La Palapa Cocina Mexicana

Let's just say my girlfriends and I walked out of the restaurant, halfway through our meal due to a visitor in our table AHHHHH!!!! My friend pointed out that I had a cacaroche (city search bans the true word from reviews... hmmm... conspiracy much?) crawling on me, we screamed to high heaven, and a bus boy came and put it in a napkin and ran to the kitchen. Next thing I knew I was asking for the manager, who was a broad with too much attitude.... she tried to debate with me whether it was a cacaroche or a water roche... like woman, an inch long brown roche was crawling on me... do I really need to debate semantics here??

Anyways who knows if the perp was actually a cacaroche or water roche... either way I'm never going back there!

Just as a note, when we walked out, a woman at the front who had just finished eating said "Oh you guys had a cacaroche by your table too?"

Sorry that place needs to be shut the truck down.

Pros: Short of Raid!!!! because the smell of it.

Cons: if you like "insectos" come to this place.

Posted 09/12/09

I went to La Palapa on a Thursday night and the bar was low key and inviting. Great staff! All were super upbeat and friendly. My bartender was prompt, fresh, and helpful. She was extremely informative on the bar menu, happy hour, and food menu with a ton of specials. All of which is rare at most NYC restaurants. Essentially, she made me feel comfortable, even when she was busy. Based on her great suggestions, I had the Pato con Mole Negra.....and I never have duck! So delicious! They are so many margarita flavors there! I love the ginger margarita! The waitstaff is also informative and super helpful. Happy Hour is a must at La Palapa...great service and a genuine 2 for 1 deal....it's like tapas and half price drinks...perfect for after work. I will definitely be back next week...who wants to come with me!

Go go go!!!!! Don't hesitate!

Pros: Authentic and fresh Mexican food

Cons: none

Posted 08/19/09

Bad

Pros: Love it

Cons: Great

Posted 07/27/09

Anything you order with beef in it will have so little beef you will literally have to tear apart your dish to find what you've paid for. The staff is ignorant, but prompt. Avoid at all cost.

Pros: Prompt

Cons: Garbage

Posted 06/01/09

This place was fantastic. I had a seat outside and enjoyed a quesadilla with some friends and a nice margarita. The atmosphere is great especially on a Sunny day. I would recommend this place to anyone.

Pros: Great food and drink

Cons: I can't eat more

Posted 05/25/09

I ate at La palapa last Thursday with friends. The ambiance and lighting was the first thing that struck me, very chill and romantic. The bar girl seemed rude or annoyed even though I was only one of ten or twelve people there. The margaritas were pretty good. The food was one of the best Mexican meals I have had in new York, loved the duck with mole. And to our relief service at the table Was professional.

Pros: Ambience, Food

Cons: The Bartender.

Posted 02/25/09

This place was OK. The food's a little overpriced when taking into account the quanitity and taste. the margaritas were good, especially for the "buy one get one" happy hour, but the mixed drink selection is otherwise limited... According to my friend, the bartender girl has a tendency to be pretty rude.

Posted 01/31/09

had a blast at a birthday party. la palapa had great food and great drinks. i especially liked the margarita's!!

Pros: Drinks!

Posted 12/30/08

the service was poor- we waited about 30 minutes for just about everything including the sodas and the check. the food was decent enough but being charged for salsa at a mexican restaurant seems absurd.

Posted 11/08/08

Horrible service-- they didn't take drink orders for like ten minutes. Soda was flat. Overpriced guac and chips-- you are charged extra for sour cream and salsa. Overpriced in general for the quality of the food. Would never go back here-- everything was bad. Extremely surprised it is so highly rated.

Posted 11/08/08

I LOVE this place. There white sangria is sooo good. When you order a glass it actually comes in a little pitcher which will give you about 2.5-3 glasses. The happy hour bar food is yummy and small. But it only cost about $3.00 so just order 2 at a time. The menu is creative enough for the food lover but has good standards that your mother from the suburbs would love. They use real fruit purees for their margaritas, not some nasty corn syrup like other places. They also have brunch specials at good prices. The one thing that I don't like is that you have to pay for your chips and salsa. But when you order it they bring you 3 different types of salsa and good quality chips. Every time someone from out of town comes to visit me I bring them here. And they have all loved it. The other location is just as good. The service has always been great. I have made brunch reservations for a big party here once and we had no problems. People from out of town might consider this place expensive. But for a local New Yorker with the love of food and dining out the prices will seem normal.

