Since discovering this place, it's now become a go-to. I've now tried all of the tacos and each one is so flavorful. Get the cheese as an addition to the tacos- it's amazing. Their tortilla chips are really incredible too - as is the guacamole. My personal favorite taco is the pork but I haven't had a bad one yet. So nice to have a casual place with excellent food in the neighborhood. read more

Looks like I finally found my favorite mexican place in NYC. The shrimp taco is the best (make sure you add the grilled cheese to it!).

This place is amazing. We finally found the Mexican food we were looking for in the five years plus years we have lived in astoria. We went last night for dinner and are seriously considering eating there tonight again. You cannot go wrong with anything on the menu. Love love love the salsa. read more

These tacos are the best! My favourite are the fish, shrimp and adobo tacos. The menu may be small but you don't really need anything else.

Can you say fried cheese. Amazing food and service. Real deal Tacos :) You wont be disappointed

I enjoyed this restaurant so much! It was warm and inviting inside. The service was friendly and quick. All the food I ordered was GREAT. The shrimp tacos are a must! They were the best I've ever had. I look forward to returning and recommend this restaurant to all! read more

Just enjoyed a great meal at Chela and Garnacha. Ambience is nice but casual. Good music. Very comfortable overall. Our server was friendly, attentive and made excellent recommendations. We had the guac and the onions for apps. The guac was delicious. Onions were also excellent, but too much for just my husband and I. We also had the Volcanos and the Veg taco. The server suggested and the chef made us a vegetarian friendly version of the Volcanos which was really appreciated. We finished with the Nutella dessert. All excellent. And relatively inexpensive with drinks! We will be back, for sure. read more

Tacos are legit. The taco al pastor with the fried cheese was my favorite. The tinga and adobo were also good. The guacamole was really good too. Will be back! read more

Guac & chips and the onion appetizer are awesome. For entrees, I had the Vegetales taco as well as the Volcano (which they were able to do without meat for me). Both were full of flavor and just plain delicious. Staff was super friendly and attentive. read more

This place is a keeper. Delicious tacos -- including three vegetarian ones -- at reasonable prices, and a nice craft beer list, too. It's the kind of joint everyone wants in their neighborhood. read more

4 star. 5 would be last supper with Jesus. But that said. Good food. Freshly prepared. I had 3 tacos. Al pastor, pescado and adobo. All were just right. Clean and flavorful. Nice selection of indie rock playing. The waiter was very accomodating and friendly. read more

Pretty good Shrimp Tacos, loved the grilled cheese topping. Space is not too large, makes for a good date spot. Got my food to go, wasn't expecting to pay as much as I did. But it was good next time I have extra cash and want good tacos, I know a place. read more

Excellent place. Give them 5 stars for the freshness alone. From the chips to the tacos you cannot go wrong. Awesome margaritas. Trust me on this one. read more

This is more like 3.5 stars. The food is good, and the drinks are mediocre, but the service is great! We started with the guacamole, which leaves a lot to be desired. I do believe it's preference though, because you can't go wrong with guacamole, but this seemed a little too plain for me (2/5). The intricadas were good, and came in 3's. They were new, fun, and pretty tasty, but again, missing something.. maybe a kick of spicy? (3/5). The other tacos we ordered were also mediocre considering they were all $4-$5 each. Although the star of tacos was the shrimp taco that came in a cheese shell. YUM. The tortas were tasty, i think they were the best bang for your buck, though. The spicy salsas/sauces that they come with were like 3 drops each for the table, so that kind of bothered me. When we asked for more, another few drops were given. read more

This is a great new place, tried it for the first time last week. The menu is small, however, it's full of flavor and wonderful options. If you like tacos this is the place the try. The fresh Guacamole and chips is a wonderful starter. It's a little on the pricey side for Astoria but I would definitely return. Highly recommend!! read more

Very very very good. Surprised about this place. There's a lot of authentic places in the hood but this place has an folk American feel to it. The service was impeccable. The food was delicious and unique. Full of character. Thanks! read more

Ahh neighborhood gem! The tacos are pricey for tacos, but the food here is really delicious and well crafted. Take for example, the spring onion appetizer, which features fresh spring onions sauteed in a delicious Mexican spice mix, and overflowing with umami flavors. Then there's the Intrincadas, which were DIVINE. I strongly urge you to order these if you end up coming here - they're delicious corn patties, topped with guacamole, adobo, and shredded chicken. They are unbelievably good. The only thing I think could benefit from some work is the fried quesadillas - this might be a personal preference, but I think they suffer form being fried and could be much more deliciious if they were baked or grilled or what have you. Otherwis, perfection, and I strongly recommend. read more

