Fun festive atmosphere. Friendly staff and clean. Amazing Mexican food and drinks. Margaritas and Micheladas. Tacos, fajitas, empanadas and street corn were all great!

JEA.M NYC

We randomly walked by and heard the music, and it immediately caught our attention. We originally stopped in for a couple of drinks,but ended up trying some tacos too. Their happy hour selections are great,every day from 4pm–6pm with select cocktails and $3 mini tacos. The drinks were solid, especially for happy hour. From the food menu, I tried the Calabaza Crema taco (zucchini) and loved it ,such an amazing vegetarian option! The guacamole was also great, though the tortilla chips were a bit too salty. Overall, we had a good experience and would come back again!

christine talbot

This authentic Mexican gem right in the heart of Times Square! The food is incredibly flavorful and clearly made with care, the atmosphere is lively and welcoming, and the service is truly superior. On top of that, the value is outstanding for such a prime location. A must-visit especially if you are a large family!!!!

Karim Nuri

The Cantina Nachos were soooo good. We got it with steak. The sauces and steak were incredible. The steak quesadilla was also 10/10. Very cheesy and lots of steak pieces. Very nice atmosphere. Kind staff. Reasonably priced.

Randall Talbot

The Margaritas and tacos are amazing in this heart of Time Square gem. Great value like no other restaurant in Manhattan….. My two daughters shared the burrito, It was so big. My son had the quesadilla said it was the best he had ever had…. Best place to dine before the Broadway show….

Yvette Millan

The food and drinks are amazing and reasonable price. I had a special chilaquiles divorciadas with steak, it had so much flavor. Yhe staff was very friendly. I'm definitely coming back.

Michael Wingfield

Stumbled on this place on the way to Tony's and so glad we came here instead. We were fortunate it was happy hour (4 till 6pm) so the drinks were really cheap for NYC. The food and service was excellent and the portions were large.

Randy Talbot

This local "Hot Spot" has the best Margarita's in Times Square. The Food is exceptionally Awesome!!! The staff is very accommodating as well.....

Chris Finn

This restaurant is so awesome!!!! The food and value is the best my family and I have had all week in Times Square…

Rick M

Fun festive atmosphere. Friendly staff and clean. Amazing Mexican food and drinks. Margaritas and Micheladas. Tacos, fajitas, empanadas and street corn were all great!

Maribel Rivera

The service was amazing just like the food. Wait time for was not long at all and the food was fresh and delicious. Everything was seasoned very well. The music was great. Our server(Jordan) was a sweetheart and so was the hostess. I believe the owner even came up to us to ask how was everything. Recommended to a few friends and will be back.

Natalie Tippin

Came at 1p.m. on a Sunday. Excellent and attentive service, delicious tacos and great specials! The server and chef even went out of their way to make me a chile torreado🤩 Amazing!! Highly recommend

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A local favorite in the heart of Times Square! Took my boss here and we both loved it. Excellent service, generous portions, and delicious food — my beef quesadilla was amazing, and she raved about her tacos. The festive décor and garden lights make it feel warm and authentic. Even though it’s in Times Square, it’s clearly loved by locals and office regulars. Don’t miss happy hour — strong drinks, great prices, and good vibes all around!

Camella Blalock

Andres was our waiter. He was amazing and made our daughter’s birthday very special. Great prices with great food. Atmosphere was also great. Awesome location with no wait close to Times Square and everything about the visit was perfect

SEI NYC

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A local favorite in the heart of Times Square! Took my boss here and we both loved it. Excellent service, generous portions, and delicious food — my beef quesadilla was amazing, and she raved about her tacos. The festive décor and garden lights make it feel warm and authentic. Even though it’s in Times Square, it’s clearly loved by locals and office regulars. Don’t miss happy hour — strong drinks, great prices, and good vibes all around!

