I've said this before, and I'll say this again. The Upper East Side is in desperate need of good Mexican food. And no, I'm not talking about the fancy restaurants with their fancy taco iterations. I'm talking about the humble yet indisputable street-style Mexican tacos. La Esquina fulfills my craving for the humble and the homemade. Their bistec con queso was faultless. The meat, grilled and charred to perfection. The onions, plentiful and sweet. The sauce, magnificent. It was executed so well that I have no notes. While the food and drinks were delicious, the wait does sully the experience a bit due to the lack of staff. One woman juggled the roles of hostess, server, and bartender, doing the best she could with the unfair card she was dealt by management. Although, I was in great company, so I didn't mind the slow service, as I enjoyed lingering at the table to chat with friends, but I can see how some patrons may find this irksome. One other small thing that made my time here less than perfect was the upselling of their drinks. Whether the server realized or not, she recommended a margarita pitcher that turned out to be more expensive than if we had just purchased a drink each. Still, despite the downsides, I find the food worth returning. Just make sure to come when you're not in a rush and avoid the pitchers. read more

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My mom & I come here for the queso alone! I also love their spicy cucumber margarita and it's always an easy, casual place to grab a bite with super nice staff. read more

La Esquina - UES - Queso Fondito - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

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No frills Mexican food, done well and at a good price! The menu has all the staples, from tacos to burritos and quesadillas. Drinks include sodas, beers, margaritas, and a few other cocktails with unique twists (usually involving tequila). They also have a separate brunch menu. The space is pretty small and fills up quickly, but it's worth the wait for fresh, delicious food at a relatively affordable price. read more

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It was super good, not the best but definitely what we wanted. The service was slow, but the environment was cute! read more

La Esquina - UES - SHORT RIB QUESADILLA - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

I love La Esquina Soho so much and I've never been to this location. It's so cozy inside and has fun decorations. The staff is kind and patient. We went on a late night and spent about an hour and a half at the counter, chatting the night away post dance class. This is one of the few places in the city where you can get affordable tacos to mix and match. These are always very filling and well seasoned. read more

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I had lunch here this past Tuesday. They should update the restaurant's name on Google and Yelp. I wasn't sure if I was at La Esquina or not. I saw La Esquina sign inside of the restaurant. I loved the decor. It was festive. The bathroom was clean as well. A waiter/ staff member greeted me as I entered the restaurant and showed me to my table. He handed me the menu and also brought a bottle of water for me. He was polite and gave me time to decide my order. I asked him questions about the tacos and quesadillas types and he answered them all. He was very informative. I ordered the quesadilla de Pollo. The quesadilla de Pollo was served with salsa verde and Pico de Gallo. My meal was yummy. The meat to cheese ratio was good. I also loved the salsa verde which had a kick to it and the pics de Gallo was good too. I asked for more but didn't know that each extra item would be $1 more. They should tell you that. I saw it on the receipt when paying. I recommend everyone to check out this place. They don't charge a transaction fee for using your credit card. read more

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Definitely one of the best restaurants i have been too In the area. The customer service as well Was amazing. Will be coming back ! Thank you La Esquina read more

La Esquina - UES - Definitely the best steak in the area . I forgot to take a picture of the before lol. The best service!!! Will be coming back - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

From their website, it looks like they make their tortillas to order. However, when I asked the waitress, they said they do not. This is disconcerting - if New York wants to up its Mexican food game, we cannot allow things like this to stand. Dismayed by this, I ordered enchiladas. They were okay (chicken was a little dry, however tolerable), but there were only two on the plate. And it didn't even come with rice and beans. The shrimp tacos that my friend ordered were small, and tasted acid-ey. Like there was an excess of lime or lemon juice. The crab tostada was fine. When we walked in, the hostess pointed to a few tables we could sit at, but not the booths. However as the place filled up, there were other pairs of diners that went in booths. This seemed odd, why couldn't we have sat at a booth? read more

