Javelina - Union Square

Name: Javelina - Union Square
Address: 119 E. 18th St, New York, NY, United States, 10003
Telephone: (212) 539-0202
Price range: $31 to $50
Rating: 4.6

4.6

784 Reviews

$31 to $50

Tex-Mex

Top Tags:

Welcome to Javelina, New York City's only authentic Tex-Mex restaurant!

*Please note If you are booking STANDARD SEATING this will be for an indoor table.

Home of the best Queso & Margaritas in New York City!

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Jan 31, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 25 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Takeout

(212) 539-0202

Other options

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Cuisines
Tex-Mex, Mexican / Southwestern, Mexican
Hours of operation
Dinner Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri 4:00 pm–10:30 pm Sat 12:00 pm–10:30 pm Sun 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 12:00 pm–4:00 pm
Phone number
(212) 539-0202
Website
http://www.javelinatexmex.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Contactless Payment, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Lawrence Ofori
Catering
We offer all of our menu items for off-site catering no matter how big or small! Please email info@javelinatexmex.com for more information on how we can help make your next event amazing!
Private party facilities
We offer full and partial buyouts of our restaurant for corporate events, parties, rehearsal dinners and everything in between. Please email info@javelinatexmex.com and we can help plan your perfect private event!
Private party contact
events@javelinatexmex.com: (212) 539-0202

Location
119 E. 18th St, New York, NY 10003
Neighborhood
Gramercy / Flatiron
Cross street
East 18th and Irving Place
Parking details
None
Public transit
Javelina is just a couple of minutes walking distance from the Union Square subway - 4/5/6/L/N/Q/R/W and also close to the NJ PATH stations at 14th and 23rd streets.
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Popular dishes

Traditional Queso$11.00
yellow cheese, tomatillos, serranos & pico de gallo
White Queso$11.00
white cheese, jalapeños, roasted poblanos & pico de gallo
Habanero Queso$11.00
white cheese, habaneros, cayenne & peach pico de gallo
Guacamole$14.00
choice of medium or hot; mashed avocado, cilantro, jalapeño, tomato & onion
Queso Sampler$16.00
traditional & white quesos with choice of "Mag Mud" or "Bob Armstrong"®
Go Skinny Dippin'!$4.00
swap chips for jicama, carrots & celery sticks

Sides & Additions

Elotes$6.00
corn on the cob, jalapeño mayo, cayenne pepper & cotija cheese
Rice$3.00
jalapeño or Mexican rice
Beans$3.00
black or refried beans
House Salad$6.00
mixed greens, tomatoes, cheese & jalapeño ranch
House Made Tortillas$3.00
choice of flour or corn

Signature Quesos

Bob Armstrong®$14.00
choice of traditional or white queso with guacamole, ground beef, pico de gallo & sour cream
Mag Mud$13.00
white queso, black beans, pico de gallo & guacamole
Fried Jalapeño$13.00
traditional queso with fried jalapeño, and salsa verde

Take-Out Margs

Served in

Classic Frozen
- Pint$15.00
- Quart$30.00
Strawberry Frozen
- Pint$17.00
- Quart$32.00
Prickly Pear Frozen
- Pint$17.00
- Quart$32.00
Habanero & White Peach Frozen
- Pint$17.00
- Quart$32.00

Appetizers

Quesadilla$12.00
flour tortillas filled with cheese & pickled jalapeños with guacamole, pico de gallo & sour cream
Nachos$11.00
tortilla chips topped with cheese, house-pickled jalapeños & refried beans with guacamole, pico de gallo & sour cream
Chipotle Chicken Taquitos$11.00
deep-fried rolled corn tortillas filled with chicken, salsa cruda, tres chiles, lime crema