I was honestly shocked at how affordable this place is, especially for being right in the heart of Manhattan. The prices are incredibly reasonable, and the food tastes amazing. I ordered a margarita and the chef’s tower everything was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. The food was so good that I ended up ordering tacos and quesadillas to take home, plus their street corn, which is a must try. The restaurant itself is clean and has a nice, casual atmosphere. My only small complaint is that after my order was taken, I didn’t see my waiter again and had to flag down another server for help. Other than that, I have zero complaints. Overall, if you’re in Manhattan and looking for a budget friendly spot with great food and generous portions, I’d definitely recommend this place. You’ll be pleasantly surprised

The restaurant has an upscale fast food feel, cute ambiance. The service was fast and attentive. The sangria is delicious, with strawberries and blueberries. The food was very good, especially the birria empanadas. The carne asada was nicely cooked and sliced.

El Chelle

I was honestly shocked at how affordable this place is, especially for being right in the heart of Manhattan. The prices are incredibly reasonable, and the food tastes amazing. I ordered a margarita and the chef’s tower everything was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. The food was so good that I ended up ordering tacos and quesadillas to take home, plus their street corn, which is a must try. The restaurant itself is clean and has a nice, casual atmosphere. My only small complaint is that after my order was taken, I didn’t see my waiter again and had to flag down another server for help. Other than that, I have zero complaints. Overall, if you’re in Manhattan and looking for a budget friendly spot with great food and generous portions, I’d definitely recommend this place. You’ll be pleasantly surprised

Yelena Conaway

The restaurant has an upscale fast food feel, cute ambiance. The service was fast and attentive. The sangria is delicious, with strawberries and blueberries. The food was very good, especially the birria empanadas. The carne asada was nicely cooked and sliced.

I was excited to try Bar Mexicana, the new sister restaurant to Mermaid Oyster Bar, which is one of my longtime local favorites. Naturally, I was delighted to see this spot open right next door to Mermaid’s Times Square location. Bar Mexicana’s menu is concise, featuring staple, authentic Mexican dishes and classic cocktails. As expected, every item is made with simple, fresh ingredients, and the quality really shines through. For our first visit, we ordered quite a spread: Birria Empanadas, Pozole, Guacamole, Pollo Asado, Carne Asado, Birria Tacos, and the Carne Asado Burrito. We also tried the Cadillac Margarita and Mojitorita. • The Birria Empanadas were incredibly flavorful, and the consommé was perfection. • The Pozole was light, refreshing, and comforting—especially nice after coming in from the cold. • The tacos were generously filled, and the meats were tender and delicious. • The drinks were well-made, tasty, and refreshing. We genuinely enjoyed every dish. The staff was attentive, friendly, and accommodating. They even moved us to a larger table to ensure we had enough room for all the food we ordered. That said, the overall maintenance and cleanliness of the restaurant could use some attention. • Our first table was wobbly, and although the staff quickly fixed it with a coaster, it wasn’t the most comfortable start. • When we moved to the new table, the chair I sat on was noticeably wobbly as well, which made the furniture feel a bit cheap for a new establishment. • The biggest disappointment was discovering gum stuck underneath the table, which is very off-putting, especially just as you’re settling in to eat. These issues didn’t overshadow the excellent food and service, but they’re worth noting. With better attention to cleanliness and sturdier furniture, Bar Mexicana has the potential to be just as beloved as its sister restaurant. Overall, I’d definitely give it another try. The food is authentic, fresh, and flavorful, and the staff is wonderful so I’m hopeful they’ll tighten up the maintenance as they get settled in.

The image in the photo seen above showing a restaurant with a huge lamp shade was not on display when I was there. See my photos. I ordered the "Fajitas Carne" (medium), the meat was tender and tasty. The surrounding cooked sweet peppers on that plate had little to no taste. The refried beans were not to my liking and the rice had no noticeable taste. It was not busy at all, almost no one in the restaurant at 2:15 in the afternoon, but the service was VERY POOR before and after I received the food at my table. Another issue was the mobile credit card charger. My bill should have shown on the charger an amount of $25.05 with an option to choose a 18% or 20% or customize a tip. Instead, the mobile charger highlighted the dollar total reflecting a 20% tip, leaving a quick look impression that highlighted dollar amount was what I owed. People in a hurry or not paying close attention might press that button, unaware of the facts. On another issue, I had a reservation there through OpenTable, I was supposed to get OpenTable points for that dine, but because of incompetence at the restaurant, I did not, even though I went back there and complained.