La Esquina - UES - They do NOT make their tortillas fresh to order - their website lies - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

Food was bad and service was terrible. We were the only people in the restaurant and the servers didn't come once to ask if we needed anything....and looked miserable in general. Food was tasteless and prepared in a complete rush seemed like. Use to be our favorite place and now a complete disaster. Will close down soon at this rate. Lastly, Really a scam and shameful to be attempting to charge 20 percent tips via the pre programmed cc machine. read more

Went here for the first time and it was... an experience. I don't usually write reviews, but this meal was just down right bad. The restaurant itself was cute and it was busy, so I had hope. I ordered a Coke, esquites, and two chicken tacos. After a solid 15 minutes of thirst and quiet suffering, my Coke finally arrived right as our meals came. Timing! Then came the tacos. And ya'll. I don't know how you mess up tacos, but they found a way. The portions were tragic, like they were rationing ingredients. Honestly, Taco Bell would've been fine dining compared to this. To be fair, they seemed understaffed, and I get that, shoutout to the overworked crew holding it down!! But bad food is bad food. Save your money. read more

Outside of having a couple drinks with chips and salsa, I'd recommend going anywhere else. I'm still shocked from the food I was served. The most disgusting looking piece of "steak" was presented to me. Incredibly thin & grey colored, on top of being dry & chewy. I almost took a picture of it from disbelief, but I never want to be reminded of it again. Additionally, it's wildly overpriced considering the quality. They charge $4 for extra chips as well. You're better off going to Chipotle. read more

Great spot! Hip interior filled with retro banquets and decor that makes you feel like you're in an an old school cantina - the fish tacos, chips & guac and bowl we ordered were really terrific. Tasty without being too salty or spicy. The service was spot on too. Our bill for lunch for two? $55. That's not a typo. We will def be back. read more

The ambiance is cozy & fun. The waiter was nice and I love to sit in a booth! The pineapple margarita and the taco were bit spicy but maybe it surpose to be that way. Overall the service was great! read more

This place always is a great stop! I love how much outdoor seating they have, especially on a nice summer day it's wonderful to sit outside and sip margaritas with some guac! I recommend the spicy jalapeño margarita for drinks, it does have a nice kick! Go with a pitcher if there are 4 of you or more, def worth it. I love their queso flameado, top it with mushrooms and it's a great combo - almost feels like you're eating a quesadilla :) Overall: Good guac, great steak and shrimp tacos, love the mushroom add on option to anything! Wish they had a better wait system, on busy nights it would be nice to leave my phone numbers / have an app to let us know when our table is ready. Right now it's all done via a list so you have to stand and wait. read more

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The menu had us excited before our reservation and seemed promising for unique good tex-mex inspired flavors. Unfortunately, the service was poor, nearly every cocktail was unavailable and the food left much to be desired. We had to flag the waitress down multiple times to put drink orders and food orders in. On one of the busiest dining out days of the week, 2 out of 4 of the drinks ordered from the menu "could not be made." Moreover, after a substantive wait, our food finally arrived but one meal was missing. It took nearly 30 minutes for it to be corrected. Sad outcome for what seemed to have good promise. read more

Food wasn't that great at all, was expecting better. Beef tacos were so chewy and hard to eat. Wasnt impressed with the other dishes either unfortuntely. read more

Super cute Mexican restaurant with a very authentic vibe Seating seemed to be all outside Loved the colorful decor Nice menu options - we had fish tacos- great flavor, not fried fish which was nice for a change- chunks of fish meat were a bit large, nice topping on taco Also ordered cheese quesadilla - super cheesy and good Chips and salsa and their lime margarita - refreshing but not sure it was very strong? Had some a few blocks over at canyon road that we could definitely feel Service not bad but once we ordered nobody came to check to see if we needed anything and when we did want some thing else we had to flag down someone who wasn't our server. The oddest thing was when we asked for the check or server came over with the credit card machine and told us a dollar amount but never give us a bill to see. It seemed higher than what we had ordered but at that point we didn't feel like arguing and paid what they said our total was read more

