Populares

I’m writing as it’s fresh in my mind so I don’t forget the things that had me steaming mad. Where do I begin? After my fiancé had kindly tried to be friendly to the entire staff while waiting for me at the bar (partaking in the happy hour and tipping well), the minute we were seated to begin our Pulsd deal, the entire experience went South. Not only was there a bait and switch (you can get an entree up to $32 but not including the Branzino, Short rib, or the steak) but there was no level of customer service that would imply that you want returning customers. While our young server tried her best to deal with me being irate - she was ill equipped (by management) on how to handle the restaurant’s incompetence and their sub par service. I had - at conversation level - bemoaned having to find the QR code to show my pulsd voucher from the nearby manager (who most certainly heard me complaining). Only to be told after going through the motions that half the menu wasn’t covered under the voucher. I had to ask the server to bring the manager over to complain to her myself and the manager said that she put in a request “three weeks ago” for changes to be made to the details of the voucher. I struggle to understand how this is the customer’s problem. I included a photo of the pulsd deal to show that despite the not included steak being the main draw to buying the deal in the first place - the owner/manager/ whomever somehow had the right to say, yeah but that’s not part of the deal. I digress. I settled for shrimp and steak fajitas only to be given two soggy overcooked shrimp and several pieces of meat. I returned it with only a small amount of pushback from the manager asking me why I sent it back. We were eventually sent vegan flautas for “all our trouble” after I made it clear that I came there for steak. We weren’t offered out dessert or reminded that we didn’t get it and I also got three out of four tacos, but who’s counting. What a disastrous and disappointing way to end our evening. Do better.

Beautiful atmosphere and awesome vibes. The menu is on point with great options but not overwhelming. The food was excellent and has depth of flavor and authenticity. We can not wait to go back. Do not forget to ask the bartender for drink recommendations.

The food was amazing everything so delicious and everyone was so kind. Margaritas were fantastic too! Love this place will be coming back to frequent<3

The food was absolutely amazing, and the vibes were just right for a late night meal. We had the chips and salsa and esquites as an app. The mezcal chicken was by far the highlight, but the enchiladas were great too. We ended with churros for dessert and they were still warm and delicious. I would highly recommend this place.

I had the best party of my life in Populares! Best place to celebrate anything. We celebrated our wedding here and every single staff member gave us all their love and professionalism, and did all they could to make us happy. All my guests and family had a blast. Henry, their manager, is a beautiful soul filled with all the empathy and fun in the world. Thank you all so much ! We will keep coming back always

I am so happy to have stumbled upon this place! This is one of my new favorite restaurants! The service was amazing, I had the sweetest waitress. The spicy margaritas are great and the food is amazing! The ambiance is perfect and so is the location. I can’t recommend this place enough! Can’t wait to come back!!

Amazing food-love their fajitas and drinks! Their mocktails are delicious and the service was great! My friends and I had a lovely time relaxing and catching up in the restaurant!

Great food service and atmosphere! We sat under the table with a skylight for our brunch for models and it was lovely. DJs playing were super fun and the drinks were great. Only thing is I wish there were more bathrooms.

CHECK YOUR BILL. REVIEW is for the bill. Food and drinks were good, service was meh. Our bill was for $350 when we should have been charged $75. We did 3 bottomless brunches (2 with a Pulsd deal and 1 regular). We also (once our 90 minutes was up) ordered 3 espresso martinis (not included in brunch deal. So we expected to pay for those.) Adding all that together should have been $75. The Pulsd deal you buy ahead of time and it was $49 for 2, 90 minute bottomless brunches. Our bill was $350. They charged us for EVERY SINGLE DRINK. The server claimed it was because we switched between drinks. But no where on their website, Pulsd, or the menu did it mention that. The server also never mentioned that before we contested the bil. I believe they tried to pull a fast one on us because we were drunk. Once we got the bill fixed, the espresso martinis on the bill were $3 more than listed on the menu. We don't feel like fighting this one. This is atrocious. I always check my bill, more for small mistakes like one extra item added. But this, 4.5 times the price we should have been charged. Make sure you check the rules of brunch and bill! For management: our server was fine. It was the woman we asked for the check who gave us the bill.

