Vato
Mexican restaurant · Park Slope ·
Fresh tortillas, burritos, pastries, coffee, natural wines
Fresh tortillas, burritos, pastries, coffee, natural wines
"A casual daytime bakery from chef and owner Fidel Caballero, this narrow Park Slope spot builds on Corima’s perfect flour tortillas to showcase Northern Mexican–style burritos that are thinner and open-ended (embrace the mess) alongside a short-but-strong lineup of Mexican pastries; tips are collected in a molcajete next to the register, and Basque-meets–Northern Mexican food and drinks are coming at night in the same space. The pollo en mole burrito ($12) is deeply rich, with braised chicken chunks in a flavorful mole negro; the simple refried beans and melty asadero cheese burrito ($9) is wholly satisfying, and add both the green and red salsas to all burritos. For sweets, the concha ($7) is fluffy, made with totomoxtle (corn husks), topped with a craquelin, and filled with bright yuzu curd — it’s so soft and light — while the churro whorl ($7) is extremely moist, though I wish it came with a side of caramel. It’s counter-service: order at the front (there might be a line around early breakfast and lunchtime) where pastries are displayed, take a number, wait near the register for coffee or pastries, then move to the back of the counter to pick up burritos — it’s a little confusing. The small dining room in back fills up fast, but there’s a back patio for nice-weather days, and you can bring home the tortillas in packs of 10." - Nadia Chaudhury
"I appreciate the effort toward approachability in New York City: the one-Michelin-star Corima opened Vato as a daytime tortilleria that lets more people get a taste — everyone really should get a chance to try that stellar Corima tortilla." - Eater Staff
"Built around the hype of a butter-enriched sourdough flour tortilla, this Park Slope daytime tortilleria and bakery turns into a casual, Basque- and Northern Mexican-leaning neighborhood restaurant and wine bar at night. In a wood-and-concrete space that seats about 30, with a five-seat bar for daytime ordering, an open kitchen, and a back patio for 25, walls display Paco Alonso’s street photography of Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, reinforcing the name’s vibe—Chicano slang for “homie.” Daytime is counter-service: packs of 10 sourdough flour tortillas and Chihuahua-style burritos filled with hickory- and mesquite-smoked burnt ends with soft-scrambled eggs and cheddar, pollo en mole, braised pork shoulder with salsa verde and potatoes, or a chile relleno stuffed with asadero and beans, plus barbacoa tortas. Pastry chef Erick Rocha offers filled conchas (yuzu and corn husk curds), hazelnut‑praline‑chocolate chip cookies, brioche with cajetas, marranitos, and also pecan tarts and cinnamon buns; drinks include Oaxacan coffee made with single-origin Sobre Masa beans, matcha, and aguas frescas like horchata and Jamaica. Evenings shift to table service for “Basque techniques with Northern Mexican flavors,” yielding dishes like thin short ribs, grilled shrimp, avocado and yuzu with fried beef tripe and tostadas, beer-battered smelt with fried egg mayonnaise, cider-steamed cockles, tortilla de bacalao with cod, potatoes, cod machaca and pil pil, mollete de txangurro with donostiarra-style crab and butter beans, and chistorra talo in a warm corn-flour tortilla. The wine program from Mariano Garay leans natural from Mexico and Spain (cavas, albariños, garnacha) alongside rieslings and Champagnes, with ciders, vermouth, and amari from Spain and Mexico, drinks featuring fino sherry and vin jaune, and nonalcoholic options like oat horchata. Initial hours run 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Monday, with dinner planned for mid-December (5 to 10 p.m.), and it’s walk-ins only—“We want to be a neighborhood spot” where you can grab coffee, pick up tortillas, linger for dinner, or snag a quick bite." - Nadia Chaudhury
"More casual than Corima, Vato in Park Slope is an all-day bakery, tortillería, and restaurant from Fidel Caballero and Sofia Ostos where I can get Chihuahuan-style burritos (like chile relleno with refried beans or chicken in mole negro), pastries such as yuzu cream conchas, single-origin coffee, and their signature flour tortillas by the dozen during the day, then sit down for a Basque-and-Mexican dinner featuring charcoal-grilled jumbo prawns with pickled peppers and salted limequat aioli, Spanish-style cod and potato omelet with pil-pil sauce, pork milanesa with rajas con queso and sweet corn, all paired with natural wines in a wood-and-concrete space with an open kitchen and a backyard patio." - ByKate Kassin
"The team behind Mexican fine-dining restaurant Corima goes casual with a daytime counter-service cafe slinging Chihuahuan-style burritos, Mexican-ish pastries (conchas, cookies), coffee, and those flour tortillas; at night, it shifts into a neighborhood spot with Basque-inspired dishes and natural wines." - Melissa McCart