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By far the best carnitas tacos I've eaten in the city, we also tried the shrimp cocktail, it was delicious, a generous amount and it came with tortilla chips as a side. The tortilla soup was very yummy and good portion for only $7 spicy but not too much, & the elote (grilled corn) was also very good. We ordered some Cheladas (lime & salt ring beer) and they had the correct amount of lime to be considered Mexican lol, other places don't put as much, which is the hole point of the chelada excess of lime, so I was very pleased. The experience was great but they were doing some works inside and the noise for a moment almost ruin our lunch but it stopped and we were able to finish and continue talking uninterrupted. Their homemade salsa verde is not great but I guess is ok for someone who doesn't like spicy food. Overall good experience would recommend and would come again because the food & service was great. read more

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We've been to this La Esquina before and recommend it for a tasty and fairly quick meal. The tacos are highly recommended - these are probably some of my favorite tacos in the city. Their mix of sauces and toppings just come together perfectly and better than other taco spots. The margarita ($12) was quite strong and i would recommend it. They also have other favored margs but I got the normal. We've had the elote ($4) before and we loved it to the point of getting 2 servings. This visit the elote was not as good. I think it was less charred/grilled and just wasn't as flavorful. Overall I would recommend this location and will keep on coming back read more

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Had the tortilla soup which was amazing! I read some reviews that said it wasn't great so I was hesitant but I'm so glad I ended up ordering it - the pork rinds made it particularly unique and flavorful. I had slightly higher hopes for the elote but still good. Also loved the spicy marg. Fun ambiance! read more

We popped into La Esquina before meeting friends up the block for dinner. We were starving so we ordered Queso Fundito and a couple of cocktails. I'm not a big drinker so my husband suggested some Passion Fruit juice and vodka and it was absolutely delicious. We decided to name it after our bartender, Tatiana. It came rimmed with.Tajin spice which I loved. Hubby had Spicy Margaritas which he said were delicious too. The Queso Fundito was perfect. Forgot to take a photo but it looks exactly what melted cheese would look like. It came with corn and flour tortillas, which I loved because I prefer flour and the hubby prefers corn! I'd like to come back for dinner. The service was excellent at the bar and I can see why it's so popular. Five star experience! read more

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I ate here for the first time visiting New York. Customer service needs attention and the food is below average. The hostess asked if I reservations with an attitude and we did not. Proceeds to say no seats but there's a table for two. We were a party of 4. We came back later as all the restaurants in the area were packed. Someone else from our party asked if there was a table available, there was and didn't even ask if we had reservations. We ordered a michelada (Valentina, lime, and beer). Terrible. That is not a michelada. Basically drinking hot sauce. Tacos were pricey for how tiny they were, and the tortas are half the size it supposed to be. It had some flavor so thats something. The waitress even commented on the tip. Unacceptable. read more

Pretty much just ok if looking for a few tacos and a cold cerveza or cocktail. Pretty small but tasty portions. Service was pleasant but not overly attentive. Plenty of seating with a hipsterish vibe. Decent guacamole but the chips are bagged and not really freshly made. Plus if you want extra chips for the guac they charge you for it. No free refills. Meh. read more

La Esquina - UES - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

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Aka as Corner Deli the name of this cute little restaurant is not obvious when you look at the store front. The decor is electic and the menu focused. We ordered the tacos - camaron (shrimp) for me and pollo (chicken) for my companion and a s. They also serve tequila based cocktails and desserts (coconut flan and passion fruit mezcal oue). The food is excellent! I would try the Julia's grain bowl next time. read more

Nothing fancy, fine tacos they make. Willing to wait for each is freshly made-to-order. Though there's not much flavoring to their meats, their green salsa works well in adding that extra punch to my taste. I do drop into La Esquina for a taco or two every so often. Friendly is their counter service. A good spot for a quick bite, yet I had to walk out twice recently with too strong of a smell of ammonia there. Cheers! read more

