5 Burro Café Review

Location: 72-05 Austin Street Forest Hills, NYC

Hours: 12:00PM - 4:00AM — 7 Days a week

Hi, it’s Mark again, from mealswithmark.com , with another local restaurant review.  My partner and I have been cohabitating in Forest Hills for almost two years now and we are always looking out for and trying new restaurants to wow us with their food and ambiance.  We have had a lot of hits and misses in Forest Hills.  But surprisingly a lot of hits lately.  We both enjoy a good meal out every so often with amazing food, great ambiance, and incredible company. Our culinary escape took us to 5 Burro Café  on Austin Street in Forest Hills.

We have been wanting to try 5 Burro for quite some time.  Whenever we mention to people that we live in Forest Hills, everyone raves about 5 Burro and they are surprised we haven’t tried it.  They can’t stop talking about how great the food and the drinks are and how much fun they have when they go.

We have walked by on many occasions and after hearing how loud and seeing how packed they were, we said 'no thanks' and we kept walking and found some mediocre place to eat or just gave up and went home and I whipped something up.  Packed and extremely loud is a turn-off.  Before the Forest Hills faithful starts on their rants, see above. We have had more hits than misses lately. We have actually discovered and had some pretty amazing meals as of late in our neck of the woods. 

Since 5 Burro is always loud and packed at night we decided to check them out on a Saturday during lunch time. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived and there was not a crowd of people outside and the noise level was at a bearable level. 

Upon entering the restaurant, it reminded me of our many trips to Mexico and eating at some of the local establishments. The décor and the feel of the restaurant definitely felt authentic. The restaurant was cute, quaint, and cozy, but definitely small in size, which explains why it is always so loud and packed when we walk by.  

When I go out for a meal I don’t want to have to wait 45 minutes to an hour to get a table and I want to be able to hear my dinner companion and be able to have a conversation without screaming.  A restaurant’s appearance is one of the things that weighs heavily with me when I pick a place when I eat out.  The food is the most important, but experience is as well.  So, my first impression of 5 Burro Café was a pleasant surprise, after walking by some many times and being turned off.

We started out our meal with frozen margaritas.  Before going to 5 Burro we read some reviews on Yelp, but I always make my own opinion of a place.  That’s what is great about a review, there can be many different views on the same place.  But, we chose the frozen margaritas after reading the reviews ahead of time. 5 Burro is known for their margaritas.  We went with the classic.  They were delicious but could have had a tad bit more tequila.  This drink definitely hit the spot on this warm Saturday afternoon.  It was $8, which was a great price for a 16oz. drink.  5 Burro also brings you out some fresh chips and salsa and it pairs well with their frozen margaritas.

For starters, we went with the Aguacate Relleno which was an Avocado stuffed with Shrimp and smothered with fresh veggies, spices, and 5 Burro Café’s homemade house dressing.  This dish was refreshing with a great, unique blend of spices and flavor.  You can go with a half order or a full order.  We went with the half order, which I am glad we did since I filled up on the free chips and salsa. 

Since when my partner and I go out to eat we share, we took awhile going through the menu and picking two choices.  We asked our server for recommendations and he seemed knowledgeable about his recommendations on the menu, but he didn’t talk excitedly about anything.  When I go out, I always ask the server their suggestion because you can really see their passion for the establishment that they work for and what they are excited about and that they think everyone should try.  I didn’t feel like he had a personal favorite or anything excited him.  Usually, I go with my server's recommendation, but not this time.  Don’t get me wrong the service as a whole was good. 

I went with the Ensalada Mexicana Con Carne.  This consisted of fresh mixed greens, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, steak, lime, avocado, and topped with original 5 Burro Dressing.  First the positives.  The steak was seasoned and cooked very well.  The veggies on the salad was crispy and fresh and the portion size was very large.  On the flip side, there were way too many onions, a little less would have balanced out the salad better.  The 5 Burro original dressing was very flavorful, but was a tad bit watery.  I like my dressing a little thicker so it sticks to my salad to give it that flavorful kick.  Overall a great steak salad, which most places don’t get right.

My partner went with the Fajitas De Salmon.  Grilled Salmon served with grilled onions, mixed peppers, rice, beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream and choice of flour or corn tortillas.  The salmon was flaky and cooked perfectly.  When all the ingredients wrapped together in the warm tortilla wrap, it was a delicious explosion of subtle flavors in your mouth.  Besides the salmon, the standout on this dish was the seasoned rice and the black beans with the crumbled cojito cheese on top.  Usually when both of us go out for Mexican food, the rice and bean sides are a second thought, but at 5 Burro, it complemented and paired so well with the fajitas and tasted delicious, so skipping it was not an option.

Due to the yummy frozen margaritas, the free chips and salsa, the appetizer, and our large portion meals, we had no room for dessert.  But it is worth mentioning, 5 Burro does offer Flan and Apple Chimichanga for dessert.  

  

I highly recommend 5 Burro Café. I recommend for the first time to try it during the day for lunch to avoid the crowds and noise.  But it is also a fun place to hang out with friends after work or on the weekends for some appetizers and so good drinks. Just keep in mind it gets packed and loud during peak hours.

Check out their menu at: http://5burrocafe.com/

Follow them on Social media and share your photos and your experience there!

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Also check out my other local restaurant reviews:

http://edgeofthecityblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/restaurant-review-guantanamera.html

http://edgeofthecityblog.blogspot.com/2018/04/compadres-77-restaurant-review.html

https://mealswithmark.com/numero-28-pizzeria-review/