Kary Sartan

Oh my God, what can I say about this place??? too many things.. from the Agua Chile to the tacos to the lamb shank to the mole I am speechless. ALSO THOSE DAMN PANCAKES ::: JEEEEEEEEZ. Food heaven! This place has an epic menu with epic flavors. It’s a great space. I love it for our neighborhood.

+6

Leandra Edelson

First off, the churros are INCREDIBLE and I can’t say this enough. The whipped cream is salted a tad, which perfectly balances out the peach compote and sweetness of the churros. I love a salted whipped cream and have never found a restaurant to do it. 10/10. we got a seafood platter special app which was truly fantastic. The steak was also great especially with the charred peppers, we got tortillas on the side which was perfect. Mushroom tacos are a must and so is the fried Oaxaca cheese !!!! Really great experience and super friendly staff

+3

Es Thompson

Amazing!! Go there!! The service was sooo good. The hostess was so nice and friendly. Staff kept checking on us all night and giving us etas on the food which was appreciated but unnecessary because everything came out faster than expected. Waitress was very helpful and gave great feedback on choices. Food was out of this world. We order so much so we could share and there was not a single thing that missed. My friend had to covertly unbutton her pants lol. Everything was soooo flavorful and well balanced and thoughtful. Im not a huge fan of tacos but I ate these right up. Comes with 2 which are about 2 bites each. You really have to finish them there because they didnt look like they would hold up well going home. Steak basically melted in my mouth. Ive never had such a well made steak. The waitress suggested medium rare but I asked for medium and it was perfect. I struggled to finish it but again new that it wouldnt reheat well at home. My friend got the lamb shoulder and that was also delicious , has a nice kick and that was even better the next day reheated. The watermelon....I could eat 100 pieces of it. I had to tell myself not to lick the plate. The churros with blueberry compote.... oh man! I had no idea that blueberries had so much game. Absolutely delicious, not overly sweet, paired so well with the churros and the cream. I was so sad when I reached the bottom of the bowl....churros, I miss you everyday. Only complaint is had out of the whole experience was that it was a bit noisy...it got better as people left for the night. This is also a me thing so I won't judge the restaurant for this lol but I hate bathrooms with black toilets. And just an FYI for anyone with a shellfish allergy, they informed me that they use the same fryer for everything so the lamb shoulder is a caution since it uses the same fryer as the shrimp.

+4

Jelvis Ferreira

Hellbender just served me the best pancakes I’ve had in NYC—hands down. The heirloom masa pancakes here aren’t just good, they’re game-changers: perfect texture, flavors that complement each other beautifully, and nothing overpowering. Every bite felt balanced and memorable, to the point where Clinton St. is officially dethroned as my previous pancake champion. I’m already counting the days until we come back. We also shared the skirt steak and the coffee tres leches cake—both phenomenal. The steak was cooked perfectly, paired with flavorful potatoes and a rich butter topping, and the tres leches was indulgent without being too sweet. Between the three dishes, my wife and I left full and completely satisfied. The staff here deserves a special mention. They were knowledgeable, professional, and had excellent communication with the kitchen, even advising on what to avoid for dietary restrictions. That level of attentiveness made the experience even better. Hellbender delivers on flavor, balance, and hospitality—absolutely worth a spot at the top of your NYC dining list.

Raul Bussot

I’m a big fan of Rollo’s so it’s no surprise that Hellbender is just as impressive. I would return to enjoy all of the dishes I had and there were several we didn’t get to try. The smashed cucumbers, fish tacos and crispy lamb were outstanding. I look forward to retuning and trying the rest of the menu!

+2

Ryan Wenzel

Hellbender is a standout spot with fantastic food and a great vibe. We tried the fried cheese, aguachile, mushroom tacos, and pork ribs al pastor—every dish was memorable, and I only wish we had room to explore more of the menu. As someone who loves meat and takes tacos seriously, I was especially blown away by the mushroom tacos—absolutely a must-try. Can’t wait to come back!

+1

Dolma Yankey

Quick (not rushed) service, delicious food, chill atmosphere! The fried Oaxaca cheese was scrumptious, the lamb taco was so good (didn’t even realize I was eating lamb- nice and crispy, and not gamey at all), scrambled egg tostada delish- seemed like Chinese dish inspired due to the chili-oil, and the masa pancakes 😋 - top notch. The pancakes were super moist, hot, with a good amount of butter and maple syrup, just the perfect dish to end our brunch! The portions are on the smaller side. But super happy with our first-time experience. Will definitely come back ;)

+2

Cute local bar and restaurant in Ridgewood. It’s smart to make reservations especially for brunch and dinner times. The tables are pretty close together so keep secrets till later. The food is comforting and thoughtfully done but felt portions were on the small side. We ordered the egg tostada, shrimp tacos, and a side of potatoes to share. I loved the adorable little cow milk pitcher. It just made me smile. The servers were kind and attentive even though they were pretty slammed.

I did enjoy the food at Hellbender, but the service could have been better. We were among the first guests seated, yet it still took about 5–8 minutes for our server to notice us and bring water. The portion size of aguachile is quite small, considering the price. The Brussels sprouts lacked flavor. On the positive side, the empanada was amazing, as were the mushroom tacos and fried cheese. Update: The brunch menu is so good and tasty. The service was much better than our previous visit.

same owners as radio bakery. went for brunch and got the egg tostada. i would love to go back and try the pancake. the egg tostada was good but needed a bit more flavor/salt - a bit oily. it was good but not incredible. the grapefruit juice was incredible if you’re into that. cute decor inside too.

Stephanie Logan

Very tasty. The chips and guacamole were crunchy and fresh. The Oaxacan cheese was perfection. I also really enjoyed the specialty drink. It contained a liqueur made by monks. The drink was a great compliment to the meal

Rob C

To start off I wanted to love this place. My wife and I love trying Mexican restaurants. Very friendly staff and service was great. Now for the food thats another story. We ordered the fried oaxacan cheese and it was a little greasy but good. We also ordered the pork tacos I have to say the pork itself was bland but what they top the tacos with was delicious. For mains I ordered the chilaquiles which was not good. It was cold and had no flavor like it needed salt or something. My wife ordered the enfrijoladas and again was just bland missing those wonderful Mexican flavors. Overall it was a big disappointment food wise. Something me and my wife were excited about.

Lauren Smith

Dinner was a lack luster. The best thing to order are the mushroom tacos, the carrots in the tostadas could be softer and use less sauce. Don’t order the chicken Milanese or the steak. Both came out burnT. Brussels sprouts also very burnt. You really shouldn’t be eating burnt food, that causes cancer. bill was close to 200$ which is underwhelming for a sub par experience