Vera Cruz is an ok restaurant. The employees are jovial and friendly, and some of the food is really good. I've gotten dinner there a few times and I've had: 1) Steak Torta-Delicious. The avocado, the cheese, the steak, all delicious. My one complaint about the dish would be that the steak comes in the form of a patty. I would much rather have chopped steak on my torta (a la tacos or faijitas); also, the salad that comes along with this dish is to DIE for. 2) Shrimp Ceviche-Refreshing and delicious. 3) Shrimp Queso Fundido-Not so great. The shrimp wasn't so fresh. 4) Chicken Enchiladas-Poor. Dried out chicken, flavorless, definitely a skippable dish. Overall, it's an ok restaurant, but just ok. I have and will continue to go back for the tortas (but i love tortas and i live right above them so that's not saying a whole lot) but Vera Cruz is definitely not a destination restaurant. . read more

Needed some air after being cooped up indoors with no where to go for 3 months due to COVID 19. Vera Cruz was open for curbside drinks. Had a watermelon margarita which was pretty decent. Will try it again once they are fully opened up and safe. read more

The neatest part of this place is the back patio, which has some umbrellas and lighted trees and a cool ambiance. Something I would not expect in the middle of Williamsburg. The food was OK. Everything was seasoned well but I was not a fan of the Mole sauce... maybe because it was my first time trying it, so I wont hold it against them. The rice and everything else about the food experience was pretty good. The salsa with the chips to start was way too runny for my liking thou. Otherwise everything else was pretty good. My only beef was with the service, and more along the lines that their credit card machine broke down, leaving us to scramble for cash to pay for our meal. Maybe I shouldn't hold it against them but sadly I am. It left a worse taste in my mouth than the Mole sauce. read more

Vera Cruz - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The food I just ate here was bad enough that I need to give them a review/feedback. I am not pmsing. I was starving. They even fucked up flan. (The bartender was kind to comp it once he saw barely ate it). The fajita steak was unseasoned &. tough. The shrimp was ok but over cooked. The vegetables looked like they'd been boiled 3 days prior. The rice was bland, the beans were bland, the tortillas weren't fresh. The flan had whip cream AND chocolate syrup on it (weird) but was still bitter. I don't even understand why they are bothering with cooking in that kitchen. Just close the kitchen and be a bar. The Dj/ bartender/ambience is great. read more

Came for dinner on sat night w friends. we started the meal w guac and chips and all had a round of cocktails. I got the original frozen margarita which was surprisingly great. For my entree I ordered the vera cruz burger which was prob silly on my part... who gets a burger st a Mexican restaurant... anyway it filled the spot but it isn't something I'd order again. read more

I can't speak on a proper dinner but I crave nachos and not the loaded kind. The made with care, each chip counts kind, the kind my mom makes for me. Each chip loaded with beans and cheese and sour cream and jalapeños. I finally found it. In New York and for $10. Andddd for a well tequila shot for $5. Andddd for the well to be Espilon, I mean you can't lose. For $20 bucks I can have a filling dinner and a couple shots. There's an outdoor patio too for "not on Bedford Ave" vibes. Sit at the bar. I find the bartenders to be most attentive. read more

It was the best experience, the atmosphere, the drinks and the food are spectacular, they have a great selection of tequila and mezcal. the perfect place to share with friends and family. read more

Cheap drinks cheap food cheap beer Staff is friendly but the place is kind of a dump Saw a couple roaches last time I was there while hanging at the bar and decided that was last call Prolly won't be coming back as everything was unremarkable read more

I hadn't been to Williamsburg in years, so when a friend asked me to meet them at a Mexican cantina in the neighborhood I was immediately excited. And the best part was that Vera Cruz did not disappoint! I loved the decor and ambiance. It was casual, cool and kitschy. Just like Williamsburg! They had great mezcal and really good margaritas. We shared some chips and salsa, wings and ceviche. All were delicious. The wings were my favorite, because they gave them a Mexican twist and served them with a very original dipping sauce. Loved the food, drinks and the place. Can't wait to be back! read more

