La Villita One

Absolutely no English whatsoever. If you’re not an avid Spanish speaker, I suggest you find a friend to order for you. I am allergic to gluten, and ordered tacos with completely corn tortillas, and what I received was NOT that. I was sick for two days.

Does my mouth dare deceive me? Did I really just have Authentic and fresh Mexican food in Washington Heights? I absolutely did! This place is a real gem. Flavorful food, great prices, generous portions. Have had various dishes on various occasions and they’ve all been delicious. BTW, I always order out, not too crazy about the ambient of the restaurant. They make a kick-​butt quesadilla, the best I’ve had, non-​greasy and that great freshness taste you recognize once the taste buds get a dose.

Ear had crunch, but was tender enough to be a taco filling. The tendony texture didn’t linger too long after rest of taco was done. Lengua was way too chewy, over cooked and dried out. It was a little better in a burrito, but still really badly overcooked. Al Pastor was very nice, a lot of pineapple. Horchata was spicier than most, but still real good. Decent Dominican/​Mexican food.

Gone!
I got so excited after reading these reviews that I went, and now it’s a completely different restaurant. So so Dominican food in a really loud atmosphere.

Authentic Mexican food on the aisle of Manhattan? Yes, it does exist. Yes, it’s well worth your time and effort getting here. And, no, it’s not «one of those dark, cramped, creepy places» (which I actually love).
There is air conditioning, two large clean bathrooms, enough people in the kitchen to keep food coming out quickly, enough customers to keep the food coming out fresh, the waitresses are extremely friendly, the music isn’t loud, their delivery is free and really fast, they sell $ 4 shots of Tequila (similar brands that would cost you $ 10 elsewhere) all day every day, and perhaps best of all, they’re open until 4am!
Oh, and then there’s the food. They serve the best Chorizo I’ve had in a long time. You know how you always compare everything you eat to the first time you had it, your grandmother’s legendary casserole, your uncle’s famous lasagna, food really has an emotional even nostalgic connection for most people. For me, when my friend and I ordered delivery to her apartment, after I took the first bite of my Chorizo Burrito («with everything, spicy») I couldn’t help but repeating «That’s what Chorizo is supposed to taste like! I haven’t had it like that in forever!»
Also, about a week later, the Fried Quesadilla (which my friend ordered with Chorizo, based upon my highest recommendation) had him exclaiming «That’s the best I’ve ever had in my whole life!»
About a week ago, I had the Cesina Huaraches, which for lack of a better word, was orgasmic. Absolutely orgasmic, as a matter of fact. Great googly moogly, these people really know what they’re doing when it comes to corn. Imagine a sort of Mexican version of Naan or even a Pita, ever so moist and tender and succulent, with a generous smear of flavorful black-​beans inside, topped with some fantastic Salsa Verde and some gorgeous Salted Beef, plus lettuce and crema («sour cream»).
And just last night I tried to Choriqueso, which is like crack only more addictive. A big plate covered in cheese (sort of like a Mexican version of Mozzarella) and Chorizo, served with four triple-​thick tortillas. I can’t believe I ate the whole thing pretty much by myself. This dish would make for an incredibly satisfying appetizer for four people, perhaps with a side of Guacamole, which here is less of a salad (thankfully) and more of a spread intended for fanatics of Avocado and Cilantro. That’s basically all it is, Avocado and Cilantro. Amazing stuff.
This place isn’t exactly in my neighborhood, but for the enormous amounts of satisfaction I’ve experienced here on numerous occasions, it’s definitely worth braving the heat, cold, crowded subways, congested streets, hills, etc.

If I just considered the location, this would be 5 stars easily. Their Mole is 5 stars regardless. Their meat is quality.
The place was loud and had music cranked the first time I went, but it was still softer than the only other mexican place I like. The service is slow, but nice, and the portions are large enough to justify the price (which is average). The next time we went all was quiet and it was great. Pretty much everything we have had ranges from great to awesome. The Mole and Salsa are the highlights. Did I mention the Mole?

I’m disappointed that I’m only now finding this place after living in the heights for over a year! Especially since the menu says they’re open til 4: AM!
The restaurant’s exterior would make you think that it’s just another dump, but it’s actually pretty clean and there’s a decent sized seating area in the back. Very unassuming outside appearance.
As far as authenticity goes, it’s probably the most authentic Mexican food you can get in this mostly Dominican neighborhood.