This was beyond my expectations. My husband and I came in with a Groupon for the bottomless brunch and it did not disappoint. Food and service were over the top. We ordered the burger and chilaquiles with steak and the flavors and presentation were done perfectly. Not to mention the drinks. We highly recommend the guava mimosa. We will definitely be back when we're in town again.

What can I say ... superb dining experience at this cool Authentic Mexican restaurant serving delicious gourmet Mexican dishes and artisan cocktails. Wonderful presentation of each dish and great service!

New, sure to be hit neighborhood gem in Avenue B serving Mexican cuisine at an elevated level. The tacos are made individually to order and have a level of authenticity to them that few others can match. The house guacamole and salsa is well done. The highlight is the superb house made sauces for the salsa - just fabulous.

This cool and cute spot in Alphabet City has great cocktails and wine. The food was amazing, with lots of options like tacos, fish, enchiladas, and salads. I went there for an event and had a great time. It's a fun, casual place with a lively vibe--perfect for a summer evening hangout.

In an hour and 24 minutes our bottomless brunch table got 2 drinks, while I only received 1 of my drinks. We placed multiple drink orders in, our food came out at completely different times, almost 45 minutes after we placed our orders in the first place. My chicken was undercooked (had pink) and my eggs, meant to be scrambled, were very runny. I ended up sending it all back. It was an unfortunate experience. Our plates and drinks piled up so much one of my friends started bussing the table for us. Worst part is we kept looking for our waitress and she was just standing at the host stand while all of this took place.

Food was amazing. And the place is so cute. I loveeeddd the art. The service was also a 10/10 and I would highly recommend it !!

Amazing food, cocktails, vibes, and staff! I came here for a private event and loved sampling various small plates and cocktails. The Management is lovely and they make sure every customer is satisfied. Great sound system.

I sat along the front of the restaurant with the windows open - great spot for people watching near Tompinks Square Park. The music was great and the staff were very friendly. I got three tacos: fish, cauliflower, and mushroom. The red sauce had the perfect kick and was balanced by the fresh cabbage and herbs and green sauce. The cauliflower was so juicy I mistook it for the fish taco at first. 10/10 if you want a place to sit and read after work and grab some really tasty and refreshing tacos, I highly recommend Populares. I know I'll be back soon.

The skirt steak and eggs was so good!! We did the bottomless brunch and had a great time!

Great service! Friendly staff and good food. On the night we went there, a DJ was spinning music, which made it more fun. We had a great time.

The vibe of the restaurant was so pleasing, welcoming, and cozy. The food does come in small portions sometimes, but has such good flavor, presentation , etc. I will be coming back, its a perfect place to sit and eat with friends. The workers their are kind, and service is well. The bar is perfect for sit down drinks with others.

Surprisingly, on a Sunday night we were the only table at this East Village restaurant. We got the guac to share which was really fresh and yummy. Then, we got fajitas and tacos which were pretty standard. Be warned that the beef one is quite spicy. I also wanted to try the duck one but they were out so they replaced it with the chicken which was pretty good. For dessert we got the churros which came with chocolate sauce except it was surprisingly cold. We did enjoy the dark atmosphere and the music tho!

Amazing drinks customer service is great! Great music and chill vibes! Would definitely recommend for a girls night cute afternoon or nighttime hang!

Food + price ok but the entrees came out at vastly different times... like 15+ minutes apart. I've never seen that happen that bad before... Update - To respond to the comment from the owner, no I was not at the bar. I was at a table with 4 people. First one person's tacos came out. Then it was like 15+ minutes until two other entrees came out. Then like another 10+ minutes until the last entree came out.

Cute spot, but service terrible, I went for brunch with some friends, and we placed our food and drinks at the same time because it looked busy. The drinks came thirty minutes late, the food came an hour late, and no one got their food at the same time, all of it came out at 20 minutes apart. Then we kept getting the wrong food and drinks. Chicken came out undercooked and somehow soggy at the same time. The waitress very inattentive and caught her just sitting upfront a few times just chatting with the hostess. I was happy to try a new place but this place was just terrible.

I love coming to this place after a long day of work. the fajitas are my FAVV. they are packed with flavor and they light it on fire when they bring it to you. the staff are so delightful. they always make sure that you're having an exceptional time. the restaurant is very cutsey and i adore the vibes. highly recommend!