Pros: White Sangria, 2 locations

Cons: You have to pay for your chips and salsa.

Posted 04/23/08

I went with a group of 6 people to La Palapa last Saturday night. We waited over an hour and a half for our main courses and half the table received their meals 30 minutes before the rest of the table. When we finally received our dinners the food was cold and way over salted. The server was nice but SLOW. I have been to La Palapa during the week and it is much better. Definately avoid on Saturday nights.

Posted 02/14/08

While this was better than average Mexican food, and the service pretty decent, it was awkward to get comfortable in this awfully noisy, crowded restaurant with very little room to move.

Posted 01/05/08

I can't tell you about the food at La Palapa because my friends and I never actually got the chance to eat there.

I made a reservation for a friend's birthday at La Palapa and knowing how popular and atmospheric the restaurant is, did so well in advance. The reservations were for 6 people on a Friday night. The reservationist was polite and friendly over the phone, and noted that this reservation was for the special occasion of a birthday.

We arrived promptly a few minutes before our reservation time. Because it was Friday, and the place was clearly busy, we still expected to wait a reasonable amount of time. At around 9:20 we approached the hostess to remind her that our party was complete and to ask her how much longer it would be. She told us at least 20 more minutes (40 minutes after our original reservation). By 9:45 we were still not seated, and more annoyingly, no one had told us anything more about when that might happen. I tried to approach the hostess to get more information. I could see she was busy, so I waited patiently for a few minutes in an attempt to get her attention. I could see her avoiding eye contact with me while she buzzed around, refusing to acknowledge the fact that I was obviously waiting to speak with her. I was frustrated with their lack of planning for not honoring or reservation, but was far more frustrated with the lack of communication as to why it was taking so long, or how much longer we would be kept waiting. At about 10:00 we decided we had been ignored long enough and went to a less trendy place, Paquito's, down the street where we were seated immediately. The atmosphere was definitely not as trendy and warm as La Palapa, but the food, service and prices were far better. I still wonder how long we would have been made to stand there to have actually been seated, or even spoken to. For me, no atmosphere or cuisine can make up for that standard of service.

Pros: Very nice ambience, pricey but tastey drinks

Cons: The service is negligent and snobby. The wait is long.

Posted 12/11/07

This place should be called Guaca-palapa. Every dish that we ordered came with a side of guacamole. Sad thing is we ordered a guacamole as one of our appetizers. That shows you that they can't even come up with sides for thier dishes. We also ordered some chicken cactus empanadas that were horrible. Lamb barbacoa is an all around atrocity. Does anybody taste the food at this place? Also noticed that of entrees on the menu, 5 of them (yes five) were shrimp. Not to mention the queso fundido which was like a stone. Basically they dump the plate on the salamander and bring it out to you. They dont even notice that after 30 seconds the cheese becomes cement. Sangria was awfull. Needed alcohol and sugar and I think I tasted tropicana juice in there. Again anybody tastes anything in this place?Then there was a failled skateboarder kid really badly dressed that appeared to be the manager and was not even paying attention when we tried to signal to him that we needed help in our table. Ohh well. I used to like this place, it just went down the tubes. Feliz Navidad!!

Pros: Niece space

Cons: service, food, drinks

Posted 12/05/07

Went to my friends bachelorette party there last week. What a blast! The margaritas were strong and so fresh we had a great time. The server was also so nice and we had a champagne toast on the house which really made the evening end on a happy surprise!

Pros: champagne toast!

Cons: pretty packed on weekends

Posted 10/30/07

I grew up in Mexico so coming to this place made me feel right at home. I loved their three salsas especially the spiciest serrano one which was great with their steak entree that reminded me of the steaks you have in Mexico City. The waiter said that the ingredients are from Mexico and I believe it -- he really new the menu and I had a lot of questions. Second favorite after the steak were the salsa verde Enchiladas -- wow!

