Hot Peppers OG — Restaurant in New York

Hot Peppers is a fast casual Mexican place in Oakland Gardens, Queens. The food is surprisingly great, the service was great and the ambience is casual.

The layout is wooden picnic tables, some families sitting for a meal, students breaking fast for Ramadan, and a lot of people picking up their take out.

The ordering process is similar to Chipotle: you choose a protein in bowl, hard taco, soft taco, quesadilla or nachos form. You can request extra guac on the side ($1.75) or chips and guac ($2.75).

The only difference between Hot Peppers and Chipotle is the speed of service and the lack of pork options (they are Halal). The food was just as good as Chipotle (very fresh and very flavorful).

We ordered:

Diced chicken burrito bowl- This was very filling and hearty. Filled with lettuce, fresh tomatoes, cheese, corn and grilled diced chicken. I choose brown rice as the base.

Shredded beef, shredded chicken, and diced chicken tacos. The Shredded chicken was my favorite- it was so flavorful, juicy and the taco was crisp with plenty of fillings.

Nachos with diced chicken- I loved the crunchy chips that were loaded with toppings! So much grilled chicken, corn, cheese, cheese sauce, chopped tomatoes and cilantro. It was so filling and fresh!

Hard tacos with shredded beef, shredded chicken and cubed chicken. OMG! These were my absolute favorite! The crunchiness of the hard tacos with the savory saucy shredded chicken or shredded beef were so amazing! Esp with the guac and the cheese. Loved it. I would eat this every weekend.

Quesadilla with shredded chicken- this was so delicious and cheesy! There was a sear on the Quesadillas and so much savory chicken!

The sauces were so good! I loved the spicy green sauce. It added a kick to all the cheese and guac. There was also a mint sauce that was so flavorful, and reminded me of takeout Indian food. It was so unique on the tacos!

Drinks: Kissy Mango, Classic lemonade and Magic Berry. I loved the sweet and tartness of the Magic Berry.

I would definitely return for the Hard...

I've been here twice and the first time, was a bit strange. I think the sauces have some flavor profile but not enough depth. It's a hard taste to describe but weird is the best way I can put it. I wa saucer excited when they first opened and wanted to try each sauce. (Save the $4, don't lol) Very reminiscent of Indian chutneys, which - nothing wrong with that (I LOVE Indian food) but not when it's suppose to be Mexican themed. Also their chipotle has this artificial pungent taste.

Though that was my first experience last night I ordered through Uber eats and let me just say... DISGUSTING. I ordered 45 mins before closing and they sent a burrito of basically rice.. no pico which was disappointing because I ordered a vegetarian burrito. There's not many ingredients aside from beans corn and pico with some sour cream and sauces. so one missing truly makes the rest lacking.

But that's okay I can even be kind enough to forgive that mishap (though they don't deserve it) but you mean to tell you just filled the entire thing with rice? Literally, I got a burrito full of semi hard and yet mushy too, rice. I had to check the ticket. Did I order a rice burrito? No. So I'd rather not receive one.

All in all, I notice a lot of desi people love this place (I'm desi too) but it is not anything like Mexican food, the corn is NOT roasted (false advertising) The sauces are strange. I can't find the right word to describe it but... needless to say, I will never order or go here again.

And already told all my friends how terrible it was in the group chat, which - they were on the fence about trying this place as was I - just don't. Take the 10 bucks and go to the deli or...

Right off Union Tnpke on Springfield, across the street from the BP gas station. Few tables/chairs to eat in when you walk in; assembly line style ordering towards the back. Clean place, station set up next to the cashier to get napkins/utensils. Come around dinner time and expect to see a little line. Staff appear to be in their early 20s, sometimes they seem unsure of what they are doing and if it's busy and online orders are coming in, they struggle keeping orders in check, so make sure you keep an eye on which bowl/items are yours or risk taking someone else's.

Similar to Chipotle but, in my opinion, tastes better. I tend to go for the salad bowl, but you have options for rice bowls, burritos, quesadillas, and a kids menu as well. They also have drink options. They fill the bowl with enough food to last me two meals, every single time. They have a variety of meat options, salad options, different sauces and spicy sauces at different levels of spice. They have guacamole, beans, cheese, nacho cheeses, Pico de Gallo, corn, you are basically in a selection heaven. Food is always delicious, two thumbs up from me.

My salad bowl with honey Chipotle chicken comes to just over $12 after taxes. I get a side of chimichurri sauce too, which they don't charge for. They will charge extra for extra meat. 5 cent charge for the bag to give too, but it's a study attractive bag, so fine with me. You can pay cash or card.

I shall keep returning, as long as they...