A Little Slice of Mexico at Cafe El Presidente

By: Finance Foodie

Cafe El Presidente, the newest offspring from the owners of super chill and hip Nolita taco shop Tacombi, recently opened this year in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. Being a fan of Tacombi, I had to stop by last weekend for lunch and check this new kid on the block out.

Exterior

When walking into Cafe El Presidente's spacious loft-like space, I felt like I was transported into a mini market in the heart of Mexico - complete with fresh squeezed juice to my right and tortilla stand on my left (the in-house tortilla factory churns out fresh corn and flour tortillas throughout the day.)

Pina Y Ginger and Naranja

The eclectic fresh squeezed juices ($5) looked too good to pass up so I ordered both the Pina Y Ginger, a pineapple ginger mint medley and the Naranja, a papaya, carrot, orange and pineapple concoction to quench my thirst. Both juices were delicious and nutritious - what a great start to the meal!

Chips and Guacamole

Now that I drank my daily dose of vitamins, it was time to splurge! For my first appetizer, I had the classic chips and guacamole ($11.50). The chips were a bit hard and could have used a sprinkling of salt, but the guac was refreshing and portion size was enough for four people (although I cleaned up more than half it all myself LOL!).

Coctel De Camaron

I then tried an item off El Presidente's new fall menu - the Coctel De Camaron ($15), a whimsical play on the traditional shrimp cocktail. The amount of shrimp was pretty skimpy for the price, but each bite was fantastic (as they say - great things come in small packages). The house made sauce was a real standout and much more flavorful than the standard old cocktail sauce.

Taco al Pastor

Cafe El Presidente's strongest suit by far is its variety of tacos. Their most famous item - the Tacos al Pastor ($2) was divine. The spit-roasted heritage pork was incredibly tender and the pineapple provided a sweet kick - no wonder this is a "Presidente favorite." I also had the Calamar De Campeche ($4)- a very spicy squid taco marinated in mojo de ajo as well as the Sonoran Shrimp ($4.50) - both were creative in taste and fresh fresh fresh! Just a note - the tacos are small, so I would suggest ordering four or five for a full meal.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience here - although there are less pricey taco joints in the city, Cafe El Presidente's food is authentic and of great quality (all the fish and meats are hormone and antibiotic free). I look forward to sampling more of their tacos and juices and will stop by again for sure when I am in the area again!

Cafe El Presidente
30 W 24th Street
New York, NY 10010
(212) 242-3491
cafeelpresidente.com
Cuisine: Mexican