Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Reviews straight from margagogo.com and the Independent Panel of Judges. We will eat and drink anything so you don’t have to.

I hope you enjoy the easy-peasy lime-squeezy coding system! Green is “Go!” Yellow is “SoSo” and Red is “OhNo!”

New York

Margago-GO

Bamontes:  32 Withers St, Brooklyn. Go right away for old school Italian. (So old school they don’t have a website so the link for Bamontes goes to Yelp.) Super, super good and stepping through the door is like entering a time machine. Don’t order a margarita or any mixed drink. Really. If you even consider it, slap yourself. Stick with wine. And read all about it!

Clarkson: 225 Varick St, NYC. Cool place, nice vibe, good food (and I forgive them for my sweet marg). Check it out here.

Corkbuzz: 13 E 13th St, NYC. Great food on an ever-changing menu (American, farm to forkish.) Great wine. Small pours (and no buy backs or splashes) so can be expensive if you’re thirsty. Check out the margagogo post.

Danji: 346 West 52nd St, NYC. Ruth Reichl wrote a poem about Danji’s Korean tapas and it has Michelin stars. They have a traditional and more americanized menu – get the ribs and the chicken wings and the noodle thing and … go early (sometimes there’s a line) and get to know your fellow diners (space is tight). Check out the margagogo post.

Estancia: 460 Greenwich St, NYC. Very cute Tribeca spot. Argentine inspired food – or just inspired. Great date spot. Post here.

Empellon Taqueria: 230 W 4th St, NYC. Get the Fish Tempura taco … no, order two – or three. The margs are a little weak but Vitamin C is good for you. Read my review.

Extra Virgin:  Extra Virgin in a West Village staple. Oh dear, I think I made it sound boring when in fact, it’s everything but. They have a “standard” special for each night of the week. Go on Sunday for spaghetti and the biggest, tastiest meatballs you’ve ever had.  Read the post here.

Fonda: East Village, Chelsea & Park Slope. Yes, more Mexican food! Three locations makes triple the Happy Hour fun. Do go for Happy Hour.  And read about happy times.

Jeffrey’s Grocery: 172 Waverly, NYC. This is a happy, happening local. Great energy. Good, fresh food – oysters, seafood, local market fare. margagogo post here.

Gran Electra: 5 Front St, DUMBO. Yum and Yum. Tacos, all sorts of other stuff and friend-making margaritas. Check it out and check this out.

The Happiest Hour:  121 W 10th St, NYC. Burgers, a little tiki, a little jazzy and FREE FRENCH FRIES! Great for a group. Review here

The Lion: 62 W 9th St, NYC.  There are no lions here but there is old New York style and classic cuisine. Great for a casual, quality night on the town. Read all about it.

Maysville:  17 W 26th St. A bourbon bar with a horse theme. Check out the post on margagogo

Meadowsweet: 149 Broadway, Brooklyn. Michelin Star American. Seriously good. Bring lots of people so you can stick your fork into their plates (I mean share) because you’ll want to order more than you can eat. margagogo says GO!

Ofrenda: 113 7th Ave S, NYC. Ofrenda is the birth place of my blog and a place for great margaritas and food. The atmosphere is casual and friendly. The happy hour is great. margagogo post.

Quality Italian:  57 W 57th St, NYC. Good food. Great for groups. A bit noisy. Yummy. Read all about it.

Rosa Mexicano: 3 Locations, NYC (plus more nationwide). The guacamole is so good, a single bite will make you burst out in tears of joy. Please note: Rosa has undergone some menu changes, the guac remains awesome but the signature pomegranate margarita – the drink that dreams were made of – is now a bit grey and too sweet. The Independent Panel of Judges has this under review … status will likely change to “SoSo”.  Review when things were GREAT here.

Salvation Taco: 145 E 39th St, NYC. Go! The tacos are great, drinks great. It has a “clubby” atmosphere so not the place to go for a quite meal. Ping-pong table a plus! Their site and my post!

The Spyglass Rooftop Bar: Archer Hotel, 38th St, NYC. They have Cakebread wine on the menu. We didn’t try the food – we just soaked in the amazing view of the Empire State Building. Read all about it here.

Swine:  531 Hudson St, NYC. If you don’t like to pig out on, well, pig, don’t go here. Everyone else get yourselves to Swine. They’ve got wine, beer, food, fun and pinball! Check it out here.

Marga-SoSo

Butter:  70 W 45th, NYC. The design is incredible. The Parker House rolls are just salty enough and yes, there’s butter. It’s well located for midtown. And there’s something that I can’t quite put my finger on (beside the cost which is considerable) that keeps it off the “Go” list. Great for groups.