Debbie DelValle

I was excited to try Bar Mexicana, the new sister restaurant to Mermaid Oyster Bar, which is one of my longtime local favorites. Naturally, I was delighted to see this spot open right next door to Mermaid’s Times Square location. Bar Mexicana’s menu is concise, featuring staple, authentic Mexican dishes and classic cocktails. As expected, every item is made with simple, fresh ingredients, and the quality really shines through. For our first visit, we ordered quite a spread: Birria Empanadas, Pozole, Guacamole, Pollo Asado, Carne Asado, Birria Tacos, and the Carne Asado Burrito. We also tried the Cadillac Margarita and Mojitorita. • The Birria Empanadas were incredibly flavorful, and the consommé was perfection. • The Pozole was light, refreshing, and comforting—especially nice after coming in from the cold. • The tacos were generously filled, and the meats were tender and delicious. • The drinks were well-made, tasty, and refreshing. We genuinely enjoyed every dish. The staff was attentive, friendly, and accommodating. They even moved us to a larger table to ensure we had enough room for all the food we ordered. That said, the overall maintenance and cleanliness of the restaurant could use some attention. • Our first table was wobbly, and although the staff quickly fixed it with a coaster, it wasn’t the most comfortable start. • When we moved to the new table, the chair I sat on was noticeably wobbly as well, which made the furniture feel a bit cheap for a new establishment. • The biggest disappointment was discovering gum stuck underneath the table, which is very off-putting, especially just as you’re settling in to eat. These issues didn’t overshadow the excellent food and service, but they’re worth noting. With better attention to cleanliness and sturdier furniture, Bar Mexicana has the potential to be just as beloved as its sister restaurant. Overall, I’d definitely give it another try. The food is authentic, fresh, and flavorful, and the staff is wonderful so I’m hopeful they’ll tighten up the maintenance as they get settled in.

Harvey Messing

The image in the photo seen above showing a restaurant with a huge lamp shade was not on display when I was there. See my photos. I ordered the "Fajitas Carne" (medium), the meat was tender and tasty. The surrounding cooked sweet peppers on that plate had little to no taste. The refried beans were not to my liking and the rice had no noticeable taste. It was not busy at all, almost no one in the restaurant at 2:15 in the afternoon, but the service was VERY POOR before and after I received the food at my table. Another issue was the mobile credit card charger. My bill should have shown on the charger an amount of $25.05 with an option to choose a 18% or 20% or customize a tip. Instead, the mobile charger highlighted the dollar total reflecting a 20% tip, leaving a quick look impression that highlighted dollar amount was what I owed. People in a hurry or not paying close attention might press that button, unaware of the facts. On another issue, I had a reservation there through OpenTable, I was supposed to get OpenTable points for that dine, but because of incompetence at the restaurant, I did not, even though I went back there and complained.

The atmosphere is cool. Nice vibe overall. Unfortunately, the food was lackluster. It's as if EVERYTHING was underseasoned. The guac, the beans, even the "street corn" (for which the menu highlighted Tajin) was 2 notches below flavor. The chicken in the quesadilla and the taco was overcooked. No real pineapple in the al pastor. The Fiery watermelon marg was flavorful. They should put the bartender in the kitchen since the marg had waaayy too much jalapeño muddled into it. The heat took away from the actual watermelon flavor, which was sad. That was definitely the best seasoned portion of the meal. Our server was sweet. Wish I knew her name. Oh! The chips were nice and warm - KUDOS!! Maybe I'll just come for a happy hour and not a meal. I mean, one can tell they took down the flavor to appeal more to the unmelanated masses, but...no. Just no. Sorry.

Patrick L

Heads up on happy hour foods! Our server was fine, but it would have been helpful to know that you have to specify “happy hour” for the tacos to be $3. It says “tacos” are that price, but it’s not clear that they are different from the regular menu tacos.

