Food verges on chain-level tex-mex. Not bad, not amazing. Would rather buy twice as many tacos at long wharf for the money.

Homemade EVERYTHING! Margaritas, delicious! Salsa and chips to start! Take a chance and try something you never had before! I did and was very satisfied! Been there many times now and would go back in a minute. Prices are great too! read more

I've gone to Mezcal many times and the service can be hit or miss depending on how busy it is. Its not that the service is bad, but they can be easily overwhelmed. That being said, I went last week and it was awesome! The juan gallo is the best and the fish burrito is fantastic! It took a little while for one of my drinks to come but they were setting up for a party, so it really wasn't a big deal. Also, the nachos are amazing, but be careful not to fill up on them before your meal! read more

This place is great. I'm new to the area, but this may be the best Mexican food restaurant I've ever been to. The atmosphere was great, the margaritas were fantastic (especially for the happy hour price) and the meals were delicious. I picked a random item from the menu and got chicken tostadas, would recommend 100%. Everything about this place screams authentic. A can't miss if you're in New Haven. read more

Every time I've been here, the food has been phenomenal. I love the whole vibe of this place and the food is literally incredible. BUT last night I was there eating their delicious #3 nachos, and the mariachi band was playing. There was a little boy crying, so the mariachi band played "the lion sleeps tonight" to him in spanish!!! It was so adorable and amazing that I started crying. This plays rules so much. read more

Quality food with great service. The salsa and chips were really good too! It was a tomatillo salsa with fresh yellow corn chips. It is a tad pricey for what it is. That's the reason for the docked star. Update: Been back a couple more times since first review, but the food has been so good the last couple times, I decided to up it to five. read more

I just moved to the area and was very excited to try this spot! The building is very colorful and inviting. I came for dinner with my boyfriend around 8:00 last night. Dining room was full with the exception of 3-4 open tables. The server asked us if we wanted to sit in the back, at a small 2 top which was sandwiched between two other parties. Since there were two open tables in the corner, along with two high top tables, we asked to sit at a high top. We quickly realized it was right across from the kitchen and asked to sit at the open tables in the corner. The lady servers said yes and seemed accommodating. Service was slow to start but I assumed they were busy and maybe understaffed. After 5-10 minutes, a server took our drink order and informed us someone else would be over to take our order. During this time, a table sat next to us and a lady server took their order prior to ours. We patiently waited and assumed our server was still busy. About 5-10 minutes later, a gentleman took our food order. My boyfriend asked what the servers favorite dish on the menu was, the server suggested a dish, my boyfriend took his advice and the order was in. About 10 minutes later, a server came to tell us they didn't have the dish my boyfriend ordered. We didn't mind, since my boyfriend was on the fence about getting a chimichanga, so he quickly ordered that instead. Chips were cold and salsa was a bit spicy for my heat tolerance. Our food came out at a reasonable time, however my steak fajitas came without the tortillas. After asking the server for the tortillas, she said they were still being heated. Tortillas came out about 5 minutes later. My food was still warm, so I didn't mind. The rice and beans were more cold than warm. The food all together was flavorful and cooked well. When we finished eating we talked and finished our drink while we patiently waited for a server. It had been quite a while and we hadn't been acknowledged by any servers who were making rounds, so I put my hand up for a server. Two lady servers were standing by the bar talking to each other, while one of them saw my wave, she started speaking to the gentleman who took our food order, and they both turned their back towards us and faced the bar. After a few minutes, I was able to to get a server walking by for a box and check. I'm extremely disappointed in the service we received, while watching both lady servers appropriately attend to the tables around us. We will not be returning to this establishment solely because of the service we received. Even if the food was exceptional (which in this case was fair at best) I would not give my business to any establishment with poor customer service. The tip we left of $1 reflects the poor service in which we received. Being a server myself, I always take care of my fellow service industry staff...but you cannot expect to be "tipped" for poor service. I have no issue admitting my poor tip as this is appropriate to my experience. Thank you for your time. read more

The food here was fairly good but the service was atrocious. We had to ask to get our orders taken, ask for utensil, ask to get our bill taken. read more

An excellent place for real authentic Mexican food. Usually I am a picky Mexican food guy but this place was incredible, good atmosphere and quick service, nice waiters. Would recommend read more

Mezcal - Mexican Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Mezcal is one of the best Mexican restaurants I've eaten at. Presentation is nice the ambience is great and the food is delicious.