The good is great and the place and vibe are very nice. The reasons why I give it 4 stars are (1) I find it a bit pricey and (2) as much as the staff are very nice, it feels about hectic and disorganized. The food took way too long to come!. I loved the spicy margarita!! read more

This is a small Mexican restaurant with great food and reasonable prices, the staff is helpful and polite, the portions are generous, and the margaritas are yummy specially the tamarindo margarita. Definitely a great spot in Astoria to eat delicious and fresh Mexican food. read more

We came here for brunch yesterday anticipating their french toast but after being seated, we realized they changed their brunch menu. We ordered (from the brunch menu) enfrijoladas de pollo which I regrettably didn't take a picture of, and we shared it because it was a lot of food. I liked it, and couldn't even try the tacos we ordered but again it was filling, and I was more than full! Its a cute place the staff is very nice, but it doesn't stand out from the other Mexican restaurants I've been to in NY. I would definitely come again. read more

Chela & Garnacha - Avocado & fried cheese - Mexican Near Me - Astoria, New York

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Get the tacos with the cheese! It's melt on the tortilla first. Zucchini flower taco is awesome

This place just started up and hopefully they will add a little more to the menu- although there isn't a lot to choose from- everything was flavorful, we had the chicken and steak tacos, and cheese quesadilla- everything was delish. Great spot if you want a quick bite or something to hold you down for a bit, with a lot of flavor- left satisfied Took away a star because it took a little under 10mins to get a menu, chairs aren't too comfy (more like park chairs) and they had one waiter although the place is small- he was busting his butt to be all over the place ..... Will be going back Oh liquor license coming in two weeks! read more

Came here for brunch due to rave reviews here on Yelp. Unfortunately, I've been to Mexican restaurants that has much better to offer than this place in terms of taste. The taco's are small and not tasty (they won't give you sauce on the side if you don't ask). The brunch menu is very limited (3 or 4 selections) and they don't have a good deal like several years ago mentioned by other reviewers. The french press has bitter taste to it - no offense - I have to get used to it. read more

I was searching for great, home made Mexican food in Astoria. And I'm glad I found it here! If you are looking for a good place to eat, and you are in a budget, Chela and Garnacha is the place to be. The food is amazing, and the service is great. Also very clean. I spoke with the owner and I can see the passion and love she had for her business !. Give it a try ! read more

Great Traditional food from Mexico . I have had Mexican food all over California ( lived in San Diego for 5 years) and the South west (Lived in Santa Fe), so I appreciate good traditional food from Mexico. Jorge and his son were very accomodating and polite!! The roasted jalapeño (for $1!) are a delicious side -- with lots of heat!! Enjoy. read more

Come for the tacos, not for the service. I'm a local and I've been here so many times. Their food does not disappoint and I HIGHLY recommend trying it. Tonight, I experienced the WORST service and I'm writing this review so that the management knows. We arrived at a quieter time. There were 8 tables empty in the restaurant--I had time to count because it took at least 25 minutes before anyone took our order. We were honestly just about to get up and leave and then someone decided to stop by our table. Our food was spectacular as it always is, but no one came to check on us, ask us if we wanted another drink (we might have ordered another), hot sauce, or even more water. Then we waited at least another 20 minutes to pay. We weren't offered a receipt showing what we ordered; we were simply told by the female server how much our order was. We paid and she instantly turned her back to us without saying any type of thank you or have a nice night (or god forbid, thank you for your patience). At least the male sever had the wherewithal to run out and say thank you as we left super annoyed. As someone who has been here many times, this is very uncharacteristic of this place but I refuse to accept the excuse that they were busy because they ABSOLUTELY weren't when we arrived. It's going to be a while before I consider returning. THANK YOU. read more

This is for delivery. Had the fish tacos, they were excellent! They came in nice containers so they were not like mush in a wet bag. The delivery was quick. No complaints. read more

Ive come in for lunch a few times now. I always get the lunch special which includes either black bean soup or guac, and then I always get 2 of the shrimp tacos with crispy cheese. One of the best tacos ive ever had, and i just moved back after a few years in california. Must try. read more

Living in CA for quite some time before this NYC stint has honed my taco-tasting skills. The creative tacos here strike a great balance between legit CA-style tacos and fresh fusions of new tastes. The volcanes are a must-get; great textures with savory, tender meats and mushroom combined with crispy shell underneath. The value of the place is the only reason why I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5; the final bill for a belly filled with tacos was about $20-25 per person. But, the style and feel of the restaurant makes those extra dollars worth it. Great place to hangout and chat over great food. read more

