Playa Betty’s
Mexican restaurant · Upper West Side ·
California-inspired Mexican fare with tacos, bowls & colorful cocktails
California-inspired Mexican fare with tacos, bowls & colorful cocktails
"The palm trees and holiday lights and surfboards on the walls at Playa Betty’s could make you feel like you were in some kind of Times Square tourist trap if this Upper West Side spot took itself at all seriously. But everyone at this restaurant, which serves a massive burrito called the Hang 10, just seems to be having fun. And that also goes for the crowds of people at communal tables sharing beer buckets and guacamole. This place doesn’t make the best tacos in the city, but that’s not why you come to Playa Betty’s. You come here for affordable stress relief in the form of colorful cocktails, warm chips and queso, and fake palm trees. This is one of the more casual and enjoyable spots to spend a few hours with a group of friends uptown - assuming you don’t take yourself too seriously. RESERVE A TABLE WITH RESERVE A TABLE Food Rundown Guacamole The guacamole comes with ingredients like tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, and peppers - so you can make it exactly to your specifications. Queso It’s not a big surprise that a bowl of melted cheese topped with chorizo is pretty damn good. We will say that the chip-to-queso ratio is way too high, and you’ll almost definitely still have a big pile of chips after all of the dip is gone. Tater Tot Nachos Again, we’re not sure it’s possible for tater tots topped with cheese, beef chili, guacamole, and sour cream to be bad. Like with everything here, you get a big portion for a very reasonable price ($12). Avocado Taco These have raw avocado along with fried avocado and guacamole. They don’t have a ton of flavor, but they’re definitely filling. Carne Asada Taco These are the tacos to get - a solid amount of steak topped with a lot of guacamole and cilantro. Hang 10 Burrito This burrito has steak, french fries, and guacamole in it, but despite its size, it has too much tortilla and not enough meat." - Matt Tervooren
"We can always count on Playa Betty’s as a fun place to drink margaritas with a big group on the Upper West Side. But sometimes, we’d just need the margaritas. Maybe there’s a sip and spot birdwatching meetup in Sheep Meadow, or maybe we’re preparing for a buzzed stroll down the length of Manhattan. Either way, Playa Betty’s is always here for us with virtually every tequila and mezcal cocktail under the sun available for takeout." - nikko duren
"The UWS may not have a beach, but it does have Playa Betty’s - a fun taco spot that’s known for bringing people together in the name of margaritas. Whether you’re taking your drink to-go or spending a few hours with friends uptown on their new expanded outdoor patio, you can order everything from spicy to colorful grapefruit margaritas here." - nikko duren
"At Playa Betty’s, you can expect plenty of people sitting amongst fake palm trees, drinking pink cocktails, and sharing queso at communal high top tables. So it would be incredibly appropriate to message your friends while you’re mid-run (during your texting/walking break) to tell them to meet you here for a casual Mexican meal afterwards. No one in this restaurant will care that your butt is sticking to the stool, but hopefully they’re not aware of this inevitable fact." - hannah albertine
"If you’re hanging out on the UWS but you don’t live there, your options for cooling down in public include dressing up as a delivery person and hanging out in a fancy apartment building lobby, or going to the Natural History Museum and sitting underneath the whale. But you could also go to Playa Betty’s on Amsterdam Avenue. This is a fun Mexican restaurant that’s very committed to its surf theme, which means surfboards, fake palm trees, and the kind of music that vacation resorts blast over their speaker systems. All in a controlled climate." - hannah albertine