Soups & Salads

add grilled chicken, $3 steak, $5 or shrimp, $6

Texas Red Chili$8.00
choice of mild or spicy; our award-winning Texas no-bean chili with shredded cheese, onions & cilantro
Tortilla Soup$9.00
shredded chicken in pasilla chile broth with avocado, sour cream, fried tortilla strips & cilantro
Texan Caesar$14.00
romaine lettuce in a fried flour tortilla shell with tomatoes, cotija cheese & jalapeño caesar dressing
Javelina Salad$15.00
mixed greens, jicama, tomatoes, pickled red onion, chile-lime pecans, guacamole & pomegranate vinaigrette

Fajitas

Served on a sizzling comal with onions red & green peppers and all the fixings: guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, rice & beans & our house made flour tortillas. Try it "sunset" style, add traditional & white queso $3

Skirt Steak$27.00
Chicken$23.00
Shrimp$26.00
Veggie$19.00
Steak & Chicken$26.00
Shrimp & Chicken$25.00
Steak & Shrimp$28.00
Steak, Chicken & Shrimp$33.00

Tacos

Two or three tacos served in house made flour tortillas

Brisket$16.00
slow cooked beef brisket, jalapeño gravy, onions & peppers, cotija cheese & cilantro
Chicken$14.00
grilled citrus-marinated chicken, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, cotija cheese, cilantro
Crispy Beef$13.00
hard shell taco with seasoned ground beef, pico de gallo, lettuce, shredded cheese & cilantro
Grilled Shrimp$16.00
grilled shrimp, lettuce, pico de gallo, cotija cheese & cilantro with your choice of habanero salsa or salsa cruda
Fried Fish$15.00
shiner battered fish with salsa verde, peach pico de gallo, cabbage & cilantro
Avocado$13.00
Shiner battered fried avocado, poblano sauce, pico de gallo, lettuce, cotija cheese & cilantro
Al Pastor$15.00
spice rubbed marinated pork, cilantro, onions, grilled pineapple, avocado tomatillo salsa

Enchiladas

With mexican or jalapeño rice & black or refried beans. Try It "Roosevelt Style" - top your enchiladas with a fried egg $1

Enchiladas de Tejas$18.00
mixed cheese, red chili gravy, chili con carne, pickled jalapeños, onions & cilantro
Chicken$19.00
chipotle marinated chicken, oasted tomatillo sauce, cheese, onions & cilantro
Steak & Sour Cream$21.00
grilled hanger steak, sour cream, sauce, cheese, pickled jalapeños, & cayenne pepper
Mole$19.00
pulled chicken with our eighteen ingredient chile-cocoa mole sauce, topped with onion, toasted seasame seeds, cotija cheese & cilantro
Veggie$17.00
sautéed vegetables, poblano sauce, mixed cheese, lime crema & pico de gallo
Stacked Brisket$22.00
corn tortillas layered with slow cooked beef brisket, poblano sauce, onions, cheese & cilantro

Children's Menu

Kids Quesadilla$6.00
Cheesy Chicken Fingers$7.00

What 784 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6

4.6 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.5Service
4.3Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Sort by

