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Remember when we could lounge indoors at a restaurant or bar (let alone a hidden speakeasy)? It’s not happening anytime soon—at least in New York City.
So it’s no surprise that Borrachito had no chance when the current crisis shut down the city’s restaurants and bars. After all, you had to go inside The Garret East before shimmying through a passageway to find a taco stand tucked in a tiny room.
But now Borrachito is swapping spaces with The Garret East and opening with a more prominent street-facing facade starting on August 26th. This time around, diners can order from a window and enjoy their meals at one of the 20 outdoor seats between 2-11pm or get their food delivered. It’s no longer a secret.
“Things have been shifting every day,” says Adam Fulton, one of the co-owners. “But we wanted unique experiences for people to enjoy our bar.”
New Yorkers may know The Garret East from Den Hospitality’s other speakeasy, The Garret, which is discreetly perched above Five Guys on Bleecker Street in the West Village. Borrachito’s space inside the unsuspecting bar started off as Dinnertable, where Scott Tacinelli and Angie Rito of the wildly popular Don Angie once cooked.
Since becoming Borrachito in 2018, Chef Yuval Ochoa has overseen the kitchen where he prepares traditional Mexican dishes with some of his own twists. The new menu debuting this week includes the El Gringo con Bone Marrow, which is a play on Americanzied versions of tacos by swapping in ribeye, bone marrow and smoked cheddar, among other ingredients, for the typical ground beef and processed cheddar cheese.
“We’ve put everything from soft shell crab to grilled octopus on tacos,” says Ochoa. “These are things that I really enjoy cooking and eating personally.”
The handmade tortillas also serve as a canvas for other items like the Gobernador Shrimp and Wild Mix Mushroom tacos. And if you want to cool off, there will be refreshing paletas, with and without alcohol, featuring flavors like cold brew, tres leches and cornbread, piña colada, mango tequila, and cucumber mojito.
For those wanting to relive the speakeasy bar vibes of The Garret East, the classic cocktails are still on the drink menu, but you can also find more refreshing choices like a Spiced Raspberry Margarita and Coconut Paloma. They plan to expand hours by September, which makes it a perfect spot for some day drinking.
Borrachito is located at 206 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
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