was in a hurry to get back to work and told her it was fine, but then had to stop her a second later from also putting pickles in my rice. I’ve seen people who work at McDonald’s care more about their jobs than the staff here.
Conclusion:
I would come back for guac and chips ($ 3.44) but $ 8.27 for a dollop of rice and some mediocre vegetables is just not a satisfying meal. I would have gotten way more food (and better service) if I had just walked three blocks up to Chipotle.

I was feelin’ Mexican food last night and opted for something other than Chipotle. I had read reviews about Tres Carnes being absolutely delicious and better than Chipotle, but honestly, I didn’t feel that way. Maybe I just have this inseparable love with Chipotle but there were just some things that I guess didn’t match up to my standards.
The rice that I had gotten was kinda crunchy, meaning that it had hardened up in the time that I was eating it. All the other ingredients were very fresh (guac was free, so score!), but I wasn’t looking for anything spicy as that is not my taste of choice. It ended up being very spicy, likely because of the meat. I had gotten pork, which was delicious, but the seasoning just was not to my personal liking. However, the portion size is pretty large and you might need to do a take-​home. I also got their michelada, my first time tasting a hotsauce drink with beer. Very interesting taste, but not great if you sip very fast because you will feel a burn. But they do have happy hour every weekday (4−7pm) and all day weekends which is amazing!
The staff is so nice, sociable, and considerate. The atmosphere is also nice — bright lights, wooden tables, kinda like Chipotle but much smaller.
All in all, one star off for crunchy rice, but everything else is great — they have more selections in terms of sides and fillings than Chipotle (radish, onion, grilled squash), so that’s a plus. Also, just to mention — they are so clean, in the hour I was there, they probably changed to new gloves at least 10 times, so many compliments to them for keeping up santiary standards in the food industry.