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La Esquina has a couple of location this is my first time at this location. The space inside is a good size and has tables for Larger groups. The food at la Esquina is good but is not as flavorful as I would like it to be. The chips and guac are very good. I got and order of tacos and quesadillas I decided to try a variety of chicken, steak , shrimp. The chicken was my favorite. They also have margaritas which are delicious they are a bit small but the price is decent. I come here from time to time I would say if you're in the area and want quick bites and drinks is a cool place to stop by for a bit. read more

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Now I'm not the type to give a bad review to any business but I'm going to give this place a 2 star based on service alone. The food was good, I had the chicken and beef tacos come for 2 for $11, fine... But One thing that didn't sit well with me was the inconsistency in the pricing. We first experienced La Esquina on a weds and had a really good time but by that same Saturday with a different bartender my drink sky rocketed to $27 each for a mescal margarita and when I asked what "Top Shelf " bottle they used for the tequila it was "Ilegal Mescal" yeah! The $40 dollar bottle of mescal. We spent $156 just on drinks alone and it wasn't even what I asked for. I understand inflation is high but there should be no reason that one shot of a $40 bottle cost $27 and not even high quality. I feel like I was ripped off. We spent $19 per drink on the same drinks, 3 days before. Beware, the bartender will charge whatever price they want depending on the person. read more

Pretty solid Hispanic food location, I had their ribeye tacos, horchata, & steak quesadilla. My wife had the adobo chicken quesadilla as well as a corn. Everything was good no complaints. Only reason why it's not a 5 star rating is because the portion sizes are pretty small & each taco was $4.50. Which is higher then what It is is a lot of places. But overall a good experience read more

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One of the best Mexican restaurants in NYC. Cannot miss the exterior "The Corner" sign. Intimate setting, perfect for a date night or a chill night out with friends. Variety of taco options accommodating those with dietary restrictions. We tried the Polla Adobado, which was served with avocado salsa, cilantro and onion, Pescado taco served with cabbage, avocado salsa, chipotle mayo, and pickled red onion, Bistec Con Queso taco, sliced ribeye steak with crispy queso Chihuahua, tomatillo salsa, cilantro and onion, and lastly the carnitas. All tacos were amazing, portions were relatively small. We loved the fish taco the most. We also ordered a Julia Bowl, which had rice, beans, chicken, avocado and salsa. This was much needed as the tacos were not filling. read more

We were lucky to be able to get a table for 8 people on a weekend night so that we could celebrate the birthday of our friend/husband/brother. Food and drinks were good, I loved the sopa de tortilla and my mezcalita (mezcal margarita) especially. What most makes this worthy of 5 stars is the service from Liliana and Diego. They were super friendly, efficient, and clearly wanted us to have the best time. I will definitely return! read more

I really liked La Esquina, only reason I didn't give 5 stars was because the service wasn't outstanding and the prices are a little odd to me (some things are fairly priced and others seem a little pricey). This location has outdoor seating which is great. Margaritas are delicious, and would def recommend the elote if you are a street corn person! read more

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Excellent food and lively ambience. The seating has been updated since the last time we went there as well as the menu. We had the cauliflower tacos, steak sandwich and the black bean main course. All of them were fresh and delicious. And my favorite elote which is always fabulous. The passion fruit and tequila cocktail was amazing. read more

Tasty Mexican food in a cute restaurant with pleasant decor. My partner and I were one of the few tables seated for brunch at midday on Sunday. I enjoyed the chicken tacos, and she contentedly slurped a bowl of tortilla soup. We shared a side of rice and beans, finding ourselves satisfyingly full at the end. Service was okay. read more

Amazing food, drinks and SERVICE was spectacular! We're definitely coming back again!!! Shout out to severs Lilia, Lina, Angel & Alexis kudos Highly recommended so attentive to customers! We love it read more

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Excellent food ! Awesome vibe! Outside seating is dog friendly. Tacos and corn was delicious. It's just a little pricey. I get it .... city is expensive. But I would go back it was a cool set up. And people watching was great. Give it a shot see what ya think. Def nice lunch spot. read more

