La Palapa

I’m pretty surprised at the variation in ratings for La Palapa. It’s a regular go-​to for dinner for me and I have always had really great experiences!
The food is great. I like the vegetarian aztec platter and the vegetarian bento box. Both are a lot of food, but excellent selections! The guacamole is also consistently tasty.
While La Palapa can get busy, especially in the warmer months, I always find that the atmosphere is very relaxed and the waitstaff make sure to take care of you. Extra bonus on warm summer nights if you can grab a table outside and watch the world pass by on Sixth avenue as you sip on margaritas or a Sol beer.

I am truly sorry that we already had reservations for dinner elsewhere, the night we blindly stumbled upon La Palapa. This place has the kind of ambiance and service that make it a repeat destination, and I hope the food holds up to the rest.
The cocktails were excellent, though I confess, when we returned later in the evening and switched to Sangria, we did have to boost the octane by adding a couple shots of Cointreau. Not to worry: the delightful bartender joined us, and pronounced it a great addition, so she might just make it standard for their recipe.
Very much a neighborhood destination; very accommodating to the wandering tourists.

Ok, the best CHORIZO in new york city!
I am from Mexico and when I found this place and their «queso fundido with chorizo» I said «Thank you God!!!»
TRY:
— The enchiladas suizas are really good, very tasty and full of flavor.
— Guacamole is perfect, not to salty, no lemon juice (which is good, you don’t need it)
— Arrachera with frijoles and jalapenos
The tamales are not the best, as a matter of fact it is hard to find real mexican tamales.
They used to have rose ice cream… it was delicoius! Hope they put it back in the menu.

So we ordered in from this place because my friend talked about how great the food was. Tremendous disappointment. Maybe I would’ve liked it better if we’d eaten there or if it hadn’t been hyped up so much by my friend.
The guac was pretty good. I appreciated the spiciness, but there was a bit too much onion for my liking. I had a pork taco & the pork was way too tough. And I also had green chicken enchiladas & the chicken tasted strangely like fish. The tortillas in the enchilada were complete much and fell apart. There was no rice & beans.
There is much better mexican out there. I won’t try this place again.

I met up with my friends here, and the one that recommended it said it was the best Mexican food, which I’ve had better Mexican food, and especially at this price. Our other friend by mistake went to the East Village location, and our waitress was very helpful with her on the phone getting her to this location, which was nice of her.
They didn’t have too many vegetarian options (But I did get the Plato Vegetariano Azteca which was good and I was impressed that there was cactus on it), and as a vegetarian I found it limiting.
They had all these sauces on the table that you’d think would be for chips, but chips weren’t included (the sauces were for your meal, they were pretty good too). My friend’s meal, the Vegan Tepozteco, really should have come with chips but didn’t and she had to pay for them. Our friend that came late just got the tacos, which were overcooked.
We split a pitcher of sangria, which I can’t remember how much I spent but I remember thinking I would have liked it to be a little less.
Our waitress was super nice, very friendly and told us about the different deals throughout the week. I don’t think I’ll be going back here, it’s a little too pricey for me, but the brunch deal seemed to be good.

This place was ok. It’s location is pretty prime and it’s drinks are worth having (I had the El Diablo –very recommended!!! hubby had La Palapa drink and it was bitter as hell). The food was decent although the kitchen was an hour away from closing and we probably didnt get the best example of their chef’s skills. I would try it again to see if it was just a one time thing or if they really know their stuff. Salsas were good. However on another note it really kills me when a Mexican restaurant has no Mexicans working there, and the majority of the waiters are non-​Spanish speaking or in our case had the deepest Southern accent. But that’s neither here nor there.

I don’t know why everyone is hating on this place because everything my friend and I had was extremely delicious.
I ate here with my friend on Saturday night. We tend to go for Thai or Mexican food since my friend is gluten-​free. The waitress explained the three different types of sauces on the table. They are all slightly spicy but not too spicy with the last one being red and oily with a smoky taste.
We decided to get an appetizer but not to order any chips since the reviews were so harsh on their chips. The Mexican style corn on the cob sounded so delicious but we decided to go with the chalupas with sausage. It was four corn with beans, sour cream and a side of guacamole. It was really delicious and filling.
I ordered the fish tacos which I thought was a generous potion. Three corn tortillas stuffed with fish and toppings and it came with a seperate plate of rice and beans. My friend ordered the aztec vegetarian plate with taquitos stuffed with potato. It came with beans and cactus which I tried. The cactus was very interesting, a bit flavorless but with some salsa, it was really good.
The atmosphere in the back is quite cute with the arched stone wall and candles. It’s good for small groups and dates. I don’t know if I would bring a huge group here. We didn’t order any drinks so I can’t comment on any of that.

