Avenida Cantina

Cheap, filling, and tasty Tex Mex in the space Idle Hands bar used to be.
Upstairs dining area is totally repainted and redecorated in a bright cheerful décor but we still recognized the layout of a bar we had some good times at. Oh, the memories! Idle Hands had a solid beer and whiskey list, rock and metal bar in a hovel of a basement bar downstairs, burger joint and tater tots to chow down on upstairs, along with a bunch of Unilocal events we attended here.
Now it’s serving up Tex Mex eats along with a speakeasy joint downstairs. More than enough to choose from on the menu. The basic offerings you would expect for this type of comfort food. Nachos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, guac, beer, and tequila!
Complimentary chips and salsa are always a plus! Daily food and drink specials Monday-​Friday. We lucked out and dropped in on $ 5 Friday which offers a bunch of stuff to chow down on along with some boozy items too. Frozen margaritas on a warm evening hit the spot.
I enjoyed some pretty decent sized tacos. Service was friendly and attentive. Reasonable prices. Even though it was crowded the food arrived quickly. Free shot when bill arrived. Arriba!

Fun fact. This used to be Idle Hands. A bar my friends and I used to frequent. A bar that served burgers upstairs and had intimate rock n roll shows downstairs. It’s a place I dearly miss. It took us a moment to realize Avenida is in the same spot.
With that said, this place is pretty good as far as quick Tex-​Mex goes. It’s cheap with a basic menu and strong drinks. My friend’s drink was so strong she ended up having to compare one made by our waitress and one made by the bartender (we were only charged for 1). My quesadilla was decent. A bit burnt but not to the point it was no longer edible. They brought us shots when we asked for the check, which reminded me of Ricardo’s up in Spanish Harlem.
Overall, a solid place to get something quick and have a strong drink (or 3) before continuing your journey elsewhere.

5 Stars to Avenida for hospitality, flexibility, and professionalism — when unforeseen circumstances left me without a venue to host an event I was producing Tuesday evening, a friend of mine put me in contact with Josh, the owner and manager of Avenida Cantina. Two days before our event, (and on a Sunday evening, I might add!) Josh graciously offered us his space in the downstairs club called The Mockingbird. From coordination of drop off of supplies, to their welcoming vibes the night of our event, we knew the universe had brought us to the right place.
Our bartender Wayne was awesome. They let us plug in our phones to the sound system and play our own music — any place that does this gets an A+ in my book. The sexy, grunge-​y basement vibe was a favorite with our crowd. In fact, we spent the night fantasizing about what kind of event we could throw there next… a dance party? Another panel? An art fair? The space is huge, well equipped, and we can’t wait to come back. Thanks to Josh and Wayne — looking forward to seeing you all again.

Mixed feelings on this guy over here.
To start, when this opened I was initially grumbling about this being some corny, fratty, suburban college transplant type of spot invading a neighborhood rich in history — but much to mine and others’ delight, it’s generally proven to be a legit restaurant with a mixed, great crowd, and staff that are true New Yorkers. That is much appreciated here. No gimmicks, no bullshit.
The food is good, but it’s Tex Mex, and that’s all there is to it.
I think the prices are a bit too high for the generic food they’re selling, and it makes me less willing to return often. Some of the prices are OK though.
The margaritas and the sangria are great.
The bartender girl, though I appreciated her as stated above, and was nice, was a bit too aloof last time we went. We had to ask for each request, For example «May we order food?» «May we order a drink», etc. Probably better to sit at a table if ordering food.
Anyway, a good addition to the neighborhood and a real restaurant.
The food’s not going to blow you away but it’s good if Tex Mex is what you want.

This was a great spot for Cinco de Mayo! We did the prefixe dinner which included guac, queso, an entrée and all you can drink beer and margaritas.
I got the seven layer salad which I really liked and the margaritas were really good, too. Not so syrupy like margaritas sometimes are. Be warned though — they are STRONG.
Service was good and it’s a really fun and festive atmosphere!