My dads restaurant he is from Mexico so the food is authentic and good yummy and the adults like the tequila but ill stick to apple juice read more

I was there yesterday with my handsome friend and the service as EXCELLENT. Erick went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and we completely loved the food! Definitely coming back read more

This is another place I've heard rave reviews about for years, and what a letdown! I don't know if something's changed, or what, but man. What a disappointment. We were seated quickly, our server was friendly enough, and the margaritas were strong. The positivity ended there. I guess the salsa that they serve varies from day to day, we were given the darker, smokey salsa with some chips. We weren't fans of it, it was all heat and no flavor. Whatever, they're complimentary, it's not the end of the world, but it did set the tone for the rest of our meal. The food came out far too quickly for it be even kind of fresh, I'm talking we had our plates in front of us within three minutes of ordering on a busy Saturday evening. It was so fast that I'm confident it was already plated and waiting under a heat lamp for someone to order it. I opted for the chicken enchiladas, my boyfriend had the carnitas. The food was absolutely flavorless. I'm talking flavorless as in you could have blindfolded me, and if it weren't for the different textures I wouldn't have been able to tell you if I was eating beans, rice, or chicken. Again, this is one of those places where I feel like I'm missing something. Regardless, it was so underwhelming that I wouldn't give them a second chance. read more

Awesome! Mole was exceptional, but a little more pricey than your avg mex place. Owner came out with free tequila shots; we drank them from a glass machine gun. Margheritas were homemade and not for a mix. read more

I gave Mezcal two tries because I was desperate to find decent Mexican in New Haven--I will definitely not give it a third. The food is completely bland, and the textures are way off. It is comparable to frozen food, but more expensive, and served in a cold, unappealing environment. read more

Classic Mexican fare with plenty of seating, great for parties or groups! The food here was the same as most Mexican foods, nothing bad about the food here. It was delicious but I love all tacos so I'm not a great judge. Mexican food has a dear place in my heart and I find 99% of it all to be finger licking good. However I thought the prices were a little high for Mexican food that I can usually get for 1/3 less and even larger portions. Other than that, the steak and pork here is bomb. read more

The bottom line with this place: come to eat awesome food and do shots from a tequila gun. I had an awesome time here with a good friend of mine. We had an awesome time. The food is very good and the drinks are reasonably priced. The only thing I would say is that the food is a bit pricy for New Haven in general, but not overly so. Cheers! read more

Get the pork adobo. Best dish by far and comes with a couple of pieces of yucca in the adobo! Service is a little slow but they were very accommodating of our large party. read more

I had been seriously craving some mexican food, so I basically forced my boyfriend to try Mezcal with me last Monday. SO glad I did. Great margarita, great sangria, endless homemade tortilla chips and salsa are always a win in my book. I had this great spicy shrimp dish that I can;t remember the name of, but would get again in heartbeat. My boyfriend had carnitas (which I tried, obviously), and they were tender, flavorful and delicious. The decor was authentic and the staff was fast and friendly. Will definitely be coming back. read more

I was looking forward to this after seeing all the positive reviews. Unfortunately, I was not very impressed with the food. Free salsa and chips. Free so I guess I can't complain too much, but the salsa was more pepper than anything else. Very hot so it was hard to really take in any flavor. The chips were too thick. We did ask for the tomato salsa after trying their regular salsa and again, not too good. Flavor was lacking. Very few spices if any, just cut up tomatoes and onions. Hardly what I would call real salsa. The menu could have featured more dishes. My g/f had some chicken enchiladas with rice. The chicken was odd. It almost tasted like turkey. Seemed like just some pulled chicken and cheese with no filling. No sour cream on the side either. Very plain. The rice was rather underwhelming as well. I had a marinated steak dish. Baja California or something. Not too bad, but not anything Id crave again. Any time I have mexican now, I compare it to El Coyote of Monroe. And this did not even come close to El Coyote. Looks like El Coyote will continue to be my Mexican restaurant of choice. Im rather shocked that this place has so many positive reviews for unimpressive, lacking in flavor dishes. read more

