Jajaja Mexicana

Since reading a few weeks ago that Mexican food is the most serotonin-boosting cuisine in the world, I've been craving a good Mexican meal. I had friends visiting from Iceland, where there really isn't such a thing as decent Mexican food. We used to go to a Tex-Mex spot that’s gone now, and never really found a replacement. I'm vegan. My friends are not. I asked some friends, "Where can my friend get a good frozen margarita and Mexican food?" There were 2 or 3 popular choices. You know which ones. Then I looked at their menus. My boyfriend, trying to be helpful, was like, "Well this one place has like a salad, if you get it without the chicken. Or they have this grilled mushroom dish. (Blegch... mushrooms? Ew!)" I thought -- I have been looking forward to this for weeks. I am NOT having some consolation meal. I want to eat what I love! I checked my usual Vegan NYC groups on Facebook for recommendations, but I knew my friends weren't in the mood to spend $30–40 for an entrée. Then my boyfriend just googled... and said, "How about JaJaJa???" Don't laugh... Whenever I saw that place on DoorDash, I actually thought it was like some virtual kitchen. So I've never even ordered from them. You guys! JaJaJa is a REAL restaurant where you can dine in — or even sit outdoors on their patio — or skip the meal and head downstairs to the bar/lounge for drinks! Okay so first, the atmosphere. We visited on May 3rd, and they basically filled the entire restaurant with helium balloons for Cinco de Mayo. From the festive atmosphere, I was like, "Oh, this place looks like a good time!" They have a FULL bar. So whatever you want, they've got it. And they have mocktails! I don't drink. Honestly, I don’t often order mocktails, but I LOVE when I see them on the menu because it makes me think, "Awwwww! Someone thought about me!" I ordered the Enchiladas Mole. I thought I really wanted the Enchiladas Suizas (because it was carne, not pollo) but the waiter mentioned they were spicy, whereas the Mole was not. I should say, the first bite was like, "Ooh, this is spicy! I don’t know if I can handle this..." but it wasn't too spicy. It was the kind of spicy that's just warm in the mouth. I got used to it by the second bite. I used to tolerate spicy food. Now, mayonnaise is too spicy for me! One helpful critique I could offer – while the menu is pretty good about identifying allergens (gluten and nuts), there is nothing to indicate whether a dish is spicy, nor how spicy. If they had, for example, a 3-chili-peppers rating, I'd have given the tap water 0 chili peppers, the Enchiladas Mole 1 chili pepper, and my friend said the Suizas was probably a 2 or 3. That would be super helpful on the menu. But everything was absolutely delicious and obviously cooked by someone who was very intentional about, "We know what kind of familiar, hedonistic experience people are coming here for, and we're gonna deliver on that!" I didn't tell my friends in advance that the place was vegan. At first my friend asked, "I don't see chicken anywhere on the menu," and I pointed out that pollo is Spanish for chicken. And yes, I told her, it was vegan. She was fine with that. I need pictures! I can't usually imagine from a text-only description what my meal is going to look like. So remember: their website had photos of every single menu item! This helped me find more things I want to try next time. They just found it delicious! I will give ONE more critique... just cuz I'm like SEARCHING for things I think they could improve on... I wanted to put my arm around my boyfriend, but the textiles lining the back of the booths are sort of a scratchy, area-rug kind of material. I kept trying to put my arm around him, but it was like, "Ouch... not happening." I say this because I can't think of anything else to critique, and I don't wanna sound like I'm just blowing smoke. This is my new go-to place, and it's nowhere near my apartment! I have a burrito place 2 avenues away that delivers, and they have vegan options, but forget it. From now on, it's JaJaJa or nothing.

Nice place for vegan and gluten free food. Tacos are tasty and guacamole as well

While visiting for the week, me and my husband ate here multiple times at different locations. The ambience in this location was fantastic. They also had so many amazing gluten-free options. As a vegan Celiac, I was in heaven!! The enchiladas verdes and moles were delicious, and so were the plantain chips! We’ll definitely be back!