Dined here on Friday night with two other fellow Texans.
Had really high hopes for this place and, although it was strong in certain areas, it fell flat in other areas.
The strong points:
— Frito Pie Enchiladas were on point. It was a cheesy delight!
— The cheese enchiladas were super cheesy and magical. Big fan of the cheese enchiladas!
— The chips were good; not too greasy
Areas of improvement:
— The yellow queso with guacamole — it just tasted a little sweet; as girls who grew up on queso, this queso just tasted off; it was good and we ate almost all of it, but, it wasn’t great
— The mexican martini — as people that are used to drinking mexican martinis at Trudy’s or Chuy’s in Austin, TX, these didn’t taste at all like those; they were super strong and didn’t have any sweetness factor to them
— Shiner — ordered a Shiner and it tasted skunky; I’m sure this was just a bad keg
Overall, I would definitely return here, as I still thoroughly enjoyed myself. But, if they improved a couple of things, I would most happy!

Yum! Had the fried chicken and breakfast tacos. Chips and salsa were fresh! Chill spot. Good ambiance.
If there’s a wait they have a downstairs bar The Mockingbird where you can have a drink while you wait.
Will definitely be back to Avenida (the burger looks good!!) and to check out the Mockingbird on the weekend.

My boyfriend said about their frozen margarita: «This is the worst margarita I ever had.» I took a sip and immediately understood why. The margarita had zero sugar in it. Zero. It was all sour juice and bitter tequila, lightly diluted by crushed ice but still awful to drink. I ordered a John Daly, which was made with sweet tea vodka and lemonade — slightly better on the drinkability front because of the sugar from the sweet tea vodka, but still devoid of sugar.
Now, I’m someone who can knock down Old Fashioneds and whiskies on the rocks, but there is a common expectation of what a frozen margarita should taste like (something that gets you shit-​faced without TASTING like it would get you shit-​faced) and Avenida failed us.

As a true lover of all things Tex-​Mex, it pains me to write a sub parr review for Avenida. This restaurant offers a great atmosphere and wonderfully accomodating staff but completely falls flat with its food.
My boyfriend and I tried this restaurant late on a Saturday night and began our meal with beers and the guacamole appetizer. The guac was okay, nothing special, but the chips were awful. They had clearly sat too long in the oil when they were fried and although some tasted fine, there were many that tasted terribly off.
For dinner, I ordered the catfish tacos and my boyfriend ordered the combo veggie taco and cheese enchilada. Our taco’s tortillas tasted like they had come straight from a Mission package and weren’t even warm (also, flour tortillas? come on). My tacos had very little catfish, a lot of cabbage, and a small sad, wedge of avocado. My boyfriend’s «veggie taco» consisted mainly of cabbage and was completely flavorless. His cheese enchilada tasted as though the cook’s hand had slipped with the cumin because it was so overwhelmingly seasoned it could not be consumed. Lastly, the rice and beans were so bland, neither of us finished them.
Other restaurants in the neighborhood offer more flavor and an overall better dining experience than Avenida. Check this place out for the happy hour drink specials but go somewhere else for dinner!

Update: Avenida Cantina has definitely tightened up their opening issues. The service was really great this time and awesome hostess Nellie remembered us. We had the white queso which we both really loved (same thin, crispy restaurant style chips that were spot on, perfect with a side of pickled jalapeños). They’ve changed their house margarita to one that is maybe more brunch-​appropriate (with fruit juice instead of triple sec), but they were still happy to make me a traditional one on the rocks, which was tasty. Husband enjoyed his drink of sweet tea vodka and lemonade (like a boozy Arnold Palmer). I had the cheese enchiladas again, still good, nice and cheesy, but I still wanted more chile gravy, ’cause that’s the good stuff.
Owner Josh remembered us too («Houston, right?»), which was so nice… we chatted about the food, and they’e still hoping to launch fajitas over the summer (to which my husband said «if you have fajitas we’ll be here every weekend” – I had no idea he liked fajitas so much!). Really great to see them busy and everything flowing smoothly, nice to go out on a Saturday night and get out for under $ 50, and as always it was lovely to have that familiar Tex Mex comfort food.

