El Centro

Went to el centro last Saturday 1/​/​3015 and had kristyana serve me. Very friendly and very good food ⁵⁄₅ thanks again !

I got too drunk at El Centro the other day. Their sangrias and margaritas will hit you like Mike Tyson. Seriously. But they are so good and fairly inexpensive. I had a couple of tacos as well that were very delicious! The two friend who I went with shared an order of nachos and said that they were really delicious.
The servers there are also very attractive and attentive. Our waiter kept coming back to the table anytime our drinks were empty asking us if we wanted more – which I absolutely loved.
The ambiance was fairly causal and a bit loud, but it is expected because the place was packed! If you like to be around other Mexican food-​lovers definitely come to El Centro. If you’re looking for a nice place to drink at, also come. You won’t regret it.

This place is great — fresh, tasty Mexican food in a relaxed atmosphere. I had a delicious veggie burrito, and also really enjoyed the huevos rancheros (ordered without ham) on another visit. Great for a laid back brunch or lunch. No high chairs for little ones, but both times I was able to get a corner table that had a nice deep bench where my daughter happily say and played.

Great food and ambiance. The chilaquiles pescado is delicious. So is the sangria. Happy to recommend.

This restaurant blew me away with its ability to hit you everywhere you need it. Came here after getting the sub from Brooklyn. We were sat relatively quick and served in due time.
The place has great margaritas, which weren’t too weak. The interior is cute and kinda kitsch but it won’t put you out and lost in a sea of tables. We all got the Chicken Chilaquiles which were nicely portioned and very respectful of authentic Mexican cuisine. If I lived in the Meatpacking district I’m sure that this place would become a local favorite.
*You definitely get what your paying for, no golf ball sized portions. The plates are loaded with Authentic Mexican cuisine and I think most come with avocado.

One of my first wonderments when I moved to the city from the west coast was, «WHERE CAN I GET MEXICAN FOOD?!» An acquaintance told me, «Chilaquiles. El Centro.»
She’s my best friend now.
(Ok it’s maybe not super AUTHENTIC Mexican food – that’s what Spanish Harlem is for. But I don’t think you’ll care. It’s really good.)
Chips and salsa are complementary. And I love their salsa. My refined pallet tells me it’s made from love and crack.

Chorizo nachos and chicken quesadillas are awesome! They’re packed with awesome ingredients and offer a full-​range flavor profile. El Centro is definitely a can’t miss restaurant.

My go to place in HK. Great tasting food and great fast and friendly service every time. Tried the chorizo goat cheese queasadilla and it was amazing and a very strong low calorie margarita. Must go.

I love this place and I will be back. The tacos, margaritas and salsa are perfect. I was actually disappointed for the first time with my service last night and then today they had no delivery service the girl that picked up the phone said it was because of the holiday. Last night the waiter was terrible and I think the manager noticed he wasn’t taking care of us and he came by a couple of times. They close at 11 and they turned people away starting at 1030 and we counted 23 people that they turned away. That is a ton of money that I am sure the owner wouldn’t want to pass up.
We will still be back and I highly recommend this place! I am very thankful they are around the corner from my place.

This place was awesome! Went on a Sunday night and it was packed! Very good sign. We sat at the bar and the bartender was great (red headed guy). Very strong and great tasting margaritas and very fast service! The chicken quesadillas were the best I ever had. I’ll definitely be back

Great queso!!! And Sangria. Had the fajitas and they were great.

Rubberized eggs. See photo. Pretty gross. 10 minutes later I got offered fresh eggs when the server came back around. Too late. Two stars.

My friend and I were in desperate need of margaritas and nachos before the Miley Cyrus concert, and this place hit the spot.
We were seated and served right away, even on a Saturday evening. The drinks were SO good, perfect amount of tequila. The plain nachos were delicious, even if they were plain.
Only reason for ⁴⁄₅ stars is the price. I was a little shocked when the bill arrived, but that’s just because I’ve never visited New York before. Highly recommend this place!

This place is Delicious with a capital D! I had the steak chilaquilles and it was so, so good. I had to go again during the same week. I went the following week as well and had a steak burritto. Also very yummy. The tortilla chips and salso starter is oen of my favorite parts.
The place can get pretty packed, so you don’t often see your server. That’s ok, though, because the food comes out fast.
Margaritas are just ok. They aren’t strong. But I go for the food anyway. I highly recommend you go!

