Javelina
Tex-Mex restaurant · Upper East Side ·
Tex-Mex eatery serving queso, enchiladas, tacos & margs
Tex-Mex eatery serving queso, enchiladas, tacos & margs
"Ask a New Yorker for the city’s best queso and they’ll tell you to go to Yellow Rose (see below). But ask a Texan who’s been eating queso since they began ingesting solid food, and they’ll likely direct you to Javelina. For hot cheese and syrupy sweet margaritas, head to this Upper East Side Tex-Mex spot (or their Union Square location). Get the queso sampler, which comes with four types—we like the traditional yellow, and the Bob Armstrong with ground beef—and a steady stream of tortilla chips. The rest of the food is unremarkable, but the portions are large, as they should be—everything’s bigger in Texas." - bryan kim, willa moore, will hartman, neha talreja
"The Deal: $24.99 for 90 minutes of unlimited mimosas, mexican mimosas, and frozen margaritas This casual Tex-Mex spot with prairie scenes on the walls makes good, saucy enchiladas and what is arguably the city’s best queso, both of which work well with a frozen marg. In addition to the Upper East Side location, there’s also a Javelina near Union Square." - neha talreja, bryan kim
"People from Texas, we’re sorry. NYC has a long way to go when it comes to Tex-Mex. But in the meantime, consider Javelina. The casual spot has locations on the Upper East Side and Union Square, where you can pair syrupy sweet margaritas with what is arguably the city’s best queso. (Ask a New Yorker for the city’s best queso and they’ll likely tell you to go to Yellow Rose. But ask a Texan who’s been eating queso since they began ingesting solid food, and they’ll direct you here.) Get the queso sampler, which comes with four types—we like the traditional yellow, and the Bob Armstrong with ground beef—and a steady stream of chips for dipping. The rest of the food is unremarkable, but the portions are large, as they should be for a Texas-themed restaurant. photo credit: Javelina photo credit: Javelina photo credit: Javelina Pause Unmute Food Rundown Margaritas Agave experts might disapprove of these margaritas, which taste like a future hangover in the very best way. But as long as you’re not a tequila snob, these are the perfect queso accompaniment, and during Happy Hour—Monday through Friday from 4-6pm—they’re only $8. Queso Sampler One cup of queso isn’t enough. Four cups of queso is just right. The sampler platter comes with traditional queso, white queso, and a habanero variety, plus your choice of a loaded one—try the Bob Armstrong, with guacamole, ground beef, pico de gallo, and sour cream. And eat all the chips. They’ll bring more. photo credit: Javelina Enchiladas Solid. Even more solid after making good use of Happy Hour. But not necessary. Go big on tequila, chips, and cheese, and then go elsewhere for dinner after if you’re still hungry. J.G. Melon is a five minute walk away, for what it’s worth." - Willa Moore
"Javelina is a second branch of a Tex Mex spot that caused quite a stir when it opened in 2015 near Gramercy Park. It channeled Central Texas spots like Austin’s El Rancho, offering Bob Armstrong (queso) dip, as well as fajitas, San Antonio-style cheese enchiladas sluiced with chile gravy, and smoked brisket tacos." - Robert Sietsema
"The most exciting trend was the tidal wave of popups and residencies. I thought 2014/2015 would be the apex of the PDX pop-up scene. I was wrong. My favorite residencies and popups were... Javelina..." - Eater Staff