Pros: real deal

Cons: busy

Posted 10/30/07

Went for a friend's birthday (group of 12). We ordered guacamole for the table..TERRIBLE!....i've had better at the pizza place around the corner from me......and it tasted like garlic....garlic in guacamole!!??

Most of the people couldn't eat their entrees because they were either TOO GREASY or too spicy....and we like spicy food!! On a specific note, the camarones (shrimp) tacos were miniscule and extremely greasy and the tilapia tacos entree was just plain bad.

The sangria was tasty but had very little alcohol in it. Good service and good (but very loud) atmosphere though. I like to think posively of restaurant experiences but just can't do it for this place.

Pros: Service, Fun Atmosphere

Cons: THE FOOD

Posted 10/05/07

The location is great - at the heart of the East Village. The ambience looks great from outside that made me go in with a friend. The menue is extensive with a short but selective wine list. However, the service was much below our expectation from an average restaurant in the area. There was a huge disconnect between the waitor and the bus boy's communication. We wanted some extra guacamole with our remaining chips which didn't come for about 10 minutes. Then the bus boy came to serve our second course, and decided to take away our chips without replenishing the guacamole and also took away one of our napkins! It took another ten minutes to get the situation straightened out. Would recommend this place for the food and th casual/friendy ambience - but be prepared for the poor service!

Pros: Ambience, Food

Cons: Service

Posted 09/21/07

The Sangria was horrible; weak, watery, no taste and definitely no alcohol. We had to order 3 pitchers (very very small) just to yield everyone two very small glasses. I ordered three soft tacos which were totally small and came with nothing. The acoustics are horrendous so don't think you're going to be able to talk to anyone near you. Pricey too.

Pros: nothing

Cons: too dark, loud, lame lame drinks and food

Posted 08/20/07

I used to live down the block and I was very excited when I discovered such good Mexican right in my neighborhood. I usually go for dinner, but the brunch is very good as well. I would recommend anything with the chorizo, which is always the perfect amount of spicy. I?m also a big fan of the tacos, but they are very little so you have to order many of them. The good part is, that means you get to try many different varieties ? I recommend the pork.

Also, a very big perk is the margaritas. Note that all margaritas are served in pitchers so it is the perfect place to share several drinks. Also, there are many many options so you will likely find some flavors you don?t usually find elsewhere ? i.e. blueberry or bloodorange. Even better, they will make any of the fruit varieties on the rocks, so you don?t have to deal with the brain freeze associated with the blended version. They also have a really good tequila list, so if you haven?t overdone it on the ?ritas save room for a shot at the end, the tequila is so good it will be a sipping shot. La Palapa is the perfect place to satisfy your Mexican cravings at a reasonable price.

Pros: Margaritas on the rocks

Cons: service can be so-so

Posted 06/25/07

I wanted to show my girlfriend the St. Marks hood so we headed down there and walked around and picked La Palapa b/c there was a table near the outside that was open and there seemed to be a good vibe. Our margaritas were basically non-alcoholic and it took 35 minutes for them to serve us our appetizers of a quesadilla and a few soft tacos. Moreover, the tacos had no taste. The only saving grace ironically was I cut my thumb on a broken water glass so they covered the cost of our watery margaritas so the total fare didn't break the bank. Lastly, you know it was a bad dining experience and you pass an Uno's on the way home and you both agree you would have enjoyed a Chicago style pizza from there rather than an "authentic" mexican dining experience at La Palapa. Oh..and we are now enjoying a PB&J sandwich.

Posted 05/26/07

La Palapa has been my best Mexican food experience since I moved to Manhattan. The environment is chill -- dimly lit and romantic enough for dates, but also appropriate for an evening out with friends. Just make sure you make a reservation! The food is without comparison; everything tastes fresh and made-to-order. I can't even begin to make recommendations because everything is so delicious. There is only one downside to La Palapa (other than having to wait for a table if you don't have a reservation), and that's the price. Save this one for payday.

Pros: Unsurpassed food and drinks, great location, open late, good for dates or friends.

Cons: If you're counting pennies, look elsewhere.

