Cabrito

This was my first time at Cabrito and I have mixed feelings. The food was pretty good, nothing to write home about, but good. Let me put it is this way: I’m not writing this review about the food, I’m writing about the service.
Maybe we caught the server on a bad day, but he seemed put off by our questions. Such travesties as «Can any of the tacos be made vegetarian?», «Is there not-​fried fish?», and «Can you make change for a $ 20?»
He sighed, complained that he has explained this over and over. Then went into a light rant about the chef being «pro protein» and the menu is what the menu is.
Now maybe I’d expect an @sshole response from a snobby upscale @sshole-y place, but here? For lunch? It was a complete turn off. And I’ll probably not head back there soon.

Bit pricey for tacos and such. Food was fresh and excellent, however, and the Michelada was quite surprising. The beer was mixed with spicy tomato juice in addition to the lime.
Their lengua was fresh as was the fish taco.

Cabrito is now, unfortunately, closed. I have to say that I ate here many, many times. Sometimes alone, sometimes with two or three people, a few times with 10 people. The food, drinks, and especially service were, in my experience, always top notch. I wish all the staff the best.
The New York Times covered the closing. See dinersjournal dot blogs dot nytimes dot com /​2010 /​12 /​06 /​cabrito-​to-​close-​as-​a-​new-​fatty-​looms/​

Cabrito is a great place for a casual hip night out. Service was really friendly and on point when it came to explaining dishes, checking up on us, and refilling margaritas. We got the rajas con crema. These were delicious poblano peppers served with warm tortillas. I did find the appetizer a bit overpriced however. The tacos were excellent. I loved the fish tacos. The steak tacos were also pretty good, but the fish tacos were awesome for this coast.
And let’s not forget the margaritas. The watermelon margaritas were also killer. For a group, def get a pitcher of these. Atmosphere is casual but a bit sceney (though in a positive way)

Excerpted from my review of the Taste of the Village: West food tour:
I’ve heard about this colorful Mexican joint before so I was eager to try it. Although not on the menu, they were offering fish tacos for the tour and I love a good fish taco. The fish was nice and crispy on the outside but definitely not too oily, which I appreciated. With cabbage, avocado and radish slices on a fresh flour tortilla, I felt not to far away from the beaches of Cabo. My dad went for the spicier pork taco, and while it was tasty, the spice was far too overwhelming and even after the one bite I had of his, I felt the heat all the way through the next stop on the tour. They were offering $ 6 margaritas, and though we passed on them, I’ll definitely be back because they use the real stuff — no syrup there.

Came here on Halloween to find a relatively empty bar, which was both a good and a bad thing. However, the $ 2 flauta special was a big winner, and the free candy was generous. The people working here were nice. However, I kind of wish it had been more happening given its location.

So first I should admit that we did not eat at Cabrito’s. We were going to, but the service and drinks were seriously so bad that we decided against it.
I don’t know what was the matter with our waitress. She treated us like we’d kicked her dog or something. We got there at 5 and the place was empty (there were maybe six other people in the entire place and she was taking care of none of them). Yet she seemed completely harried, and was actually offended when we wanted to order. She was entirely the reason we decided to leave.
Our drinks were gross — small, watery and expensive. There are the types of drinks that make you want to give up drinking.
I’m glad I never have to go back.

Our waitress was cool, however, the management at this place is atrocious.
First, the restaurant was pretty much EMPTY and the hostess wouldn’t seat our party of 7 when 5 of us had arrived, even threatening to throw out our reservation if they didn’t show soon. I’ve seen that before in NYC restaurants, but after assuring them we intended to order food and drinks immediately, the manager came over and seriously LECTURED us (like, gave us a huge song and dance) for about 5 minutes about how they never seat people and all the reasons why before finally allowing us to, well, sit down.
The rest of our party followed shortly, and then we tried to get in on the happy hour specials. Once again the manager, bless his annoying little soul, came over to lecture us about how happy hour specials don’t apply to people with reservations, only people without reservations, even though we were also ordering appetizers and meals.
W.
T.
F.
He actually CANCELLED our drink orders with our waitress and told us if we wanted the happy hour prices, we’d have to go order from the bartender himself.
Seriously?!?
Seriously!!!
The food itself was tiny portions, typical crappy NYC Mexican, and way too heavy on the picante. Mediocre food + awful service = none of us will ever return.

