Anejo

Joa, kann man machen aber es gibt deutlich bessere/​authentischere Mexicaner. Ist eine klassische x-​over-​küche, die Speisen klingen Maxicanisch sind jedoch eher hip und chick. Bitte nicht falsch verstehen, die Speisen waren super, super lecker, frisch und toll… aber halt nur mit 10% mex Einschlag. Das Pizza-​Teil zum Beispiel war geschmacklich großartig, mit getrockneten Tomaten, gegrilltem Gemüse und tollen Geschmackserlebnissen wie frittierter Petersilie… für einen Italiener, Topp!!! Die Margarita waren jedoch toll und lecker, daher 3 statt 2 Sterne Für mich, keine Empfehlung wenn man zu einem Mexicaner möchte (es gab nicht mal Bohnen auf der Karte: o/)

Solo night out in NYC. I decided to eat my dinner at Anejo based on a friend’s recommendation and the fact it was only a few steps from my hotel.
My cocktail, the Pimm’s Copita, prepared with the excellent Pierde Almas Plus 9 Botanicals mezcal-​gin was simply fantastic. One of the great cocktails I’ve tasted, a great balance between the smokiness of the mezcal, the sweetness from Pimm’s and the sourness from the tamarind mexican soda. It was the highlight of the night.
Unfortunately, the rest of the meal hasn’t been as exciting.
The food wasn’t bad per se, but perhaps at this price level I was expecting to be more excited about it. but there was nothing memorable about the plates I’ve had.
The totopos were great but the salsa was ordinary, it could have been more spiced. The ahi tuna ceviche lacked flavor, it could have been more forward with the citrus flavors. The braised queso fresco was good but felt a bit alone in its broth with nothing to eat it with. The short ribs tacos were the tastiest of my meal, but definitely not worth the price asked for them. Finally, the molote was flavourful, but perhaps only because of the topping as the molote itself seemed like all dough and little filling.
The service itself was uneven as well. The nice young lady who took my order was very sweet and attentive. I was brought the first two plates way too fast, barely minutes after my arrival. Then it took a very long time to get my third and fourth plate (the time between the third and fourth was about 30 minutes). The busboy who cleared out the tables was too expeditive as well… I had barely finished with the plates that he promptly removed them from my table. I had not finished with the totopos.
The atmosphere was great. Beautiful restaurant, great lighting, beautiful bar. No complaints here.
Finally, the $$ rating on Unilocal is a bit misleading. Because of the portions size and the amount of plates required, this would be more a $$$ restaurant.
So overall, it was an uneven experience. If it had been a cheaper restaurant, I wouldn’t have been as severe, but at this price range (over $ 100 for one person), I was expecting more. Welcome to NYC, I guess.

I wish I could say that it was the best Mexican I’ve had in a while…
But it wasn’t. Underwhelmed by the short rib tacos and my mom had the fish tacos. But because she’s lactose intolerant, all the sauce was taken out, so they were very bland.
The ceviche was delicious. And our waitress Elise, and the service was wonderful.

I’ve been back here for dinner three times in the last month now. On a Saturday night with a group of 5, on a (quiet) Monday night with just 3 & on a busy Saturday night without reservations for 2.
I would definitely recommend having reservations on weekends as it’s a popular neighborhood spot & gets busy.
Service:
Staff has always been friendly & efficient. They take good care of you. The last time we were here without reservations on Saturday the hostess was very nice about accommodating us even though they did need the table back by a certain time. Which we certainly didn’t mind as we had a few more stops to make after dinner. A smile & politeness will get you further than a bad attitude. The first time here we ordered Yuca Frito sides and the kitchen got really delayed (forgot?) in sending those out so we told the server we no longer wanted them but the manager that evening brought them out for us anyway, on-​the-​house.
Ambiance:
Warm, rustic, casual.
Food we’ve had:
Guacamole Trio (we all liked the Verde Guacamole the best). Rabbit Mole, Steak Tacos (YUM), Octopus was delicious, Esquites (corn-​YUM), Brussels Sprouts & Yuca Frito. Everything was well prepared and everyone was happy with their food.
The Spicy Jalapeño margarita is absolutely delicious!!! My favorite!
From a price point, it is certainly not one of the inexpensive Mexican spots, more like mid-​range I would say, and portions are medium, so need to order a few things. But over a good experience so far.

If you are looking for great drinks, an intimate atmosphere, and friendly staff this is the place. Words cannot express how delicious the jalapeño margaritas are. Absolutely superb. For an appetizer I had the guacamole trio. It came with traditional guacamole as well as two other types that I have never seen or heard of before but it was delicious. If I’m in New York again I will be back.

