Viva Mexicana La Palapa!

I am absolutely obsessed with guacamole. I don't know how this obsession started over the course of my life, because I used to not even notice guac on the menu when I was growing up and thought avocados were gross, but suddenly in my 20s I've craved it all the time and just can't get enough!

A friend told me that La Palapa served THE BEST guacamole in the city that he's ever tried, so of course, I made my way there for dinner one day. It was about a 15 minute wait for a table, so we decided to hang out at the bar and order a pitcher of sangria to kill some time. Ok, the sangria here is not that great, the color of the drink is this weird shade of Barney purple and it almost tasted like the fruits in the drink were washed in an old smelly washcloth, definitely don't recommend this at all. I only hoped that this wasn't some bad indication of what was to come for the rest of the meal.

I really liked the interior of the restaurant. La palapa means an open-sided, thatched roof dwelling in Spanish, supposedly, and the space was created in this fashion, except without the thatched roof. There were Mexican decorations everywhere, with cats and Incan/Aztec-inspired objects placed in counters and walls. And there are lots of tables and another room out in the back, it's not one of those cramped East Village establishments with 10 tables uncomfortably close to one another. I would say the crowd here is around 30 years and up. There weren't that many people on dates, it was mostly big groups seated around us dressed casually. I remember reading in the Times about how some guy proposed to his girlfriend here, but I don't see why, as the only romantic aspect of this restaurant is the dim lighting, it's really more of a pre-going out dinner place.


Of course, we ordered the guacamole y totopos (totopos means a flat, round corn product, and, sure enough, the waiter brought over soft corn tortillas on the side), and for entrees we tried camarones a la diabla (a spicy shrimp dish served with rice and refried beans) and the arrachera al tequila con jalapenos torreados (a skirt steak dish also servied with rice and beans).

Ok ok, so what about the guac? And the answer is--Dos Caminos guac is better. The guac at La Palapa is still good, but I tasted too much cilantro in it or something, and it's not as smooth as the one at Dos Caminos, a little bit chunky for my taste. However, it did come with three different types of complementary salsa...I forget how each one was made, but one was a darker salsa that tasted like it was made from mole or black beans, the second was I think a mild tomatillo-chile, and the third was a very spicy green salsa dip. I put some guac on a chip and dipped it into the third spicy salsa, and that definitely put my mouth on fire, but in a good way!


The entrees were EXCELLENT, I wasn't expecting much because all I know about the restaurant is the quality of its guac, but my spicy shrimp dish was fantastic, and the skirt steak was so tender, juicy and delicious! The shrimp looked so appetizing, plump and pink and marinated in this rich brown chile sauce, served alongside fluffy rice and cheese-sprinkled beans. Going into it, my mouth was watering, and after I was done, I still wanted more! So glad I didn't go for a traditional taco plate or something along those lines, because I almost went for the fish tacos.


We didn't try dessert, although the offerings of dreamy tres leches cake and crepes sounded amazing, but I was so stuffed from the guac and shrimp, I couldn't fit anything more in my stomach. I'm still so happy from the shrimp I ordered, the entrees here surprised me and exceeded my expectations. The guac and sangria, not so much. Viva La Palapa for its fabulous Mexican dinner dishes!

(Pictures courtesy of NY Magazine and lapalapa.com).

La Palapa
77 St. Mark's Pl., New York, NY 10003
212-777-2537
(St. Mark's Pl. and 1st/2nd Ave.)
Rating (out of 5 stars):***

Style: Mexican
Prices: Appetizers $8-$11, Entrees $15-$20
Summary: When you're sick and tired of Dos Caminos and Rosa Mexicana, but you and a group of friends are still looking to dig into some tasty, authentic-style, moderately priced Mexican dishes in the East Village, come to La Palapa as a better alternative (except for the guac).