Cute atmosphere, eclectic décor, and, unexpected choice of throwback pop music for a mexican restaurant
Enjoyable waitstaff
Pomegranate margaritas were delish– a little expensive, but unique
Salmon with mango pico de gallo was perfection. Cilantro rice that accompanied had a good flavor
The vegetarian chilaquiles was Devine. Most interesting texture but loved it! Seriously, never had anything like it before

I’m reviewing this place after many, many visits. This is our go-​to Mexican place and we bring everyone here. Now that we can only get our fix when back visiting New York, we make sure it is part of the schedule. The food is the most important thing but the décor is fun, too. The music is good and at a level to be prominent without making it too hard to hear what your companion is saying. The waitstaff is friendly and efficient.
The grilled vegetable chilaquiles are sublime. We almost always get them and feel we really don’t need anything else to be happy. But we have ordered a few other items and have certainly tasted many more. The roasted corn is delicious, the vegetable tacos, the guacamole… everything we have tried (all vegetarian) has been great!
The waitstaff will give you chips and salsa that are so delicious you will almost spoil your appetite. Almost. Regardless of the quantity of chips I eat, I am always up for chilaquiles. Wisely, on our last visit, we took some of the dish home because there is just so much and I still walked away stuffed.
This place is always packed and you may end up waiting for a table, but it is definitely worth it. One of our absolute favorites in NYC.

Mole Con Pollo may be my favorite Mexican dish of all time. El Centro’s does not disappoint. A huge serving (for only $ 16!) of grilled chicken, mole sauce, corn tortillas, rice and beans goes perfectly with a 16oz frozen margarita.
With plenty of great chips and salsa (that come to your table for free… unlike other ass-​clown run Mexican restaurants in Manhattan), you’ll be set for a great night of great food. If it’s nice out, be lucky enough to grab an outside table for some good people watching on the corner of 54^th and 9^th.
It’s lively and loud, so don’t come here if you’re looking for intimate and romantic. Expect a party-​like atmosphere.

My boyfriend and I went here on a Wednesday night, seeking Mexican eats in our current neighbourhood. When we arrived, the place was packed. Luckily we were able to snag two seats right away, but we could barely hear the hostess, who was speaking directly to us, telling us where to sit. It was very loud.
A couple of minutes after we were seated, our waiter dropped off a basket of complimentary chips and salsa. Both were delicious — the chips were crunchy and perfectly salted (they tasted as though they had just come out of the oven), the salsa was smoky and fresh.
We ordered the chicken chilaquiles and vegetable enchilada. Our waiter also asked if we’d like a side of guacamole ($ 4.00) to go with the remainder of our chips, which, being huge guacamole fans, we didn’t pass up. I’m so glad we didn’t — it was fantastic!
The food arrived in good time. The chicken chilaquiles were easily our favourite dish of the night. The tortillas were soaked with the flavour of queso blanco, crème fresca, pico de gallo and salsa roja, but still had a hint of crispiness to them — they weren’t soggy. We ate every last bit of it and were even tempted to lick the plate afterwards. We found the vegetable enchiladas to be a bit medicore. They weren’t bad but they weren’t fantastic as well; just okay. I wouldn’t order it again.
Though the food was overall pretty good, it should be noted that the service is definitely spotty and not at all great. Our waiter seemed very rushed for us to order, then walked away so fast that we couldn’t ask him any questions, never once refilled our water glasses, and took his time tending to us. Overall, the service was pretty cold and that was definitely a bummer.
I loved the bright and quirky décor, but unfortunately I found the overall ambience to be pretty overwhelming. It was so loud that my boyfriend and I could barely talk — even though we were sitting right across from each other — and I felt like I had to yell whilst placing our order. Definitely not the kind of spot you’d want to go to on a date or to catch up with a friend.
I think I would return to El Centro if I knew I could snag a seat on the patio, where the sound levels were much more tolerable and the space not as cramped.

I came here a few friday nights ago to meet up with some friends for drinks and guac. The interior is pretty standard for a Mexican-​American restaurant. Don’t expect to have a ton of personal space in here but that’s to be expected in midtown. There is outdoor seating area and a lot of large open windows so even if you sit inside you can feel the sunshine. The wait staff was really fun and friendly.
The restaurant has a really good drink selection; I wasn’t in the mood for margaritas (very out of character) so i got their mojito as recommended by the waiter. It was tasty and i couldn’t taste the alcohol at all even though it was def there. For my entrée i got the taco combo since i am an indecisive person. You can mix and match whichever tacos you want. I chose mahi mahi, shrimp, and short rib. All were amazing. The mahi was tender and moist, probably the healthier of the trio since it wasn’t fried. The shrimp was def my favorite taco, light, flaky, beer battered shrimp with a crema sauce mmm. The short rib is allegedly one their most popular so i wanted to try it. If you’re a meat lover it’s a solid choice, but i kind of wish i had a second shrimp or tried the chicken taco instead.

I’m a sucker for good, classic Mexican, and this is as good as it gets. The exterior of the place looks so inviting, and it doesn’t lie — the servers are so friendly, and even though my friend was running late they saved a seat for us outside despite the full parties that arrived before her. It’s a little annoying that you can’t make reservations, but I’d gladly wait the 15 minutes. The outside area is prime for people-​watching, so 100% do that in the warmer months.
I got a chicken quesadilla and a bunch of orders of chips, salsa, and guac. Plus the AMAZING frozen margaritas, and that’s honestly all I need for a perfect Mexican dinner. I tried the strawberry mango and the classic ones which were superb. The service wasn’t great, but it wasn’t enough to take off a star considering I think they were just absurdly busy for a Friday night, and I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.