Diablo Royale Este

167 Avenue A (@ 11th Street)

Last week a couple of my friends and I checked out Diablo Royale Este, the East Village’s newest Mexican saloon and a newer version of its West Village counterpart, Diablo Royale.  After reading some not-so-positive Internet chatter, I have to disagree; we loved it.  There wasn’t a table available when we arrived, but there was room at the bar.  A few very enthusiastic barmen sold us on their “famous” Ricky’s, a blend of frozen margarita and Dos XX beer, a pretty dangerous/awesome combo if you ask me.  By the time we got our drinks a table was ready.

Some of the things we ordered: guacamole, queso fundido, tuna tacos, steak tacos, more drinks.  All good, however, and even though I’m bias to begin with, the most amazing thing was the corn, sweet and fresh base covered in cheesy brilliance.  The tuna taco was my second favorite.

The service at Diablo Royale Este was decent.  We didn’t see much of our waitress, but it seemed like there were about 10 bus boys assigned to each table, all very eager little men.

We really liked the décor at DRE as well, lots of Mexican candles, red accents, and two sets of stairs leading nowhere.  My two girlfriends I was with are basically housewives and they couldn’t get over “What a creative way to make extra storage!” –seriously? pfff haha.

There’s also an outdoor patio where groups of 10 or more can dine on spit-roasted suckling pig and a huge downstairs area with additional larger tables and a second bar.

I will definitely go back to DRE, it’s in an awesome location, great food, and affordable. For 3 of us, the bill was around $135, 3 drinks each.

PS- Does queso fundido mean “fun cheese”? Probably not, but I’m going to pretend it does for obvious reasons.

BY: LAUREN BROWN