Here are the basics you need to know about eating at Cabrito:
1) Happy hour lasts until 7, at which point the tacos go from $ 3 each for any of the seven varieties they have on the menu to 3 for $ 18.
2) During happy hour, they don’t take reservations, so if you show up with a group of two, chances are you’re sitting at what looks like a six top with two other groups of two. If you, however, have a group of six, they’ll kindly ask people to shuffle around so your group of six can sit together.
2.1) At 7pm, if there are reservations, they will take that table back so eat fast.
3) All the tacos are delicious — but I would call out the fish taco (fried, but with delicious tartar sauce) and the pork belly (not kosher, so don’t even try to bring your Rebbe).
4) Margaritas are $ 6 during happy hour, but I found them to not be the world’s strongest. I’ve heard from other people that they really are strong, so it’s entirely possible it was just the day I was there.
One other note:
Cabrito recently started a taco eating contest, with the idea being if you set the record for tacos eaten in one hour you get them free. The challenge originally started at 10 tacos, and was quickly set at 14. At this stage it was entirely possible that you, normal eating person, could have topped this record.
As of this recording, I can say that the current record of 20 is going to be damn near impossible to beat. I watched a man who has a knack for eating large quantities of tacos* throw in the towel, after coating the floor with sweat and spittle, after 16 tacos.
If you’re going to challenge the record, I would highly suggest getting there during happy hour, otherwise it’s going to be a really expensive taco dinner.
* — Hint, his nickname is Tacologic. That’s a man who loves him some tacos.

I randomly chose to meet a friend for a late lunch/​early cocktails at Cabrito. What drew me was my ongoing quest for decent Mexican food in NYC, which can be challenging to find in a sit-​down experience (outdoors, I just head to Corona and eat from taco wagons — best food!).
The two tacos for $ 10 deal was perfect for me. I had a chorizo and a chicken taco, my friend had the pork belly. They were all delicious, and perfect size for our appetites. The seasoning took me back to Playa del Carmen, with the right combination of peppery bite and cilantro sparkles. There’s something about homemade corn tortillas, made in that particular way, that touch the tastebuds in a «yeah, this is what I’m looking for» way: they alone will be enough to bring me back. As others have said, the rice and beans were excellent as well.
We shared the sangria, which was first rate! We were leaving just as the after-​work crowd was getting there, and I suspect this place gets filled fast and very loud. But on a weekday afternoon, hot summer lunch and conversation place, I’ll return again and again.

I’ve been to this place a few times and loved all the food and drinks I had. The margaritas are perfectly mixed and the sort of jazzed-​up Mexican food is interesting and well seasoned. They seem to always have something unusual on the specials menu too which I love to order from in any establishment.
That said, the noise level is unbearable. The last time I came here I left after one drink because I couldn’t take it! It’s as if every squealing NYU girl is in there screaming their OMG’s at the top of their lugs, and somehow the sound bounces off every surface and drills into your brain. ..

Fitting in with the bohemian vibe on Carmine, Cabrito a is great place for solid Mexican food that goes best with their yummy, house made margaritas.
The best thing to get here is the Cabrito. Tender, spicy, and juicy. Everything you could want in dish that will warm you inside and out.
As much as I like the vibrant interior décor, what I love most is Cabrito’s entrance: A pink goat hangs over its doorway. Too cool.
(In the summer of 2009, that goat was stolen and returned after a second goat was placed overhead.)

One of the best Mexican restaurants I’ve found outside of New Mexico/​Arizona!!!
The Huaraches were EXCELLENT!!! The bartender and waitstaff were extremely friendly and service oriented.
If you like great Mexican food, properly prepared drinks, and great, quick service, this is the place to try!

Cabrito has the closest thing to California/​baja mexican I’ve been able to find in the city. After multiple bad experiences with Yucatan cuisine, I’m glad to report that this place has lots of things that are actually tasty. Their chicken tacos, enchiladas (the chihuahua cheese is the best), and guacamole are all really delicious. They even have el yucateco (red and green hot sauce) on the tables!
The specialty drinks are strong, and taste like they are made with quality ingredients. Happy hour features half price pitchers of margaritas ($ 30 instead of the usual $ 60), cheap tacos and chips/​guac, rellenos, and some other things for pork eaters (sadly no chicken items are on happy hour special prices).
On the bad side, the one time I had fish tacos they were disappointing. The fish was good quality, and they were definitely baja style, but they were fried a little too long or with a weird batter, making them too heavy. ymmv if you order them outside of happy hour? I certainly hope so!

My brunch was probably the weakest of my group’s; I ordered the Chilaquilles. It was alright, but I wouldn’t order it again. I think the «winning» dish was the Huevos Rancheros. We also split the churros y chocolate — which was stellar (this deserves 5 stars)!
I actually had a terrific time there, but the best thing about this meal for me was the friendly service and the great company.
Although I wouldn’t refuse to go back to this place — I won’t be recommending it anytime soon.

