Only one Upper West Side restaurant made a new ranking of the best new restaurants in New York City this year.
It’s a family-run spot that opened back in May.
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Consuelo, at 224 West 104th Street, came in at No. 8 of 13 on The Infatuation‘s list, published November 9, with a score of 8.4. The guide credits it with “turning the Upper West Side into a dining destination, one tortilla at a time.” The rest of the list covers neighborhoods including Nomad, Chinatown, the West Village, Greenpoint and Astoria.As we reported in May, Consuelo is the second location of Cocina Consuelo in Hamilton Heights. That’s a husband-and-wife venture that started as a pandemic-era takeout and delivery operation, then grew into a supper club known for multi-course Mexican tasting menus. Its first storefront opened at 130 Hamilton Place in August 2024. The Upper West Side location took over the former Malaysia Grill space. Malaysia Grill was there for about 20 years before it closed suddenly in July 2024 during an employee strike over wages.
In The Infatuation‘s review, NYC editor Sonal Shah picked out the mole duck, confit duck in a rich black mole, as a dinner standout. She also suggested asking for extra tortillas to go with the birria bone marrow, which comes with salsa roja, pickled onions and cilantro. Shah pointed to the kitchen’s more time-consuming touches, too, like tortillas made from corn that’s ground in the basement and black mole that’s stirred for hours.
Brunch gets plenty of attention as well. The review highlights the masa pancake, which has crisp edges, a fluffy center and honey butter, with toppings like berry compote or strawberries. It also mentions the picaditas, the restaurant’s take on eggs Benedict, made with poached eggs and a spicy green hollandaise.
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The dining room has pink walls hung with masks and art the family has collected, plus a stained-glass window, booths, an open kitchen and an emerald-green bathroom. Shah notes that the chef’s sister creates the cocktails.Consuelo is also on The Infatuation’s roundups of the best Mexican restaurants in NYC, the best date-night spots and the best restaurants on the Upper West Side. It currently has a Google score of 4.8 out of 5 stars.
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