Spontaneous, vibrant Mexican w/ exceptional birria & masa pancakes. A must-visit uptown gem.
Sonal Shah reviews Cocina Consuelo, a vibrant Mexican restaurant in Hamilton Heights known for its spontaneous atmosphere and exceptional dishes like birria and masa pancakes, calling it a New York love song.
Cocina Consuelo, a vibrant Mexican restaurant in Hamilton Heights, is celebrated for its lively and spontaneous atmosphere, reminiscent of a supper club. It's highly recommended for its meticulously prepared Mexican dishes, with standouts including a 15-hour birria served in marrow bones, a perfectly juicy deboned cornish hen, and flavorful breakfast tortillas. The restaurant offers a unique dining experience that is well worth the trip, whether for breakfast, brunch, or dinner.
Cocina Consuelo offers a refined Mexican cuisine with standout dishes like their 15-hour birria served in marrow bones, a highly recommended masa pancake, and a deboned cornish hen. Other praised items include hibiscus tinga quesadillas and tortas. Some negative feedback mentioned the mole and a specific guacamole being overpriced and unappetizing, but the general consensus is that the food is meticulously prepared and flavorful.
"The Masa Pancake is frequently mentioned and highly recommended, alongside the birria, tuna confit stuffed jalapeños, bone marrow, and tortas."
Customers overwhelmingly praise Cocina Consuelo, highlighting its unique atmosphere and exceptionally prepared Mexican dishes. While some found it a bit pricey, the overall sentiment is very positive, with many calling it a favorite and worth the travel.
Important Note
One commenter found the restaurant overhyped, with expensive drinks lacking alcohol and the food being less flavorful than expected. Another user reported a negative experience with the birria bone marrow lacking flavor and the guacamole being overpriced with stale chips. It can get busy at night.
"The original poster was surprised by how mediocre Cocina Consuela was, finding the birria bone marrow to lack flavor and the $16 guacamole with stale chips to be a poor value and not tasty."
Negative"The commenter usually has good luck with shorter waits between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM. They also highly recommend the Torta."
Positive"Cocina Consuelo on 143rd is recommended."
Positive"Cocina Consuelo is considered overhyped, with expensive drinks lacking alcohol and food being technically well-executed but less flavorful than other options."
Negative"This is listed as one of several Mexican restaurant recommendations."
Neutral"The commenter suggested Cocina Consuelo as a vegetarian-friendly brunch option. It is a recommended spot for the occasion."
Positive"The commenter recommends Cocina Consuelo for its bone marrow birria."
Positive"Cocina Consuelo can be busy at night, but brunch and lunch are more relaxed. The staff are friendly and it's more enjoyable when not slammed."
Positive"The commenter highly recommends Cocina Consuelo and suggests mentioning neighborhood residency to the staff."
Positive"The commenter had Cocina Consuelo on their list of places to try."
Neutral"The user inquired about whether extra discounts for Cocina Consuelo are random after seeing one on their website."
Neutral"Cocina Consuelo is recommended. The small bakery next door is also surprisingly good."
Positive"The hibiscus tinga quesadilla at Cocina Consuelo is described as divine."
Positive"Cocina Consuelo is a recommended spot for Masa Pancakes and Chorizo Quesadilla."
Neutral"Casa Consuelo in West Harlem was noted for recently being named one of the NYT top 100 restaurants."
Positive"Cocina Consuelo was recommended for its delicious food, noted as being on the more expensive side for sit-down restaurants, and conveniently located closer to East Harlem."
Positive"This user called out Cocina Consuelo as an example of the good spread of cuisines and price points on the NYT list."
Neutral"Echoing a previous sentiment, the author also expresses pleasure at seeing Cocina Consuelo mentioned and recognized."
Positive"The author finds a particular list to be quite good and is especially pleased to see Cocina Consuelo receive recognition, calling it one of their favorite restaurants from the previous year."
Positive"The user had the duck leg with mole negro last weekend."
Neutral
