Calexico

Alright, I’ve eaten at the one in Green Point. That place is sick, this place is not sick.
Went here on a monday in the afternoon. Literally nothing on the menu was available– no margs? no tofu taco? no veggie quesadilla? What in God’s name am I sapposed to order?
One waitress– no other costumers. She was more interested in her friends outside and her pink tong hanging out of her pants than us.
I donno– I like Calexico but I ain’t comin back here. Nahmsayin?

Ich liebe mexikanisches Essen und in Deutschland ist es ja so gar nicht autentisch, von daher hatte ich die Hoffnung, dass es in New York besser wird, aber auch da war ich wohl von den einfachen Taquerias an der Westküste noch etwas verwöhnt. Hier hat es schlicht und einfach gar nicht geschmeckt. Trockene Tacos und Burritos, wenig Fleisch, nicht mal richtige Guacamole, sondern eine Fertigsauce. Also das war wirklich rausgeschmissenes Geld.
Die Bedienung ist für amerikanisches Verhältnisse auch sehr unfreundlich, lediglich die Location an sich ist ganz cool. Aber allein dafür kommt man ja nicht wieder…

Thoroughly enjoyed my fish taco, pollo asado and a beer whilst sitting at the window on a beautiful summers afternoon.
Staff were perfectly polite and friendly, service was fine, beers were ice cold, food was fresh and tasty, décor and ambience are great.
What’s not to like?! Ideal for a quick snack!
Recommended.

DOS:4/25/15
Server: Irina
10:19 PM
Table: ¹²⁄₁
Miscommunications with the Kitchen happen. The attitude of your waitstaff is inexcusable

It had been a while since I saw my best friend and we decided to finally get together for lunch. I had heard a lot about Calexico and was excited to experience it. The food itself is delicious, however, I wouldn’t say it’s the greatest experience.
I was excited to try their mushroom quesadilla. The waitress comes back and tells me they don’t have it, and that they’re planning on taking it off the menu. OK, fine. I took a look at the other vegetarian options and ordered a Veggie quesadilla. She told me that wasn’t available either, and that they’re planning on taking that off the menu too. This place doesn’t have many vegetarian options, so I ordered the next thing I could find which was a tofu taco. Nope, not available and again, they want to take it off the menu. At that point I was frustrated and asked what was available. She told me I had a choice of a black bean quesadilla or black bean burrito or bowl. Not so adventurous. I opted with the black bean bowl.
The food itself was delicious, but I was disappointed at the fact that their vegetarian options were so limited, especially after being so excited to try some of their more unique menu items like the tofu taco and mushroom quesadilla. I’d come back again because it tastes good, but it’s not a highlight.

If you want nachos that have enough cheese and toppings for your chips & amazing taco options — Calexico is your place!
Tip: do not get the pitcher beer. The bartender leaves quite a bit of foam at the top and you only get three glasses from it (consistent from our four visits). If you do the math. Less beer, more money.

We LOVE Calexico– seriously could eat it every day– but the delivery service is a nightmare! When they *are* delivering (a rarity these days), I can expect my delivery in anywhere from 60 – 90 minutes later. A few times, I have waited 2 hours! Many of the employees have a terrible attitude when you call to check up on orders, too. I get it, folks: you’re hearing these complaints all night!
After having postcard ads dropped in my bag for months, I’ve started using their app to attempt to get food, but every time I use it, I get an onscreen confirmation before promptly being called by ChowNow to tell me that they’re canceling my order because Calexico told them that they don’t have any delivery staff. What a nasty tease! I was told tonight (this is the third attempt in a week, mind you) that they are «experiencing a massive turnover with delivery guys». I do not understand how this can be such a problem for one restaurant in this neighborhood– I have lived here for 15 years and have never experienced this. Makes a person wonder how this Calexico treats its employees.
Calexico, I wish I could quit you. While I will keep trying to get your delicious burritos delivered to my home in a reasonable amount of time and whenever I want, I hope that you guys are truly doing everything you can to address this. I promise I will tip your new recruits well. XOXO

