Cinco de Mayo

More Mexican Restaurants = Better Cinco De Mayo?

Photo: istockphoto

Yes, it’s true: We’ve celebrated a few too many Cinco de Mayos in Irish pubs. But with so many new Mexican and Mexican-inspired restaurants opening over the past few months, we’re thinking (hoping!) that this year is going to be better than ever. More ahead.

Lolita opens at 11 for an all-day party with a special menu including Mexican street food (we like the idea of a Sonoran hot dog) and Serrano-spiked pineapple margaritas. The newish Stanhope branch of Zocalo also opens early (at 11:30) and celebrates the grand opening of their patio.

A rep for Temazcal tells us they’re not doing anything special for the holiday because “every day is Cinco de Mayo” there, but you can drink yourself into oblivion on their house margarita, made with Combier and fresh muddled lime juice. And nearby at Papagayo, you can indulge with more than 80 tequilas and mariachi music.

Tico, too, has quite the tequila selection, although Michael Schlow is loath to pigeonhole his restaurant as Mexican. No matter, we bet it’ll be packed today, thanks to a $25 prix-fixe lunch menu (complete with a Maestro Dobel cocktail) and a $45 four-course dinner/cocktails menu featuring some of the restaurant’s biggest hits.

Where do you plan to celebrate?

More Mexican Restaurants = Better Cinco De Mayo?