La Loteria

Went to La Loteria this past Sunday night with a friend.
While I waited for my friend to arrive, I sat at the bar and had a sangria — strong! And delicious.
Everyone was super nice, service was wonderful, food was great.
We ordered:
— Tostaditas de Atun (Mexican style chili-​rubbed pan seared tuna, sesame oil, guacamole, chipotle aoili, mango salsa, corn tostadas) — I could eat these forever. I wanted more. I dont even see them on the regular menu!
— Ceviche — I didn’t try any, but my friend said it was delicious
— Pork belly tacos — *drool*
— Fish tacos — I’m not a fan of battered fish tacos (I like grilled), but they were decent
— Flan — yum!
— Churros — a little too sweet for me
I would come here again, for sure.

I went here on Jan 31 2016 on a Sunday afternoon and although the restaurant was virtually empty the bar area was full and I managed to get a little table by the door. The service is excellent and all wait staff were very helpful and explained in detailed when asked about a particular item on the menu. I had the Guacamole with the crackling chicken. It comes with a big bowl and 6 soft flour taco’s and a large helping of chips if you prefer use instead or the tacos. I had a few drinks as well and overall the place was excellent.

Went here to try the Restaurant week menu out. It was packed! We got a drink at the bar while we waited for our table. The tamarind margarita which is one of their signature drinks, was amazing. Made the wait totally worth it! The place has a really nice vibe. As we sat down we ordered from the pre fixed menu (which had a lot of options!) and the food was served to us promptly. For starters we got the Mexican style corn– which was so flavourful and juicy, along with the baked cheese with chorizo. Everything was seasoned perfectly and tasted great. Loved the extra stringy cheese! For the main course i got the enchiladas with pork which tasted great but I couldn’t really enjoy them cause I was so full already :) for dessert we each got the three desserts on the fixed menu. The caramel filled churros (that s right, CARAMEL FILLED churros! I never knew such a thing existed… and so glad that it does), the flan and the tres leches. I am not exaggerating when I say that each of these were prepared flawlessly and tasted amazing. My night was made, start to finish!

There’s no way a Mexican restaurant can receive a poor receive when its menu includes a lobster quesadilla. Instead of featuring a slew of traditional Mexican cusine (nachos, burritos, etc.), La Loteria has an eclectic twist on your favorites: fish tacos, squash and truffle empanadas and home fries, for example. The drinks are equally fun — though I would recommend the blackberry margarita over the skinny iteration any day. La Loteria is small and has a trendy décor; however, the acoustics of the space are not great: the restaurant was relatively empty when I went and I found myself having a difficult time hearing my friend at the beginning of our meal. Regardless, will definitely come back again.

A veces sin querer, encuentras un tesoro, este es el caso. El lugar es pequeño aunque muy bien ubicado, los platillos son una selecta variedad de diferentes regiones de Mexico, muy buena preparación y decorado moderno. No se lo pierdan, la barbacoa de arrachera me encantó y me dicen que las flautas de pato también están muy buenas. Provecho.

Food and drinks were super delish. We got the guac to start and split a pitcher of the classic margaritas. I got a sweet potato or squash vegetarian taco which was also amazing.

Being a Mexican myself, I really appreciate when a mexican restaurant has good and authentic mexican food. This is one of them. This is one of those places I go to when I want to eat food similar to the one I eat in Mexico.
It is not to-​die-​for but it’s definitely worth the try.

Sometimes you don’t need to change a good thing. At least not the way you’re supposed to. Inside the décor doesn’t resemble anything Mexico other than some framed pictures. The Edison lightbulbs are very New York. And the top 40 music was an odd additional
The guac was great but a small portion considering $ 20 for guac and salsa.
We ordered the enchiladas, the meat outside was strange but more than that wasn’t fused like you would expect.
The Scallops with sweet potato corn and mushroom was incredible and perfectly balanced and cooked
The fish tacos were also delicious. We were satisfied but not blown away.

Ok.
I was not crazy impressed here — but i think it was partially biased due to our seating location. We were in this cramped little table and wait staff had to push beside and behind us in all directions, which really upset the atmosphere.
The drinks and guac were really good — the steak and scallop tacos were more on the ‘alright’ side of things.
The staff was super nice and really great.

