At Cantonese spots, chefs skilfully deploy XO sauce, a heady condiment forged from dried shellfish and cured ham. At Bar Chucho on the edge of Chinatown, the chef Fidel Caballero goes a step further, adding a Mexican twang.
Sure, he uses scallops, but also grasshoppers and smoked corazón for funk and umami. And he tosses the salsa with maple-slicked rice cakes before sending them out with toothpicks. It’s a funky, chewy snack that pairs smartly with the Malverde, a Jolly Rancher-hued tipple that tastes of booze and candied cilantro.
Chucho, by the team behind the fine-dining restaurant Corima, doesn’t want to be just a drinks destination with limited-supply Wagyu patties that influencers queue up for. It’s a chill hang for fancy libations and discount burgers, a place where the tequila slushy machine casts a neon glow. But what makes Chucho especially satisfying is knowing it belongs to a class of Latin cocktail dens reshaping the cantina experience, with more of an eye toward Mexico City’s edgy dynamism than old-school margarita joints.
Just as Dolores introduced hip Brooklynites to fiery papadillas, Chucho riffs on the street snack that is the chilindrina, airy chicharrones de harina that Mr. Caballero layers with kombu cueritos and undulating sheets of silky bluefin.
Sure, there’s guacamole, but most patrons, the bartender quips, “don’t realize it comes with tripe.” For the best! The soy-tinged stomach, crisp on the outside and wobbly within, sits above a mash of avocado so soft it channels a verdant congee.
Smart diners will skip the greasy gringas in favor of the brisket burgers; they’re misted with dry-aged garum (for sweet funk) and anointed with chiles toreados (for earthy heat). The price? Just $18.
Chucho, however ambitious, makes sure it’s still a neighborhood bar. And that’s why it truly shines.
Briefer starred reviews of New York restaurants are written by our contributing critics Mahira Rivers and Ryan Sutton, and first appear weekly in the Where to Eat newsletter (subscribe here).