Claribel Restaurant 1

They used to have horchata and orange juice here that you could buy on the go; they don’t anymore. I see no reason to continue this relationship.
However, if you’re looking for a bumpin’ party a couple nights a week Claribel gets it poppin’ strobe lights, pounding rancheritas, $ 20 buckets of Coronas and all.

I’m still fairly new to the area but nothing makes me sadder than when I witness firsthand the quality of something start to lack. I’ve only eaten here once and I ordered a chorizo torta, which was delicious. It is gigantic and very filling (that’s what she said) and the flavor far exceeded my expectations.
The horchata was the real star here. It was the some of the most authentic and delicious horchata I’d ever had. This is what I was referring to in the aforementioned lack of quality. Since this first visit I have returned several times just for an horchata but then I noticed something the last couple of times I went: the horchata is different and not to the same caliber as it was just one short month ago!
They have a special of 6 coronas for $ 20. Pretty great, right, until you realize it is a small hole in the wall restaurant in Bushwick? I live in Bushwick so I ain’t hatin’. My wife and I said that we would have to get this sometime but then I remembered that I live three minutes from here, so why would we pay that much when we can pay less than half of that price and enjoy the beer in the comfort of our own apartment. If you’re not from around here, though, the Corona special seems like a fine choice to get the night started right.

I am white. This should come as no surprised to anybody who has ever seen me, or looked at my profile picture, or anything. But just because I’m white, doesn’t mean that I don’t know good Mexican food and deserve the «gringo» treatment.
By gringo treatment I mean when people that work at restaurants assume that just because I’m white, I want my tacos slathered with cheese and sour cream.
I ordered two lengua tacos from Claribel (you’re allegedly not allowed to order one) and after the guy finished cooking the meat, he put them into tortillas. Then he puts lettuce and tomato on them (slightly suspect) onion and cilantro (fine) but then goes for the sour cream and cheese and I stop him before he starts. Who wants cheese all over their lengua?
On my way out the door, I took one of their delivery menus and checked out the picture of tacos. No cheese or sour cream anywhere on them. I didn’t go so far as to look at other people’s orders, but my guess is that other people’s tacos didn’t have them either.
Yeah, maybe I’m being overly sensitive about this. And yeah, maybe I’m totally wrong about what happened, but after getting the gringo treatment in the past, I’ve always been on the look out for it.
However, the tacos were decent, though tasted incohesive. Plus they’re open fairly late and right by the exit to the subway, which is pretty convenient.