R Baker

The atmosphere is cool. Nice vibe overall. Unfortunately, the food was lackluster. It's as if EVERYTHING was underseasoned. The guac, the beans, even the "street corn" (for which the menu highlighted Tajin) was 2 notches below flavor. The chicken in the quesadilla and the taco was overcooked. No real pineapple in the al pastor. The Fiery watermelon marg was flavorful. They should put the bartender in the kitchen since the marg had waaayy too much jalapeño muddled into it. The heat took away from the actual watermelon flavor, which was sad. That was definitely the best seasoned portion of the meal. Our server was sweet. Wish I knew her name. Oh! The chips were nice and warm - KUDOS!! Maybe I'll just come for a happy hour and not a meal. I mean, one can tell they took down the flavor to appeal more to the unmelanated masses, but...no. Just no. Sorry.

First complain is our waitress, Alex (short for Alejandra I assume). She took close to 10 minutes to approach our table, took our order (the only highlight from her). For drinks, we ordered michelada, rum cocktail, and horchata for our daughter and while the bartender did an amazing job making them in under 5 minutes, our waitress kept passing by our drinks but continued to take drinks to two other tables that came in after us and after exactly 12 minutes, yes we timed it, I went to the bar to retrieve our own drinks but the bartender said I had to wait. So I reached out to the bus boy and he immediately went to get our drinks which by that time, the rum cocktail and horchata was watered down and the michelada was warm. Now the food…it lacked authenticity, but being in NYC, the tourists and locals wouldn’t know the difference between authentic Mexican cuisine, unless they’re from Mexico, Texas or California. It still had decent flavor but please don’t call it authentic. Pozole lacked even the simplest ingredient….salt! Beef and chicken overcooked and the highlight was the side tostadas which were actually very good. During our whole dining experience, never did our waitress Alex come to our table to ask if we needed refills or anything else. She did come at the end to take our payment, which she had the audacity to say I didn’t leave a tip 😂. I told her I will tip cash to our bus boy who was the one who actually waited on us and basically did the job for her. Kudos to the bus boy who was on top of his game, not only for us, but for all diners. Really enjoy watching people take pride in their work and that kid did an amazing job.

I arrived 30min before their happy hour started. So around 3:30pm which is fine. It was absolutely dead. There was one family at the other end of the bar that had been helped, but other than that, it was pretty desolate. The service at the bar was awful. I don’t need red carpet service, but at least be semi attentive to your customers. It was the most bare minimum service I have had in a very long time. I can understand if it was busy etc. but there was hardly anyone in the restaurant. The bartender couldn’t have been less interested. At one point I felt like I was an annoyance more than anything. I work near by, and I probably won’t visit this establishment ever again.

Carlos Loochee

First complain is our waitress, Alex (short for Alejandra I assume). She took close to 10 minutes to approach our table, took our order (the only highlight from her). For drinks, we ordered michelada, rum cocktail, and horchata for our daughter and while the bartender did an amazing job making them in under 5 minutes, our waitress kept passing by our drinks but continued to take drinks to two other tables that came in after us and after exactly 12 minutes, yes we timed it, I went to the bar to retrieve our own drinks but the bartender said I had to wait. So I reached out to the bus boy and he immediately went to get our drinks which by that time, the rum cocktail and horchata was watered down and the michelada was warm. Now the food…it lacked authenticity, but being in NYC, the tourists and locals wouldn’t know the difference between authentic Mexican cuisine, unless they’re from Mexico, Texas or California. It still had decent flavor but please don’t call it authentic. Pozole lacked even the simplest ingredient….salt! Beef and chicken overcooked and the highlight was the side tostadas which were actually very good. During our whole dining experience, never did our waitress Alex come to our table to ask if we needed refills or anything else. She did come at the end to take our payment, which she had the audacity to say I didn’t leave a tip 😂. I told her I will tip cash to our bus boy who was the one who actually waited on us and basically did the job for her. Kudos to the bus boy who was on top of his game, not only for us, but for all diners. Really enjoy watching people take pride in their work and that kid did an amazing job.

Might give it 1.5 stars if that were an option. I had hopes for this place since my daughter picked it off Google and she wanted to impress. Wow, what a colossal disappointment this place was. Horrendous service, a $15 classic margarita that may have been 5 ounces of actual margarita. Overly salty rice and the worst part, chicken fajitas where the chicken was about as tough and dry as any chicken I've ever had in all my years. All that said, I told my daughter it was wonderful :)