The TLDR is that Yellow Rose in the East Village is the "crème de la crème" – or should we say “lo mejor de lo mejor” – for Tex-Mex in NYC. The owners are from San Antonio and their flour tortillas are LEGIT homemade flour tortillas – just like the ones you get in Tejas! With different menus for brunch, lunch, happy hour, and dinner, they always have an exciting special on the menu featuring seasonal veggies (think fried jimmy nardello peppers with delish cilantro cream sauce), have great frozen margs (and other cocktails), good queso (beer queso is the way to go), and the BEST bean and cheese tacos (a San Antonio STAPLE). Oh and don’t sleep on their dessert program. If you go for brunch, the donuts are a must! They also just launched an amazing HH featuring our favorite nachos in the city – Anna B also approves. On top of the incredible food and drinks, YR is always playing the best music and has impeccable vibes. There are other Tex-Mex spots we often recommend to people, but each of these has a more specific time and place.
A newcomer and the BEST neighbors! Their frozen margaritas are made with Lalo Tequila (no shitty stuff) and are the best in the city – they actually stay frozen! Their crunchy tacos are perfectly greasy and a MUST. They also carry Marfa Spirit Co. here – awesome TX spirits from our friend Morgan Weber. Another thing not to sleep on… the Dips and Textopos. Incredible chips! Just great vibes all around. Tell Tiffany, Justin, and Oscar hi for us :)
Solid Tex-Mex but more of a takeout than a dine-in situation. Their queso is really where they shine. Get the yellow! Pro tip: order Javelina to be delivered next time you land at LaGuardia. After you lug your suitcase up your many flights of stairs (in our case five) and are starving, you will be so happy you did this. Trust us!
Great when you secretly want Tex-Mex but the people you’re going with don’t. They have something for everyone! Even if you go the Tex-Mex route, you cannot sleep on the chicken fried steak or fried pickles… they are perfectly crispy and so good. They’re also open 24/7(!), so it is a great option for late night/earlyyy am.
Cali-Mex not Tex-Mex, but a great option if you want to sit in Tompkins with friends on a sunny spring day. Our tip? If you are addicted to queso like we are, ask them for a side of queso and chips (not on the menu – it is used for their nachos). It is very good and very worth it. Add a cold Mexican Coke and call it a day!
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Ok so this is really more of a Southwestern restaurant than a Tex-Mex restaurant, but if you find yourself in the West Village (a Tex-Mex food desert), it can do the trick. Be sure to order a (pretty shitty) frozen… because any time it is on the menu, you have to order it alongside the nachos. Will help with homesickness in a pinch!
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Also a sidestep, but TX nonetheless, Hometown in Red Hook has brisket queso that is hard to beat.
Not Tex-Mex, but for when you need a taco fix in a pinch:
Always hits, and tacos are CDMX style.
This is also faaaar from Tex-Mex but needs a spot here. The BEST seafood tacos. Try The Cracken.
Both cheap and are good for marg pitchers.
Mezcal marg and the cheeseburger taco are great!
The Dank Wrap is something special…