Avenida Cantina
“Plus they got a club called Mockingbird downstairs that I'll check out some weekend.”
“Do yourself a favor and order either the White or Yellow Queso as an appetizer and pour some of that onto your tacos.”
“I went with the frito pie enchiladas with white queso, jalapenos and sour cream on top because you might as well treat yo self.”
Avenida Cantina
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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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.
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.
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 decor 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 Yelp 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!
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 Yelpers check this place out and review it first
– wish this place the best of luck and hope they fix their problems
Cute bar inside. The margaritas were okay, and the tacos were not very good. It was a pretty meh experience. Do not expect to be back.
I came here on Friday for happy hour and I was able to snag a $5 frozen margarita and $5 wings. The wings were AMAZING and margarita was not watered down. There were also $5 items on the menu such as tacos, guacamole and more. People here were friendly and we got everything we could ask for. I also checked out the rest of their menu and other happy hour offers and they all look enticing. I would definitely return for more.
Avenida Cantina is a restaurant that you want to like (especially if you're from the Southwest), but it keeps failing you. The first time I went here, it was incredibly busy and the wait was super long. My friends and I took that to mean that the food must be great. However, that was not the case. In true Tex-Mex style, I did love that they offer you as much complimentary chips and salsa as you'd like (because it's actually illegal to pay for chips and salsa in Texas). The staff were also always incredibly helpful and accommodating every time I've been.
It really all comes down to the food. I have queso in my blood, so I was excited to order it here. We tried both the white and yellow and were disappointed in both. Queso should not be simply just melted cheese. It should have onions, peppers, cilantro, and spices in it. The queso here was lacking all of that. The margaritas, although strong, have an odd consistency to them that doesn't make it as easy to drink. The actual food as well, was lacking in flavor, and I could tell the tortillas were from a package.
Overall, the prices here are really cheap for NYC and they have great daily specials. However, the food is mediocre. I guess you get what you pay here.
This was a great spot for Cinco de Mayo! We did the prefixe dinner which included guac, queso, an entree 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!