If it was Mexican food period the score would be lower but for Washington heights this is as good as it gets. Better than las palmas and the Chexican places.

Came to La Villita strictly based on the previous Unilocal reviewers’ love –making sessions with their burritos.
I ordered a chorizo burrito and my taste buds exploded. It also came with a side of rice and beans which were also very well-​made.
I’m also a big fan of the chips and salsa you get before your meal — I would totally buy a jar of that sauce if I could.
They also have a varied amount of Jarrito drinks, tamarind being our group’s favorite.
Only con is that the music might be a little too loud in the restaurant, so if it bugs you, feel free to ask them to turn it down.

As a Mexican American girl from Southern California, I am ALWAYS trying to find authentic Mexican food. My sister Unilocaled some places in Washington Heights and due to all the rave reviews we decided to come here when yet another Mexi American came to visit us. My sister and buddy old pal were not only unimpressed but had no desire to eat their food after the first couple of bites. But they aren’t writing this review, I am.
I ordered something very safe, a chicken burrito. It’s not really possibly to make a bad chicken burrito is it? The burrito had chicken, cheese, cilantro, and lettuce. You got A LOT of chicken and it was pretty damn cute on the plate, it looked like a little ball. The chicken itself was nicely seasoned but very dry. It came with a side of black beans and rice. The black beans and rice were delicious. They were the perfect Mexican rice and beans. I was a happy little camper with my meal.
The service was not so great. We ordered in Spanish, spoke Spanish to her, we were really nice. Our server was kind of saucy towards us and we felt a bit ignored.
Either way I didn’t hate the place but it definitely wasn’t a four star experience for me and I won’t ever go back unless I happen to be in the area and either I have already tried everything else around or they’re all closed.

This is a real Mexican restaurant. The customers are primarily Mexican. There is a mountain of masa dough, and every time someone orders, a pat of it goes on the grill as a huarache or sope or whatever dish it is for. S0000000000 tasty. You will never eat supermarket tortillas again. You will be judgmental and skeptical of all other Mexican restaurants downtown after this place. Sure it doesn’t compare to Mexican restaurants in Mexico or Los Angeles, but for Manhattan, it’s among the best. For spicy food lovers, I recommend the chilaquiles con salsa verde — this is home cooking good, not restaurant fancy — the only thing wrong is that it’s for three people and no one should really eat it by her or himself. For pork lovers, the gorditas, the tacos de carnitas… A real find. Hope the place doesn’t change. They deliver too if you are able to say your address and telephone number in Spanish and pronounce menu items.

BEST Mexican food in NYC!!! I’m not sure why all Mexican restaurants in New York are Tex Mex! This is real! I had to try it when I walked by and saw a lady pressing fresh tortillas. Really great food! And cheap drinks too. Its kind of hard to order if you don’t know at least a little restaurant Spanish. Its def worth it!

La Villita One: Mexican Restaurant and Bar, all I have to say is that you guys are #1! I was looking for a new hot Mexican food spot in my new neighborhood and low and behold, La Vallita One, sandwiched between a steak house and a shoe store, which took me a minute to find. My roomie Megan and I were craving a burrito, so I whipped out my trusty iphone, 1^st generation what what, and google mapped this little tortilla slingin’ hole in the wall and then we popped right in, after a few minutes of searching. We were seated right away and our order was taken just as quickly. First impressions are everything. I open the menu, «Yes!, they have burritos! cha cha cha,» so I order my favorite type of burrito, chorizo, mmmmmmm. The waitress takes Megan’s order, «Barbacoa tacos», boring but oh well I’ll give her a break… the food arrived within 5 minutes of our order, DAMN! That was fast! But the best part was the large bottle of guac sauce, hot sauce and sour cream they sat on our table to use as much of as we wanted. I was in hog heaven, guac sauce is the best and I’m always getting jipped on the stuff at the various taco carts around the city, so these guys really knew how to win my heart, through my belly :). Soooooooo we eat and enjoy, it brings a smile to my face and makes me make weird noises and funny faces because I am so elated by the food experience, Megan laughs. We finish, I had a baby inside of me that wasn’t there before, a burrito baby, so i carried him home and nurtured him like a real father should then I gave birth to him which I wont disgust you with… the point is, GET UP TO LA VILLITA ONE AND ENJOY THE BEST MEXICAN BURRITO IN TOWN!