Filters

OT
OpenTable Diner
Chicago
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined on January 8, 2023
overall2food1service3ambience3
This restaurant used to be great & fresh. Now the chips are stale, rice is dry, and meat even tastes old. I hope things improve or I won’t return.
LB
LloydB
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on January 6, 2023
overall2food3service3ambience2
Friendly crew, good food. Servers are very nice. They need to correct the manager’s attitude on our visit (Jan 6) who was very rude. I heard him tell everyone that came in early they would have vacate their table in an hour and a half. My party had reservations, he gave us a crappy table up front with rest of tables empty, we asked for table next to the wall and then he warned us we would have to leave in an hour and a half. A complete turn off and not welcoming and totally unprofessional. Not the way to start off your dining experience.
VM
VM324
New York Area
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on January 6, 2023
overall4food5service5ambience3
Great place, simple ambience but food speaks for itself. More vegan options would be great, but the nature of the cuisine makes this tough I guess. Overall great experience!
EP
EliseP
Washington DC
1 review
vip
3.0
1 review
Dined on January 4, 2023
overall3food3service5ambience3
The enchiladas were cold. Everything else was fine.
OT
OpenTable Diner
Pittsburgh
4 reviews
vip
4.0
4 reviews
Dined on December 30, 2022
overall4food4service5ambience4
Amazing happy hour deals. The prickly pear margaritas were delicious and we loved the white queso. The tacos were also very fresh. I got the fried fish tacos and they came out crispy and very flavorful. Would definitely go again!!!
OT
OpenTable Diner
New York Area
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 29, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Wonderful per usual
OT
OpenTable Diner
Philadelphia
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 4, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
the food was absolutely unreal
OT
OpenTable Diner
Philadelphia
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on December 1, 2022
overall5food4service4ambience4
Casual and good location!
j
jendawgger
New York Area
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on November 16, 2022
overall3food3service3ambience3
Good for quick gathering with friends or colleagues -- everyone loves tex-mex! Understand the 90-minute rule but if the server hasn't been seen to signal for your check and you are in the middle of finishing your drink, the host corralling you out was a little much.
TW
ThomasW
New York Area
21 reviews
5.0
21 reviews
Dined on November 11, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
The three of us had a great time at Javelina for happy hour. The Prickly Pear margaritas are amazing, and it’s such a rarity to find Tex Mex style white queso. This is one of my favorite places in the city!
SS
SheetalS
New York Area
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on October 21, 2022
overall1food1service1ambience1
Should not take a 9.30 reservation if the kitchen is closing in 15mins. AWFUL and a waste time f time take them of your site.
F
Foodie
New York Area
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 16, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
This was my second time at Javelina and the food and service have not disappointed. I will be back.
JA
JASE
New York Area
5 reviews
3.0
5 reviews
Dined on October 16, 2022
overall3food3service3ambience3
it was so hot in the restaurant. almost unbearable.
K
Katb
New England
1 review
vip
3.0
1 review
Dined on October 10, 2022
overall3food5service3ambience4
Food is always incredible here! Service was a bit slow/our server didn't come to check on us until we were well finished with our meal, but regardless very friendly and nice.
OT
OpenTable Diner
Philadelphia
6 reviews
vip
4.0
6 reviews
Dined on October 2, 2022
overall4food3service5ambience4
The queso definitely deserves to be highlighted! Surprisingly underwhelmed by the margaritas.
LM
LeticiaM
New York Area
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on September 30, 2022
overall4food4service3ambience4
The man seating people wasn’t very friendly, as soon as I sat he said exactly when he’d need the table again. Not welcoming.
F
Foodie
New York Area
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on September 25, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
The White queso dip was amazing, the Al Pastor tacos were great. The facility itself was clean and the staff were friendly and helpful. This was a great spot we recently discovered and we will be back soon!
CM
ChristinaM
New York Area
12 reviews
vip
4.0
12 reviews
Dined on September 20, 2022
overall4food5service4ambience4
I always love Javelina. Amazing queso and margaritas.
MK
MargaretK
New York Area
2 reviews
vip
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 8, 2022
overall4food4service5ambience4
I consider myself a Tex-Mex expert, having been born and raised in San Antonio. I approach New York City Tex-Mex food with a bit of healthy doubt; it’s never going to perfectly imitate the tex-mex of the 210. This place was pretty good. The white queso was DIVINE, and the margaritas were tasty. The San Antonio puffy tacos were disappointing. The puffy taco shell was just not up to par. I still enjoyed my experience and would probably return to get something else like a fajita plate. Service was good and vibe was good, especially for a semi-casual dinner.
OT
OpenTable Diner
New York Area
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on September 4, 2022
overall3food5service3ambience1
