Javelina — Restaurant in New York

A buzzy UES gem that feeds the soul if you’re ever craving Tex-Mex in the city. My GF is from Austin, so she doesn’t play with her Tex-Mex. If she likes it, that’s all you need to know about Javelina.

The bevy of Margarita offerings scared me a bit, especially being able to have them frozen, but they were delicious. I ordered the Habanero and Peach with the Mezcal floater (a punchy marg to say the least) and my GF had a skinny marg. In her words “this is one of the best skinny margs I’ve had in the city”. More high praise- she’s had a lot of them.

The atmosphere was lively on a Thursday night and the decour was inviting without being kitschy (like so many Tex-Mex locations lean into). A diverse crowd, leaning towards mid-late 20s/early 30s, you could tell everyone was having a good time.

The queso was excellent, and the fajitas are clearly a crowd favorite- a sizzling platter is being walked out of the kitchen every few minutes. For the sides I really loved the black beans, very well seasoned. The Javelina salad was bright and fresh without being overly dressed, you could still taste the peppery notes of the arugala.

We will certainly be coming back the next time we’re craving...

Came in a few weeks ago, saw this place was highly rated. Unsure why, but my food did not meet the level of reviews here. Ordered the yellow queso and the crispy beef tacos. The tacos were very underwhelming, I'm not sure if it was the lack of seasoning or the flavor just being off. I could not finish my meal

Besides the food, I was more inclined to write a review on the service. We were a party of 2 with a 5:45 reservation. We got to the host at 5:50 who let us know that they have a table after us at 7:00. We were annoyed because this was the quickest turnaround time we've ever experienced, not even an hour and a half for a reservation. And to add to more frustration, while paying the bill at 7:00, someone came and was sanitizing our table while we were still siting down. I believe they should have waited until we left, we felt very rushed and did not even enjoy our meal.

Our waiter was very friendly, and I chose not to complain in person at the time because there were just so many things we were unhappy with. Just a lesson...

Saw reviews saying this place had the best queso in NYC. Being from Texas, I was suspicious but had to try it out. Honestly, the queso wasn’t that great. I ordered the Queso Sampler.

Here’s my ranking of the quesos: 1) The Bob Armstrong (traditional), 2) the Traditional queso, 3) the White queso, and 4) the Habenero Queso.

I wish they’d stick to one queso and make it very good vs. having so many options. The flour tortillas were good, and the chips and salsa are okay.

I came back a separate time and ordered the Enchiladas de Tejas (cheese enchiladas). While it wasn’t quite authentic Tex-Mex (especially the red chili gravy/chili con carne), they had a good flavor and hit the spot. The Mexican rice and refried beans could be better, but they tasted okay.

All in all it’s not amazing Tex-Mex, but if you’re craving it, it’ll...