Mexicue's southwestern fare makes rising chain a popular local favorite

In New York City, you’ll find a fair amount of Mexican restaurants and a fair amount of Southern-style barbeque joints, but it can be rare to find a place that offers both. However, Mexicue, a budding chain with three New York City locations does just that, using the freshest spices, vegetables, and other ingredients possible with every dish cooked slowly and thoroughly.

Mexicue has become particularly appealing to young adults with its locations being near major attractions and hangout spots such as Times Square, Bryant Park, Madison Square Park, and Madison Square Garden, and also for its reasonable prices.

Other appealing factors include their taco bar and their taco and bowl bar that offers customers a choice of three tacos, which they can put together themselves. Customers can choose two out of the five types of fillings offered which are smoked chicken, smoky carnitas, burnt ends chili, and brisket. Tasty additions include corn salsa, cotija cheese, creamy chipotle sauce, or Mexican BBQ sauce to name a few. The taco bar offers white flour tortillas on the side while the taco & bowl bar also include Mexican rice, salad, and black beans. If you wish to upgrade further, the Mexicue Gold Bar includes everything in the taco & bowl bar plus a choice of one side, which are green chili mac and cheese, blackened brussel sprouts, quinoa, or spicy slaw.

 Another reason why Mexicue is such a popular hotspot is its wide range of more than 50 types of beer, wine, bourbon, and tequila to choose from which can make for some very creative cocktails. Such specialties include the Seasonal Jungle Juice containing fruit, moonshine, bourbon, and limeade, the ginger-infused Mexicue Mule with bourbon, fresh ginger, ginger beer, chili ginger syrup, and lime juice, or the delectable Chocolate Bourbon containing bourbon, coffee, kahlua, baileys, mole bitters, and cocoa powder.

Notable appetizers include Grilled Corn Bread with chipotle butter, Watermelon Radishes with sea salt, or Grilled Shrimp Tostada with citrus vinaigrette, chili bean spread, creamy chipotle, and corn salsa to name a few. Perhaps not surprisingly, enchiladas and burritos are very popular. Some of the best types include the Smoked chicken Enchiladas Suiza, the Spicy Brisket Enchiladas, the Jamburrito, the Burnt Ends Brisket burrito, and the Green Chili Pork Burrito among others.

Mexicue has three Manhattan locations: 1440 Broadway on 40th St. between Broadway and Sixth Ave. (212) 302-0385; 225 Fifth Ave. between 26th and 27th St. (646) 922-7289; 345 Seventh Ave. between 29th and 30th St. (212) 244-0002.