Calexico
/Calexico
Prince Street & Wooster Street
SoHo
New York, NY 10012
WHY COME HERE?
- Because it is divine
- Mexican food this good priced at $7-$10 is strangely hard to come by in this area
- The crack sauce. Honestly, Calexico is delicious without the crack sauce, but it’s the sauce that makes it transcendent
WHAT TO GET?
- Pollo Asado or Chipotle Pork Quesadilla
- At the permanent locations, try the Elote (grilled sweet corn appetizer) and the Baja fish tacos or burrito
FACTOIDS
- Cash only at food truck location
- Food truck is not always there. When it’s raining or incredibly hot, it might not show up
- Happy hour runs until 7pm
Calexico food truck located on the corner of Prince & Wooster
Calexico is the lord of lunch. Imagine toasty tortillas, succulent pollo asada, oozing cheese...all of this made even better by their Crack Sauce, a secret blend of creamy, smoky (perhaps chipotle pepper?) deliciousness that is as addicting as its name implies. I recommend the quesadillas, specifically Chipotle Pork or Pollo Asado. These ain’t your average quesadillas- no, these are burrito-sized and wicked hearty. In fact, I think in Calexico-speak, “quesadilla” just means a toasted burrito with cheese inside instead of rice and beans. After eating one, you won’t feel the tired-full you generally get from ramen, but you will feel the happy weight in your belly.
Jenny's scrumptious Pollo Asado quesadilla with the famous crack sauce on the side
The Calexico location I’m talking about here is the one on Wooster Street, which is a food truck. There is good reason why the line at peak lunch hour extends down the block. But don’t let that deter you- the chefs have quite the efficient system and no matter how long the line is, the wait is never as bad as it seems. Maybe stop in Sabon around the corner and pamper yourself with their free hand washing treatments, a short burst of cleanliness that will soon be obliterated by drips of cheese and oil. The chefs call out your name when your order is ready, and once your meal is collected try to find a place to sit outside. Head to the previously-recommended haunt outside the Mercer Hotel (see Soup Kiosk for the whole story), or any stoop that suits your fancy. And then enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
There are multiple permanent locations around the city, though I’ve only been to the one in Greenpoint and the one in the LES, both of which have full liquor licenses and 2-for-1 Margarita happy hours. Basically, no matter when or where you hit up Calexico, it will be a good time. Just know that no matter how hard you ask for the crack sauce recipe, they *will not* give it to you.
So, if you have never been to Calexico, please do yourself a favor and go. For you, for me, for humanity.