Mojito Loco on Meserole in East Williamsburg. — Photo by Scarlett Lindeman.
Mojito Loco, a pan-Latin American restaurant in East Williamsburg is the kind of establishment you would never know was there. Tiny, dark, and smack in the middle of a residential block, it is easy to walk by without associating it with an eatery. It’s the kind of place that is featured on websites like myopenbar.com for their perpetual happy hours and where locals come to pound as many PBRs as they can within a half-hour window.
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Inside, the restaurant is small, with eight tables, and a crooked bar that takes up most of the room. Orange walls, a huge mounted flat-screen television, and eclectic art gives the impression of a local Lima joint plopped down onto Meserole Street. Their namesake, the mojito, is delicious. The bartender takes his time, plucking mint leaves, muddling lime and sugar, and shaking ice into a generous refreshment, as cheap as any dive’s well swill. There are fruity versions, sangria by the pitcher, and decent margaritas to help drown out the Dashboard Confessional wailing from the sound system.
Diego Toboada and his aunt, Cecilia Velarde, of Peru, run the place with a hospitable air conducive to imbibing. When I spoke to them last week, Diego told me they are prepping for a busy summer, when locals flock for cold drinks and spicy fare. The party sometimes spills out onto the sidewalk but winter, Diego admits, is dead. He likes to draw in the crowd with drink specials and events like karaoke nights on Thursday. “It gets crazy here. Shots. Beers. People get fucked up,” says an amused Diego, who likes to have as much fun as his customers.
And there is food. A fusion of Mexican, Caribbean, and South America dishes like grilled corn, quesadillas, and roasted pork are lackluster but sturdy enough for a raucous Thursday night. Peruvian dishes are the standouts — tart ceviche vibrating with habanero peppers, a moist chicken a la brasa, and lomo saltado, a lean sirloin strip topped with tomatoes and onion. Side dishes like moros y cristianos (black beans and white rice), sweet or savory plantains, and fried yucca with a rich aioli dip are also good options. A sweet ending comes with caramelized plantains or flan, more cheesecakey than custard.
As an everyman’s bar, Mojito Loco mixes Puerto Rican long-timers with hipster newbies, Hasidic brothers with reveling partiers; the perfect place to bring a distant cousin from Milwaukee when she visits and wants to drink local. Certainly, you can get tastier Cuban food around the corner and cheaper tacos on Graham but what Mojito Loco lacks in the kitchen, they make up for behind the bar.
Mojito Loco
102 Meserole St. 718-963-2960
Price range: sides, $3-$4; main, $8-$13
Delivery: Yes, but $15 minimum
mopar May 19th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
The cocktails are too sweet, service was slow the night we were there, and the food is pretty ordinary. We can get better rotisserie chicken and the like on Wyckoff near the Dekalb stop. So we haven’t been back. Also Taco Bite in the same area is truly delicious and they have margaritas and green salad. Try the burrito al pastor.
kukla May 19th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Great drinks & good food. Mojitos in a big glass $6 & Margaritas in a jason mug $7. Let’s be real here; you can’t find those prices anywhere in Williamsburg. The place is cute, the service was good & friendly. This is not one of those fancy places in Bedford; it just a neighborhood pub where people are down to earth.
Stacey May 21st, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Cool — good to know, will check it out, thanks.
zack May 22nd, 2009 at 7:47 pm
i got food poisoning from here the other night. seriously.
Bobby Jones May 23rd, 2009 at 6:45 pm
this place is AWESOME. the bartenders are hot and friendly. they make the best mojitos, have great food ever and play good music all of the time. i highly recommend stopping by, but be ready to get fucked up.
cheena May 24th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
My friends go there all the time. They love it & that’s all I hear from everyone that goes there. I guess you can’t please everybody but as far as I know, this is a great place to eat, drink, have fun & don’t get rip off.