I was a little hesitant to come here after reading many of the reviews… but I’m glad I did.
Came here on Friday for a friend’s birthday and had a great time. We made it in time for happy hour and enjoyed a few margaritas. The bartender heard it was my friend’s bday and poured a round of tequila shots for everyone on the house. Clearly a start to a drunken night…
We sat at our table at 7pm (end of happy hour and just went the place started to fill up). I would recommend coming here for happy hour since the tacos are cheap and tasty at the bar.
Our entire party of 6 ordered anywhere from 2 to 3 tacos each. Also got 2 orders of guac, which was just what the doctor ordered for some drunken ladies who couldn’t wait to eat. I thought the guac was really tasty! Perhaps it was the tequila, but I know good guac and couldn’t find anything to complain about. It was tasty and a nice portion with tasty tortilla chips to go with it.
I ordered the pork belly and fish tacos, which came with rice and beans. The portions aren’t exactly huge, but are packed with flavor and are interesting to boot. The fish tacos (fried fish) was really yummy and loved every bite. The pork belly was also really good! I enjoyed every mouthful. The rice was also good, but the black beans were far too salty. I ate a few bites full, but decided not to force them down. Perhaps it was a bad batch, but it was pretty much inedible. But the tacos and rice were good enough to compensate. Plus, going out afterward I didn’t exactly want to full of beans, if you know what I mean.
During our dinner the server came by with a round of shots for the birthday girl. These guys were looking to get us ladies drunk. And although we refrained from getting dessert — they came out with the churros w/​chocolate sauce on the house for the bday girl.
Those things were darn tasty that I was practically licking the plate clean.
Although not all the cheap, it was still a really fun place to go, service was excellent and the food inventive. I would definitely come back again.

Dos Equis 3 $
Watermelon Margarita 6 $
Vodka Shot 5 $
Voll, laut, lustig, jung, so gehts hier bis spät in die nacht zu!
Gesellig!
Und nach einem Abendessen in einem der vielen Restaurants in der Umgebung auf jeden Fall einen Absacker wert!

Where’s my taco? That’s all I could think of when a plate allegedly holding two tacos was placed in front of me by our friendly waitress. Staring back at me was a lot of lettuce, a bit of tortilla and some beef nuggets.
I’m cool with small tacos, to be honest, but at $ 5-​$ 6 a pop, these Cabrito tacos are just wrong. For the record, I ordered an Al Carbon taco (dry-​rubbed skirt steak) and a Tinga de Pollo (chipotle braised chicken).
I’ve heard the Cabrito (slow roasted, chili-​rubbed goat) is the house specialty, but something about eating baby goat on a date doesn’t seem like a great idea to me.
All was not lost, though. We both enjoyed our margaritas, infused with watermelon and jalapeño (shades of Barrio Chino). And I thought the Tecate in a can (complete with a beer cozy) was a nice touch. And, as others have commented, the selections of tequilas and mezcals, is quite impressive.
Cabrtio’s décor and service were excellent, as well, with colorful Mexican tiles smartly displayed on the walls. Located on Carmine across the street from Grey Dog, it’s a cool-​looking spot.
I really wanted to love this place — I left liking it and may come back to try to the goat someday. But for half the price, I’ll satisfy my taco fix somewhere else.

Holy sticker shock! We popped-​in for a dinner after a movie down the street, my friend and I not necessarily being ‘bargain diner’ types. But as we looked over the very limited menu, we both decided to have the beef tacos. At $ 6, we both assumed, without saying anything to one another that it was a taco and a side, or perhaps 2 tacos. But as the waiter explained that $ 6 got you ONE taco; One, no side, nothing, just a little taco, we both looked at each other in amazement.
Doing some quick math we realized that just a taco and a side of rice would have been approximately $ 14, that was before a drink, a cracker, an iced tea.
Neither of us made much of a fuss to the waiter but he was obviously annoyed that we were confused over the obnoxious pricing.
Cabrito seems to be run by a small group of hipster types, so I’m not sure if this accounts for the unrealistic pricing or if it’s clearly by design. For me, this is one of those places where the price is so incredibly insulting, it calls for going somewhere else, even if you’ve already been seated. We did, and we won’t be back until and unless we find out this place has come down to Earth.

… Minus the Goat :-(He was Kidnapped
Please Return Him!

When you first walk in, you’re not really sure if the place will be good or just another boring Mexican place. We were iffy about whether to stay and decided to buck up and try it.
The food actually turned out to be better than we were expecting, but keep in mind we were preparing to be disappointed.
The guacamole was on the spicier side and pretty good… make sure you like garlic.
My friend had the cheese enchiladas which she thought was pretty good. The tomato sauce also had some kick to it which helped the dish.
I had the carnitas. The meat was very flavorful but just a bit too salty. Would have liked to have a couple more tortillas to finish out my dish.
The main disappointment was service. Once we got our food, we didn’t really see much of our waiter afterwards. Even when our plates were cleared, we sat for a while waiting for our server to come by. Instead, we see him put on his back back and leave. Would have been nice to tell us someone else was taking his table. We had to waive down the hostess (and we were sitting at the front table) to ask for the check.
Overall, probably not a bad joint to get drinks and food will hold up for a decent meal. But not anything memorable.