Great drinks, but tapas… We eat too much for $ 16 a small plate so that was disappointing but the atmosphere is awesome and it was a lot of fun

Must have been watching too much of Esruire Network’s Knife Fight prior to heading to NYC and reacquainting myself with Chef Angelo Sosa. I think Angelo might be the King of the near miss. Was this close to wining Top Chef (flu got him) and now this close to winning Knife Fight. So is Anejo this close to being a great Mexican restaurant?
Actually, I was kind of surprised he’s even running Mexican establishments. I usually think of Angelo from being more of an Asian style chef. I even met him briefly at the first Lucky Rice festival in LA back in 2012. Beyond that, closest thing I’ve had to Angelo’s food was when he was consulting the Malibu Inn a few years ago. But that wasn’t a great experience. Always the issue with consulting chefs. They’ve got great recipes but then the actual chefs and cooks who prepare the dishes screw it up.
So what to expect here? After all, i live in one of the best places for Mexican cuisine that isn’t called Mexico.
Came here on a late Tuesday night to the Hell’s Kitchen location. Vibe was cool. Dimly lit but nice crowd. Loud, but not obnoxious. All good.
Started with the guac. Saw they had Pineapple Guacamole. Different and why just have the basic. Turns out it was a great flavor combination. The citrus-​y flavors really blended well and those chips. I just wanted them to keep bringing them out over and over ala El Torito. But this isn’t that type of Americanized Mexican, you know.
My original main was to be the Mole. This was odd. I swear I thought I was chomping on rocks! The flavors were there for sure, but that texture! I did not come to NYC to lose my teeth! And if I was going to, it was going to be in a fight. Not from eating Mole.
This is where the service shined. I informed my server and for a few seconds I thought she’d fire back with a comment like ‘Oh, you’re eating it the wrong way” or something silly like that. But no, she took it back and requested I select something else. Went for something much safer. Short Rib Tacos. Now this is something that would do LA proud. Great seasonings, meats, tortilla. Nothing wrong here. Funny thing though. You get two tacos per order and that’s fine, but it’s served on a tray meant for three tacos. Did they get these trays on a discount?
Thought I was finished, but to my surprise, the manager (I assume that it was the manager) came up with a plate of Brussel Sprouts and Bacon. Yay! I get my veggies! Really good This is one time a crunchy texture actually works.
Had to have a Margarita, of course. Pretty good. They salt only half the glass. I assume it’s for decoration although I’m more of a traditionalist and want the complete rim. No biggie, though. Would like to see them improve the beer selection since right now, m it’s just the vasic Mexican styles you can get anywhere. C’mion! Mexico has a craft beer scene now!
Overall, Angelo did a great job here. Good vibe, great food (save the Mole) and service was on point. Definitely would return on future stops in NYC, but something tells me Chef Angelo is planning on something else for SoCal in the future. Sure hope so.

Decent spot in Midtown open late with helpful staff especially when discussing the dishes and alcohol choices. Our waiter asked me what I usually liked to drink, which I replied scotch whiskey to which he suggested really trying the Mezcal. I was quite pleased with the flight and the three choices that came. I may have found my new go to drink. They also had a Mexican Turkey dish with molé sauce and stuffing for Thanksgiving season. Made with a different variety of turkey that is smaller and less dry than the American type. It was pretty good and tasted more chicken-​like than turkey. The pineapple guac was also pretty good but you should like dishes with a slight sweet side if you order it. Nice spice kick, too. The side of corn and fish tacos were also quite good. I would say that prices are a bit high for the portion size. Not unreasonable but there really should be more than just two tacos with no sides for $ 14 or a larger bowl of guac for $ 12. The place is still worth a try, though, especially if you like Mexican food with some spice to it.

There’s no shortage of Mexican in Hell’s Kitchen, but what isn’t easy to come by is a nice sit down Mexican spot. Anejo marries the comforts of classic and unique Mexican tastes wth a great ambiance and a lovely drink in your hand.
If you’re looking for a cheap night out, head over to one of the delis. But if you’re looking for a nice evening with a group of friends, a liquor license and unique taco combos, Anejo will serve you well.

