El Centro Reviews Summary

Category: Mexican restaurant New York

Address: 824 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019, USA

Phone: +19174091171

Rating: 4.4
based on 181 reviews.

Food Quality

Pros:

  • "Micheladas are top notch, tortilla soup hits the spot, and tacos are flavorful."
  • "The guacamole is the best you'll find in Hell's Kitchen."
  • "Everything s cooked to perfection."
  • "This is absolutely the best burrito I’ve had in my life."
  • "The chilaquiles are amazing. The chicken enchilada is incredible."
  • "The BEST fish tacos in NYC!"
  • "Every dish I've tried is delicious."

Cons:

  • "Most things were spiced. It was difficult to find menu items for those that didn't want slightly spicy food."
  • "Expensive for mediocre food."
  • "The food tasted incredibly plain."
  • "Rice and beans tasted like they were straight out of a Goya can, and the chicken was overcooked."
  • "The food was like warm and didn’t taste great."
  • "Fish taco cold and no flavor at all."
  • "The food tastes overly cooked and bland."

Service

Pros:

  • "Friendly staff, yummy food, great prices!"
  • "The staff was so attentive and knowledgeable."
  • "Superb, attentive service."
  • "Always had friendly service here."
  • "The service here is outstanding."
  • "Service was exceptional but the tortilla really ruined it for me."
  • "Service was very good and it seemed that the staff shared the responsibility."

Cons:

  • "Unfortunately, the service leaves something to be desired."
  • "The staff was pretty slow and had a bit of an attitude."
  • "The waiter was very rude."
  • "They weren't that busy yet we had to regularly seek his attention."
  • "Our waiter didn't seem to care that we were there."
  • "Inattentive, dismissive service."
  • "The service was worse--it was impossible to get our waiter's attention to even get a water refill."

Ambience

Pros:

  • "Great music, dim lighting and open seating."
  • "The décor is very authentic as well."
  • "In the warmer months the outdoor area is good too."
  • "Super cute outdoor seatings with bright red table cloths."
  • "Decor here is more lucahdor than Frieda Kahlo but its camp approach is fun and the energy here makes this place feel like the perfect pre party, pre-game spot."
  • "The environment is fresh and fun, this long-standing Mexican restaurant stands the test of time."
  • "The ambience was much better than the place next door."

Cons:

  • "Cute but crowded."
  • "The chairs and tables are very close together so when it's busy it's very cozy in a bad way."
  • "What I’m not a fan of is this outdoor space they’ve left on the street unused for months."
  • "Ambience isn't amazing. Small outdoor seating area along the busy sidewalk and cramped indoor dining room."
  • "It’s now become a public bathroom for humans and dogs. The rats have made a new home there."
  • "Seating is cramped."
  • "The seating area is tight, but it's NY and from what I've seen everything is tight."

Value

Pros:

  • "Great portion size for the price!"
  • "Affordable price point."
  • "El Centro has perfect quality-price ratio."
  • "Great prices!"
  • "The prices paired with the quality of the food cannot be beat at the surrounding places."
  • "Very good prices as well."
  • "Great tacos and drinks at a very reasonable price point."

Cons:

  • "They refuse to offer their delicious drinks for takeout, despite it being legal now for a month."
  • "They ADD ADDITIONAL TIPS!"
  • "They do not do free refills on soda when they are coming from a soda jerk not bottles. Rip off!"
  • "Be VERY careful. We have been overcharged TWICE in a row, then found extra charges on our account."
  • "$91 for 1 chips/guac, 2 orders of chilaquiles, 1 mojito, 1 mocktail (margarita mix with ice). Are you out of your mind???"
  • "I'm only giving 4 stars instead of 5 because the wait time came be rough."
  • "Often busy you should expect a 30 mins wait time at busy times."

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