El Kallejon

Nestled a few steps down from street level on a block in East Harlem is a cozy little restaurant called El Kallejon. The restaurant offers a menu that's a blend of Mexican, Mediterranean and Japanese fusion. The cocktails are just delicious and crafty, nicely presented with fresh details.

The ambience of El Kallejon offers three dining nooks to experience...the main area inside, a backyard and a sidewalk popup painted in bold n' bright colors. As you step down a few steps towards the entrance, you'll notice how welcoming the restaurant is; it's small but nicely decorated with original cultural artworks, dimly-lit, and appropriately spaced for social distancing. This is definitely a place to gather during happy hours with a few friends over a few choices of tacos, a specially made guac & chips (which I'll get into a little later), and drinks...fairly priced

For this tasting feature, we had the opportunity to sample a few of their small bites, and delicious cocktails. Our evening was hosted by the owner who was very nice; he made our experience at El Kallejon a memorable one. We started off with specially made guacamole & chips mentioned above called the "Guacamole Kallejon." What makes it so special you ask, well for one It's not your average guac n' chips. It's made with shrimp, fresh pomegranate seeds and shredded crab meat. This was definitely one of my favorites across the board. Highly recommend. The second dish we tasted was the "Tiradito De Salmon." The salmon was opt'd out for a yellow tale instead, paired with slices of avocado, peppers, cucumbers, mixed greens and Japanese inspired sauce for added burst of flavor. Specially curated with a special touch by the owner/host. For the third dish, we had the fish tacos served with a complementary sauce presented in the cutest little dungeon like bowl.

For the drinks, we sampled four of their signature cocktails listed in order of favorites.


Mango Mambo

Tequila, agave, tropical flavors, lychee, cilantro, jalapeño.

Dulce Kamila

Tequila, orange liqueur, hibiscus flower, rose petals infusion, and fresh lime.

El Kallejon

Tequila, fresh lime, artesian tamarind chili cascabel marmalade, and pineapple chili candy.

Karakola

Mezcal, fresh lime, mint, muddled orange, grapefruit, pineapple, chili and salt.

Overall, El Kallejon offers a really great selections of bites and mezcal, tequila goodness. Be sure to check it out, located 209 East 117st...uptown Manhattan.


Until next time, thanks for reading.

xo
Latain PALMER
NYC Lifestyle Editor | VOLATILE
@volatileonline | @LaLove1010