Being a somewhat Dallas native, I obviously must try any new Tex– Mex joint that pops up in NYC! The food was super casual and delicious! We went for $ 2 taco night and they definitely did not disappoint. We also got the white queso and added guac (which they gave us a large portion for the queso– no complaints), so yummy! We ended our dinner with the sopapillas which also come with BLUE BELL ICE CREAM. Repeat– THEY HAVE BLUE BELL ICE CREAM.
The portions were a good size and I definitely left full. Not to mention the frozen margs were awesome. Monday’s they do $ 5 margs which is quite dangerous for us. :) We will definitely be back!

I don’t know much about Tex-​Mex but I know what I like. Try the frozen margaritas with the fruit purée. Very strong and very good. And that queso is awesome. Fried stuffed avocado was amazing. The playlist went from the Rolling Stones to Jay-​Z to Fleetwood Mac. After dinner we went downstairs to the Mockingbird. Then tequila took over. Jesus take the wheel.

This week’s fashionplate features a few of my favorite things– our Sophia eggplants cami, margaritas, and queso. My dining companion and I were starving after getting my hair did. I love all things Mexican and tex-​mex so I knew we had to hit up Avenida Cantina. We were promptly seated and I ordered a marg, obvi, and he got a rum punch. We started with the Big Al’s Special queso which was super yummy with the chorizo in the melty cheese. The complimentary salsa was also pretty solid. I went with the frito pie enchiladas with white queso, jalapenos and sour cream on top because you might as well treat yo self. My dining companion got a steak burrito with queso and sour cream on top. Needless to say we were both in food coma after our entrees and more drinks. I loved my Austin-​esque enchies and the re-​fried beans have more chorizo on them when is amazing. The crowd is a mix of locals and a few of the new East Village types, you know what I mean. This is a totally casual and comfy place.
After finishing our fattoush meal, we went downstairs to check out their cocktail spot Mockingbird Bar, where we sampled a few of the cocktails, all of which we liked. The bartenders were chill and fun. I definitely will be back.

The foood isss fuckinggg amazing. My all time favorite dish was the fried avocado. You will be amazed. the spot is a very chill laidback environment. I really liked the atmosphere and the service. My waiter had alot of knowlege on the food and helped me select the best choices. The tacos taste way better then it looks and don’t get me started on the wings that come with 3 dipping sauces … Sooo delicious… But most of all the manager adriel really made this experience so much more exciting.
Its affordable
Has a lounge downstairs as well
And a great spot to have some real mexican food
Definitely going back for brunch. can’t wait!

Wow! What an awesome experience we had here last night. The atmosphere is great, with string lighting, flat screens at the bar, and cool blue lighting throughout. The bar also had a great atmosphere and was super crowded, as was the restaurant as a whole.
We were served immediately with complimentary chips, which were delicious and hot. Salsa bowl was tiny, but hey its free! I ordered the house margarita on the rocks (they also have frozen) which was surprisingly strong and wasn’t sugary or sweet, which is how it should be.
Now on to the food! We ordered a side of yellow Queso which was phenomenal. Everything you want in a good Queso. I ordered the enchilada plate, one cheese and one sour cream chicken. The cheese enchilada stole the show here, as it was so flavorful and creamy. Sour cream chicken was delicious as well, but would have liked a little more sauce on it. The rice and beans that the enchiladas come with were also very delicious.
Overall, great food and great service! We will be back!

Food is good, prices reasonable, staff is very pleasant and very hospitable. A few pleasantly unusual menu items. Menu leans towards comfort food.
Space is good and comfortable.
Some clueless-​ness typical of brand-​new places, which hopefully can get worked out. (Staff couldn’t tell me what the event set-​up is for super bowl, on the Saturday before.)

The food is great, with big portions to boot — a perfect base for the boOozy frozen margaritas. I usually find these disgusting, but they’re awesome here! Chips + queso also super on point. Even if you aren’t starving, the upstairs bar is a lively place to enjoy this trifecta.
As the night wore on, we moved it downstairs to Mockingbird. Different vibe — more cozy/​quiet if that’s your preference.
Many reasons to come back!

