decided to go check it out last weekend after reading previous citysearch reviews and was apalled! tried to get into the bar downstairs and was rudely told by the doorman to "get the hell out of my face" although my date and i had reservations....meanwhile watched as he told another couple that were trying to get in that he'd "rrape them and make them sorry and beat the cr*p out of them"....this place is scary, esp the evil -shaved-head bouncer at the door....take your business somewhere else where they show you their appreciation rather than assaulting you as a way of saying thanks!!!!
It's clear that the positive reviews here are fake, just read how unbalanced they are. This place is horrible. The food is way overpriced and the staff is just plain rude. There are lots of genuine hidden gems in NYC - this isn't one of them.
From the obnoxious French doorman to the rest of the "staff" this place is just a pompous craphole. The only people they were letting in were other French people who admitted outloud they didnt have a reservation and everyone else they were telling them that there was a hour wait. But then a group of Asians came and they told them it was a 2 hour wait. totally racially biased!
this place is the worst....and dangerous...the only "secret" that this "secret bar" has is that its doormen are criminals...me and my group of friends walked through an untended door to take a look at the bar downstairs and were pushed and shoved by the security staff, manhandled and then publicly thrown out....we were all sober and quiet and not being unruly...thank god didn't have our ladies with us as we saw them giving the same treatment to women patrons as well. don't care how hip a bar is, not worth getting beat up to have a drink in an exclusive (read: lame-asss) place...
I just read on the internet about the fiasco this weekend and I must say I'm not surprised in any way. La Esquina is one of the lamest "night clubs" restaurants I've ever seen. I'm sorry, but a small Mexican restaurant in NYC like La Esquina just cannot have the same gritty "glam" aura that it might in LA. The scene and patrons here are sleazy at best. Aside from the completely unjustified pompous attitude of the dudes who man the "secret door," this is some of the worst mexican food I've ever been subjected to--think street cart vendor with undercooked white rice. The TV-dinner Mexican food, mediocre menu and illogically holier-than-thou attitudes make this place nothing more than an exalted dumpster. Luckily, the horrifying experience that I had with this place did not come close to the brutal encounter of that other couple.
If you're looking for a celebrity-smackdown-evening La Esquina should be your top pick. Upon entering the "secret enterance" beware and do not think of taking photos—you're guaranteed a beat-down by the staff at the door.
This place is just a joke. The food is mediocre, at best, and quite overpriced. Service was OK and the place is nice. The "secret door" and the having to go through the kitchen, etc. is just a gimmick to get the word of mouth going. If your reason to go to a restaurant is pretending to be cool, this is definitely your place. If you want good mexican food, look somewhere else.
The food is tasty; servers are generally attentive; the decor is great... but one owner is inappropriate... After he pushed past me twice, my request for an "excuse me" was retorted, "I own this place." Since when was la Esquina a nightclub? I am in the school of thought that a restauranteur should be courteous to all of his customers, first — most idealistically — because he wants them to return but also because he never knows who he might be speaking with. I think that this owner should abandon his promoter-like attitude and adopt that of — perhaps a lost ideology — "the customer is always right" (or maybe just "don't shove your customers") because when the next New York hot spot is calling their crowd, who's going to be there to support them?
I was skeptical at first- The whole hidden basement, secret password schtick seemed like nothing but a clever gimic to make up for a restaurant lacking any true quality. Boy, was I right. From the rude and wildly incompetent staff to the sub-par food, to all the bs you have to put up with just to get a table (a skanky taqueria for a waiting room?)- clueless trendoids can keep La Esquina. Seriously not worth it.
I have enjoyed drinks at La Esquina in the past and was looking forward to taking my boyfriend there for dinner. Making a reservation proved to be a challenge, as no one would return my messages when I left them requesting a table. I finally lucked out and got a live person on the phone to secure my table. On the big night, I called to say we were running 5 minutes and was told it would be fine. Once there, the self-important and bizarre looking french "doorman" told us that we did not have a reservation. He dismissed us with a look down his nose and turned his back on us, end of discussion. I have NEVER been treated so rudely at a restaurant in NY and have no intention of returning to such a pretentious taco stand, I don't care how "secret" it is.