Everyone in New York loves to complain about how there’s no good Mexican food and this is sort of accurate. You can find a decent taco or burrito here and there but the prices and abundance are nothing compared to California, of course.
Considering this I do think Calexico is a decent option if you’re having a Mexican food hankering. They have all the favorites on their menu, from tacos to bowls to quesadillas.
I tasted the Baja fish taco, which I admit isn’t the most authentic thing to order but it reminded me of fun times in Mexico and San Diego. One taco was $ 4.50 which definitely isn’t cheap, but this is a substantial taco. We couldn’t pass up the quesadilla after hearing so much about it. It’s unique in that they roll it up and the tortilla is really nicely cooked. Finally, we shared guac and chips with the table for $ 9. The thing I’ve missed most is the presence of plentiful, colorful avocados and this definitely helped a bit.
So maybe you don’t get the full on Mexican taqueria or taco truck atmosphere, and you’re paying more for the gringo approved décor, but it does the job. Oh, and these guys still have a truck, so if you really feel like eating your meal on the street go hunt it down!

DON’T ORDER DELIVERY
I’m finally giving up. Love the food but the customer service is HORRIBLE.
1. Ordered food after a 12 hour shift at the hospital (so I’m exhausted and starving). They tell me it will be 20 minutes. I call and they just say «oh the delivery guy is out» —2 AND A HALF HOURS LATER he finally comes and is missing my drink.
2. Delivered in an hour but missing my drink
3. Again I wait 2 HOURS and then the delivery guy shows up with NO CHANGE so I have to give him an 8 dollar tip. I could have asked him to go get change and then I’d pay but was tired and hungry didn’t want him to disappear for another 2 hours. Call Calexico and tell them and they say he’ll come back with change. Guess what? That never happens!!!
It took me long enough to learn. I work a job with long hours and tend to order take out most nights so hoped this could be my go to place.

Loved it! We got soft tacos to start, one beef and one tilapia, delicious and super fresh. Hubby got the spicy cheesy pulled pork quesadilla/​burrito thing and it was amazing, gigantic and very tasty, lots of dimensions and texture. Each bite was fantastic, even more so after dipping it in the spicy mayo it comes with. I had the salad with goat cheese and steak: to the point, fresh, crunchy and succulent.
Service was great. Only wish would have been cool to have complementary chips and salsa: like every Mexican food place…

$ 6+ (plus tax and tip) for a tiny fish taco. I think not.
I mean don’t get me wrong, it was actually really very good. Fried fish, chipotle sauce, and mango salsa. What’s not to love?
But the food is just a tad overpriced. I feel like I could go to Chipotle (and yes, I love Chipotle, don’t judge!) and get the same quality meal for a cheaper price.

Let me start by saying the food was phenomenal. Everything was just right. This a small restaurant but don’t let it fool you. The staff were friendly and attending.
We started with chips and salsa and added guacamole. The guacamole was fresh and well made with just enough salt and spice. I had the gringo rolled quesadillas. One word to describe it: amazing. best food I had after a while (I live in Albany, NY). As far as taste goes everything was well balanced.
I definitely suggest this place if you are looking for somewhere that offers great Mexican food.

This is my new go to spot in the LeS for good tacos… Beer and shot deals … And Elote! Bartenders are very friendly and talkative (I can come alone and not feel like a looser haha)
Jalapeño margarita is one of my favorites!

Full disclosure: this review is based on a single visit. And I hadn’t ingested any alcohol or mood altering substances. If I had, Calexico’s waterlogged overload of fat and salt would hit the spot. Sober as a judge, however, there was little to appreciate, except the service, which was exemplary.
Nachos were a huge pile of greasy chips (fried in house for sure) weighed down with cheese and crema and garnished with beans and pickled jalapenos. Heavy. Sodden. Lacking any distinct flavors.
We should have paid more attention to the adjective «wet» before ordering that version of the burrito bowl. My friend’s red sauce and my green were equally bland. And again, the ingredients: a mammoth amount of rice and black beans, and a wee portion of carne asada, were literally drowned in cream and cheese.
And there the one-​note meal ended. We were full but far from satisfied. And most of the content of the bowls went back to the kitchen, as soggy as when they left.

A friend and I happened across this spot after having a subpar cocktail at a nearby bar. We ordered the guacamole and chips to share and enjoyed several drinks at the bar. The guacamole was delish! As were the chips.
The bartender had great energy and made tasty, potent cocktails. I will definitely come again to eat and drink.

