Gourmet taqueria to open at 108th, B’way by summer

Chipotle burrito lovers will have a glitzier Mexican option in the neighborhood by the summer.

Cascabel Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant known on the Upper East Side for its tacos, plans to open an Upper West Side location at 108th Street and Broadway sometime between late spring and early summer, co-owner Elizabeth Gaudreau said.

“We put a New York-American spin on Mexican street food,” Gaudreau said. “Using organic and sustainable food, this is a gourmet taqueria. If you go to a taco truck, it’s just a plain pork taco. We take every single type of taco to the next level.”

Gaudreau said the taqueria had Columbia in mind when deciding on the new location.

“It was one of the deciding factors, it’s a great fit for the students there,” she said, adding that the restaurant’s current location has a large number of customers who commute from the Upper West Side.

But the restaurant faces challenges moving into the neighborhood, including a number of established Mexican restaurants with slightly lower prices.

“It’s too expensive,” Blaine Harper, CC ’13, said of the taqueria. “I prefer burritos to tacos, and Taqueria [y Fonda] on Amsterdam is amazing – their $9 burrito is huge and lasts two meals.”

John Kenney, CC ’13, agreed that Cascabel – which boasts $6 wines and a lunch special of three soft corn tacos for $11.75–might be too pricey to justify daily lunches.

“This is a little expensive but could be a nice option once in a while,” he said.

Gaudreau said she thinks the fresh ingredients and dining experience are worth it – she said that though it’s a bit of a walk from campus, Cascabel decided on the location in order to have enough room for outdoor seating at its corner spot.

Both of their locations will feature new chef Daniel VanHeusden, who used to cook for Capital Grille.

Harper said she’s glad a restaurant will be filling the space at 108th Street, though she prefers the Chipotle two blocks uptown.

“MoHi is pretty well-rounded, there are tons of restaurants already,” she said. “But I can’t imagine anything else here. I’d hate to see a bunch of clothing stores in the area.”

“I rarely go to Chipotle, but if it were a choice between Chipotle and this place? Chipotle,” she added.

Kenney said he’d rather see more fast food chains come to the area, but that he’s still excited about Cascabel coming.

“MoHi is lacking fast food – I know these are lower-quality options, but sometimes it’d be nice if there was a Mickey D’s or BK somewhere so we could get cheap food really quickly,” he said.

Cascabel, which the restaurant says gets its name from “hot chili peppers that jingle and rattle when shaken,” does have convenience on its side.

Sherill Marie Henriquez, CC ’13, said she’d be up for visiting the restaurant, which will have counter service with seating areas.

“I don’t know why not to go,” Henriquez said. “I’m always willing to try anything once since I never cook.”

constance.boozer@columbiaspectator.com