There’s a new dining trend in town, and thankfully it doesn't involve gold flakes. Restaurateurs are forgoing all of the fancy to-do cuisine and reverting to their roots. With street-inspired menus popping up all over the city, take a break from the brasseries and opt for a more authentic, down-home experience—street style, minus the sketchiness.
Macondo
157 E. Houston St. (Allen & Eldridge Sts.) Lower East Side 212.473.9900
You barely have to leave the street to get a bite at Macondo. Snag one of the outdoor seats at the bar and you’ll be looking into this East Village Latin eatery with your back facing Houston Street. Hearing the Caribbean music playing inside and seeing fruit hanging from above will make you feel like you’ve just pulled up to a resort. But after trying the Buenos Aires, a Latin take on pizza, or the Willianco, oven-roasted quail and figs, you’ll realize Chef Maximo Tejada of Rayuela has made the menu more barrio than Club Med.
La Superior
295 Berry St. (S. 2nd & S. 3rd Sts.) Williamsburg 718.388.5988
La Superior, a new Mexican joint in Williamsburg, was built from the ground up. Even if you don’t know the back story about the Vatican-blessed Virgin Mary on the wall, you can taste the love in the food. The well-thought menu is full of unpretentious grub, like the Torta Ahogado ($7), sourdough bread stuffed with pork confit. But the place also has a backbone: “We’re cocky,” the waiter boasts, “because we can be.”
Mercadito Cantina
172 Ave. B (10th & 11th Sts.)
East Village 212.388.1750
Mercadito Cantina’s Negra Modela battered shrimp taco tastes authentic enough to be straight off the truck. But there’s something about the place that a truck can’t offer—oh yeah, the drinks. You can try their new poison called Tric-quila—made from sake and agave, it tastes like tequila and is used in tasty concoctions like the Paper Daisy ($9), a variation on the traditional margarita, or the Papa Low ($10), a zesty blend of passion fruit and jalapeno.
La Taq
72 7th Ave. (14th & 15th Sts.)
Park Slope 718.398.4300
Unlike those questionable falafels, you know exactly what’s going into your burrito at La Taq. With fresh ingredients right in front of you, the cooks at this Park Slope bar attached to La Taqueria will make your burrito to your liking. But be warned, the thing is massive and will probably end up all over your lap. Between that and dabbling into La Taq’s extensive tequila list (90 varieties), and you’re likely to leave a disaster. But being able to have that authentic “I’m eating real Mexican food” experience among strollers and yuppies is plenty worth it.
Tabla Street Cart 11 Madison Ave. (@ 25th St.)
Flatiron 212.889.0667
Prove that you know the streets of New York and bypass the tourists waiting in the horrendous line at Shake Shack by pulling up to Tabla’s street cart right across the park. Monday-Friday, between 11:30am and 3:30pm, dishes from Floyd Cardoz’s Indian menu, like the chicken tikka roti roll with mint chutney, can be found right outside the restaurant, all for under $10. Street smarts, indeed.
Lower East Side 212.473.9900
Williamsburg 718.388.5988
11 Madison Ave. (@ 25th St.)
