"Quique Crudo is a place to stumble upon. A spot that reaches peak potential when you’re wandering the West Village, mumbling to yourself about the neighborhood’s crowds, wishing there was a restaurant that felt like a secret. Enter the unmarked, cerulean-framed doorway, and you’ll find perfect margaritas, subway-tiled walls, and piles of blue crab on crunchy tostadas. This walk-in-only Mexican seafood counter is less of a room and more of a nook, lit like a speakeasy and bisected by a bar. On one side, cooks and bartenders tinker with razor clams and mezcal, and on the other, 20 or so stools are packed so tightly you’re bound to elbow someone. Space is limited, especially in the kitchen, but you wouldn’t know it from the food. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte Like sister restaurant Casa Enrique, Quique Crudo serves typical-sounding items that earn extra credit through quality ingredients and execution. The menu is almost entirely small plates, with options that include a simple fluke ceviche and scallop aguachile doused in Worcestershire. Most items hover around $25 and are gone in flash, but that’s the West Village for you. What's not so West Village is how you can pop in on a whim for a meal that’ll stick with you. Food Rundown photo credit: Kate Previte Cocktails Quique Crudo serves over 25 house cocktails, a wild number for a spot that’s only slightly bigger than a pickleball cart. More impressively, each one we’ve tried has been great. Start with a well-balanced classic margarita, then get a carajillo or the sweet, smoky Rompe Corazones. photo credit: Kate Previte Guacamole No gimmicks here. Just perfectly ripe avocado mixed with onion, cilantro, and serrano chile. photo credit: Kate Previte Ceviche de Pescado Another reliable, straightforward option, this ceviche consists of fluke in a bath of lime juice with curls of avocado and thinly sliced red onion. photo credit: Kate Previte Tostada de Jaiba We aren’t sure what’s better: the mound of juicy crab, or the thick tostada with a deep, nutty toasted masa flavor. Get at least one of these, and maybe two or three. photo credit: Kate Previte Aguachile Negro de Callos de Hacha This scallop aguachile triples down on punchy flavors with soy sauce, Worcestershire, and Maggi seasoning. It's puckering and ultra-concentrated. Order with confidence. Enmoladas One of the rare non-seafood items at Quique Crudo, and also one of the highlights. The mole is thick as paint and shapeshifts in your mouth, sweet at first, then heavy on the baking spices." - Bryan Kim