This place used to make really good food they have fell off tremendously. The food is bland no flavor everything is dry the chicken is dry there's no loving care put into the food. I stop coming here a year ago because of the same problem. I had friends visiting and decided after a year to give them another try the food was even worse. I literally took two bites of my enchilada which by the way didn't even come with the green sauce I had to ask for it. The chicken was so dry I took two bites and could not finish the rest. The chicken tacos were even worse. My friend ordered a quesadilla how can you possibly mess that up. The waitress noticed that we were an eating and asked if everything was OK we explain to her the food was horrible in a very polite way. I definitely won't recommend this place and the only thing good here is the drinks read more

I came here about a week an a half ago to enjoy the night with my partner. The places looked great and had a good energy to it. We got our drinks and sat in the back. I really appreciated the interaction with the bartender and loved that the drinks prices were appropriate. I then went outside for a quick smoke and walked back in. As I was walking back in, I saw an older women walking slowly and then blocking my path back to my seat. I told her "excuse me", thinking to myself, who the hell is stopping my path back to my seat. This women then went on to say to me "bathroom customer only". I looked at her with disgust and in my head, "who are?!??!". I told her that I'm a paying customer and please don't block me because I am getting back to my seat. I have never been so livid as a paying customer to have been treated with such disrespect. I was extremely frustrated and wanted to make sure the staff members knew of what happened. The bartender that I informed this situation said that the person who stopped me was THE OWNER of this bar, I was appalled that an owner would do this to one of their customers with such disregard. Another staff member informed me that this is a normal occurrence and said that the owner is drunk at the moment. I would just like everyone to know of my experience going there and to be aware of possible situations that can happen to people if they interact with the owner of this place read more

So Halloween Night walk in to this spot, which l've frequented before (What up Miami Joe .!!!!) With my wife sit down order some appetizers, waiter was cool at first takes our order and goes off to his Job, 30 min go by nothing no food, no follow up.. NOTHING .! At this point we come to the conclusion that the order was never put in So cool I'll cancel the food but l'Il have a drink at the bar, same dude is the bartender, he's on his Don Juan F Boy crusade and he's chatting with these 2 females, he proceeds to serve 6 drinks for people that walked in after us, so at this point l'm like fuck this place and start heading out the door, my wife on the other hand had to let him know how much of a TOOL he was .!!! And she did .!! F this place & F Don Juan won't be coming back here .!!! I think he was only servicing people of a lighter shade this night, we were some dark Hispanics and he wasn't feeling that !!He didn't give a F no apology, no remorse.!! Low Class Low Life Steelo.!! No Class.!!!Miami Joe Peace my Bro.!!! read more

Great place for casual food & drinks in brooklyn. I've had chicken tacos, a quesadilla, and chips/guac here and it was all delish! Drinks are strong, we had a group of 5 and ordered a round of tequila shots, then at the end of the night the server brought us a round on the house! Winning. Overall friendly and pretty chill vibe. My only tip is, sometimes it looks really crowded from outside because people congregate at the bar - sneak past them and there's usually plenty of seating at the tables in the back. read more

Have you even when to the garden in the back it's very charming .!! The drinks are amazing .! Always a very good neighborhood bar I love this spot .!! read more

Wow. This place is located in the best location ever. Right on Bedford ave right off the L train. I just wish their food didn't suck so bad!! Even their drinks are bad. can someone please take over !!! read more

Two things: one in management and another on actual food. I got an order of 2 chicken lime soups through uber eats. After I got them I called the restaurant to make sure they had not confused the portion sizes because they are small. $8/each for a cup isn't realistic (it's just soup). Now, I spoke to Gaby she was great, management was attentive and they offered to deliver one more soup on them. Manager wanted to make sure a customer is happy and that was great. Kudos to management go visit them! read more

I've been coming to Vera Cruz for a long time already and I can't believe I haven't leave a review. I was here last Saturday night, Aidan was the bartender and man, what a guy his charisma and energy filled the whole place, I had such fun. I'm back on Monday night and Erito was behind the bar, cracking jokes, having fun and you can tell he likes what he does. I had some delicious chicken nachos and the Bedford banger, amazing drink. Ash is usually when I come and he is an awesome guy!!! Like fun I love this place!!! read more

It's all about the staff with this joint. The owner, Ash, makes you really feel welcome and if you're a local you're in for a super treat! Glad to call this my local joint. Margaritas are cheap and superb, and pre Covid, this is the place to slink in and have a pleasant conversation with bar staff whilst nursing your margs. Post Covid, it's still the place for margs! Best place to purchase it before heading over to mccarren or the water edge. Tip generously and wear a mask! read more