Dos Caminos: 3 locations, NYC. The food is “eh.” The people watching and outdoor seating at the Meatpacking restaurant is amazing. Check out the Dos Caminos review and comparison to Rosa Mexicano (when Rosa was great!).

El Toro Blanco:  257 Avenue of the Americas, NYC. On most lists, this is an absolute “GO!” It’s a scene, it’s cool, it’s good and everyone who likes Mexican food should go once. But they know they’re cool and you can tell that they know it. Check it out.

Fedora:  239 W 4th, NYC. This homey sort of old New York spot has great food and they know how to mix a cocktail. They even have once called “honey badger” which gives them a special place in my heart.  So why on the marga-SoSo list? The place has a neighborhood vibe on the surface but they don’t want you to stay.  In fact, there’s a time limit on bar seats.

TGI Friday’s: Everywhere. Yes, I reviewed Friday’s and I’ll always have a soft spot for this chain because when I went to Disney World with my family and was part of the team who introduced my nieces to every princess in the place AND Fantasy Land is dry … Friday’s was an oasis. This is what I’m talking about. So it’s not a first resort sort of place but I give them props.

Mercadito: 100 7th Ave, NYC. I’m sad to report the quality at Mercadito has slipped. One of my faves since it opened in 2004 but on several recent visits, the food has been off and the service is terrible. It breaks my heart but Mercadito may be out of the rotation. Please note: The Avenue B location closed and their site is down. I haven’t done the recon to discover the status of the West Village spot so call before you go.

Marga-OhNo!

Park Central: 870 7th Avenue, NYC. It’s fine. It’s ok. As long as you like hotel lobby’s. Get wine (don’t go for a mixed drink). And read all about it.

La Cenita: CLOSED Not surprised. It was a place to be seen but you had to eat somewhere else. Get the Scoop here.

Greensquare Tavern: CLOSED Bummer! The food was good and plentiful and well, they had a sense of humor. Check it out.

The Harrison: CLOSED due to crazy rent. This is an important conversation for another time. And now I need a moment of silence to mourn the passing of The Harrison.

‘inoteca: CLOSED  And then there were none. The last ‘inoteca closed and is missed. Relive old times and check out my post.

Mesa Grill: CLOSED I hear that Bobby Flay may reopen in a new location. If he does, I’ll be there!

Nuela: CLOSED @Foodista retweeted this post so I’m very proud. And very sad that this amazing food is gone.

California

H2: Healdsburg, CA. Very hip, very cool hotel & restaurant. You’ll pick up decorating ideas from the rooms and if you’re into artisanal ice, you’re in the right place. Post!

Moss Beach Distillery: Half Moon Bay, CA.  Stunning views. SoSo everything else. But they’ve got a ghost and I took the best margarita picture – ever! 

Maine

Cooks Lobster House: Bailey Island, ME.  This is a BIG tourist attraction. In fact, I think in a tiny spot, very big buses pull up and unload lobster eating hoards. But, it’s got some charm. Post!

Robinson’s Warf: Southport, ME (Boothbay). Can’t ignore the mix abuse but you’ll be sitting on a warf … so there’s balance. Read all about it.

Sonny’s: 83 Exchange St, Portland. Farm to fork with Latin flair. They can mix a drink, make a coffee cake – everything I’ve had is great. And it’s in and old bank – vault and everything. GO FOR BRUNCH! And read all about it.

Seattle

La Catrina:  Seattle, WA. A pint-sized margarita that’s actually good. What a gift!  If you’re in Seattle, check it out and check out the margagogo article here!

The Whale Wins:  Seattle, WA. Serious drinks and happy bartenders. Everyone wins when The Whale Wins.  Check it out for lunch!

The Big Picture: Seattle, WA. It’s a theatre and a bar.  A bar and a theatre.  They give you candy just because – because they love you. The Big Picture is possibly the best place in Seattle. Read all about it!

Vermont

SoLo Farm & Table: South Londonderry, VT. Seriously amazing. Food magazines love them. James Beard loves them. And just regular people like me who get hungry and appreciate food love them.  Read all about it!

Gringo Jacks: Manchester, VT. Mexican in VT (need I say more?) This is a place that benefits from the halo effect of a really fun day. Great for groups. Very casual.

Marsh Tavern at Equinox: Manchester, VT. Equinox is well, Equinox – beautiful. Marsh Tavern is mostly a place to sit down.