Dinner at Populares, Alphabet City’s best new Mexican restaurant: Review
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Populares is a vibe.
Last week, a day after Cinco de Mayo, Populares hosted GRUNGECAKE’s party of three for a tasty dinner around 5 PM. After we were seated near one of the paintings, the menus came to the table. As one of us went to the restroom, I ordered the elote, comprised of grilled corn on the cob, chipotle mayo, cotija cheese and gunpowder. It was off of the cob, fresh, juicy, hot, and bursting with rich, festive flavour.
Each mouthwatering bite of the crisp chips and guacamole made of serrano, cilantro, onion and lime left an impression on us. The ceviche serves with the “catch of the day”, avocado, lime, grapefruit, cucumbers and red onion. Based on the ceviche I ingested in Los Angeles many years ago, it tastes the way I hoped: citrusy, and the onions cut the seafood tang. It was good, but I was getting full.
So, I took a few bites and left it alone. I was the only one at the table who ate seafood. Therefore, I slowed my intake and gracefully bowed out with the Baja fish tacos and grilled shrimp, which was a tad too salty.
On a blue plate, the roasted half-chicken mezcal made its grand entrance. I had a bite with the rice. I preferred the chicken meal alone because the rice had an aftertaste. The menu didn’t show the rice’s ingredients, so I can’t tell you how they prepared it
Thank you to Populares for yesterday’s dinner 🍽️ I’ll share more about our experience via @GRUNGECAKE 🗽 https://t.co/ElLBerxyQY pic.twitter.com/djzxqB1sW0
— Richardine (@THEYAMS) May 7, 2024
To eat, we had elote ($11), guacamole ($16), grilled shrimp ($8), ceviche ($19), Baja fish tacos ($8), and tried the roasted half-chicken mezcal ($25). The vegetarian among us ordered the cauliflower tacos ($6). I ordered the grilled skirt steak ($28) and short ribs birria tacos ($7) to-go, but my brother was hungry, so I gave them to him instead. He is a Liberian man in his forties with an exquisite palate as a professional cook who thought it was well-made.
To drink, I had red wine (Mision-Tempranillo from Santo Tomas, Mexico, $14), water, and a hibiscus aqua fresca made by their in-house mixologist, Fernando Lozano. The rest of our party delighted in the refreshing margaritas (Classic Margs, $16).
After absorption, the gentleman who served us showed me around. I saw the private dinner area at the back of the restaurant and the backyard, promised to be up and running as soon as possible. If the management had it their way, it would have been open to the public this year, but there’s always 2025.
I noted how clean and relaxing the atmosphere was, and as an art school student, I adored the decorative ceiling and illustrative paintings on the wall. When we arrived, it wasn’t marked how to enter the restaurant, so we went through the wrong door. We’ve added a guide, which may help you to find it easily when it’s time to have your experience.
As accurately described on the website, it is a new modern boutique restaurant, taqueria, and bar located in the East Village of Manhattan. Populares, located in Alaphabet City at 51 Ave B, Manhattan, NY 10009; the telephone number is +1 (212) 777-3912. Make a reservation through the website to enjoy authentic Mexican food with a modern twist.