This is a great place for groups, and it is the best Mexican food in the area. The margaritas are very good. Their chips are so fresh and crispy! I enjoyed the enormous nachos, the tostadas de tinga, and a bite of the flan. Everything was perfectly seasoned, flavorful, and delicious. Our waiter was friendly and attentive, and the tequila shot gun was fun. The only areas of improvement I noted is updating the menus and the restroom. I look forward to returning. read more

Those pulled pork nachos are something else. I can eat a lot of food. After the two of us polished off this plate, I didn't understand how I could be that satisfied. We had actually planned on skipping around town for a Mexican food crawl but Mezcal delivered more than expected. The bloody Maria was packed with flavor as well. I love how close this place is to home! read more

Service was slow and food was not very good. Very average American Mexican. On the positive side margaritas were good.

When the lady-friend and I need a bullseye in the much hyped, oft disappointing New Haven dining scene we creep up on Mezcal. We creep up hard!! The first time there my angel got the enchiladas mole negro and I got something else. I'm not sure what, but I'm pretty sure she let me eat that night. I can't recall because the mole of of hers was too good. So unbelievably good. There's more soul bearing in that kitchen than from Aretha Franklin's toilet. Every time we go now we both just holler at the mole negro. Worth the trip alone. Also good service and margaritas are dynamite. Big, fresh and with enough booze in the to make Nick Nolte's teeth sweat. read more

Told a 20 minute wait. After an hour, still hadn't been sat. Inquired with the hostess who rudely placed the blame on other diners for "taking too long." There was also a large party in line who also waited over an hour even with a reservation. One of the patrons was so fed up with the service she was walking around refilling waters. You decide. read more

The food was great, and it was a great place to stop in with a bunch of friends. The staff was very accommodating and friendly, even when we had some friends who were late, and we took a while to order. I got a pitcher of margaritas, which were juicy and strong, and we shared some nachos while my boyfriend and I had ceviche and the carnitas. The ceviche was made with shrimp, had lots of lime and cilantro flavor plus a kick, and the carnitas were tender and and delicious. It was overall a very good experience. read more

One of the best happy hours in town, if you like margaritas. Food is authentic, and the staff are genuinely awesome. I always get shrimp ceviche and quesadillitas with mushrooms. They definitely have vegetarian friendly options. read more

Came here on a recommendation when looking for Mexican in New Haven. Has been to Geronimo's but wanted to try something else. It's exactly what we were looking for! Small and quaint, with a very attentive wait staff. The margaritas were tasty and strong! Salsa was spicy and delicious! Our table had a variety of dishes (tostados, flautas and taquitos) which we're all delicious and good portions! Would recommend Mezcal if looking for a more authentic place! read more

Decent. Not bad. I'm from California so my standards are through the roof for Mexican food.

I'm here visiting and decided I wanted some Mexican food. I search the internet and Mezcal came across. After reading reviews I wanted to try it out . I ordered the chimichanga with chicken. My first thoughts when I opened it was , " why are they using rotisserie chicken " and it just didn't taste good. The waitress came back one time to ask how was things , and never refilled our drinks or ask if we needed anything else. I wouldn't recommend this place . read more

Finally some authentic Mexican food! I didn't think it existed in New Haven, but I was wrong. I enjoyed the pollo asada and a mojito like nobody's business. I can do without loud mariachi music in such a tight space, but besides that it was worth the wait! Trek up to East Rock and have a margarita, you won't regret it. read more

Mezcal is THE mexican resturant in New Haven. You may think that this may not say much, but honestly, their food is really fresh and tasty. I am not a fan of their chips, but you can pretty much trust everything on their menu to be delicious. Oh, and their service has improved dramatically since the last time I was there. read more

It's not the best Mexican food I've ever had, but it's pretty darn good. The portions are large for the price you pay. Something about the ambiance in here i really like. Parking is a bit of a pain, as State st. tends to be pretty busy at night at street parking fills up quick. read more

Mezcal has the best Mexican food I've had on the East Coast. I go there every time I'm in town to visit my sister. The food is fresh, authentic cuisine, and they have a plethora of options. I enjoyed the ceviche, soups, enchiladas, tacos, and chicken mole. The margaritas are perfect: not too sweet, too strong, or too salty. They also have micheladas - one of my favorite drinks. The staff is super friendly and and even gave us tequila shots and tres leches cake when we celebrated my sister's birthday. I consider this restaurant one of my family hangouts. read more

