La Esquina Del Camaron Mexicano
Mexican restaurant · Elmhurst
80-02 Roosevelt Ave, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
"Much like your average nightclub or high school cafeteria, our hearts have a VIP section. It’s reserved, in part, for cash-only spots in the back of bodegas. And when a cash-only spot in the back of a bodega also happens to serve a quality cup of shrimp, there’s nothing we can do. That’s why we’re putty in the hands of La Esquina Del Camarón Mexicano, our favorite place for casual seafood in Jackson Heights. At the back of a bodega on the corner of 80th and Roosevelt, behind a few shelves and a couple of fridges, you’ll find a restaurant that would fit in the basket of a hot air balloon. Stake out a seat at the single picnic table, then approach the tiny counter and order a coctel de camarón or the combo version with rounds of tender octopus. Either way, your cup of seafood will come doused in a zippy red sauce the color of Drake’s jacket from the “Hotline Bling” video, with a burst of fruity sweetness balanced by a heavy dusting of chopped onion and cilantro. Close your eyes, and you’ll feel like you’re sitting near a beach, even when it’s 20 degrees outside, the 7 train is being noisy, and there are several strangers sitting around your picnic table wondering why you just closed your eyes. photo credit: Adam Friedlander In addition to cocteles, this place also serves some massive fish tacos, crispy empanadas, and a few other snacks - but those plastic cups of shellfish are the most compelling reason to come here. So the next time you’re in the mood for quality seafood, and you’d rather not deal with a server, a host, or a menu with more than 12 items, head over for a dose of shrimp. Make use of the hot sauce sitting on the picnic table, and if you happen to pour a little too much, don’t panic. The beverage options are nearly infinite. That’s just one benefit of eating in the back of a bodega. Food Rundown photo credit: Adam Friedlander Coctel De Camarones Y De Pulpo The most essential order here, this coctel comes in four sizes, and even the smallest one comes packed with enough shrimp and octopus to hold you over for several hours. Add hot sauce, dip your spoon in, and enjoy. photo credit: Adam Friedlander Tostada De Pulpo Our second favorite item at LEDCM (that’s the official abbreviation now), this tostada comes topped with a heaping mound of chilled octopus. We’d like to eat it on a lounge chair by a pool, but the cramped picnic table here also works fine. photo credit: Adam Friedlander Empanadas De Pescado If you need a break from cold seafood, we highly suggest the emapnadas de pescado. Light, crispy, and filled with flaky fish, they’re snack-sized and make a wonderful accompaniment to a coctel. The bit of avocado that gets added after the frying process is also a very nice touch. photo credit: Adam Friedlander Tacos De Pescado A La Plancha We love and respect LEDCM, but the tacos here tend to fall short of our expectations. The grilled fish taco comes with a filet that’s about six inches long as well as some nice sauteed onions - but tortillas don’t have much going on, and the whole thing ends up feeling relatively lifeless. photo credit: Adam Friedlander Tacos De Pescado Empanizado If you absolutely have to have a taco, go with the fried-and-breaded fish variety. It’s crunchy, with plenty of fish, and a squeeze of lime really helps it shine." - Bryan Kim
"Even those operators who don’t have a social media account are benefitting from others’ tagging them, such as La Esquina del Camarón Mexicano in Jackson Heights, which has changed deli locations through the years. It appears to be just a smoke shop and deli — until you step through and find a kitchen serving some of the area’s better mariscos." - Emma Orlow
"You don’t have to wear a chef jacket to make an exquisite meal. You don’t even need a restaurant. You could be tucked into the back of a bodega in Queens, earning a cult following selling some of the best Mexican seafood in the borough. Pedro Rodriguez made a name for himself selling cócteles de camarones in a small outdoor stand in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. Fans lined up on summer weekends for a sweet, salty, briny cup of Rodriguez’s shrimp and octopus cocktails, spreading the word among the Latinx community that it was the go-to corner on a hot day for a taste of the Mexican seaside. Popularity led him to move indoors, to the back of a bodega, where he set up a seated counter and added to his menu. Today, visitors can shimmy into the rear of the small deli year-round to order the same avocado-crested cocteles he’s served for years. He lists its ingredients as homemade tomato sauce, onions, lime, orange juice, and clam juice, but the rest is secret. You can top it with either shrimp, octopus, or a bit of each. Also available to order is an array of Mexican seafood, including a fried flauta de cazón with dogfish, octopus tacos, and a sea-bass ceviche served over a crispy tostada. Its location in the rear of an everyday bodega belies Rodriguez’s attention to detail, evidenced in his treatment of his sea-bass empanadas. Upon frying, he sneaks mayonnaise, cilantro, and ripe avocado into the pockets’ slits, a touch of freshness that brings the beach to you on this noisy corner of New York City." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
"This mariscos shop operates out of the back of a Jackson Heights bodega. Enter through the deli’s front door, on the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 80th Street, where there’s one indoor table for four, or head around the side of the building where there’s a takeout window and benches for slurping seafood. The saccharine shrimp cocktail is the way to go here. It’s available in a handful of sizes (between $10 to $20 each) with enough shrimp to make for a full meal. Packets of saltines come free, and there’s bottles of Valentina hot sauce waiting on indoor and outdoor tables." - Luke Fortney
"Those searching for New York’s tastiest seafood tostadas know not to look for the storefront by name..." - ByThe Bon Appétit Staff