Posted 04/20/07

I've been there a couple of times and it never seems to fail my expectations. Their appetizing nachos taste like they are fresh out the oven. The sauces that are provided with them can be a bit spicy but Im not afraid of a little spice. The food is delicious and if you don't bring a big appetite then a dish can be shared for two it's that big. Its enviroment is delightful at night, everyone seems to not have a care in the world. Another nice treat would be the Margaritas, I feel like Im back in Mexico. Prices are cheaper than Rosa Mexicano but equal in taste.

Pros: Ambience, Food, Taste

Cons: Parking, Not for large groups(w/out reservations)

Posted 04/04/07

If you are looking for great traditional Mexican food, look no further. I absolutely love this place! The food was delicious, the service can't get any better and the place is lovely. Our waitress was so sweet and attentive, and she was right about every suggestion. We had a beautiful, romantic evening and couldn't stop commenting on the food. The leg of lamb was extraordinary, the quesadillas and tacos were right on point and dessert was delicious. We dine out a lot, and Mexican is one of our favorite foods, and we both agreed that this place is now at the top of our list.

Posted 02/14/07

I went for happy hour last week and the atmosphere was really great for after work. The frozen margaritas are very fresh and delicious. There are tons of great fruit flavors. I tried the pomogranate and the orange. The appetizers are cheap and small enough to try several. And you HAVE to get the chocolate dessert- "The Queen" I believe it's called.

Pros: cheap & margaritas

Cons: happy hour only until 7pm

Posted 01/14/07

I have only been here during their happy hour, but I LOVE this place!! The staff is so friendly! You can't beat the margaritas and tapas menu. I also suggest the spicy salsa - it has a vinagarette flavor with kick - delicious! The atmosphere, food, and service have always been great. I would definitely recommend this place.

Pros: service, food

Cons: happy hour is only from 5-7

Posted 08/12/06

This is way above your aveage burrito place but isn't insanely expensive. It has creative Mexican food without seeming totally divorced from standard Mexican cuisine. We were seated promptly, the decor and atmosphere were appropriate without being forced , and our server really was great- friendly and helpful in a real way. Plus, they have a million flavors of genuinely fresh margaritas (real fruit pieces!). Also, they're open late-ish. Portions aren't huge but by no means shabby.

Posted 04/15/06

I've been to La Palapa a couple and each time I have mixed feelings about my dining experience. I suggest going during the week day at a time when it's less crowded. We went on a Saturday night and it was very packed, so I understood mind the 30 minute wait. We had excellent food (love the spicy yellow & blue corn chips) and okay service. We figured next time we'll make reservations and head over at an earlier time another weekend. Well, we did just that and still waited for 20 minutes with reservations (!!!) and you can see lots of empty(party of two) tables around. Very odd. I HIGHLY recommend the frozen strawberry margaritas!!! Muy excellente!

Pros: margaritas, elegant decor, very romantic

Cons: long wait, a bit overpriced

Posted 02/02/06

A friend and I walked into La Palapa off the street. The ambience and smell of food enticed in the doors. However, the experience quickly went downhill. First, our silverware was dirty, and our waiter scoffed at replacing it. Second, our table was wobbly. Our server, after two askings, fixed the table temporarily and finally gave us a menu after ten minutes. However, the table quickly wobbled again and spilled coffee all over us. We asked to be moved, which subsided the problems for a little while. Finally, the largest, inexcusable mistake occured with the check. We asked one server for change, and she gave our check with a credit card to our waiter. Who then brought us another check and forgot to give the credit back. In the end, we had to confront him about the missing credit card....all in all....a disaster!

Pros: decent mexican

Cons: service, ambience

Posted 11/12/05

I LOVE THIS PLACE!! I have been here several times, and enjoyed every vegetarian-friendly item on the menu. The waitstaff is prompt and courteous, the food is phenomenal, and the prices are reasonable. Try my personal favorite dessert, the tres leches cake.

Pros: Food, Service, Ambiance

Cons: NONE, NONE, NONE

Posted 09/07/05

This is a great place to take out-of-towners. Perfect margaritas made with real lime juice, not a pre-mix concoction of sweet and sour mix. I'm surprised that one reviewer would actually complain about a soft taco costing $4.95. Um, you are at a restaurant. Not Taco Bell. And, is that really breaking the bank? I don't think so. Service has always been pleasant and helpful. We always sit as soon as our entire party gets there.

