El Maguey Bar Lounge

Meh. Wanted to like it but it just wasn’t that good. Maybe I’m just missing home where Mexican food really is. The eggs were under cooked, the chilaquiles were too ‘soupy’and the only flavor in the chile verde was of tomatillos. Meh. No beans, no decent coffee, and when I asked about aqua de tamarindo my server suggested the too sweet over processed soda and failed to tell me about the other aqua frescas that were available which I found our about too late. Meh. I was cooking better than that 20 years ago.

Horrible music and weird vibe. Already sat down so I decided to order one drink and leave. Apple martini was a bit on the strong side. It was so awkward with the Mexican music and karaōke-​like scene going on in the back! And they charged gratuity on the check for two people, glad I saw that before tipping twice. We just got one drink each and stayed for like 10 minutes. Never coming here again.

The dish I got was extra salty and dry.

O.k. I thought I’d give this place a second chance. Terrible idea. No chips and salsa anymore (what Mexican restaurant doesn’t give you chips and salsa? The chips are made from stale tortillas) My steak Tampiquena came with an empty tortilla where a cheese enchilada is supposed to be. A reqular steak is $ 2 less, so I ended up paying $ 2 for an empty tortilla when the dish comes with tortillas anyway. My girlfriend was charged $ 3 for a small plastic cup with a dollop of sour cream in it. This should have been free. $ 3? A taco is $ 250. Go here and get suckered if you want. I’m done with this place. Too bad. The people who work there are nice. It’s just the owners that are crooks.

This place is too loud and they charge a gratuity in their bill – for two people!
Well done, El Maguey. Getting tipped twice!

I sat at the bar and ordered a passion fruit smoothie, a Jameson shot, and one chicken taco. Chicken tacos are listed on the menu @ $ 2.50 each and there is no rule describing a minimum order of two tacos. However, the waitress informed me I must buy more than one taco. I would understand if the menu mentioned this policy. It does not. Considering that I was spending ~$ 20 for lunch, I found this very tacky. Not everyone wants to eat a large caloric meal. Be warned, this restaurant does not honor its own menu.
The passion fruit smoothie was delicious and reasonable at $ 4. Great job there.
Here’s why I am mostly unsatisfied: the Jameson shot I ordered was extremely under poured. I paid $ 12+ tax + automatic gratuity and was not given what I ordered. I instead received literally ½ a shot. No shotglasses were used. Just a 1 second bare pour from an inexperienced bartender. I complained and was told nothing could be done.
Given that this restaurant is in the cheapest part of Harlem, $ 12 is an incredible ripoff. To be given ½ a shot while paying $ 12 was ridiculously insulting.
Wait for your check to arrive and you will see that gratuity is automatically included. Nowhere is this policy mentioned. Customers deserve to know this beforehand. It’s pretty rude to hide this policy. Customers enjoy tipping because the action makes them feel generous. When tipping is forced, customers are less satisfied.
I asked the «manager”-the same waitress to remedy my complaints before I posted this review. I was polite and asked for what I paid for. I really tried to avoid posting this because I know how damaging a bad Unilocal review can be. She refused and I have no choice but to share my awful experience.
Try Restaurant La Liberte if you want good food and service.

You want authentic Mexican food? This is the best place in Manhattan where you can get real Mexican food. Cute restaurant, decent service, and if you’re ordering — expect your delivery in about 25mins. I’m 100% Mexican and I approve!

DO NOT GO HERE! They advertised a special price but then charged us double the advertised price. When we asked them about it, they simply shrugged their shoulders and said there was nothing they could do for us. They are sneaky, lying thieves and I would strongly recommend you NOT go there.

This place is over priced and the food quality is poor. They charged $ 3.00 for a taco but that doesn’t include any toppings. At Estrelita Poblana, a taco with fresh cheese, lettuce, tomato, and cream costs $ 2.50. For take home I also ordered three chalupas, plain, and it was OK. Presentation was horrible. The cheese looked like it was squeezed out of a can but it was actually fresh. I also ordered the Lengua Al Vapor (tongue) taco, the Al Pastor (pork with pineapple) taco and Cecina (salted beef) taco They were OK but would have been better with toppings. The menu stated three tacos for $ 7.50 and the chalupas were $ 2 each but somehow my bill came to $ 16.33 ($ 1.33 tax). I didn’t notice until I got home but by then I just didn’t care. The sauces that came with the tacos, red and green, were probably the only part that I liked. I wouldn’t recommend eating here. I don’t know if I was charged more on accident or because they didn’t understand my order. Doesn’t matter. I won’t be back.

After living in West Harlem for a year, I can say that this place is getting worse and worse.
First: Delivering from this place is a nightmare! Unless my roommates who are Latina are home I can not order from there. Not only does the woman who takes orders not understand English efficiently, but even in Spanish she has a difficult time taking orders.
Second: It’s like Any Given Sunday on the quality of food you get. Generally during the day when there is not a huge crowd in the restaurant, the food is amazing. Get Delivery during high traffic times and you get stuff that is thrown together and not as tasty.
Third: This place on several occasions does not have the essential items in order to run a «authentic» Mexican restaurant. One night they didn’t have CHICKEN! Really? Chicken. And they are never fully stocked on Jarritos, don’t have a favorite because chances are ⁹⁄₁₀ they won’t have it.
Fourth: Let’s talk about their «authenticity». There have been plenty of occasions where their tortillas were not handmade even though they state they always are. My roommates are Mexican and I’m from California we know the difference between handmade and store bought tortillas.
If you want bomb Mexican food, just order from the taco truck! They deliver and it’s cheaper!

great food — and i actually think it’s moderately priced, especially for the authenticity and portion size. would rate as a 5 but we got overcharged on the margaritas (that or the staff told us the wrong price). not a huge deal, would go again, the margaritas were delicious.

Yes… very authentic mexican food. Good portions and really tasty! More expensive that other mexican places around, but at least you get a decent and great mexican plate! Although the tortas are kinda of expensive comparing to the average and not the best I have had… but I will stick with other items in the menu.
Service is getting better lately, it used to get on my nerves before but the staff has changed for the better.
Keep the good work!

Wandered in here for lunch while I was in the area for work. Price is reasonable and they had really good tacos! The carnitas and lengua tacos were great. Service is a little slow though so keep that in mind.

Went with friends and it was absolutely fun! The food was SO yummy! I liked the way they decorated the interior. You will find a lot of paintings on the brick wall. There is a small bar also which looked quite cool. Must visit if you are in Hamilton Heights.

I can’t really comment on the authenticity of this place but the food is very good and the drinks are great too. My friend and I ran out of chips for our nachos there was so much stuff on them.
Music is a bit loud but after a some time (and margaritas), you hardly notice it.

A hot little spot… tried three mexican places around this block and it had the best food… authentic with a bit of class topped off with loud spanish jams… a great find here…