{"id":188481,"date":"2026-04-07T16:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T16:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/188481\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T16:50:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T16:50:11","slug":"the-taqueria-ramirez-team-is-opening-a-west-village-seafood-wine-bar-with-a-great-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/188481\/","title":{"rendered":"The Taqueria Ramirez Team Is Opening a West Village Seafood Wine Bar With a Great Name"},"content":{"rendered":"

First, newly minted James Beard Awards finalist<\/a> chef Giovanni Cervantes and Tania Apolinar built their names on tacos with their first restaurant, Taqueria Ramirez<\/a>. Then came Carnitas Ramirez<\/a>, their slow-cooked pork follow-up. Now the couple is pivoting to seafood with their newest project. El Camaron Peludo<\/a>, opening in the West Village at 20 Cornelia Street, between Bleecker Street and Sixth Avenue, this summer.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s only a stretch away from the NYC expansion of LA taqueria Tacos 1986<\/a> and its two adjacent cocktail bars, Mixteca and Kees.<\/p>\n

El Camaron Peludo\u2019s name translates to \u201cthe hairy shrimp\u201d in Spanish, a nod to the playfulness the couple hopes to convey through the casual seafood wine bar.<\/p>\n

The menu is rooted in Mexican seafood, but Cervantes wants to catch a wider net. He says they\u2019re going to source food from Spain, Japan, Mexico, and the U.S. He wants the menu \u201cto be very accessible and straightforward.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019re collaborating with chef Carlos Barrera<\/a>, a Brooklyn chef who grew up in Mexico City. The chefs cooked together during a pop-up collaboration<\/a> last summer.<\/p>\n

El Camaron Peludo is a wine bar first, and that matters to Cervantes and Apolinar. He describes the wine list as interesting, playful, and sophisticated, plus \u201ca really cool Champagne program.\u201d Taqueria Ramirez staffer Carlos Cohetero, whom Cervantes credits with making the couple fall in love with wine, will be developing the wine list.<\/p>\n

The beer list is slim, with only one European and one Mexican option. Cervantes says they\u2019ll \u201cdefinitely bring the best michelada in town.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cornelia Street space has dictated what the project would be. \u201cThe first idea was to have a seafood restaurant, but it ended up being more of a seafood bar,\u201d Cervantes says.<\/p>\n

Apolinar describes it as \u201ca long, very narrow space,\u201d with the bar running the full length of the interior and seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Outside, there will be a backyard with tables, potentially with reservations available.<\/p>\n

Cervantes and Apolinar opened<\/a> Taqueria Ramirez in Greenpoint in 2021, after which the restaurant quickly became known for serving some of the city\u2019s best tacos. They followed with Carnitas Ramirez<\/a> in the East Village in 2024. It won Eater NY\u2019s Best Counter-Service award<\/a> that same year.<\/p>\n

At the same time as El Camaron Peludo, Cervantes and Apolinar are also opening a second location of Taqueira Ramirez<\/a> with charcoal grills in Carroll Gardens, 267 Smith Street at Degraw Street, set to debut in late summer. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely some particular style of taquerias in Mexico where everything gets cooked on charcoal,\u201d Cervantes says, \u201cand we really wanted to bring that to life here.\u201d It\u2019s been a harder lift because of the regulations and expenses, but construction is starting this week.<\/p>\n

Also, earlier this spring, Cervantes nabbed his first finalist nomination<\/a> in the James Beard Awards this year. He was a semifinalist in 2023<\/a> and 2025<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s really cool that, from the chefs that were selected in New York, there are two people from Mexico<\/a>,\u201d referring to himself and Corima<\/a> chef Fidel Caballero. \u201cIt shows a lot of how Mexican food is growing and changing in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, if that wasn\u2019t enough, Taqueria Ramirez has also landed at Citi Field<\/a>, as part of the Taste of Queens Coca-Cola food truck. The pop-up runs through Sunday, July 12, offering tacos with nopales and suadero.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was surprised how many people around me were really hardcore Mets fans,\u201d Cevantes says of cooking at Citi Field. \u201cThat made me realize how important it is. I don\u2019t really follow [baseball], but I\u2019m getting converted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, despite having two upcoming restaurants and a new baseball stadium outpost, Cervantes teases some future projects to Eater: \u201cWe already have some sort of larger program with the taquerias that we want to open,\u201d but that\u2019s a ways away.<\/p>\n