A great spot for upscale Mexican. My friend made a dinner reservation for our large group, and they were able to seat us without needing the whole party to be there. I love that policy and it’s much appreciated.
The guac is above average but the waiter kept trying to take our mostly eaten bowl away. There was a «solid $ 4 worth of guac left» as my friend described, so that was a bit upsetting. Sadly we did not get any complimentary salsa for the table.
I ordered the beet salad which was a good size portion and a nice lighter balance to the heavier chips. A couple of my friends ordered the fish tacos and raved about them. They were beatifully presented, almost like mini burritos. The menu is not clear but you can order either 2 or 4 tacos. I would suggest the restaurant offer 2 or 3, as these tacos were generously sized.
Minus one star because for our large group, a 20% tip was automatically added. This was a bit steep given the guac controversy, so please consider reverting to the standard 18% tip.

I came here for Sunday brunch in a group of 6 people. I was surprised to see how empty it was.
I enjoyed the food and service, but it wasn’t anything special. Service was attentive: They always kept my water glass full which is a pet peeve of mine.
We started with the guacamole which was good. For my entrée I had the fish tacos which were good, but I would have preferred if the fish was grilled instead of fried. My friends had the burritos, sunny side up egg dish, and the Mexican version of eggs benedict. The eggs benedict were overcooked, but my friends seemed to enjoy the other entrees. But they didn’t rave about them. We also had mimosas and bloody marys, both of which were enjoyed. They were pricey for only 1, but would be a good deal if you wanted to do unlimited (ex: 1 mimosa is $ 10, 1 hour unlimited is $ 15).
I don’t think I would come back because they are so many amazing brunch spots in the West Village.

One of the best, if not the best, Mexican restaurants in NYC. I’ve had a lot of Mexican food in my life and this one tops them all. Came here for a birthday so I got to try a lot of things and I can confidently declare they are great. Definitely try the scallops, they were phenomenal. Also the place itself is really nice and has a great ambiance.

A Mexican restaurant now this is flying colors as I am Mexican and I can say this was real Mexican cuisine freshly made tortillas their guacamole was really good their sauces combo was outstanding their fresh totopos as well. We had the queso fundido with chorizo amazing. We tried the ceviche this was he only disappointment too sweet we were expecting Mexican style ceviche so tons of lemon and a little spice. The tacos of carnitas and ribeye were really good! I tried their quinoa salad which was not that Mexican but really good with a touch of chipotle. The micheladas and clamato which are Mexican beer prepared drinks were ok a little diluted for our taste. We were a party of four great for groups. The service was really good. The music as Mexican as it gets really cool. The beer a lovely Mexican selection and it is located in a beautiful areas of NYC really close to NYU.

So soo sooo unimpressed with La Loteria.
The food was ok. It wasn’t a very memorable experience except for how cramped I felt in the dining area.
When we showed up, there weren’t many people there, but by the time we left, they were turning people away because they were so busy. The best food was the tacos.
The guac combo was also good but the chips were so SALTY.
I also remember it being closer to $$$ instead of $$ because we got the check and were confounded with how much it cost (for all of those wondering we did see the prices before we ordered too, it just felt SUPER expensive for what it was).

This was the most frustrated Ive been at a restaurant in a while. The stars go to the food decorations. The service deserves so many negative starts.
We came in for brunch at 2pm. There werent that many tables, but there was only one server. She was not friendly at all. It took 15 minutes to get menus. When we ordered the bottomless drinks– it took 20 minutes to get out first round. We ordered an appetizer… one hour later it was still not there. We were finally the last people in the restaurant– and we still had no food. I asked the waitress for an ETA, she gave me an annoyed look and then finally went into the kitchen. Finally our food was ready (this was over an hour after ordering).
I think she had forgotten about our food. Mine was cold entirely. I wanted to ask them to pop it into the microwave or something, but decided that it would take another hour to get it back. This server was lucky that she put an auto-​gratuity of 20% on our tab because none of us would have tipped her very well.
Overall, I think the food could have been good but I couldnt really tell bc it was frigid by the time it got to me. The service needs some lessons in hospitality.

Great service. came for happy hour… Margaritas GREAT! Food Great!.. ordered steak tacos… bartender Yuri was great. will definitely come again
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I came to this restaurant because I like the indications for gluten-​free, vegetarian items on their menu. Also, the main ingredients of the dishes are clearly listed. It makes things easier for people with food allergies or sensitivities.
I had 2 starters:
Guacamole Combo: it’s the Guacamole traditional served in a stone bowl and chips, with a trio of specialty salsas — de cacahuate enchilado (mild), salsa verde cruda (spicy), roasted chile de arbol (very spicy). The cacahuate enchilado is made with peanuts, chilies. It’s the most pleasant to eat because it’s mild. The verde cruda is made of raw tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic. The chile de arbol is made with tomatoes, arbol chilies, cilantro, onions. The guacamole is a good complement to the spicy salsas.
La Loteria Crudite: fresh cut jicama, cucumber and carrots topped with special chili powder blend, served with lime sauce and cream. The jicama is crunchy and juicy like an Asian pear. The dipping sauce is sweet and tangy. I really appreciate the jicama and the cucumber, they are cooling and refreshing after having the spicy salsas. I would need these whenever I eat something spicy.
The restaurant has large windows with a view on the 7^th Avenue. It was quiet during lunch time and the service is good.