I didn’t love Anejo. But, you might. I’ll keep this short and informative.
Pros: House margarita is good. Like that they have El Jimador. Tres Leches cake was pretty solid as well. Fish tacos were solid, but I won’t be going back for them.
Cons: the hamachi ceviche is more like a carpaccio except the fish needs to be sliced a lot thinner, and left in the lime juice for a shorter period of time. The branzino is large but unremarkable. The atmosphere is a lot more bar than restaurant. Loud, drunk, and sum 41 is playing over the speakers. Again, not my taste but could be yours. Service was extremely inattentive. Had to ask for my own menus. Had to flag down a server to order. Had to remind them we ordered a starter after they dropped a main without serving out ceviche first. Mains were not served all at once but about 20 minutes apart. Had to ask for utensils to eat our dessert with after it was dropped.
As a bar, I might go back to this place as a restaurant, not so much. Sloppier than I expected. Not bad but why go when there are so many other places to go in NY. Like Pylos, for example, where the branzino is exceptional.

We were in Manhattan for a long weekend. A friend highly recommended Anejo and we were not disappointed. We tried the standard guacamole, which was fabulous, with a perfect avocado and lime ratio. The texture was perfect, and the big, house made salty chips were a perfect match (Pause in review — for goodness sake you need to taste this guacamole!). The arbol salsa was also tasty. Likewise, the tacos were excellent and fun. We tried the shrimp tacos and their specialty short rib tacos. \What I particularly liked is that in both cases the protein was the star, with the other ingredients enhancing the flavor of the shrimp and beef rather than dominating.
The next day we had a few hours to kill before a Broadway show and went back for happy hour margaritas (delicious) and more guacamole. Hells Kitchen is a short walk from the theater district and Anejo is a perfect stop. The staff was friendly and helpful both visits, and the general manager checked in on us as well, remembering our previous vist.
I think some of the negative reviews are because of a misunderstanding over portions. Anejo is effectively Mexican tapas/​small plates. If somebody wants endless chips and salsa there are numerous chains out there. I gave it four stars and not five because I have only been twice and have not dug deep into the menu. That said Anejo was a five star experience. Next time I am in New York I will be back.

Food & drinks at Anejo are wonderful!
We indulged in the guacamole trio as a starter as we could not decide on which single one to order. They all taste amazing, but the stand out was the Verde with pumpkin seeds and pomegranate.
My main was the signature octopus dish with squash confit and chorizo cream. What can I say, it was heavenly!!! The pan negro was a great addition to the dish that lifted it up even more.
As a side we’d ordered the Brussel sprouts with chorizo, which were perfectly cooked with a nice bite to both the sausage as well as the sprouts.
Dessert was the flan to share, which was another trip to food heaven, creamy with a lovely sticky, but not too sweet caramel sauce.
All of this was accompanied by wonderful refreshing mescal margaritas.
Service was equally great, the staff was really attentive and all drinks & dishes arrived very quickly.

Anejo is overpriced Mexican food in Hell’s Kitchen. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by great taquerias that serve tremendous tacos for less than $ 5 in NYC, but I found it difficult to pay $ 14 for two small short rib flour tortilla tacos. They were good, but definitely not worth $ 14. The $ 7 corn side dish was also a rip off. I see little reason to go back there. And I won’t.

Anejo is fantastic!
The margaritas are really, really, ridiculously good.
Also, it’s important to mention that they have a happy hr! WHAT?
Tons of specials on drinks and appetizers.
The wait staff is very friendly, the prices are a little high, but at least the food is good.
Sometimes they have a long wait, of course that is a big turn off, but What’ya gonna do?
The décor is nice and modern, nothing cheesy or slightly racist. Thank you for that!
If you are not crazy and like guacamole, please do yourself a favor and order the guacamole trio. YOU ARE WELCOME!
Vegetable Molote! Insert directly into my mouth-​hole.
The mushroom tacos are pretty good too, but really, I like this place mostly for the appetizers and drinks.

Visited on ⁹⁄₂₀.
A few too many things went wrong during our brunch including an *extremely* unprofessional, rude waiter and horrible service.
However, in the restaurants defense, they tried to make it right. Maybe they were just having a really (like REALLY) bad day?
I may return in the future because my previous visits have been much better. If I do, I’ll update my review accordingly.

