Made like in MexicoHecho como en México
Guadalajara-style Mexican cooking on Columbus Avenue
Walk-ins welcome · First come, first served.
- 208 Columbus Ave (69th & 70th St)
- Open daily 11:30 AM – 10 PM
- 212-874-2929
The Upper West Side’s home for Guadalajara-style Mexican food
Between Lincoln Center, Central Park and AMC Lincoln Square, El Mitote serves tacos, pozole, comida corrida, oversized margaritas and outdoor dining on Columbus Avenue — cooked and served the way it’s done in Mexico.
Walk-ins welcome · Outdoor dining · Daily specials
Our story
El Mitote is built on Cristina Castañeda’s vision of warm, proud, everyday Mexican hospitality. A tapatía from Guadalajara, Cristina started her story at 208 Columbus Avenue in 1992, opened El Mitote here in 2012, and helped put Mexican food on the map of the Upper West Side.
“Hecho como en México.” Made like in Mexico.
That’s not a slogan — it’s how we cook: honoring the ingredients, the techniques and the casual, shared way Mexicans eat. Squeeze the lime, try every salsa, pass the tortillas.
What to order at El Mitote
El Mitote is a Mexican antojería with roots in Guadalajara, Jalisco. We cook the food Mexicans eat every day — at home, at the market and at the neighborhood fonda — with fresh salsas, warm tortillas and traditional ingredients like dried chiles, achiote, epazote and maíz pozolero. If it’s your first visit, start here.
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Pozole
In Mexico, pozole is the dish of celebrations and long Sunday tables. Ours is a chicken and hominy soup you finish your way: lettuce, red cabbage, radish, white onion, oregano, a slice of avocado and a squeeze of lime.
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Quesabirria tacos
Birria is Jalisco’s signature stew — ours is beef slow-cooked with dried chiles. We tuck it into corn or flour tortillas with melted cheese and serve it with a cup of the birria broth for dipping.
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Comida corrida
The everyday lunch of Mexico’s neighborhood fondas. Pick your guisado — tinga de pollo, carnitas, trompito, bistec, shrimp or a vegetarian option — served with Mexican rice, epazote black beans, mixed greens, guacamole and tortillas. Served all day.
Two brunch picks every day until 4 PM: chilaquiles and huevos rancheros.
Margaritas, micheladas & Mexican beers
Our margaritas come big: served in oversized mason jars, frozen or on the rocks, with a chile-salt rim if you like a little heat. Frozen margaritas are on all year, not just in summer.
Want something lighter with your tacos? Order a michelada or an ice-cold Mexican beer — the way they’re enjoyed at the table back home.
A Mexican restaurant near Lincoln Center & Central Park
El Mitote sits at 208 Columbus Avenue, between 69th and 70th Streets, a few blocks from Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera and AMC Lincoln Square, and a short walk from Central Park.
Heading to a show or a movie? Come a little early for tacos and a margarita before curtain — tables are first come, first served, and the kitchen is open every day until 10 PM.
El Mitote in the press
Featured by Eater NY, The Infatuation and more, and voted a 2026 Nextdoor Fave by our Upper West Side neighbors.
PRESS
Hours & location
- Address
- 208 Columbus Ave, New York, NY 10023
Between 69th & 70th Streets, Upper West Side - Hours
- Open daily, 11:30 AM – 10 PM
- Seating
- Walk-ins welcome, first come, first served. Indoor and outdoor seating.
- Getting here
- Subway: 66 St–Lincoln Center (1) or 72 St (1, 2, 3, B, C)
- Contact
- 212-874-2929 · mitote@happypeople.team
Frequently asked questions
Do you take reservations?
No. El Mitote is a walk-in restaurant: just come by and we’ll seat you first come, first served.
Where is El Mitote?
We’re at 208 Columbus Avenue, between 69th and 70th Streets on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, a few blocks from Lincoln Center and a short walk from Central Park.
What are your hours?
We’re open every day from 11:30 AM to 10 PM.
What kind of food do you serve?
Guadalajara-style Mexican food: chicken pozole, beef birria and quesabirrias, comida corrida, tacos and antojitos, plus chilaquiles and huevos rancheros until 4 PM. See our food menu.
Do you have frozen margaritas?
Yes, all year. Our margaritas are served in oversized mason jars, frozen or on the rocks. We also serve micheladas and Mexican beers.
Do you have outdoor seating?
Yes. We have seasonal sidewalk and roadway dining on Columbus Avenue.
Do you offer takeout?
Yes. Order online for pickup.
Is El Mitote close to Lincoln Center?
Yes. We’re a few blocks north of Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Opera, and close to AMC Lincoln Square, so it’s an easy stop before or after a show or a movie.
Is the restaurant wheelchair accessible?
Some of our seating areas are wheelchair accessible, but not all of them. Call us at 212-874-2929 before your visit and we’ll help you find the best spot.