I had the best meal with my wife at La Palapa - This place rocks, make sure you check it out asap! We had several excellent drinks and the food was even better - The staff made us feel at home and... More

I had the best meal with my wife at La Palapa - This place rocks, make sure you check it out asap! We had several excellent drinks and the food was even better - The staff made us feel at home and as a result we have found our favorite Mexican food in NYC!!!!! Great job La Palapa Rockola!!!!!! Pros: Great crowd, awesome Mexican food Cons: NONE
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I decided to check out La Palapa Rockola after hearing about it from a co-worker who had thrown a birthday party there in November. I live closer to the East Village La Palapa, but he said that this... More

I decided to check out La Palapa Rockola after hearing about it from a co-worker who had thrown a birthday party there in November. I live closer to the East Village La Palapa, but he said that this one had a slightly different vibe, and that the food was just as good. When we arrived we were greeted by the bartender with a warm smile. It was happy hour, so we sat at the bar for a frozen margarita (the ginger flavored one is awesome) and we soon realized that almost everyone at the bar knew the bartender's name. This was like a "happy-hour family"! Happy hour ended and we were shown to a cozy table in the back. The decor was warm and featured lots of stills from old Mexican movies that I've never seen. Candles everywhere! Our waiter was very good about recommending items from the menu. He said he personally loved to mix the spicy mushroom appetizer with the pinto bean side, so we tried it, and it was delish. Very fresh and flavorful. Spicy, but not of the "burn a hole in your tongue" variety. My boryfriend then ordered the garlic shrimp and I had the tequila steak and they were both so good, we couldn't stop eating off each others' plates. The main thing that struck me about the place is that it felt very relaxed and casual, but not sloppy. It's what I would call "classy-casual". The staff seemed confident that the food was good enough to speak for itself, but they were right there with advice and descriptions and didn't seem desperate to sell the most expensive items or the most expensive tequila (though the tequila list is certainly impressive.) We wound up having a great time, and ordering dessert, mainly because we didn't feel like going back out into the cold. It was just right inside, where we were! I was surprised the place wasn't more full, but we'll certainly be back the next time we want a reasonably priced, delicious Mexican meal, and a comfortable atmosphere in which to enjoy it!! Pros: Atmosphere, great food, classy service Cons: not in my neighborhood!
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I just hosted a baby shower here for a good friend of mine, and Margaritte was incredibly helpful and accommodating. The food was terrific, the value was unbelievable (especially for Manhattan), the... More

I just hosted a baby shower here for a good friend of mine, and Margaritte was incredibly helpful and accommodating. The food was terrific, the value was unbelievable (especially for Manhattan), the wait staff were excellent, and the space was absolutely perfect (the back garden area, which we had all to ourselves). We were there for brunch and the huevos rancheros verdes and the Mexican style French toast were excellent! (So were the margaritas...) Pros: Great space for groups, good value, really good food, and nice wait staff
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Had brunch last Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed the huevos rancheros. I had been there last year for a pta meeting but didn't know they had brunch too. It was delicious and the portion was huge. It... More

Had brunch last Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed the huevos rancheros. I had been there last year for a pta meeting but didn't know they had brunch too. It was delicious and the portion was huge. It was so reasonably priced for the amount of food and had a really spicy bloody maria made with tequila included in the prix fixe. Great food and the service was fine. Pros: best huevos rancheros ever!
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Ate at the bar --- what a fabulous bartender! Looks like he stepped out of "Y Mi Mama Tambien" -- he guided us through a feast. Got quite trashed on the potent ginger bloodo range margaritas! No... More

Ate at the bar --- what a fabulous bartender! Looks like he stepped out of "Y Mi Mama Tambien" -- he guided us through a feast. Got quite trashed on the potent ginger bloodo range margaritas! No hangover though!!! Can't wait to go back. Pros: Great Bartender yummy margaritas Cons: wish happy hour was longer
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I was very excited to try this place, especially after making the reservation because the gentleman on the phone was so nice. The ambiance is cool, margaritas are okay, but the service is awful! ... More

I was very excited to try this place, especially after making the reservation because the gentleman on the phone was so nice. The ambiance is cool, margaritas are okay, but the service is awful! Our waitress was not friendly at all and then she tipped herself 20% (okay so it was 5 of us) but still, she got angry and was rude when we asked questions about the menu. She would roll her eyes at us as she walked away and we were not even a difficult table (I have waited tables before and we were far from a difficult table). I was not that impressed with the food either but it was the rude service that is making me give them a bad rating!
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I finally found it! I can't believe I walk by here everyday and the "real" Mexican was right in front of me all along! I had dinner on Thursday night with my boyfriend and his high school buddy. We... More

I finally found it! I can't believe I walk by here everyday and the "real" Mexican was right in front of me all along! I had dinner on Thursday night with my boyfriend and his high school buddy. We had tacos just like the ones in Mexico City and ate and ate. We will definitely be going back -- next time for the moles -- it was also really romantic with a whole wall of candles. Service was super nice too. Don't know about the other review -- seems like they are talking about another restaurant or something. We had a great meal and lovely server. Pros: authentic great vibe Cons: hard to find
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So my friends and I had a craving for mexican food. So we went on citysearch and found this restaurant with great reviews. We get there and were seated immediately. We ordered chips and guacamole,... More

So my friends and I had a craving for mexican food. So we went on citysearch and found this restaurant with great reviews. We get there and were seated immediately. We ordered chips and guacamole, which was not that good-I've had better. I ordered the steak taco and the chicken taco, and a steak quesadilla. My friends ordered the pork taco, and the duck on the entree menu because the waitress said the sauce was sweet. I was ready to have a good time. Instead we got frustrated with the wait. It took over half an hour for our food to come out. When it did finally come out, we were ALL disappointed. The side of saffron rice tasted like cardboard--it was hard, dry and nasty. The tacos barely fit in my palm; it was also dry. The duck was over cooked-way too charred. The sauce was bad. The only thing that was good was the quesadilla. It was soft and moist. Let me get back to the service. When I needed water, no one came to refill it. But when I was drinking my water, and as soon as I took it off my lips, the waitress LITERALLY grabbed the cup OUT OF MY HAND; she refilled it and quickly left it on the table. No words or looks exchanged. Never have I experienced or witnessed such rude service. This was perhaps my worst restaurant experience! Cons: bad service, bad food, overpriced
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Everything is great here, and this really is the best mexican food I have ever had in my life. We had the choriza appetizer on little boats of masa with creme fraiche, pork soft tacos with chile... More

Everything is great here, and this really is the best mexican food I have ever had in my life. We had the choriza appetizer on little boats of masa with creme fraiche, pork soft tacos with chile and pineapple rub, and the chiken breast with an amazing sauce that came with an amazing fried plantain. And the chips..........warm and salted with cumin. Everything is outstanding here I've already been back twice within a week. The restaurant is a bit pricey for mexican, but I'm willing to make that sacrifice.
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This restaurant has the best mexican food in the city, the drinks are great and the ambience and service is absolutely fabulous. I cannot say the same for the sister restaurant on the East side... More

This restaurant has the best mexican food in the city, the drinks are great and the ambience and service is absolutely fabulous. I cannot say the same for the sister restaurant on the East side though!!! Pros: Great Cocktails, Great Food, Good Brunch
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