El Centro

El Centro

Owner

El Centro has a good variety on its menu, from tacos to seafood dishes, rooted in its Mexican/Latin concept. Despite the city's steady increase in mexican restaurants, El Centro is worth a visit for their outstanding cuisine and tempting margaritas. Popular dishes amongst customers include the posole and any version of chilaquiles with meat. The menu describes chilaquiles ($11 to $14) as a casserole, which is as good an English word as any for this dish centered around day-old tortilla chips that are cooked to an appetizingly tough-and-tender texture in a sauce like El Centro's salsa roja or the mole, and topped with avocado, cheese and more. As for those margaritas, El Centro has classic and frozen at the ready, as well as a few other notable drinks on Manhattan's Mexican drink menus: sangritas, micheladas and the like.

Erin Behan

Citysearch

The Scene
An explosion of color brightens this corner restaurant to near sunglasses-at-night proportions. With the multicolored checkered floor, wall of reflective Mexican tchotchkes, and Jumex-inspired lighting, there's no lack of folksy whimsy. To get in on the sunny disposition, follow the crowd of neighborhood office workers and gay men: Order up an extra-strong margarita and bask in the glow.

The Food
The fresh, uncomplicated fare does justice to its street-food roots. A starter of grilled corn on the cob, lightly covered with cheese and mayo, leads naturally into smaller plates of tacos, empanadas, tostadas, tamales or quesadillas. Hearty steak enchiladas go beyond Tex-Mex with the complex mole; for something different, try the pork chilaquiles, a hefty bowl of thick tortilla strips, roasted pork, and that spicy mole that's cooled by rich crema fresca. Extras include a gratis table-top salsa that's creamier than most and smooth, just-spicy guacamole that complements dishes like the crisped shrimp-stuffed flautas.