I’m surprised by the high reviews I see here. This place had TERRIBLE service — no one quite seemed to know whether we were their table or not — and the food and margaritas were not good enough to justify this.
I try to give new places a pass as they get themselves together, but I am not feeling so generous today. I won’t be going back.

Fantastic bar with great service. I’m a Texan and Texas Aggie (Gig em) who was in town for a weekend. The food was very good (best quesadilla I’ve had in a while, even living in Tex-​Mex central), the staff was very friendly even on a very busy night, and it’s a nice bonus that they have old familiar Shiner Bock on tap. Highly recommend, and will be coming back.

Wonderful new place in the Lower East Side. I loved their quesadillas and the drinks were strong and affordable. Plus they got a club called Mockingbird downstairs that I’ll check out some weekend.

I definitely was expecting a lot more from this place. My friend (Texas-​native) saw an article and decided that she wanted to go here for her birthday dinner.
1) The water tasted disgusting that we had to order drinks. I ordered a Margarita, which tasted like nothing. Therefore, I ordered a soda as well.
2) They have dry erase menus where you select what each person would like to order.
I got:
–Fried Stuffed Avocado with Shredded Chicken Plated Up (refried beans and rice)
–Breakfast Taco with Chorizo and Potato
–Fried Chik Taco
My favorite was the Breakfast Taco. What’s not to love about BREAKFAST? I had it as part of dinner so that was an automatic +. The Taco had a little kick to it towards the end.
The other two items were sub par. They didn’t really WOW me.
My other friend got Sopapillas for a shared dessert. It was a sweet way to top off all the food we had eaten.
My friend (Texas-​native) also claims that this was not authentic Tex-​Mex.
3) Service was slow. However, their music selection was enjoyable.

Great bar in the village, good food and vibe, and the mockingbird downstairs is a great place to take the party after food. great atmosphere and fun, check it out.

Great food, fun environment, definitely the place to be at on Avenue B!

My rating is based solely on the food and not in service. This place is new and hopefully they will get more organized. We got the wrong food, it was room temp — not hot, and our bill was wrong. But hey, they’re new.
Back to the food. It seemed like, the owners created the concept and left the kitchen with the menu items, and nothing but salt for flavor. I’m a native Texan and this is not tex mex. The food was not tasty, not flavorful. The only «tex mex» thing about this is the price point.
If you go, get the curly fries. And bluebell ice cream whenever they get it, because you can’t f* that up.

As a native Texan, I was resigned to the fact that we would never have ACTUAL texmex in NYC unless I was the one making it myself. This place is 100% legit. Homemade tortillas, perfect chips, and the smoked chicken stuffed fried avocados are even better than Trudy’s in Austin (and that’s saying something). Incredibly reasonable prices, friendly staff… this is my only go-​to for a taste of home. My only suggestion would be for the chef to use actual ground breakfast sausage in the queso vs chopped breakfast links. The frozen margaritas are great, but ask the bartender to throw a little amaretto in first to really taste like a true Tex mex margarita if that is what you’re looking for.

After many attempts at Tex Mex in NYC, Avenida finally hit the spot! I try not to start a sentence with «I’M FROM TEXAS…» (as the group that entered before me announced in a slightly official, slightly threatening-​sounding way), but my childhood was spent in Austin, San Antonio, and DFW. So when I order from a Tex Mex restaurant, the plate better come out with rice, beans, and so much melted cheese, I have no idea what’s underneath it. But usually it’s enchiladas. I had the plate with 3 of them including chicken with poblano cream, a very traditional cheese with cheese sauce on top, and ground beef with chili gravy you can’t find unless you’re down south! Spectacular. I’m more of a white queso guy even though yellow queso is more Texas, but the yellow was solid. House margaritas were not the sugary sour mix kind you normally find in Mexican restaurants, and very strong. My girl ordered a second round of hard shell tacos, which I helped with.
You can tell they just opened because there were some items on the menu they didn’t have, so I’m going to wait until they have brunch and come back for chilaquiles. Good job, Avenida!