Not decent food. Not decent prices. Those are the two most major impactors when I think of a place Well, perhaps, I may have went on an off night. Perhaps Service was excellent Decor was pretty Music was AWEFUL! it was z100..... yes. a radio station! but perhaps they forgot to change the channel because while we were leaving the music switched to a more appropriate set of restaurant dining music Now let me explain myself with the food. The salad was drenched in dressing. Every single green leaf was fully coated with a thick layer of dressing. That is WAY too much! The poppers were normal- but its not hard to make deep fried foods taste calorifically good We also ordered the crab cakes. They were oily and.... had very little crab in it. Needless to say, we weren't happy the burrito had this sauce on it that honestly didn't help but just placed a bland addition to it. I will not go back and the food was just far too gross. Well... maybe if we ordered some booze it would've given us a buzzed/drunk magic trick into liking the food more! read more

I came on Cinco de Mayo--maybe not the most typical day to judge a Mexican restaurant, but a fitting one. It looked so tiny from the sidewalk, but once you get past the narrow bar, it widens into a medium-size dining room and an enormous backyard. They have a big menu with everything you'd hope to see. I went for the steak fajitas, and they were great. They had a lot of peppers and made me realize that most places overdo it with the onions. The margaritas were perfect Cinco de Mayo party-time margaritas, and our sassy waitress made us feel at home. I'll have to see it on a normal night to know for sure, but this seems like a happy and boisterous place, maybe the right place for a summertime birthday party. read more

Service, drinks and food were disappointing. Ordered a glass of Rose and it was old and mentioned to waitress. She replied sorry and did not offer to replace or take off the bill. Do not order the lime organic Tinga soup - taste like water and chicken - no flavor. Two friends ordered the steak fajitas - meat tasted rubbery. Mentioned to waitress and all said said was sorry again! Typically a venue would take off something from the bill or ask if they could offer you something else. I rarely write reviews and was driven after this experience. Find somewhere else to go! read more

I went to Vera Cruz today at @ 4:30 pm -- the garden and the restaurant was pretty empty. The service was HORRIBLE. Our waitress seemed to be ignoring us - so another waitress started to take our order -- our waitress then developed a major attitude and had a scowl on her face. She actually sat in the garden and chatted with a co - worker and texted on her phone!!! We were in the middle of the garden -- you couldn't miss us. The food is just ok -- and the service is horrible. The management should teach the staff a few things about customer service!!! read more

Um OK let's be honest. Most of you come here because it's the easiest restaurant to place once you step off the L. It's easy to say to your friends, "Oh Williamsburg for dinner? Yeah, I know this spot, Vera Cruz." The food is okay at best, and the drinks aren't all that amazing. The prices are average, but can be considered erring on "high" only because of its quality. This is just a good neighborhood spot. You can't go wrong here really. There's that garden in the back, and everyone leaves peppy. Unfortunately they don't take reservations. The wait can be a bit much for a table. read more

One of my favorite Spots in Williamsburg the food is alway On Point Bartenders are all cool & never stingy w/ the liquor lol The family that owns it definatley cares about there customers & want to know how your doing while your there and I appreciate that a lot. SHOUT OUT TO VERA CRUz Best Mexican bar & Grill in Williamsburg read more

My friend and I came here on a week night while walking down Bedford and trying to figure out where to go. We saw they had a happy hour and decided to go in for a drink. The happy hour was $4 bottles, $5 draughts, and $7 margaritas, so we opened a tab and hung out for a while. We got hungry, transferred our tab, and went to sit in the garden which is in the back of the restaurant, and we ordered food. The garden is a cute, fun, small area away from the street which is nice because it's not so loud. We ordered the steak nachos to split, they were delicious, the only down part to them was that they gave only about 5 nachos. As entrees my friend ordered the wings, and I ordered the tacos (steak & chicken) with a salad instead of rice on the side. Our entrees were great, I loved the tacos. Kevin was our server, and he was really nice and attentive to us and every other table dinning in the garden. The food is decently priced, and delicious, so you can't beat it. When we got the bill we realized that they didn't give us the happy hour prices for our drinks we got during happy hour, but we didn't say anything about it. I would for sure return here very soon! read more