This place is insane, it's a regular taco spot by day, and then becomes a club on the weekends. They light stuff on fire! Crayyyyyy 10/10 would go again

Enjoyed spending the evening at Populares! Can't wait to go back! Alejandra was so amazing! She knew the menu and made great suggestions!

Went to the bar and the bartender was making up prices. Charged someone $15 less for two shots. $38 for two shots before tip? Are you kidding me. The shots weren't even filled to the brim. Then he tried to tell me I just wasn't familiar with the city. Born and raised never seen $38 for two half filled shots of tequila. Don't recommend.

Love the vibe of this place. I got the Hibiscus Margarita and it was so good! Service was also very friendly and accommodating.

Great ambiance, speedy professional service coalescing with some of the best Mexican food I've had in New York. I walked in off the street and got the Shrimp Enchilada with the black beans and rice atop instead of the side. So good. The bartender makes a mean mezcalita too. Don't overlook this gem.

Food is good but service is awful. Slow and doesn't seem to know what he's doing. The server was very nice but clueless on how to do his job. Brunch isn't worth the $$ bc you get like 1 drink every hour.

Such a great addition to the neighborhood. The drinks are great , my to go is the cucumber margarita. Everything on the menu tastes great . Love the decor and ambiance . My new favorite to go to restaurant with chill vibes.

This restaurant is one of my favorite restaurants to go when I'm craving from Spanish/Mexican food. The service is good and the waiters are very friendly. It's my second time here and it has been nothing but wonderful experience! Love love!

AMAZINGGGGG great food, excellent vibes, and the service is always top notch my girlies and I love this place so much x

Just had the Frozen margaritas for happy hour, all I can say is that I feel amazing. I love frozen drinks but this place is definitely the best I've had yet! The food is very reasonably priced too! Can't wait to try the brunch

My favorite place. Best drinks in New York City. I love coming for karaoke on thursdays. The food smells amazing and the staff is so friendly.

I was excited about a new neighborhood spot, but super disappointed. Drinks were weak (and expensive), house made chips were soggy, guac tasteless, $7 taco (1 per order, which they don't specify on the menu) was small with a greasy tortilla and virtually no flavor. Strange atmosphere with loud music and inattentive staff. I've never been in and out of a restaurant so fast....will not be going again

I never was a fan of the East Village until I came to Populares last week. The hidden gem is a Mexican restaurant with a warm comforting vibe. When we first sat at the bar before we deciding if we should eat here, the short bartender with glasses was drunk... Tried to order a couple times he wasn't paying attention, Very frustrating. The Chef Nick gave us an amazing mini fire show with our food. and was the sweetest. He brought the energy and the joy to our table. The food was great. Im craving those Birria Tacos everydayyy.

perfect place for a girls night out!! Drinks were amazing, try the coconut margarita with less sugar! chicken enchiladas definitely hit! also staff was so kind. Coming back for another girls night!!

This place is absolutely amazing! Fernando the bartender makes excellent drinks and take pride in them !!! I had the coconut margarita and will definitely be back for more ! Love this place !!

Fernando is amazing He is So friendly personable and is the reason I will come back Ambiance is great such a vibe. Love it

I am suprised by how many good reviews there are I'm thinking it's the owners family and friends since they just recently opened. The food was expensive and not good at all. The plates were min $20 and there is a surcharge for any protein you want to add to your meal. I got the huevos rancheros and there was no flavor and the portion was very small and the food was cold. In addition, It was also VERY cold in the restaurant I asked multiple times for them to put the heat on and they said that it was on and then I guess an assistant manager said that they were working on something outside and the double doors behind us wasn't insulated, not sure why they would sit people there but ok. We paid the bill and left , an hour later I was still in the area and needed to use the bathroom so I went back to the restaurant which was closed and it was just staff doing promo , the restaurant was VERY warm especially where we were seated before because we were by the bathrooms. Looks like the heat was never on for the patrons and maybe they didn't want to turn it on for us but when it was just them in the restaurant they turned it on. For food that was sooo expensive I was shocked that they didn't want to provide us with a comfortable restaurant experience. This is why I don't like going to restaurants in trendy areas it be a waste of money and time I would have much rather given my money to a REAL authentic Mexican restaurant with affordable prices and good portions.