We’ll admit that when it comes to Latin dinning in the city Mexican is far from your best bet. And by this, we mean below the lowest of the low. Anyone from Cali, or for that matter, from Mexico, will be the first to speak horrors of this city’s taquerías. But lo and behold, are things changing? The recent months have seen an upsurge of carts, full-on restaurants, trucks, and stands aiming to bring you at the very least decent carnitas and sopes. The weirdest trend yet: lucha libre-themed Mexican restaurants.
So lucha libre posters+hot waitresses in costumes+free copies of Box y Lucha lying around=good tacos?
Skeptics will say the theme serves to distract from the sub-par food. But before you start on the rant we’ve heard too often (“La comida mexicana en esta ciudad es una mierda…”) we suggest you give La Lucha and Cascabel a shot; New York Mag‘s just did, and was impressed.
For all its lucha libre paraphernalia, Cascabel, in the Upper East Side offers a fusion take on the traditional Mexican. Brought to you by Todd Mitang, of Crave Ceviche bar, the chorizo tacos are reportedly the best, and the dessert of churros that come with a dip of Mexican hot chocolate sound too suculentos for us here at Remezcla to resist. The charm of this aesthetically pleasing spot is in the details: the beer glasses are frosted and the tacos are garnished with roasted serranos for a nice touch.
But if sophisticated Mexican lucha libre style isn’t for you, La Lucha, in the East Village, aims to bring you as traditional a taquería experience as it gets. Most importantly, the owners are actually Mexican, and their aim with La Lucha is to transport you to Mexico City’s downtown; in their website they speak nostalgically of las taquerías they visited before games and missed them so much they started their own. Old lucha libre fights are projected unto the walls as costumed waiters serve you in this venue filled with floor to ceiling posters of luchadores, figurines, and knick knacks of every sort. Reportedly, your taste buds are in for a trip; indulge and go for the el Santo plate. You might like it so much you’ll feel compelled to buy one of La Lucha’s T-shirts (did we forget to mention that La Lucha doubles as a boutique?)