Empanada Mama

I am in love with this place! Empanada Mama is delicious and the variety of empanadas can't be beat. Their menu is huge. They make corn empanadas, wheat empanadas, oven baked empanadas and dessert empanadas. With classic choices like beef or chicken to brocoli and cheese, there are plenty of choices for everyone to find a favorite. Along with empanadas, they also serve tapas, arepas and sides like rice and beans and guac with plantain chips. YUM! Check out the full menu here.

Empanada Mama has two locations at 763 9th Avenue NY, NY and 189 East Houston Street NY, NY. This is a great place for dinner before a broadway show or before a night of drinking and dancing. Service is quick and the food is just so damn tasty. Empanadas range from $2.50-$3.75 each. So, take your Mama and have an empanada today!

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Tacos with Panavahn

 Panavahn is a name you are going to be hearing about quite frequently. This girl has now introduced me to four of my new foodie favorites and I cannot thank her enough!  

El Tenampa is the focus of today's discussion. It's half grocery store, half Mexican restaurant and all delicious. El Tenampa is family owned and operated and makes authentic tacos, burritos, tortas, soups and rice and beans. They also have an awesome salsa bar with homemade guacamole. Plus while you are enjoying the fantastic food, you can watch Spanish Soap Opera's on the main TV's in the restaurant.

The food is super cheap and super tasty. One taco is $1.75- you just can't beat it! It's real authentic Mexican food so if Chipotle is what you call Mexican, you'll be in for a rude awakening when you visit El Tenampa.

El Tenampa is located at 706 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY and the party's in the back!

Villa Pancho Taqueria

 Villa Pancho Taqueria says they have "No pretensions of being best anything. Just really damn good food," and they aren't kidding. If you don't know by now Mexican is my favorite food. I could eat it everyday and never get sick of it. That's why when I discovered Villa Pancho Taqueria I was tickled pink.

Villa Pancho Taqueria is a small Mexican food joint with out-of-this-world dishes. They have over ten different burritos so there are options galore. They also make typical Mexican dishes like tacos, quesadillas and nachos. Check out the full menu here. They prepare whatever you like in quick fashion, you pay and then feast!

Regular Nachos. Cheesy goodness!

Mole Burrito

Bedford Ave.Burrito

I am absolutely loving this place and so is the rest of Brooklyn! Check it out for yourself at: 1047 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11216.

Móle Mexican Bar & Grill

     Two years ago I discovered a little Mexican restaurant called "Taco,Taco" and it quickly became one of my favorite spots on the Upper East Side. When I lived in that area, I swear I was dining there once a week. Eventually I moved back to Pennsylvania and had to learn how to fight the Taco, Taco cravings.

     When I moved back to NYC last October one of the first things I wanted to eat was some Taco,Taco. Alex and I took the hour long subway ride from Brooklyn to the Upper East Side and the whole way all we could talk about was how delicious this was going to be! Little did we know, the original Taco, Taco location was CLOSED! I was almost in tears.

     After we stood on the street corner pondering what could have possibly happened that the place would be shut down, I turned around and there was a Mexican restaurant called Móle across the street that looked quite similar to Taco,Taco. We ventured over and- ta-dahh!- it was Taco,Taco with a new name and a larger space. Hallelujah!
  
     So, since discovering that Taco,Taco got a name change, we have also discovered they have four locations. One of them is in Brooklyn, and whats even better is it's only a few stops away from our house!

     You have got to check this place out next time you are in the mood for some Mexican cuisine. It has a intimate feel with dim lighting and close seating.

 The fresh guacamole is a must!  Choose one avocado or two and they bring all of the ingredients on a tray to the table and make it right in front of you. It's so, so delicious!

      The menu has standard authentic dishes but my favorite is the Chicken Chimichanga. It is enough food for two days but it's fanatic. It's similar to a burrito but it's fried and topped with lettuce and sour cream, then served with a side of homemade green sauce. I  just can't get enough of Móle!


For more information check out http://www.molenyc.com/.

Go get ya Mexican on!

Ruben's Empanadas

     
     Ruben's Empanadas are mmh-mmh-good. I stumbled upon this small shop about two months ago when I was running an errand at my internship. While walking down Broome street the word "Empanadas" caught my eye and immediately I was curious. I didn't have time at the moment to check it out but it didn't take long for me to wander there for lunch a few days later, and I'm sure glad I did.

     The menu is pretty simple as well as there marketing strategy. You won't find a Twitter, Facebook or Instagram for this shop and that fact kind of makes me like it more. It feels like you are a part of the extended family when you dine in at one of the four tables in the whole shop.They have been in the same spot for 32 years serving up some of the tastiest empanadas in SoHo. 

     They have empanadas made with beef, potatoes, ham & cheese, broccoli, ricotta and mozzarella and their most popular is spicy chicken. They also serve up classic rice and beans with your choice of black beans or pinto beans. For dessert they have sweet empanadas and a a cookie sandwich stuffed with caramel. YUM! Love, love, love this place and you should too!

Ruben's Empanadas is located in SoHo on the corner or Watts and West Broadway. The empanadas rock so go get some!