Pros: Margaritas, Food, Cacti

Cons: n/a

Posted 07/29/05

I went w/a Mexicana from Chicago. It didn't start off on a good note because there was no complimentary chips and salsa - a bad sign! And I ain't payin' $5 for that, ya dig? We had a decent appetizer, but I spent $20 on this combo plate that just didn't move me. My date had a soft taco, which cost $4.95(!) If that was not bad enough, a side of sour cream was $2! In total, bill with drinks and dessert was $69. I've never felt so ripped off in my life. For that kind of money, I could have gone to a nice steakhouse and been treated like a king (and queen). This city still leaves me cold for Mexican - why can't NYC get it right? Why aren't there any good hippie food burrito places around? A big deep six from me!

Pros: great area

Cons: WAY overpriced, food average at best

Posted 06/16/05

Once you go inside this restaurant, yuo are automaticly welcomed. The service is very warm and attentive. They will always offer you a smile. In addition the food is delicious. I have gone to many other restaurants but none as perfect as this one.

Pros: attention, food, atmosphere

Posted 06/12/05

There is one reason alone to visit this restaurant: The Hibiscus Margarita. It's so good it DESERVES to be capitalized. On the plane ride home, I was tapping my veins for the sweet nectar of the gods, for which I knew I'd have to wait years before I had it again. God, the corn is tasty as well. I live in North Carolina; it's been too long since my last moments at La Palapa. All I have for consolation is a postcard I shamelessly took with me to post on my refrigerator in memories of my H.M. and suitcases I had to lug in with me on my way to the airport. (tears...)

Pros: Ambience, Chili-Rimmed Glasses, Variety of Tequilas

Cons: living in NC, being 11 hours away, detox from plane ride

Posted 05/19/05

Stopped in on a Saturday at around 4. Pretty empty, but hey, that's late for brunch. Hostess waved myself and girlfriend to sit wherever we liked. Menus and water right away; no bread, chips, etc, but a trio of salsas set down with water. GF had Mexican rendition of french toast, which was huge, quite crisp on the outside, verging on melted on the inside, w/ cinnamon syrup and sliced banana. I had good (but overpriced at 5) pork taco, side of astounding Mexican cornbread, and lovely cafe de olla. Not bad for 20.

Pros: Decent prices, Some great food, good coffee

Cons: Some heavy food

Posted 02/04/05

No sure why CitySearch has this classified as Italian, because it's Mexican at its best. We stopped in one Saturday for brunch and it was such a pleasant surprise. I had their version of Huevos Rancheros and it really was one of the best things I have ever tasted. The service was friendly and attentive and the room was very cute. My only minor complaint is the traditional Mexican music. Why do they think people want to hear that? It actually detracts from an otherwise sophisticated yet warm vibe. Definitely check it out.

Pros: Great food

Posted 10/09/04

Loved it! The margaritas were strong, made with fresh lime. No sweet & sour or powder in the drinks. Just wonderful. The salsas were flavorful and spicy.

Pros: Fresh lime margaritas, The food!

Cons: , a la carte sides

Posted 08/28/04

crap food, the worst margarita i have ever had (choked on the fumes) inattentive service, overpriced, pretentious yuppies. what more could you ask for?

Pros: ?

Posted 06/25/04

I'm perplexed by the bad reviews here and wonder if perhaps the chefs are inconsistent. I think it has the best Mexican-REAL Mexican- food I've had in New York, leagues beyond Dos Caminos (overhyped), Miracle Grill (bland and Southwestern, not Mexican) or Veracruz(bland and overpriced), all places that have similar ratings on this site. The decor is stylish with traditional elements. The margaritas were large and delicious, and the salsas and guacamole perfect. My entree-a vegetarian plate with beans, cactus paddle and potato filled taquitos-was perfectly spiced and inventive; the portions were smaller than the obscene amounts of food served elsewhere, but it was still more than I could eat in one sitting. It may be more expensive than your corner burrito joint, but you get a lot of quality and flavor for those extra dollars.