Was way to hot and loud. I’m 27 and I get noisy restaurants, but I shouldn’t have to yell so the person next to me can hear me. Also it was really really hot. Was AC broken?
TB
TheresaB
New York Area
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 4, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great service and the food was delicious. We were seated promptly and chips and salsa arrived immediately. All in all an excellent evening and we would definitely return!
KH
KathyH
Los Angeles
5 reviews
vip
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on September 4, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Fabulous brunch. I have the tortilla soup and it was delicious! I’ll be sure to come back on my next visit to new York city!
OT
OpenTable Diner
Kansas City
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 27, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Birthday! Visiting NYC from TX! Always incredible!
CM
ChristinaM
New York Area
12 reviews
vip
5.0
12 reviews
Dined on August 27, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Really tasty, good service, not too loud, big enough portions that I’m eating the second half for lunch today!
SD
ShellyD
Milwaukee
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 21, 2022
overall5food5service4ambience4
Best Tex Mex I’ve had in years! I used to live in Texas.
C
Christine
New York Area
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 20, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience4
Had the best dinner out with our 3 year old and 8 month old - which usually seems impossible! The staff was so welcoming, and service was very quick. We enjoyed our margharitas and meal was delicious!
AE
AlexandraE
New York Area
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 16, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience4
Food was amazing!
AM
AngellikaM
New York Area
14 reviews
5.0
14 reviews
Dined on August 15, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
The food recommendation and service was amazing 😋😋😋👏👏👏👏
S
Scoting
New York Area
24 reviews
vip
5.0
24 reviews
Dined on August 14, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Love eating outside here. It’s a side-street so it’s not crazy loud like restaurants along avenues or every-damn-where inside. Love the salsa here and the mole enchiladas. Good margaritas. Food came lightning fast, by the way. Nice server. Was our second visit of 2022 maybe-almost-post-pandemic summer. (We had been once before the pandemic and it was super loud, which we didn’t like, so this review is admittedly a bit influenced by having been outside most recently. Of course, the food and all the other factors were the same when we ate inside here, too.) Definitely recommended. (Did I mention we hate loud restaurants?)
RC
RebeccaC
New York Area
19 reviews
vip
5.0
19 reviews
Dined on July 30, 2022
overall5food4service5ambience4
Super friendly! Food a tad salty but def please check out the queso and delicious food!
MZ
MichaelZ
New York Area
12 reviews
3.0
12 reviews
Dined on July 29, 2022
overall3food5service5ambience3
Food was great as always. Service was great as always. We sat indoors. They did not have the air conditioning on and it was sweltering. I felt especially bad for the servers who had to work in that heat.
OT
OpenTable Diner
New York Area
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on July 22, 2022
overall3food4service3ambience3
AC could be better otherwise good time
K
Kayla
New York Area
11 reviews
vip
5.0
11 reviews
Dined on July 16, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Beautiful day for outdoor dining, our server was lovely and we had such a great time!
T
Timothy
Dallas
1 review
vip
1.0
1 review
Dined on July 16, 2022
overall1food1service2ambience2
Not really tex mex. Egregiously salty salsa too. Tasted like salt water.
AD
ArnonD
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on July 10, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Loved it. Food is great. Quality ingredients. Service very friendly and quick.
MJ
MatthewJ
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on July 10, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Truest form of Tex mex I’ve had in nyc. Best queso in the city.
G
Grace
New Orleans
1 review
vip
2.0
1 review
Dined on July 9, 2022
overall2food2service3ambience2
The food was all right overall, but not worth the price. I would not recommend.
NM
NotmyfaveMexicananymore
New York Area
8 reviews
3.0
8 reviews
Dined on June 28, 2022
overall3food2service2ambience4
Both and myself and my friend got sick from the food. I had a fairly swift and severe allergic reaction to the prickly pear margarita apparently. Rash and swelling all over my face and neck. My friend was up all night with digestive distress.
F
Food4me123
New York Area
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on June 23, 2022
overall5food3service5ambience5
Found hair in rice. Ew.
AW
AronW
New York Area
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on June 22, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience4
Always great. No complaints!

Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitizing
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Common areas deep-cleaned daily
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Contactless payment available
Physical distancing
- Distancing maintained in common areas

Screening
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
- Staff is vaccinated

FAQs

Javelina - Union Square does offer delivery in partnership with Chow Now, Postmates and Uber Eats. Javelina - Union Square also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (212) 539-0202.

Javelina - Union Square is rated 4.6 stars by 784 OpenTable diners.