After a 12-​hour day at work (on a Friday no less!), I met up with my friend for a desperately-​needed dinner and drinks. Closeby was La Palapa on 6^th Avenue, so we sat in the back. I ordered a mango mojito and enchiladas fundidas de carne asada — grilled steak. First of all, I’m a lightweight when it comes to drinking alcohol, so a nice drink will get me buzzed. My $ 10 mojito did not contain any alcohol!!! Second of all, they piled a big pile of raw onions all over the enchiladas… ew! I quickly shoved that aside. All in all, with tip, the total came to $ 39. TOTALLY NOT WORTH eating here. I don’t know about coming here at happy hour if they don’t even put any alcohol in a full-​priced mojito! Save your money and go drinking somewhere else!

Going shoot straight from the hip here!
Guacamole had too much onion and not enough avocado!
Steak Fajita more veggies than meat and 60% of the meat was grisle
Only thing that saved the night was the Tecate Beer!

BRUNCH! Hit up the Sunday morning brunch special ($ 14.95). Went with the Huevos Rancheros Verdes — considered the Huevos a la Mexicana, but it was going to be a bit spicier and they don’t allow substitutions with the brunch specials. The brunch came with fresh fruit, coffee, & a drink (we paid the extra $ 1 for a Fresh Lime Frozen Margarita, which was worth it). Our table also split a chips & guacamole appetizer. Everything was well prepared, but service lacked enthusiasm and it wasn’t my favorite brunch ever. I’d also have to agree with some of the other reviews… chips should be served with the meal. It’s a little silly that you have to pay extra to get chips.
Note, you can make reservations with opentable, but dining alfresco is first-​come, first-​serve.

Went with a large group for drinks and appetizers. Sadly, I couldn’t stay the entire time, but the service was excellent. They quickly brought out multiple plates of freshly made tortilla chips and guacamole and salsa.
The chips were on the thick side (although it did seem to be freshly made). The guacamole was … different… It had a hint of spice and I don’t think there was enough lime flavor. The salsa was comprised of too many perfectly cut pieces of tomato and onion (not enough sauce, which makes it a bit closer to a bruchetta than salsa).
The service was very attentive and they were super polite and fast with any requests made. The drink orders took a while, but that was mostly because we were such a large group.
The atmosphere and decorations were quite intriguing. I would like to visit again and try a few more dishes.

A nice warm night with good friends screams for some margaritas and guac… don’t you think? After wandering around the village for a bit, my friends and I settled on La Palapa cause the menu looked enticing and I can never turn down the promise of guacamole. I may take pause after this learning experience.
Outdoor seating was full, as it usually is on any nice night in NYC, so we settled for indoors, which seemed okay because they had a beautiful skylight. Ambiance aside, this is where this review takes a turn for the worst. It was warm warm warm in the place. I’d venture to say warmer than outdoors. Upon seating we ordered the aforementioned guac and were brought a plate of colorful chips that had the consistency of cardboard and two tiny cups of (think a little bigger than McDonald’s sauce containers) guac and salsa. The guac, and I use that term loosely, was more akin to guac mousse… and flavorless. Hey, in that case, give me some good chips. Nope. Fail. The margaritas would have been ok if they were cold. Remember that warm room we were in? The bartender barely shook our margaritas and apparently they were rationing ice that night.
Our entrees were ok bordering on MEH, and although one of my fellow diners ordered quesadillas, she didn’t get any of the typical accoutrements on the side (some guac — guacmousse — or pico de gallo) SOMETHING. So we asked for salsa and were later charged for it. Excellent! (insert sarcasm here)
With NYC really starting to get on point with its Mexican cuisine, I highly suggest everyone take their hard earned pesos elsewhere.