Rumor has it that the Park Slope Calexico doesn’t have its liquor license yet. So while I wait… I’m glad that the LES location does. Rivington St. is closer to work anyway… and lord knows this lady needed some happy hour lovin’ after the last few {crazy} weeks at the office.
Calexico to the rescue.
They are serving up half price house margaritas Fridays until 7pm. And these margaritas are perfect. They really really are. And if you ask me ordering a couple of these is the perfect way to start off the weekend.
If you’re hungry — try the chips/​salsa basket. It too is pretty fantastic. Andddd so are the rolled quesadillas. I found everything to have the same quality as their Park Slope location, so that’s nice. Consistency is always nice. I’ll say the same thing I said in my other review– add some more meat to the quesadillas, just a little more! Pretty please! What goes better with a amazing margarita than some amazing chipotle pork?

What are you waiting for. Head down here now! I’m a fan of the Calexico carts but the brick and mortar goes the one step further. Nice bar area and selection of beers on tap.
Larger menu selection compared to the carts while offering burrito bowls and such. But i’m a fan of the grilled chicken quesadilla’s. A must try. Perfectly grilled chicken with cheese and and tortilla grilled on a flat top. Nice crispy crunch with the soft tortilla.
You must have it with crack sauce though. A nice dipping sauce that has a nice spicey kick.
I’ll definitely be back.

Food trucks seem to be a dime a dozen in NYC. But, when one is successful enough to win Vendy Awards and stand the test of time (which is at least over a year, in my opinion), well, you know they’re on to something good. Calexico is doing just that, and has since opened up a couple restaurant locations in addition to their trucks. I visited the Lower East Side location.
Calexico is a real place, and at the restaurant, they’re serving California-​Mexican cuisine. To start, I ordered their Jalapeño Mint Margarita (jalapeño infused exotico silver, combier, mint, jalapeño, lime, agave). I really loved this drink, it had a really great kick of heat, but also refreshing from the sweetness of the agave, the citrusy lime and the coolness of the mint.
Then, I got some snacks. First, I got their Guacamole with house made tortilla chips. The guac was fresh and tasty, and the chips were crisp, savory, and really nice on their own. But, of course, better with the guac.
Next, I had Watercress Salad (queso fresco, jicama, fresh grapefruit, pumpkin seed vinaigrette). I loved this salad. It was fresh, crisp, refreshing and satisfying. I truly enjoy some queso fresco, and the creaminess goes nicely with the crispness and crunch of the jicama and pumpkin seeds.

Was excited to see this opened in my neighborhood after hearing good reviews, but after stopping in for take out I am completely underwhelmed. I got two tacos and chips and guac to go and it was $ 20. Seems pretty outrageous but whatever. Get home and my order was messed up and the tacos had enough fish for half the taco and this is at $ 4.50 a piece. Not to mention the mango salsa just didn’t go well.
If you want good fish tacos that actually have fish in them, are good and the same price, then head over to Tacombi.

Ordered a pulled pork taco to go.
Sat at the bar and staff was very polite to offer us water while we wait on a Sunday afternoon.
Food came out fast for one taco.
When I got home, the taco looked very good, but I wished I can say the same about the taste.
The pulled pork was moist, but there was a lot of water and oil dripping down as I was holding the taco. The tortilla tasted like it was very under cooked, rough and doughy like a piece of cardboard. I’ve tasted cardboard as a curious kid back during my younger crazy stupid past before, and this definitely reminded me of it. The pork had no flavor or seasoning whatsoever. I would’ve downed my taco with hot sauce, but when I reach for the hot sauce, you know that there is no original flavor.
Skip this place, there are better taco joints on street vendors and trucks nearby.

It was National Tequila Day.
It was lunchtime.
Thanks to Calexico, it was no dilemma.
After educating the staff about the spirit and meaning of National Tequila Day, I’ll simply say that they were not stingy with their share of the fine spirit.
I devoured chips, salsa and guac while also gunning down a margarita and a clean shot of clear gold. Then the food came out. If I hadn’t been slightly inebriated, i might have recalled my mushroom quesadilla as a bit greasy… but I was… so who knows?
Only downside: their credit card machine was broken and it took them a while to get us out of there. Totally not anyone’s fault, but I think that the situation could have been handled better… or at least handled with more libations gratis.