Empellón
The guacamole at Empellón arrives with seven house salsas, and Bryan Kim's advice is to put them on everything else you order.1
Why go
This is Alex Stupak's Midtown flagship: two floors and an open kitchen. The group bills it as contemporary American cooking with Mexican influences, on a seasonal lunch and dinner menu.2 Kim reviewed it for The Infatuation and did not buy the premise. He rates the service and the room. He calls the crab nachos under sea urchin queso fun to eat, then names three dishes he would not order again.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the guacamole with seven salsas, first, and hold onto the salsas.1
- Order: the crab and uni nachos if you like uni. There is plenty of both.1
- Order: the tacos that also appear on the taqueria's menu, which Kim calls the reliable order.1
- Avoid: the A5 fajitas, the lamb sweetbreads tacos, and the queso fundido with steak tartare.1
What locals & experts say
- Bryan Kim, The Infatuation:
Empellon Midtown is a little excessive and kind of disappointing, and it might come in handy if you have a few people to entertain.
1 - The group on this room:
Our flagship restaurant located in Midtown, Empellón serves contemporary American cuisine with Mexican influences and a distinct New York City point of view.
2
Good to know
- Which door: this page is the Midtown flagship at 510 Madison Avenue. The West Village taqueria and Empellón Al Pastor on St. Marks Place are separate rooms.2
- What it costs: Kim priced the A5 fajitas at $125 and said nothing else came close to that.1
Verdict
could-visit — Take this one when the meal is an expense and the company is the point. Kim's own list is clients, out-of-towners and a date.