El Mitote is a vibrant cantina on the Upper West Side that's dishing out delicious grilled Mexican sandwiches, hearty pozole, and refreshing margaritas—all with a festive flair.
"El Mitote makes some of the neighborhood’s best Mexican food, including very good comida corrida, which are fast food platters that come with rice and brothy Guadalajara-style black beans. All of the food comes out on bright-colored trays, so we like to think of this place as a cafeteria for people who have fun and enjoy enchiladas. This spot works for just about any kind of casual meal, but show up on the early side if you don’t want to wait for a table since they don’t accept reservations." - bryan kim, willa moore, neha talreja, hannah albertine, will hartman
"El Mitote, open since 1992 and named after an Aztec dance, partly focuses on the street food of owner Cristina Castaneda’s native Guadalajara, but there’s also classic Mexican fare from around the country. An early afternoon brunch served every day might include mushroom tinga tacos, huevos rancheros or chilaquiles, and a stunning bowl of red chicken pozole that’s every bit as spicy as it looks, served with a crema-painted tostada on the side." - Robert Sietsema
"El Mitote at first seems aimed at non-Mexican Americans, till you start ordering the food and poke around the corners of the menu. A case in point is the spectacular pozole in the Guadalajaran style, laced with dried red chiles and filled with chicken and hominy. It’s generously served with a bean tostada on the side. You can smell the oregano as the soup is brought to the table." - Ryan Sutton
"This Mexican spot is serving things like carnitas tacos, enchiladas rojas, and cups of shrimp ceviche under several massive purple tents right on Columbus Avenue. They also have sidewalk seating under some matching purple awnings. So, if it rains, you and you shrimp ceviche won’t get soggy." - hannah albertine
"El Mitote makes the Upper West Side’s best Mexican food, including everything from Baja fish tacos to Guadalajara-style specialties (where the owner grew up). Order a comida corrida platter that comes with rice, warm corn tortillas, and, the star of the plate, the brothy black beans. These black beans have the consistency of a stew and the lingering herbaceous flavor of epazote. When we eat these beans, everything else becomes a side dish. Another reason to order the comida corrida platters is because they arrive at your table on bright-colored trays. It wouldn’t be wrong to think of this place as a neighborhood cafeteria for people who have fun and enjoy tangy tomatillo salsa - but with food that far exceeds the underwhelming expectations of a school lunch. You probably won’t be the only one trying to eat at El Mitote for daily brunch or dinner, whether that’s outside on the patio next to a family of four or indoors where a couple friends are drinking rounds of margaritas. We recommend Mitote for anything from a date to dinner with your family. Just show up on the early side if you don’t want to wait for a table since they don’t accept reservations. photo credit: David Lee Food Rundown photo credit: David Lee Comida Corrida With Shrimp El Mitote serves seven different protein options for this dish, but we particularly like the version with lightly fried chipotle garlic shrimp. They’re about the size of a quarter if a quarter had three dimensions, and mild enough to act as a foil for all of the salsas, onion-laden Mexican red rice, and beans. photo credit: David Lee Fish Tacos A good way to start at El Mitote if you’re doing some soul searching for an appetizer. Each order comes with three tacos in your choice of tortilla (we like flour for fish tacos). They’re beer-battered then fried, and work well with the acidic cabbage slaw and radishes standing by. photo credit: David Lee Enchiladas Suizas The beauty of El Mitote’s chicken enchilada dish lies in the blanket of molten, almost crackly fried white cheese on top. This makes every bite of the tortilla layers contrast from soft to crispy, not to mention savory from the pulled chicken then spicy from the tomatillo sauce bath on the bottom. As if this dish needed to get better, it also comes with a side of brothy Guadalajara-style black beans. photo credit: David Lee Margaritas Need we say more?" - Hannah Albertine
