Best Mexican in NYC? Not Quite, but Definitely Worth a Try

Using my trusty City Shuffle Diner’s Deck, I decided to check out a Mexican place in the West Village that I heard about from Foote, a former co-worker. He swore that Diablo Royale was one of the best Mexican places in the city, so I had to see if it lived up to the hype.

We were a little early for dinner on a Sunday, so we had to entertain ourselves until 6 pm when the restaurant opened for dinner, when isn’t exactly the hardest thing to do in the city. Upon entering, we couldn’t get over the décor of the place - it was dark with a lot of skulls and candles, creating a truly unique and cool vibe.

I went for my standard Mexican pick, Chicken Enchiladas with a green tomatillo sauce, and my friend went for Chicken with a Smoky Peanut Mole sauce. According to the waiter, Diablo Royale has the “best mole sauce” as rated by some unknown source, and since I’m no mole connoisseur, I really can’t comment on that either way. However, this title intrigued my friend, and seeing as she had never tried this dish before, she decided to give it a try…and unfortunately she wished she didn’t.

It wasn’t a matter of Diablo Royale’s mole sauce being good or bad, it was simply a matter of her not liking it, and neither did I. But hey, you take chances and sometimes you don’t luck out. My enchiladas were great, but not the best ever. For me, Steven Starr’s Philadelphia joint El Vez still takes the cake in that department.

We didn’t have any alcoholic drinks or appetizers, so our bill came to about $35, take away $10 with our City Shuffle Diner’s Deck e gift certificate and it’s a pretty good deal, sans alcohol. Although neither dish was a stand out, the enchiladas were definitely good and at least we tried something new. I’d definitely go back again to try branch out and try something other than enchiladas (or the mole sauce), as other meals delivered to nearby tables looked delicious.