When you love Mexican cuisine and BBQ, there is one thing you cannot resist: a fusion between the two aka Mexican BBQ, and Mexicue does it perfectly. Jodi went on a Tuesday with her friend Alison while I was with my friend Benny at Boqueria. When she came back home, she was really excited about her dishes although she stopped short when I asked her what they had for dessert: they do not have any dessert! I am always surprised when restaurants do not have anything: a Mexican restaurant would have churros or flan, while a BBQ place would have a peach cobbler or a pecan pie maybe. But nothing? I admit that there had been few instances when this was a deal breaker.

So, the next day, we were looking for a restaurant for dinner the coming Friday and, as I mentioned that we probably cannot do Mexican because Jodi already went to one and probably wanted a different cuisine, she insisted to go back there: I did not need to be convinced as I love that place and I am always ready for a good meal, but, instead of going to their location in Times Square that did not have any reservation possible, we ended up in Chelsea.

As we arrived, we had the choice between the sitting outside or inside or I should say, between heat and air conditioning. We picked the latter, that unfortunately was quite noisy between the music and one particular table that probably thought they were the only one in the restaurant (sigh). I proceeded to order a cocktail, quite surprised that they offered some with bourbon, like the mojito aka bootleg I had that was refreshing, or even some margaritas.

Mojito made with bourbon at Mexicue in Chelsea, NYC

Of course, they do have guacamole and the charred jalapeño is intriguing, not knowing if it would put your mouth on fire, Jodi avoiding them as they were sitting on top of the avocado puree, while I took a mouthful, not screaming at all in pain after that, the jalapeño not being spicy. Overall good and well seasoned.

I love the fact that you can order one taco as, often, you just pick one flavor and get two or three of the same. There, you can mix as I did with the burnt ends brisket, the Nashville hot chicken and the lobster (in order of preference). I eventually chose to have the brisket one grilled.

Lobster and Nashville hot chicken tacos at Mexicue in Chelsea, NYC

This was superb: the brisket was nicely charred, smothered in salsa verde and crema, with cotija cheese and spiced corn nuts. Delightfully greasy, the meat was tender, melting in my mouth and the shell had a nice crispy bite.

Burnt ends brisket taco at Mexicue in Chelsea, NYC

The Nashville hot chicken was also something: sitting on slaw with corn salsa, creamy Chipotle and pickled peppers, the chicken was deep fried, perfectly cooked and moist, crispy on the outside. I was expecting something spicy, but it was not really.

Nashville hot chicken taco at Mexicue in Chelsea, NYC

Then the lobster one: made with chipotle butter, creamy chipotle and scallions, it was definitely an elevated version of s shrimp taco and a nod to a lobster roll where the bread is replaced by a tortilla. Good, with a nice amount of lobster, I ditched few scallions as there was too much for my taste.

Then of course, are the vegetarian dishes I mentioned before that Jodi loved. There is first the avocado taco that is made with black bean spread, corn salsa, salsa verde, creamy chipotle and cilantro. Very tasty, I admit that I thought it would be fried, but it was not the case. Still, the texture was fine and it was not mushy.

The second one was the most surpassing: it was a charred broccoli taco composed of corn salsa, sesame seed salsa, cashew vinaigrette and scallions. Broccoli is not the most appealing vegetable for lots of people, but they managed to make it more interesting by adding the “charred” word in the name. And it was indeed interesting: it was earthy and homey with a nice crunch from the broccoli that was nicely…charred.

So, as I mentioned before, they have no dessert that is always a disappointment for me as I like to finish on a sweet note, but, fortunately, there is Empire Bakery close by, so we made sure we had some cookies…

Enjoy (I did)!

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Mexicue - 160 8th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Tacos at Mexicue in Chelsea, NYC

I Just Want To Eat!