Calexico Carne Asada
"Calexico, the brick-and-mortar outpost of a popular, Vendy-award-winning taco/burrito truck in Soho, opened last Tuesday, and was packed to the gills... There are a few tables, and a window to order from whether you're eating in or taking away," writes Sarah DiGregorio for Fork in the Road.
And A Brooklyn Life is a fan of Calexico's "mind-blowing" tacos: "The carne asada (the jewel of the meats in my opinion) is as tender as tender can be, and its rather smokey flavor plays well off the bottom layer of slaw... A yummy sounding salad, tortas and burritos (plus plenty of Jarritos to wash it all down) round out the menu, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to get past the tacos for at least a few more visits."
"Coming from a born-and-bred Austinite (very fond of Mexican food) this place rocks it. No other way to describe it. The food is top-notch, authentic, and affordable," says Yelper Mark M. And Chowhound gbertplaya adds, "We waited at least 20 minutes for our food, so that was perhaps the only hitch (hopefully it will get better as the restaurant gets more experience)." How would you rate Calexico?
Reviews (15)
Pragonetti wrote a review on August 14, 2009 12:11 PM
Love it!
CG_ups wrote a review on August 14, 2009 12:12 PM
Jarritos are gross. Seriously disgusting. Glad this place finally opened up though. It was under construction foreveeeeeeeeeer. Right next to the place with the deep fried ham and cheese calzone. Deadly block.
CG_ups wrote a review on August 14, 2009 12:16 PM
ps. Jarritos are a bottled soda, so no crack on the food here, I'm sure the food is great. I just had to comment on Jarritos because I hate them so much. :)
dirty_hipster wrote a review on August 14, 2009 12:23 PM
Haven't been to the restaurant yet, but I go to their truck at least once a week for lunch at work in Soho.
Amazing - not totally authentic, but anything with the carne asada steak is awesome. Ask for extra 'crack sauce' on the side.
jwald wrote a review on August 14, 2009 12:30 PM
I simply love this place. I would eat a burrito from here everyday if possible.
woodys wrote a review on August 14, 2009 1:21 PM
Fantastic stuff. It's amazing, about the same prices as Buddy's Burrito Bar but about 5000X as good. The guac is expensive but really very good. My only beef is they dont really give you salsa on the side (have to order as a side I think), just these little packets of hot sauce.
MR wrote a review on August 14, 2009 1:23 PM
I found it underwhelming. Not bad, but I wouldn't travel from out of the neighborhood to go there.
saarinen wrote a review on August 14, 2009 1:50 PM
Phenomenal! After waiting an eternity (and mourning loss of Schnack) finally Carroll Gardens has excellent real Mexican. I work near the cart in SoHo and always liked it, but never found it mind blowing or worth the 45mn wait; however, something about the controlled environment of the restaurant elevates the food to a whole another level. On top of amazing food (pork tacos and chicken burritos are my favorite) the prices are extremely reasonable (far cheaper than even the mediocre chains such as chipotle) and the portions big. The staff is really friendly with no attitude. I am confused by the previous posts comments about lack of sides of salsa’s as they have a whole table with 6 free rotating salsa types and to go containers with lids. I try a different one each time. My only complaint is that they are closed on Sunday (and Monday).
lifer wrote a review on August 14, 2009 1:56 PM
not bad, but Oaxaca on Smith is my current favorite Mexican
woodys wrote a review on August 14, 2009 2:29 PM
So to clarify, I ordered takeout several times and they just gave me the little packets of hot sauce--didnt know about the salsa bar!
austinmilbarge wrote a review on August 16, 2009 9:58 PM
Calexico is the real deal. I love it. I prefer the chicken with crack sauce. Quesadillas are very good too. I'm just curious why it took SO long for a legit burrito place to open in this neighborhood. Buddy's Burritos is a complete disgrace. How has that place stayed in business this long?
And what's up with the Chicory space? Been a little action in there lately.
DaleEllis wrote a review on August 16, 2009 10:16 PM
Damn this food is good. Rolled quesadillas are a really nice change to what is too often a tired, unispired dish. And the grits are worthy of southern praise. Love the space too....so glad they expanded from the carts to a restaurant I can eat at on Saturdays.
bkbella wrote a review on August 17, 2009 12:51 PM
After trying both Calexico and Oaxaco last week, my verdict is that Calexico (at least for the vegetarian tacos) was superior. Oaxaco was excellent, but I thought that Calexico's bean tacos had a better balance of flavors. I feel very lucky to live between these two places. Buddy's was always a nice (cheap) treat. the food there isn't bad, but it's definitely more of the "fast food" variety.
I agree about the Chickory space. I've been in the neighborhood for 5 years and for the majority of that time, the space has been closed.
herkimermaid wrote a review on September 3, 2009 11:57 AM
Who needs ambiance if the food is really good, but I still can't believe this place gets an average rating of 3.5 for that. Also it took us 30 minutes to get served. We had to have a beer at B67 to kill time (we didn't exactly suffer but still...). ANYWAY, the food is really great and I highly recommend it. Worth the wait and the terrible ambiance. It helped that they were friendly about it.
JohnHancock wrote a review on October 10, 2009 8:38 PM
Calexico has good food. The tacos are great. The jarritos are okay. T
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