I wish I didn't have to write this review as the food is actually quite delicious. The service here is horrible!! When I placed an order for delivery, I was told it would take an hour-- fine, a little long, but I was willing to wait. It took TWO HOURS for the food to arrive (and I only live about 5 minutes away, but ordered for delivery since I have a newborn). What's worse is that the lady on the phone had the audacity to lie to me when I kept calling to find out when the food would arrive. I used to recommend this restaurant to friends, but I can't stand behind a restaurant that lies to its customers. read more

Best taco in the area! Pineapple taco and their steak taco is a must. Skip the sandwich Also, they're offering $10 off on first seamless order in case there are any seamless virgins here. read more

The service is ok and the food is good. The fish taco and guacamole are nothing memorable. However, what keeps me coming back and the reason for 4 stars is the vegetable taco- it's amazing!!! read more

Service is atrocious. Food is not bad, but a good portion of the dining out experience is the service. I don't expect to be waited on hand and foot, and I understand a new/inexperienced server will be running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but when you look around and see other tables seated after you being serviced first and more attentively, and you constantly need to call out to the server and remind the server to bring items to the table, it gets annoying after the third time. For crying out loud, this is not a large restaurant! I get better service at the truck! You ever get that feeling after you sit down, wait a bit, ask for water, then wonder if you should leave after what feels like 20 minutes of no one wanting to take your order? That's here. The food is unremarkable, except for the base (the fried cheese over the tortillas and the deep fried sopes) - those were yum. Service was dumb. :( read more

Love this hip atmosphere. The gaucho mole and chips were good although I prefer guacamole to be chunkier. Beef tacos were great except my super picky 17 year old was not happy they had cilantro on them. We ordered the chicken intrinacadas and the beef volcanoes. Both were delicious. Service was excellent. We enjoyed our meal very much! Will try it agin sometime. read more

Really good tortas. More like sandwiches no beans. Tasty food . Even though it wasn't really the mexican spot we were looking for. The food tasted really good. We tried the carne asada torta/ steak and tinga/ chicken torta. Must try! read more

Tried this place the other night. We had a few different tacos and found all of them bland. The guac was pretty good. Probably wouldn't return. read more

This is a great small place to get some fantastic unique Mexican food options. The tacos were so good they made me dance (cactus taco and Adobe pork taco). The atmosphere was relaxed and up beat and service was accommodating. When I come back to the area I will be stopping by this place for sure. Higher price for tacos about four dollars a piece. read more

The guacamole is some of the best tasting I've ever had. Really unique flavors. Any taco with fried cheese on it will no doubt taste amazing, but even without it they're pretty great. And I'm not just saying this because I live down the block. read more

Excellent Mexican food! This is unabashed Mexican food, not Tex-Mex, not Californian (as they mention on the back of their menu)! Strong flavors, good ingredients, and cooks who know how to use fire. I was here for book club, as part of a party of 12. Even though we basically took over the whole space, not once did the waitstaff flinch, and we got everything we asked for. We started with the chips and guacamole while waiting for the rest of our party to show up, and the guacamole is full of avocado, as it should be. I ordered three tacos: the shrimp adobado with crispy cheese and avocado, the fish taco, and the nopales. I was a little disappointed because in my head, I'd been choosing between the nopales and the hongos, and I'd made up my mind to get the hongos but accidentally ordered the nopales, so when it showed up, I was confused until I realized what I'd done. The nopales were the weakest part of the meal, because I was expecting mushrooms, but also because the shrimp and fish tacos just blew me away. The shrimp tacos reminded me of the fried shrimp tacos you get from taco trucks in Los Angeles, that are fried with avocado within. This was not a fried tortilla, but the shrimp was perfectly cooked, and the crispy cheese was an excellent touch. The fish taco was well fried and so crunchy! This is probably the best fish taco I've ever had. Sigh. The next time I go back, I will probably just triple down on fish/shrimp tacos. I hear the meats are good too, but I don't think I'll have enough room for those until visit #4, which is when I expect I'll probably have had enough seafood tacos and will want to try their meats... Also, to note: they appear to not have a liquor license, so their margaritas and bloody marys aren't made with liquor -- it's likely to be made with something that is classified as wine with regards to alcohol content. I still enjoyed my tamarindo margarita, but i'm not sure I would get it again. I'd rather just spend $2.50 and get a bottle of tamarindo Jarritos! read more

Awesome place for casual tacos and margaritas! Loved the shrimp with baked cheese! Little steep but delicious and very pleasant wait staff! Wished they had a few more traditional Mexican dishes for further variety! Will def be back especially for the brunch that I heard was phenomenal! read more