One of the worst brunch I ever had.
Dislike: 45 mins wait for the food to turn up when the restaurant was fairly empty, lack of service, very small portion for the price you pay, not fresh ingredients, can’t follow instructions, coffee is half warm and NO black peeper.
Like: outdoor seating, dog friendly — they offer water and treats to my dog.
It’s a major disappointment, 3 of us came here plus my dog, I appreciate that we can have outdoor seating and they brought water and treats to my dog without me asking.
However, the restaurant was 1/3−½ empty and we had to wait for 45 minutes for the food to turn up after making the order. The first 25 minutes past, the waitress came over asking if everything was ok, errrrrr normally you asked the question if we already get our food and start eating. But there was no food at all and we all finished our coffee, she didn’t even ask if we want more coffee. Then another 15 minutes past, food still didn’t show up. We call the waitress, she then mumbled and said something about the manager will ask kitchen, then left. Waited for another 5 minutes, then food showed up.
Food was a major disappointment, we ordered Morning Tacos, Oxcan Omelette, Blueberry Pancakes and Fresh Fruit on the side. The tacos were pathetic, 2 very small pieces of tacos you can finish in 4 bites costs $ 14, I specifically asked the omelette to be light on oil, it came out as it bathed in oil for days, and the pancakes came out in 3 very little palm size… which is the smallest pancakes I have seen in brunch places. The fresh fruits is a small bowl of blueberry, pineapple and tangerine. The tangerine looks like taken out from tin… but maybe it’s fresh, I am not sure. Oh yeah, I asked for black pepper, they didn’t have it, I was going to ask them if they have pepper at all, the guy just went away before I can even ask.
I asked for coffee refill, just like the first cup, it’s only half warm temperature.
The waitress obviously knew we were not happy but offered no apology, should her have told us the food gonna be late or at least ask us if everything was ok «after» the food came (no, she only asked us if everything was ok before, not after, the food came up), we would have left there as angry customer and would have rated it as a 2 star brunch.
Maybe we were just unlucky, but surely I won’t come back again and wouldn’t recommend here to anyone when there are so many other places in the area.

This restaurant was a clutch brunch spot. I ordered huevos rancheros, which was a perfect amount to fill me up. The corn tortillas were a great combination with the eggs, beans, and cheese.
It’s definitely a party scene for brunch. I was looking for more of a low key meal with a friend before going on a long walk, but it was hard to have any conversation here over the loud music and the 3 drinks deep group of boys sharing our table.
The service was attentive and caring, and the windows open up to the outdoors when the weather is nice. Décor was also on fleek.

More like 3.5 stars. Go for the guacamole and tacos and you won’t be disappointed!
Location: This place can get loud on a Saturday night. The place was full (always a good sign) but it was difficult to hear the conversation at my table.
Food: Okay, having lived in California for the past year, when I see tamale I generally think of them being made with corn masa. The lamb tamale here is NOT made with corn masa — instead with pumpkin. I misunderstood and thought the pumpkin was infused into the corn masa. It was also my first time trying lamb and I wasn’t a huge fan. However, the guacamole is INCREDIBLE as are the chips (really thick and salty, just the way I like ‘em). The steak tacos are delicious as well — the steak is cooked perfectly and the corn tortillas tasted fresh.
Service: Our waiter was very kind and accommodating! The manager personally came out and asked what was wrong with the tamale (which I barely touched, very rare for me) and gave us dessert on the house. I’ve never experienced such a thoughtful gesture.
Might go back if I am in NYC to get tacos and update the review since my experience was different than what I thought it was going to be.

Met a friend for happy hour here. I was surprised by the interior — the wooden communal tables is definitely not something you generally see in the HK area. It added a sort of pleasant charm to the restaurant and makes it look very inviting.
With a name like «Anejo» what else to try mezcal and tequila of course. I had an el diablo and a few mezcal margaritas. They were delicious and the bartender was able to entertain while he was making the drinks as well.
We had a few bites of food (ceviche, a few tacos, grilled octupus) — there was nothing exceptional about the food, but it got the job done.
Come for a few drinks — go elsewhere for dinner.

This is a great place for cheap happy hour tapas and drinks. I feel like this place gets ignored because it’s close to a touristy area of the city.
There are about 8 – 9 items on tapas menu which are $ 6 each and the Jalapeño Margaritas we had were $ 8. We tried everything on the happy hour tapas menu and they were all very delicious.
Overall, service was good and fast. Outdoor seating makes the whole experience very enjoyable.
Recommendations: Guacamole Trio, Esquites, Jalapeño Margarita, All Tapas on the HH Menu

Don’t bother making a reservation here… They will not honor it! Just about the rudest hostess ever. She didn’t even apologize for messing up the reservation, even though I showed her two confirmations: an email and a text for a 7pm reservation.
Can’t even review the food or drinks because I ended up just leaving and going elsewhere. TERRIBLE service! Will not be back.