Horchata opened this past Wed., May 14, in Greenwich Village on 470 Sixth Avenue. This hip Mexican eatery serves a delightful mix of authentic, regional cuisines with popular tex-mex food style. Head chef Treviño, along with ESquared Hospitality, renovated the prior BLT burger venue. The finished product is magnificent and charmingly genuine to Mexican culture.
The dining room has two long communal tables with booths lined against the walls. The walls are brick with wooden shelves, which hold candles, customary skull tchotchkes and a rainbow collection of books. The lighting is warm and lively with Edison bulbs strung across the ceiling. The restaurant’s walls also exhibit original, hand-made murals by artist RJ Raizke. The embellished wooden bar holds a variety of candles with art that depicts cultural icons. The restaurant seats 60.
Horchata’s food is traditional, fresh and innovative. It refrains from fitting into the typical Americanized version of Mexican dishes.
Chef Treviño stated that he, “wanted to take that and go interior Mexico, like what you’d get in Mexico City.” He describes the process more specifically, saying, “We take chile guajillo broth and infuse it with with avocado leaf and hoja santa. Then we take queso fresco, which doesn’t melt, and poach it in that really flavorful broth, and we put chorizo in it. So we serve you a warm wedge of queso fresco, and it has this light, spongy, airy texture”. Certainly, a mouth-watering description.
The drink menu is elaborate and impressive. It includes a range of spiked horchata cocktails, as well as the delectable classics such as margaritas and mezcal.
Horchata is open daily for dinner, serving lunch on weekdays and brunch on weekends.
