"If Crown Heights were a person running for office, Colina Cuervo would be the campaign headquarters. This all-day cafe is always filled with neighborhood people drinking horchata lattes at brunch or writing in their bullet journals at 4pm on a Tuesday. But beyond the solid cappuccinos and bouquets on every table, everyone is here for the Latin food. The menu has everything from light salads and chicken soup, to pancakes, tortas, and the best tacos we’ve eaten in the neighborhood. There are two taco options, and you should order one of them as automatically as you’d look at a dessert menu on your birthday or click “next episode” during a binge-watch. The cochinita pibil trio is filled with juicy pork shoulder and pickled onions, and the chorizo breakfast tacos will restore your faith in New York’s breakfast taco abilities. Colina Cuervo is open from 7:30am until 7:30pm, which means it’s perfect for camping out with some friends on a Sunday or the next time you’re “working from home” and want dulce de leche pancakes. Just know that it gets crowded on weekends - Crown Heights isn’t going to win the election on its own. Food Rundown photo credit: Noah Devereaux Chorizo, Potato, And Egg Tacos Order these out of respect for breakfast tacos. And because they’re excellent. The scrambled eggs with chorizo are mixed together so that the eggs absorb all of the meat juices. These are some of the best breakfast tacos we’ve had in this city. photo credit: Noah Devereaux Cochinita Pibil Tacos Three excellent tacos for $11, generously filled with tender pork shoulder and topped with pickled red onions, raw onions, and cilantro. The soft corn tortilla holds all of the spicy pork juices in place. These are exceptional. photo credit: Noah Devereaux Buttermilk Pancakes You could spend $18 on a stack of pancakes at your usual brunch place. Or you could go to Colina Cuervo and spend $13 on fluffy pancakes with dulce de leche butter, your choice of eggs, and your choice of chorizo, pork, or avocado. (There’s a right answer here, folks.) Pork Hash Extremely porky hash that would automatically make any plate of food better. In this iteration, you get to eat it with big pieces of starchy Peruvian hominy, pickled jalapenos, and a runny poached egg on top. This is a must-try. Chicken Soup The next time you think, “I hate everyone, but I love soup,” come to Colina and get this. The limey broth is filled with various root vegetables, pulled chicken, and short-grain rice. It’s perfect. photo credit: Noah Devereaux Ensalada De La Casa So simple and delicious. This bowl is how we wish all of our attempts at cooking healthy roast vegetables turned out. It has a light but acidic lime vinaigrette, and we love it even more with the $3.50 addition of chopped-up chorizo. Tamales The only thing we’ve tried here that didn’t blow us away. These are pretty dry." - Hannah Albertine