I’m feeling pangs of homesickness for Texas for the first time since I left Houston nearly 9 months ago, because besides the people, good Tex-​Mex is the only thing I’ve really missed, and I just hadn’t found any here. Tacos and burritos, sure, but queso, homemade flour tortillas, cheese enchiladas, and a good margarita that didn’t cost an arm and a leg were proving elusive. Avenida Cantina was the first spark of hope that I might find some, and it hit close enough to home that I got a bit teary at the end.
Right off I’ll tell you that my experience was overall really promising, but that the service was a complete disaster, but they’ve been open only two weeks and are aware of the problems, so I’m confident that in an few more weeks there will have been a lot of improvement.
On to the food, though, which is the most important bit for me. All of this we shared with the restaurant staff who were eager for input and really trying to get it right. Some of it is just experimentation and some of it is training the kitchen staff.
Margarita: solid. I take mine on the rocks, no salt, and it was a good balance and made properly (ie not with sweet and sour mix).
Chips and salsa: FINALLY, PROPER CHIPS! Everyone serves these really thick, stodgy chips here and Avenida Cantina has got the properly thin, super crispy ones, kept warm in a chip warmer, as god intended. Salsa is fresh but could use some kick. (Personally I prefer a cooked restaurant-​style salsa, but that’s also due to the fact that I react kinda badly to raw tomato) Also nice that they’re free, as is traditional.
Queso: good, not perfect, but not Velveeta ‘n’ Rotel. Definitely an improvement on the status quo, but room to grow. Jalapenos I got on the side were nice and spicy.
Flour tortillas: handmade, which is great, really nice texture, but needs to be a bit more lardy. On the right track.
Cheese enchiladas: Oh, happy day! The flavor on these was spot on – my only nitpick was I wanted LOTS more chile gravy. Chile gravy is king.
Beans: the refried beans were pretty perfect, actually, which was a really pleasant surprise.
Rice: kinda meh, but honestly, even in TX it’s hard to find a place that does a great spanish rice.
In total, service issues aside, I’m really excited by what I see here. No fajitas on the menu for these first two weeks, but they’re coming, and I’ll be excited to try them. I also appreciate that the menu is really affordable. I think they need a few more weeks to get their bearings, work out the service, and start refining the food, and I’ll be eager to give them those last two stars.

As a Texan native, this place is by no means authentic Tex-​mex flavor wise. The only thing Tex-​mex about this place is that the food is cheap. They are still new and getting their functional aspects refined, but I doubt they’re flavors will improve much. Great if you’re ok with quick, cheap, bar eats. However, not authentic Tex-​mex.
A big plus is that they will eventually have bluebell icecream. They don’t have it in yet!
Lastly, Texan, southern hospitality is absent.

Choose Your Own Adventure… I stumbled upon Avenida and Mockingbird a few weeks ago before the upstairs restaurant (Avenida) was open. Downstairs (the Mockingbird, which I learned was the Texas state bird and not a play on Tequila Mockingbird, as in To Kill a Mockingbird… get it?) has a dark lounge-​y vibe, a cool skeleton mural on the wall, and good mixology drinks. I’m a sucker for anything in a champagne coupe and they serve a spicy basil margarita in such a glass. It is pretty great. Upstairs, Avenida has been serving food for about a week or so and I’ve stopped in twice. tonight was the first night with the full (and extensive) menu and the place was packed. The refried beans have chorizo in them and should be their own entrée. And if you like wings, they have these insane smoked chicken wings with something called white BBQ sauce. They don’t even need sauce, but try the white BBQ sauce and thank me later.
Pros: great fresh lime juice margaritas and frozen margaritas upstairs. So far all the food has been epic. Inexpensive too.
Cons: who knew TexMex would be so popular. Get there early to get a seat at the bar.