The food was amazing! I had pork tacos and they were delicious. I usually don’t drink but had 2 passion fruit mojitos which were so good! The service and the bar were great. Overall, this spot seemed very trendy. There were a lot of young people including some models. I would definitely return for the food options and the lovely space.

Really wasn’t sure what to expect with La Loteria given the mixed reviews and how unpredictable restaurant week can be. And when I arrived for my 7:30 reservation there were quite a few tables open– never a good sign in the West Village!
But damn, La Loteria is amazing. This is trendy yet traditional Mexican at its best. Everything from the little mango gazpacho tasting (on the house) to the tuna tostaditas to the flan blew my mind. But the real star was the steak — shredded and slow cooked in banana leaves with tequila and beer. What more could a gal want? Add a few margaritas and I was very, very happy.
And everything was so fresh and *relatively* light!
Our server was super nice as well. She had a lot of tables but never seemed overwhelmed.
If the restaurant week menu is any indication of the quality of their regular dishes, La Loteria is my new favorite Mexican restaurant.

The other night I went to La Loteria for the sixth time since it opened. With so many options in the Village alone, I could easily go somewhere else, but the food so good, we wanted to go back and try almost everything.
While I have been here before, I am glad that I held off on doing a review until now because while the food has always been top-​notch, they recently finished putting the finishing touches on the restaurant and the setting is now just as good as the food. Since my last visit textured wood was added to two walls and mirrors with an antique finish were put up near the bar. Between the Mexican artwork and overall design, the finished result is a beautiful spot to enjoy some excellent food.
On our most recent visits, we enjoyed the guacamole, which is served in a traditional molcajete, which seems to be made from volcanic rock. So many places serve this Mexican favorite, but many miss the mark. Thankfully, Loteria’s version is perfect and just the right start to a meal.
Speaking of starting a meal, the cocktails are another treat here. Often, I steer clear of the cocktail list because the drinks sound so good and then usually disappoint. The Alacran, made with Tamarind infused vodka and triple sec, was definitely not a disappointment. La Dama was another great cocktail.
On to the main event… far and away my favorite entrée is the scallop dish, which is truly amazing. It is called Callo de hacha al huitlacoche negro, which is diver sea scallops served atop huitlacoche, which I learned is a Mexican delicacy, a truffle that grows on the corn. It’s velvety smooth and I think the ingredient that makes this dish so delicious. Under the scallops and the huitlacoche is a sweet potato goat cheese corn bread, which pulls everything together. So, definitely make sure you try this when you go to Loteria.
Another hit in my book is the lobster quesadilla. In addition to lobster, this dish also includes black beans and chihuahua cheese and a guava-​morita chile paste. The paste adds a bit of sweetness that’s a different touch, but it is definitely another great dish.
After all that, Loteria’s desserts are also exceptional. I got a friend who usually skips dessert to join me for the crepas and I heard no complaints. That dulce de leche was so good with a touch of salt! And there’s flan, which is another perfect ending. I liked that it was not the gelatinous type of dessert that flan can be, but actually had a firmer texture somewhere between flan from Spain and cheesecake. Two thumbs way up for Loteria’s version!
As I’ve already said, Loteria does not disappoint in the food department. I am happy to report that the same holds true on the service front. The staff is very helpful and efficient. I also enjoyed a couple of meals at the bar where the bartenders were very helpful with drink and dinner suggestions. Even when there might be a slight slip-​up, Loteria is quick to remedy the situation. Shortly after their opening, there was a very small mixup and the chef came out to apologize and gave us her card and said to let her know if we came back. I thought this was very classy. Another time it was a busy night and the food took just a little longer and the bartender came over to say he would go back and check. Such service is a mark of excellence at a restaurant and Loteria gets it right.
While the West Village has added a number of restaurants recently, I would definitely recommend a visit to Loteria. And then maybe a couple more… Enjoy!

Love this restaurant and could be our go-​to for Mexican fare.
The food is a standout and has probably one of the best micheladas in NYC!
I would say this restaurant also has the tastiest pork tacos — usually it’s quite dry and tasteless but this was very tasty! Would also recommend the guacamole, battered fish tacos as well as the churros!
Can’t wait to try other dishes when we come back.