Pros: Great Decor, Excellent Margaritas, Simple, but stylish

Posted 05/19/04

The food is horrible. Bulk made and aged ceviche - you'd think they might get the hint when there's a barely touched dish at nearly every table. Chorizo is 50% oil and I wouldn't want to guess what the other 50% is. If this place was any good, it certainly isn't anymore. Plus you get to pay plenty of the privilege.

Pros: None

Cons: , Cost

Posted 05/06/04

We've been, several times, to the newer branch on sixth avenue. DON'T go if you want enchiladas and tacos - that's not what this place is about. It's about authentic, real MEXICAN food, not Tex-Mex, and it's some of the best we've ever had. Cactus paddles, Veracruz fish, etc. And the menu changes regularly, so you have to go back again and again. Don't understand the comments about skimpy portions. We've never been able to finish. And Matt is a great server.

Pros: service, knowledgeable staff, food

Posted 10/30/03

This is certainly not the worst restaurant that I have eaten at. But, it is certainly not the best. The drinks are acutally pretty good & I can not complain about the service either. The problem is the food. My salad was made of some substance that had the texture of leather & by the taste of it, I would imagine that leather would tase like this salad. The chicken had the same problem very tough & small portions.

Pros: drinks

Cons: food

Posted 09/30/03

Been walking by for months now and meaning to try La Palapa. The design is inviting and the atmosphere inside is casual/pleasant. Service was efficient and knowledgable.

Appetizers were good. We had the quesadillas and chilupas plus two frozen margaritas. margaritas were strong and well made, but maybe a touch too sour.

Entree was the duck with mole, swiss chard and rice and unfortunately verged on tasteless. the glass of house shiraz I had with it was quite good though. Strong hints of coffee bean made it a great way to finish the meal.

Prices are slightly inflated. Not absurd, but high enough not to think of the space as a good value. I found myself thinking of Esperanto on Avenue C a lot while we were at La Palapa and kind of wishing I had gone there.

Pros: nice atmosphere, friendly staff, outdoor cafe

Cons: average food, slightly overpriced

Posted 09/09/03

Overall enjoyed the place but there was nothing that stood out against other similar places. Service was a little on the slow side since we had to flag down our waitress all evening just to get her attention. Bonus points for the complimentary champagne toasts for bday celebrations

Pros: Champagne toasts, tres leche cake

Cons: slow service

Posted 09/07/03

We had reservations and were seated 5 minutes late (I'M NOT COMPLAINING). The service was horrible, they didn't take our order for a half an hour. After waiting for an hour our dinner finally came out. All 3 steaks were cooked wrong. Then when we ordered desert, one of the two items ordered never came. When confronted about the service aftering sitting in the restaurant for two hours. The manager didn't believe us, and thought we were trying to scam them. We weren't trying to get a free meal, but an apology would have been nice.

Pros: Honored Reservations

Cons: undercooked food, bad service

Posted 08/27/03

Service:
We ordered a few apetizers and asked the waiter to bring the guacamole and chips first. it came about 15 minutes later with the rest of the apetizers.

Food:
Personaly I didn't like the food. Although it had mexican ingredients, nothing there had any flavor. just a big salad of items swimming in the same souce as the apetizers. The cod fish was overcooked and I am willing to bet that it was not even fresh. The frozen margaritas were week and too sour.

Price:
Way Over Priced!!! BIG DISAPOINTMENT!

Pros: Decor, Mood, Music

Cons: Food, Price, Service

Posted 07/20/03

If you are looking for great authentic Mexican food, helpful friendly service and atmosphere which makes you feel as though you are in the Heart of Mexico City, run, not walk, to La Palapa. Terrific Margaritas! Don't forget to save room for dessert. You will not be disappointed.

Posted 07/11/03

La Palapa is a wonderful jewel in the East Village! I recommend a reservation because the wait can be long. The front part of the restaurant is loud, but the garden is wonderful, quiet and warm. The mango margarita is heavenly. I went with a party of four and no one was disapointed with their meal. They import the veggies from Mexico so it's authentic! This is a must go.

Pros: Great Food, Quiet Garden, Great Value

Cons: Loud front room, service can be slow

Posted 05/08/03

The food and atmosphere were top notch.The owner was out and about in the diningroom,and that was really refreshing to see.We liked it so much we went back the next day and took 4 of our friends.

Posted 05/02/03