I had a great experience at this new restaurant! As someone who lives in the area i have been searching for a cheap delicious late night eat. Drinks/​food/​service has always been GREAT! I’ve been 4+ times since opening and i realize that all new businesses have kinks but admire how they have handled all of theirs with a smile and a helping hand. I’m sure they will continue to grow into a neighborhood go to. will continue to return!!! queso! yum!!!
also they have frozen margaritas… dangerous ;)

Unfortunately I was really hoping for the dinner experience to be better as I had come here previously for drinks and appetizers but this was among the least organized and horrible experiences I have had in the city (newish restaurant or not).
1) appetizers never came out
2) 1^st batch of food came out after 40 minutes and were cold — also the wrong order!
3) bring me my burrito 20 minutes later, no rice or cheese, how do you forget the fillings! Waitress is extremely nice and says the fixed order will be right out…
4) 1:30 into my dinning experience no food still so I just ask for the check for my friends food
5) 15 minutes later — still no check to be found :(
End result = the manager was nice enough to comp the burrito I never received…
Honestly feel horrible about giving a bad review bc waitress was so nice but didn’t get dinner and certainly don’t think the manager had control of the restaurant or customer service :(

Where’s the filling?
I was really excited to go this Tex mex bar restaurant as I have heard good things since it opened.
When you walk in there is bar on your right that can hold a decent size crowd. We were able to pick a two person table and it was really quaint. A very nice waitress greeted us and brought us chips and salsa which was very good since the make their own chips.
We ordered the enchiladas, fried stuffed avocados with chicken, and burrito topped with queso dip.
From here it started going downhill especially as it started getting more packed. It took about 45mins to get the food and the service was non-​existent.
When the food got to the table they brought everything together. I thought we would get the appetizer first.
I ate the enchiladas which were very good and the fried stuffed chicken avocado was really tasty and unlike anything I have had before. If I do go back I would get this again. The burrito was cold and missing rice and beans and they put the queso in a bowl on the side instead of on top which it says on the menu. How do you not put rice and beans in the burrito what a joke.
At this point we asked the waitress for a new burrito because we did not get what we ordered. I would expect this ticket to go to the front of the que but she did not put it in probably because there was a lot going on and didn’t really have much help.
They brought my friend a shot to try and make it up but it was really a mess up all around and then the manager in the end started arguing with me very loudly and he did take the burrito of the check which was nice but we left with my friend having eaten no dinner.
In short:
— terrible service
— decent food if they actually make it correctly
— if this place fixes it’s service problems I may be back but I’ll let other Unilocalers check this place out and review it first
— wish this place the best of luck and hope they fix their problems

Great spin on a burger, Chorizo Burger with fries for like $ 12.
Free chips and they keep them coming.
The cheese sauce, queso, was also tasty.
Lots of people and music was loud.
They have a bar downstairs with some special tequila cocktails we will have to comeback to try.

Loved the place ! Food and atmosphere is great ! Cool and chilled bar downstairs ! Place to go out with your friends and have a good time ! Highly recommended!

Just checked out the early opening for this great new spot in Alphabet City — Avenida — on 3^rd Street & Avenue B. Avenida has fantastic food, tasty drinks, great music, and down to earth fun.
Avenida has an Austin, Texas, down to earth, food truck, kind of feel upstairs where you can get beer, mixed drinks, and all kinds of Tex Mex dishes. There are picnic tables in an open space behind the (full) bar area which, consistent with the theme of Avenida, has delicious and unique margaritas and other Mexican themed beers and drinks. Try their Jalapeño Margarita. It’s delicious!
If that was all there was to Avenida it would be a fantastic spot, but the upstairs is just beginning. There is also a downstairs room where there is another bar, smaller tables with seating, and a good selection of music playing. Eventually there will be live music at Avenida and the owners have connections with music industry greats, so eventually expect a diverse selection fantastic acts at Avenida, but for now (as they are just opening and getting off the ground), enjoy the down to earth folks, the tasty margaritas, and delicious Tex Mex cuisine, that is one of the few cuisines that is so hard to find made properly in New York City. Enjoy!