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"A
Mexican mainstay, Zarela conveys the utter charm
and ageless vivacity of its owner, Zarela Martinez."
-Gayot Guide 2005
"Every
day's a fiesta in this boisterous bistro, hung
with bright paper garlands and flowers, ceremonial
mask, puppets and other traditional Mexican artifacts.
Zarela Martinez sees to that. The chef opened
her restaurant here in 1987, and still draws crowds.
As a child growing up in Mexico, Zarela came to
think of cooking as a celebration. Accordingly,
she courts a carnival ambience with lively Latino
music and food that's served family-style for
sharing. In the evenings, the place teems with
people, who often spill out onto the sidewalk
while they wait to dig into regional Mexican dishes
such as chicken braised in tequila, and slow-cooked
pork shoulder marinated in achiote and sour oranges.
"
-Michelin Guide 2005
"Zarela
Martinez and her namesake restaurant, Zarela,
are Manhattan institutions, responsible for exposing
this city's diners to a Mexico more multifaceted
than most Mexican restaurants visit."
New York Times 2006
"Like
a perpetual loop from the hit movie Like Water
For Chocolate, Zarela Martinez's lively midtown
Mexican restaurant is a celebration of the sensual
side of the cooking of her native Oaxaca. Don't
come here expecting tacos and chimichangas. This
is high Mexican cooking and the tastes and combinations,
such as Manchamanteles de Pato (roasted half duck
with chili sauce and prunes) or Salpicón
de Pescado (snapper hash), will change forever
the way you look at food from south of the border.
She also makes killer guacamole and margaritas.
"
-Forbes, 2005 |
Zarela
Restaurant Location:
953 Second Avenue
between 50th & 51st St.
New York, NY
Tel: 212-644-6740
Fax: 212-980-1073
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Red
Snapper Hash, a signature dish at Zarela |
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For
over 18 years Zarela Restaurant has been making
many New Yorkers very, very happy while revolutionizing
the whole way Americans perceive Mexican food. Today
its earliest fans are bringing their children to be
initiated into the signature red snapper hash, duck
in spicy fruit sauce, rice with poblano chiles and sour
cream, and what's been called "the best flan ever tasted."
In the words of journalist Suzanne Hamlin, experiencing
the true flavors of Mexican cuisine as they come to
life here is "almost like discovering new colors.
Zarela
is living proof that Mexican food at its best can be
judged by the same exacting standards as any other great
cuisine. Since 1987, the menu has combined classical
Mexican dishes and inventive new interpretations.
Over the years it also has evolved to follow Zarela's
own passionate interest in Mexican regional cuisine's.Whether
you prefer northern-style fare like fajitas and crispy
flautas, rich multi-layered Oaxacan moles, or the Mediterranean-tinged
seafood of Veracruz, the spirit of Mexico sings through
this food. You might walk into the restaurant
and find special seasonal offerings like the Day of
the Dead dishes available only in November, favorite's
from either of Zarela's two acclaimed cookbooks, or
discoveries she wants to share with you from her latest
trip to Mexico.