Had the chicken mole and the meat was really tender - fell off the bone when I touched it with a fork. The sauce was pretty good as well. Service was great. Probably the most authentic Mexican food we'll get in New Haven. read more

Some of the best Mexican we have had on the east coast. The salsas were excellent. Pico de gallo and the thick salsa verde with avocado mixed in. I wish they had the deep red chili based salsa. They had lots of authentic items on the menu, like nopales, carnitas, moles, ceviche, cocktail de mariscos, fish tacos, etc. I tried something I had never heard of before (so I am not sure whether it is authentic) enchiladas camarones, and it was soooooo good! My Mexican husband had a pork adobo, which he said tasted just the way it is supposed to. He claims it was often on the menu in CA, but was never executed properly, so they get lots of credit from him for doing this dish properly. I have a feeling this place will now become a staple to my diet, since my husband liked it so much and it is just around the corner. The waitress was very attentive and pleasant. We didn't try the drinks but they had a really good selection of tequilas, margaritas, beers and latin american wines. Update: Hmmm, I wish I could give them yet another star. Tonight they had a chili based salsa. They seem to have different salsas every time, indicating that they make them fresh. They also had aguas frescas tonight, including tamarindo! Update again: The carnitas here are very good! the tostadas de tinga are great and the chicken dish that says it is made the way mother makes it is terrific. Rumor has it that their mole is shipped by the owners mother from Mexico. On crowded nights their staff seems a bit overwhelmed, but try it on a less crowded night and you will love it! Not sure I am a fan of their fish tacos, but everything else on the menu makes up for it. read more

This place is grossly overpriced. The margaritas are tasty but nothing special. The chicken mole was good but not awe-inspiring. Overall a decent place, but 4 stars for this price? Hardly. Also I had to wait about 30 minutes for a check (and then had to stand and force the issue, but I forgive them because it's Friday, and who would have a full staff working Friday night? :-p read more

By far the worst Mexican restaurant in new haven. Went there Asked for the nopal ensalada and they said they were out of nopales the. We said ok the. Let's get a guacamole and they had no avocados I was sarcastic enough to say "so what do u have?" The waiter kept flirting with one of our guest even though my 3 ur old was with us.... It's just bad read more

Where to start, this is my first review so be patient please (and don't be afraid to offer some constructive crit). I am not going to sit here and tell you that this is "the most authentic Mexican food" because to be honest, I have never had authentic Mexican food, from mexico, to compare it to. I did live in Houston, Texas for a spell and did acquaint myself with Tex-Mex and I can honestly say Mezcal is 1) not Tex-Mex and 2) way better than any Mexican I have had anywhere else. Now I have been here over 30 times in the past 4 years and could review just about every meat dish on the menu (and the fish, and the chicken) but two stand out and above from the rest, the machaca and the steak dish served over the cactus (also the fish tacos are just so damn perfect, i had to throw them an honorable mention). The drinks ARE hot and miss, and it takes some practice to learn your lessons, but as a rule of thumb, the Juana Gallo is easily their best one, and it is a powerful drink to boot! The lack of a bar to sit at is always a little disappointing, but being able to sit outside more than makes up for it (for me at least). The service, oh the service. I love the guys (and gals) here, but I tend to go at slow times and they have gotten to know my face pretty well. I always feel like a family friend when I come to eat, but especially when I just come for a few drinks. I have noticed that when it is busy (basically any weekend night after 7:30pm) service can slow down considerably. But the quality of the food is always impeccable and more than makes up for any wait. Mezcal is a New Haven treasure, if you like good food and superb drinks give it a go! read more

After a long drive home from Cape Cod we looked for a place midpoint to NY. The food was great and the wait wasn't too long for a Friday night. Service was good. Nothing to say about that. The Carnitas was by far the best of the dishes we ordered. My son slathered extra sour cream on the beans and everything else. It was a large plate and he only stopped eating bc he was full but loved it. I had steak alambres with shrimp added. It was delicious. I was surprised it had chunks of bacon in it too. We were all very satisfied with our meals. My only concern was that you can't even hear yourself think. It's super loud. So if you have you kids come earlier or sit outside if you can. (It was about 7:15- 8:00 when we were there. ) read more