See all

8:00 P.M: First take: Cute little place. Full bar, almost empty restaurant. Hmmm. Ok. We're ignored for a second then someone grabs menus and I guess he thinks we're just going to follow him?Hhmmm. Not one word has been uttered yet. Strange. I follow my handsome French companion, Monsieur Croissant, towards the back, where we're seated by our silent host. We immediately order Margaritas on the rocks, which were slightly watered down and served in regular glasses. :-( Next we look over the menu, the usual tex-mexy fare. I set my eye on the Vegetarian Enchiladas (no I'm not a vegetarian but they were the only enchiladas made with green sauce). He ordered the Chicken Burrito. Both left something to be desired upon tasting, decent but not spectacular in any way. In the middle of our googly eyes and having sweet, nonunderstandble French words whispered my way, mime host brought us the check and that was our cue to leave. Not to fret, we will happily take our hard earned dollar bills elsewhere. C'est la vie!! read more

Good quality Mexican food! Have tried tacos, nachos, burrito, quesadilla, flautas and all are very tasty. Careful with the tequila cocktails , can make u drunk pretty fast. Service it's ok read more

Vera Cruz - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Please note this restaurant is closed :( This is a fine establishment on Bedford Avenue to get some Mexican food, as cliche as it may seem the fajitas are out of this world. They have a variety of flavored margaritas and a decent selection of wine. This is a great place for a date or for a group of friends to enjoy a pleasant dinner. FYI, the garden area is sweet! read more

BAD service. They practically threw our food on the table on the way to someone else. Nothing we got was any good anyway -- guacamole was bland, veg enchiladas were nothing special... I've found any places on Bedford (with the exception of Penny Lick's ice cream) are... unspecial. Like business-owners have caught on to tourists coming to Hipsterville, so they treat everyone like a commodity -- in and out, food can take forever, jack the prices. Yuck. read more

This place was very good. My boyfriend and I came here on a Thursday night. Not too packed but was fairly busy. I had the chicken enchilada suizas and my boyfriend had a chicken burrito. I think we can both agree that my enchiladas were better and he wished he had gotten what I had. The chicken burrito was good but just kind of bland. Not much flavor. Their chips and salsa are very good as well. We both had a $5 margarita which was made strong and delicious! I would definitely recommend this place and I can say we will be coming back! read more

Vera Cruz - Chicken Enchilada Suizas. Delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

They have the best margaritas ever.... clearly I had too much of it since I don't recall what I ordered to eat.... but I do remember it was for brunch that I came here for.... yes yes, I shall go back and stay sober this time to enjoy the food...maybe. read more

Ok, I have friends in Williamsburg, probably the only people there that actually were born and raised in the neighborhood, lol. Anyway, I've been to this place twice now, and it's alright. I think some of the 1 star reviews went a little overboard on the tongue lashing of this place, but opinions are like you-know-what's, everybody has 'em and some stink more than others. Anyway, let's get down to the review. The first time I went there, me and my friend wanted an early dinner, and they were supposed to be open for dinner at 5:00 p.m. They were over 10 minutes late opening, which wasn't a big deal for me, but my friend is pregnant and had to stand on the crowded Bedford Avenue sidewalk with me. A member of their staff came out to apologize and say it would be five more minutes. Well, that was decent of him to let us know, but I also feel he should have offered to let my pregnant friend come in and sit down, but that offer never came. It was a little chilly so we decided to sit inside. I have to say, I can't disagree with the Yelpers who complained about service, it was very impersonal and flaky. Our waiter would forget simple things, napkins, our drink order, and several other mistakes that, by themselves, wouldn't really phase me, but when there's that many mistakes it's annoying. Ok, now let's talk about the chow. I ordered the shredded pork burrito with mole sauce, and it was a pretty big burrito, which doesn't say much because I've eaten very good large burritos and very crappy ones. The burrito was well put together, the shredded pork was flavorful, they didn't skimp me on meat and OD on the rice and beans, and the mole sauce was good with a twinge of spicyness. I ordered a strawberry margarita and it was good, not too weak, not too strong. The next time I went to Vera Cruz, I ordered the steak nachos and a grilled chicken torta. Service was a little better, but not by much. The steak nachos were actually really good and the grilled chicken torta was good as well. Overall, I'm giving this place 3 stars because I was happy with the food. Although I could have given it 2 stars because of the bad service, I'm a generous guy and don't like to talk too much trash about places unless it's really a nightmare. The food was good, but I also agree with other Yelpers that it wasn't too authentic. But you have to research and know where you're going, you can't walk into someplace blindly and assume it's something that it's not, that's your own ignorance about the establishment, not the restaurants fault. There's many ways to find out about what a restaurant is all about, so if you don't know, either it's laziness on your part or it was a spontaneous place you happened to stumble upon and try out, without knowing about the place. Just one man's opinion. I will probably be back there again, most likely dragged by one of my friends who thinks this place is totally amazing and me being too nice to tell them I think it's lackluster, lol. I do think they need to better train their waitstaff though, that's a management and oversight issue though. A more disciplined, better trained, and friendlier staff could really help this place out. read more

