I discovered this restaurant through an event, and boy, it was a great and tasty event! If you are (or were) a fan of Chipotle at any point of your life, this might interest you, as they have very similar concept. After being there once, I fell in love with the place (and the food, of course). They opened their door in March 2015, so they are still new.

The inside is long, without being too narrow. There are still enough room to walk around. The interior design is very interesting, lots of uniquely arranged woods and tiles of different sizes and colors. This place is Korean operated, with Jewish entrepreneur, and Mexican chef. The unique design is to show the three integrated cultures, all integrated and harmonious. Pretty cool, right? I really like the concept of it, and how they incorporated the background of themselves into the design. There are good amount of seating. The right side has several tables and chairs, and on the left side are counter seats.

 

At the back of the restaurant is where you order the food. The staff behind the counters were very friendly and helpful. They will walk you through what you need to do to create your own delicious food.

As I mentioned, their concept is very similar to chipotle. You choose if you want a bowl, burrito, or 2 tacos. Then, you choose what kind of meat (or mushroom) you want, add toppings, sauce, and voilà! You got yourself a tasty, custom made food of your choice.  The fact that this place is Korean operated, with Jewish entrepreneur, and Mexican chef, they do offer some unique features. The food had more variety of flavor, and their selection of sauces are really fun and tasty.

 

Here are some bowl that we tried: Chile Lime Pork Carnitas ($8.95) which comes with salt and lime infused pork shoulder braised tender and shredded with Mexican oregano and red chiles. I got it with Comino Rice which is basmati grain with an aromatic bite, hint of toasted cumin, Vegetables a la Plancha which is sweet onion and green pepper spiced with toasted cumin and Mexican oregano, Sweet Corn Relish, Veggies, and Cheese, topped with Chipotle Crema sauce and Fire Roasted Tomato sauce. I might have had more toppings than I mentioned… All I remembered was that it was AWESOME! The carnitas had great flavor, tender and juicy, and all the extra additions were all very fresh and packed with flavor. Even though there are a lot of stuff in there, everything somehow worked in a perfect harmony, creating a delicious bowl.

Next one up is New Mexican Beef Curry ($9.65), which comes with a smooth and savory beef stew made bold, complex ad completely irresistible with dried chiles. This was excellent above and beyond! The flavor of the curry was really amazing, and the beef was tender, and really crazy good. The toppings were about the same as above, but with different sauce mix. We added Suiza sauce with Chipotle Crema.

We also tried Grass-Fed Grilled Garlic Steak ($9.65) and Chicken Poblano ($8.95). The Garlic Steak had flavors of smoked chiles and toasted spices, and it was a bit sweet, with just the right amount of garlic. The Chicken Poblano was sweet and spiced grilled chicken showcasing the Ancho Peppers. They were both really great, tender and juicy meat, packed with flavor, and very high quality.

 

Let me talk about their sauce for a minute. They have 7 of their own original sauces, and they are designed to enhance and compliment the flavor profiles of every dish. You can mix and match tastes and textures to take your meal to the next level. If you are not sure which sauce to chose for your bowl or burrito or taco, not to worry. They provide easy-to-understand explanation and suggestion. So thoughtful.

 

Other than the bowls, we had chips with Chipotle Crema sauce. The chips were really crispy, and had some spice on it which made it even tastier, with a nice little kick to it. They are indeed addictive.

Then, for the event, they also made chicken and cheese quesadillas. They were awesome, and even before the first bite, I could smell the fresh herbs in it, and the cheese was really great quality too. I would go back just for the quesadillas, they were that good!

I can’t say enough about the quality of food here. Everything we tried, the flavor and fresh ingredients spoke loud, the level of quality was really high. Everything tasted so awesome! What I really admire about them is that they run a “scratch kitchen,” where, everything is made from scratch. They offer home cooked food in a modern way. Another good thing to note, their chicken, pork and beef come from animals raised humanely and fed an all-vegetarian diet with no hormones or antibiotics.

The staff were all really nice and helpful, friendly and polite. I enjoyed talking to them also. You don’t believe me? Look at this photo, where the staff posed with my food without being asked to do so….! Nice staff like this with great sense of humor really makes this restaurant to be a fun place to be, and makes the dining experience even better.

We will definitely go back there for more of them delicious, fresh, tasty food! So if you are craving a really good mexian-style food, or Chipotle concept food, look no further. Just head out to Óxido where you know everything is fresh and tasty. Your tummy will thank you.

Óxido – 18 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10010