Margaritas and Mexican Food at La Cocina
La Cocina
158 East 30th Street
New York, NY
(212) 532-1887 | Map
Sometimes, after spending the afternoon searching high and low for the perfect pair of shoes with friends, you just need to take a break and have a margarita. Especially if you're shopping under pressure with a limited window of time to purchase said shoes. Especially if you're doing that shopping in Macy's Herald Square. Well, that's just what I did with my friends Candice and Lauren not too long ago. We knew we wanted to drink (shopping's hard work!) and margaritas sounded like the perfect thing to help us unwind. When we saw that La Cocina was having a margarita special, we stopped in and asked for a table. (The margarita special was the same as the one offered at their sister restaurant Tacocina on 9th Avenue, where the Lehigh Dinner Club ate back in March.)
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| Chips and Salsa - La Cocina - New York, NY |
To hold us over while we pored over the menu and while we waited for our margaritas to arrive, we nibbled on the complimentary chips and salsa. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the margaritas to appear.
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| Margarita - La Cocina - New York, NY |
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| Margarita - La Cocina - New York, NY |
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| Burrito Bendito - La Cocina - New York, NY |
Seeing as I had just dropped more money than I had ever allowed myself to spend on a pair of shoes ever, I scoured the menu for a relatively decent deal. And I found that in the Burrito Bendito. For $10.95, I got a 12" flour tortilla filled with chicken (you can also choose beef, pork, or the vegetarian option), beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. The burrito is then topped with guacamole, sour cream (I skipped that), and salsa. That was more than enough Mexican food for my little tummy!
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| Taco Combo Platter - La Cocina - New York, NY |
Candice ordered the Taco Combination Platter ($12.95) with two chicken tacos. The tacos were stuffed with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and hot sauce, and were served with a side of rice and refried beans.
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| Chimichanga Special - La Cocina - New York, NY |
Lauren went full out and ordered the Chimichanga Special ($12.95). Along with chicken, the 12" tortilla was stuffed with cheese and pico de gallo before being deep-fried and topped with red sauce and sour cream. The chimichanga also came with a side of rice and refried beans. After seeing all the food that Lauren had to contend with, I found myself feeling rather relieved that I didn't order a burrito special -- there was no way I would have been able to eat the rice and the refried beans in addition to the burrito the size of my head!
While the food at La Cocina was pretty damn satisfying, I'm not saying you should hit them up (or Tacocina, for that matter) if you're on the prowl for the best authentic Mexican food in Manhattan. Sure, the portions are generous and the service was quick, but there is definitely better out there. If all you're looking for is a strong margarita, then by all means, run on over!
How do you unwind after a long day of shopping?
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