Went to Veracruz with my coworkers and their sig others on a Friday night. Fortunately, I didn't have to drive, because parking on Bedford Ave is not an easy task. Anyway, on to the good part... The restaurant is brightly lit unlike the usual Mexican restaurants I've been to where it's always dark and intimate. The hostess seated us immediately. Drinks.....we didn't have alchohol, but I had the iced tea. It was very watered down, but I drank it anyway. I was really thirsty and kind of disappointed that the waitress didn't give me a refill but she did bring a round of water to the table. Now the best part of my visit...the guacamole! OH MA GAWD..that's the best guac I have ever had, they put some love in that bowl of avocado goodness. I was torn between the burrito and the quesadilla, after taking a look around at other people's plates, I opted for the quesadilla - I'm glad I did, it was the perfect size. The salad was very simple but the oil and vinegrette that was tossed in with the salad, was delicious. The quesadilla was also fantastic, I ate everything on my plate. My friends' plates also looked delicious as well, but as I suspected, the portions were very large, which is why I don't mess with Mexican food too often unless I can get a plate that is a more comfortable size. Also to forewarn you, the wait time was a bit long - but that may also have to do with the fact I was HUNGRY, so I may be exaggerating a bit (but it did feel like eternity before we got our food, IJS) read more

Amazing shrimp tacos and the bartender gabby makes the best margaritas! And you can't go wrong with the price!!!

Irony. The "green" burrito is the veggie burrito and came with nothing green in it. Undercooked carrots and black beans. Watery Salsa, and a spaced out waitress. No senor. The outdoor seating was nice, and it wouldn't be a bad place to spend an afternoon. But I'll never go back, so someone else will have to tell me about it. read more

Awesome awesome awesome! My cousin and I stopped in while exploring the area and we were quite pleased. The bartender was super friendly and made awesome drinks. It's was really fun to watch her making drinks. So of them are quite a piece of art! Definitely check this place out and drink the drink that has beer and tequila...so good but I forget the name. read more

Vera Cruz - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

Threw a birthday party here and it was amazing!! Vera Cruz has one of the best gardens in all of Williamsburg. Great staff, the bartenders and servers really take care of you. The owner was so accommodating with all our needs. Food was great. Drinks were even better. You'll truly leave feeling like part of the vera cruz family. read more

Horrible, rude waitress. My friend ordered nachos... Literally 5 chips on top of a bed of old lettuce. My margarita was completely wrong... And tasteless... This place sucks so much. read more

Home base. I've been coming to this bar for +5 years since I moved to NYC and I will always call this place home! Great staff, great food (flautas de pollo), and better drinks. Best bar hands down if you're looking for a friendly, comfortable atmosphere. Lots of locals... come join the squad. read more

Ok, here's what you need to know. On a hot summer day, order the frozen margherita. Don't add any special flavors, just drink down the cool soft served deliciousness and your day will suddenly seem better. I think they're a few bucks cheaper during happy hour. Also, the corn on the cob with cotja cheese is not to be missed. Nicely charred and very tasty. Lastly, the nachos are a refreshing take on standard mexican fare. Instead of a giant plater of chips smothered in cheese, you get about 8 chips that have been perfectly crafted to be their own individual nacho. Pick your topping; I like the steak, but the chorizo can sometimes be a little spicy. As for entree's, anything with their mole sauce is usually pretty rocking. I've always found the staff to be pleasant and prompt, even when the joint is crowded. Oh, and they've got a nice garden out back. However the salsa that comes with the complimentary chips and salsa is very watered down. But hey, it's free. read more