I’m sitting at the bar currently enjoying the outdoors coming in (great front open to the street) sipping a glass of 11 dollar Chardonnay. Not a special one either.
The food was ok but absolutely Way over priced. I payed 36 $ for a plate of three taquitos and some rice and one glass f wine.
Not into it.
I should have kept on my path o the Thai restaurant.
No go unless you’ve got 20’s burning holes in your pockets.

Meh. HIghs and lows, but the bottom line comes to the fact that they charge $ 5 for pico de gallo (chips alone are $ 2, so it’s $ 7 together) and I don’t mean to be cheap, but I’m cheap! It’s a Mexican joint! Give me chips and salsa and I’ll drink! Come on, people!
Oh yes, that’s right. Drinks. Not so good. First time ever in my life I’ve added sweeter to my margarita.

The food is very pricey for Mexican in the Village and is not very good. I’ve had the shrimp in garlic sauce and there is an insane amount of garlic (not in a good way, don’t plan on kissing anyone for the next week). The sauce it came in wasn’t very appetizing either; it was really lumpy and tasted like pure garlic. The ensalada de nopales is just okay.
The margaritas, however, are decent. 2-​for-​1 margaritas at the bar during happy hour. Not nearly as strong as I would like, but the flavors are really good. My favorites are the pomegranate and blood orange.
Weird things are always happening in the bathroom at this La Palapa location, never at the one on St. Marks. I have seen the aftermath of people getting high in the bathroom (Mexican food makes for good munchies, I don’t know?) and I’ve also seen a couple come out of the bathroom (having sex in bar bathrooms is sooooo 2005, 2009 is the year for Mexican restaurants). Call me old-​fashioned, but I just want to go to La Palapa and drink lots of margaritas.

Food, too expensive and not all that good. Drinks, disappointing. I’ve been to the East Village La Palapa, and I remembered some good sangria. Maybe it was an off-​night for the West Village, but the sangria was all wrong.
The fair thing to do might be to give them another shot. But with so many better places to go in the city, seems like a waste of time.

I had a new drink when I can to this La Palapa. I tried the Cheleda (sp?), which is a glass topped with salt, filled with ice and lime juice. They pour your beer of choice into the glass, and you stir it up before drinking. I’m not normally a lime-​in-​my-​drink kind of guy, but thought this was a pretty good option on a hot day. I had negro modelo, and the lime juice changed the entire drink.
The chipotle chicken quesadilla was good, but I think the chicken was pulled, so it became a bit mushy with the 3 cheeses that were also in it. The beef taco was good though, but small. If you’re going for dinner, you’ll probably need two.
I liked this place enough that I would stop in again if I were in the area. My only problem is they don’t have an outdoor patio like the other La Palapa!

WAY OVERPRICED!
When you first get there they make a decent impression. This very quickly goes away when your waiter (ess) brings three vareties of salsa to the table, explains each but doesn’t provide chips. You can order chips.
I have never been to a mexican restaurant and ordered enchilada that cost 15 bucks and have it served without the two traditional (and extremely inexpensive) sides; rice and beans. When I asked I was told everything was a la cart.
Very authentic. (sarcasm)

Really though, I may have been better off finding a Taco Bell and feasting on their dog food filled cardboard tortilla shells.
My experience at La Palapa was sub sub par. I was over charged and underwhelmed.
The tacos were like, fun sized. WTF, I am a growing girl, how dare you charge me 8 fucking dollars for a goddamn baby taco. I need 15 of these to be happy, man. I heard the drinks are good, but at the time of my unfortunate visit, I was underage.
Yo no quiero la palapa.

I live in San Francisco and was completely awe-​struck by this Mexican restaurant. How come one of the best Mexican restaurants is in New York City? (Insert the Pace Picante sauce voice over part here)
There is a huge Latino population in San Francisco, but I have found better Mexican restaurants to be in New York, Tucson and southern California. C’mon SF WTF?
To the owners of La Palapa, PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU TO OPEN A LA PALAPA IN SAN FRANCISCO!!! I will help you do it, I will make sure you are a huge success. San Franciscans will thank you, and Mayor Gavin Newsom will give you a key to the city.
You will, however, have to lower your Margarita prices if you come to SF, as we won’t tolerate it here. Drinks are OVERPRICED in NYC in general!