La Esquina Brasserie

This used to be one of the best spots in NYC, but over the last 10+ years this iconic Mexican speakeasy has turned into a tourist trap with disappointing food and rude service.<br><br>I ordered the spicy margarita, which was mediocre at best. The chips were so hard they were difficult to eat, and after a very long wait, my fish tacos arrived tasting old and overcooked. My friend’s pork tacos were so fatty they were barely edible as well.<br><br>What really prompted me to write this review, though, was the experience with the doorman. After our meal, we were waiting upstairs for a friend to join. A woman entered the restaurant and tried to walk downstairs where her group already had a table. The doorman refused to let her go downstairs because she personally didn’t have a reservation, even though she was clearly trying to contact the group. It was extremely loud downstairs, so naturally nobody was answering their phones. Meanwhile, he allowed other groups without reservations to go down.<br><br>The way he treated her was unnecessarily rude and dismissive. He barely addressed her directly and seemed more interested in making her wait than helping solve a simple situation. The place wasn’t even busy. Her friends were already downstairs, and it would have cost nothing to let her join them.<br><br>Between the poor food and the unfriendly service, I’d strongly recommend going somewhere else.

This is my favorite place to bring friends when they visit New York. The food is amazing and the vibe is immaculate. It’s part restaurant, part speakeasy, part club - but a perfect blend of each. The service has always been great for me, even when it’s busy. The last two times I’ve been, I’ve had the pleasure of having Auri as our waitress. She’s been incredibly attentive and very personable. The tacos are all incredible, the steak is as good as any steak house, and the ribs are great. Their tequila selection is great too. Now, this place is tough to get into on the weekends, so keep that in mind. Reservations are key.

After we had been sitting for an hour, I went outside to get my friends, whom I had told this was a good place. Without asking us for any ID or anything at all, he simply told us that if we didn’t have a reservation, we couldn’t enter. I explained to him that we were already seated at the table where the fruit was, and he told me, very disrespectfully, “I don’t care.”<br><br>Then the waitress went upstairs to explain to him that I was already there and that we had space, and he said, “If I say no, it’s no. I’m in charge here.”<br><br>After that, a lot of people started coming in without reservations or anything like that, and he let them pass as if nothing.<br><br>This was an act of discrimination motivated by racism and homophobia. Someone like him should not be in that position.<br><br>He was just looking at his phone and being completely useless.

A very fun place! It's hidden away and getting in requires a reservation and going downstairs through a secret door that leads you into a large and very cool Gothic Spanish dungeon vibed dining space. Very crowded, delicious food, and good service. It's a little pricey for Spanish/Mexican fare but still worth going to.

Hidden gem! It's a hidden place, you enter through a door that's inside another restaurant.<br>Nice atmosphere, delicious drinks and food.

You will not find this hidden beauty if you din't know it. Underground. Really nice place. Very good Mexican food and drinks. Reservation highly recommended. Order the tacos (really good) and skip the fancy menue stuff.

When we got seated there was a pipe leaking on us and that table and booth was wet and sticky… smelled awful. Went to go tell the host immediately and she had a bit of attitude trying to accommodate. She said okay I’ll give you a towel and “this is a basement” … “I’m not a plumber”.. whether this is a basement or not.. you’re also a restaurant that has safety and cleanliness standards. She later apologized and said “sorry for the attitude I didn’t believe you” and seated us at a better table. We were there to celebrate a birthday and just wanted to have a nice dinner so we were grateful to finally be seated after being gaslit into thinking our table was fine to dine at. Our server was friendly but they continued to take plates away when we weren’t finished eating… the minute we ate anything they would take the plate away if it looked somewhat cleared. The server also tried to convince one of us not to order the enchiladas because he said the flavor was exotic and we assumed he was insinuating she would not like it… it was so strange… after we repeatedly said it was fine. And then he forgot the coke she ordered. The service and staff was just not hospitable tonight. Definitely a safety hazard for whatever is dripping out of the pipes… smelled horrible and my friend had a brown stain on his sweatshirt from it. This restaurant should be reviewed by the health inspector and they should have friendlier hosts. I understand working in the restaurant industry is tough at times, especially during the holidays, but there was no need to attitude right off the bat when we were getting seated, we were being polite to her.

Took a long time for the food to come out, small portions and somewhat expensive, but absolutely delicious. Staff was very nice and friendly. The atmosphere was immaculate! Lots of gluten free options too.

Quite expensive, small dishes but nice environment for one time experience. The music gets veryyyyy loud around 7:30 pm, before that it’s also loud but not as much. The food is good but not something unusual.

Really cool place - if you didn’t know about it, you’d probably walk straight past it. The front looks like a very small ‘hole in the wall’ eatery but once you’re in, they direct you downstairs, through the kitchen, into the restaurant. Nice bar area, nice ambiance. A bit dark inside and loud music, tables quite close together, but good food and great service. Definitely worth a visit.

You have to try this place! you walk up to a very unassuming deli-like restaurant and note that you have a reservation for La Esquina - the place was empty - no tables, nothing. The host radios to somebody else that hes sending a party of 2 down. Then a hidden door in the wall opens and we are led to the basement of this building which is likely 100 years old - Very cool! - food was great and service was great too! Neat place!

stumbled upon La Esquina Brasserie entirely by accident, walking along Lafayette Street in New York, but what a find it turned out to be! A tour guide had mentioned it, but discovering it on my own made it feel like a hidden gem.<br><br>The atmosphere was absolutely beautiful. You head down the steps, and it’s like stepping into a secret speakeasy. The lighting was just right, creating a warm and inviting vibe. The barmen were fantastic—friendly, professional, and really added to the experience.<br><br>The food was another highlight. Their tacos and other dishes were delicious, and the drinks paired perfectly. What surprised me most was how reasonably priced everything was; it felt like a luxury experience without breaking the bank.<br><br>The crowd there was equally wonderful—friendly, relaxed, and lovely to chat with. It added to the charm of the place.<br><br>I’d recommend La Esquina Brasserie to anyone looking for a unique and memorable spot in New York. It’s more than a meal—it’s an experience you won’t forget.

I have travelled the world extensively over 40 years. I ate at all restaurants ranging from pop & mom’s to Michelin three stars. This is my honest review of the underground speakeasy restaurant La Esquina. Reservation is required to access this one via a guarded door leading to the underground scene with cramped but very lively bar, restaurant and dj scene! Food is generally very good but nothing that particularly stands out as deserving five stars.

My husband and I both really enjoyed our food. The tacos were great and so was literally everything else that we ordered. I also loved my spicy cocktail, cant recall the exact name. The waiter was very sassy, but I wouldn’t say he was rude. I found the vibe to be great as I really enjoy people watching. We paid around 300 usd which isn’t little for a street place like this but I think it was worth it 🍹

The ambience of the place is beautiful. Food is amazing. We ordered the tacos and steak and it was absolutely mouth watering.<br>I have knocked off one star from my review because of the lack of service for food ordering as we have to order ourselves from the bar, which was quite annoying. The servers was also initially quite pushy and have repeatedly asked us if we are done with our food although there were clearly food on it.<br>One guy waiter noticed that this behavior was very annoying and had apologized for it. So all good.