La Esquina - UES - Gus liked the outside seats - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

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My friend and I were waiting to meet up with friends and while we waited we decided to get a snack. Coincidently were standing right in front of La Esquina so we decided get margaritas and guacamole. This not a fancy but perfect for what we were looking for, there were several tables open outside so we sat down. The waiter was very friendly and explained the different types of margaritas they had. The guacamole was so fresh it was delicious I would have ordered more but we didn't have time. We probably would have stayed there and ordered food if we didn't have prior plans. Will totally go back there to order real food next time. read more

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I was delighted to return to La Esquina (Second Ave). The wait staff could not have been nicer and more attentive. Their new menu is terrific. Thought the steak was delicious and the plate was loaded with interesting and tasty Mexican veggies. We were so full we couldn't eat dessert. Esquinia is now a great place for lunch or dinner. And it is a great value at a reasonable price. There is a full bar, but margaritas are the thing. read more

I haven't been here since the pandemic started and since I love their tacos I wanted to come back and support this business and I must say they change the model completely and it is so much nicer! Now it is more of an experience and sit down service rather than the cafeteria style they used to have it's a major improvement and the decor was changed to looks absolutely awesome! With so many businesses having challenge over the last 2 1/2 years it's nice to see them doing so well and they're still providing extremely Excelsior service and turning out delicious Mexican goodies. Bravo read more

Ok, La Esquina aka "the corner", here we go - my overall experience here was good in terms of the vitals, but there was one big thing that brought down the stars. Came with a friend. Things I liked: -they put a jug of water on the table -the food came out really quick (almost too quick, like well within 10 minutes of us ordering) -guacamole was good and hit the check marks - not too overwhipped/stirred/creamy, not too chunky either. All the standard good ingredients. Portion was a bit small, like others mentioned and came in a small cup-like thing. Wasn't really optimal for scooping and sharing. Chips were solid, I don't recall them being warm but they weren't bad -Waiter was friendly and helpful, seemed on-the-ball and the overall ambiance was cool -the margarita tasted really good with the passion fruit juice, and I recommend that. Main thing I didn't like and that soured the experience for me was that I got the coctel mixto, which was advertised as having shrimp, and a list of other seafood. I asked the waiter if it would be enough for a meal, and he made it sound like it would be more than enough, but when it came out, it was a small bowl that looked like soup, with nothing in it, and some chips on the side. I first thought they got the order wrong, that's how much it deviated from my expectations. When I started digging through the soup-like, cold concoction, I saw a couple of really small pieces of shrimp, and a few pieces of maybe scallops? There were more tomatoes and minced jalapenos in it than anything. It tasted good, but it was not near enough for a meal, and there were small pieces of seafood, barely anything. Did I say that already? That's how surprised I was. Maybe that's how this dish is expected to be and come out, but I don't know, it seemed more like an appetizer to me and should have been listed there rather than sounding like a main course. My friend's tacos seemed pretty standard, they looked good but nothing really special. Like another reviewer stated, they came with one corn tortilla, not doubled up like is usually common. Cool spot, nice ambiance, but don't get the coctel mixto if you're hungry or expecting to have a full meal. I ended up getting tacos on the way home at a taco truck because I was still hungry, and after all is said and done, for what we got, I thought it was a bit pricey. read more

Had a quick lunch in La Esquina and was impressed. I was able to sit outside at a table and ordered the chicken tacos and tortilla soup. The chicken tacos were pretty good. It can with avocado salsa, cilantro, and onions. The tortilla soup was amazing and the highlight to my meal. It has incredible flavor and it has a bit of spicy kick to it. It has bits of chicken, avocado, cheese, and tortilla strips. It's also very filling so one bowl of this can be somebody's lunch. Overall I had a good experience here and would definitely recommend this place to anyone. read more

La Esquina - UES - Chicken taco - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

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