SOL Mexican Cocina (“SOL”), from Southern California based Xperience Restaurant Group (XRG), announces its first location in New York City at 220 5th Ave., which opened on Thursday, May 4. The upscale Mexican concept is located steps away from Madison Square Park and the historic Flatiron Building and will bring a fresh and traditional spin on Coastal Mexican food to the heart of Manhattan.
“Following years of hard work, starting on the west coast and growing this brand across the country, we are pleased to be given the opportunity to open SOL Mexican Cocina in New York City, a city known to have some of the best restaurants in the world,” said XRG’s CEO, Randy Sharpe in a statement. “We are ready to have New Yorkers and tourists try SOL’s award-winning dishes and hand-crafted margaritas that Southern Californians fell in love with, originally.”
With over 8,800-square-feet, two floors of seating, and 222 seats, SOL Mexican Cocina’s large space will translate to either a lively atmosphere, ensuring an entertaining meal for a large group, or providing an intimate dining experience as dark design hues dominate the restaurant’s ambiance and décor. The restaurant’s location and two-floor space will also provide sweeping views of Madison Square Park as it is situated in New York City’s central location, surrounded by restaurants, shopping, hotels, and a lively neighborhood. This will all be enjoyed while relishing on SOL’s fresh dishes like their wood-grilled Short Ribs and Blue Corn taco and paired with a Pineapple Serrano Margarita, a juxtaposition of spicy fresh serrano peppers mixed with sweet pineapple.
SOL serves an eclectic menu of organic and seasonal dishes made fresh daily and will be highlighting over a dozen fresh housemade salsas. Inspired by the best of Baja, California’s fare, SOL reignites coastal Mexican food with modern, fresh options from its talented culinary team. With locations in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Playa Vista, Newport Beach, and Irvine, Calif.; Denver, Colo.; Las Vegas, Nev.; and soon to be Boston, it continues to curate elaborate, flavorful dishes made from scratch.
Covering a wide range of dining options such as SOL’s Taco Tuesday, weekend brunch, lunch, and dinner, along with vegan and gluten-free menu items, SOL’s dishes and hand-muddled drinks include the following options:
- Grilled Sweet Corn, carved tableside with butter, lime, chiles, cotija cheese, and chipotle drizzle
- Taco Vampiro, double tortilla stuffed with melted cheese, serrano chiles, scallions, with carne asada, guacamole, pico de gallo, chipotle sauce, and cotija
- Spicy ‘Popcorn’ Cauliflower Taco, cauliflower deep-fried in spicy beer batter with creamy coconut-avocado salsa on a corn tortilla with pico de gallo, shredded cabbage, onions, cilantro, and lime
- Spanish Octopus, octopus grilled and sliced, served on fingerling potatoes sauteed with chorizo, garlic, smoked Spanish paprika, tomato, green olives, white wine, and lemon
- Margarita Del SOL, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, Cointreau, and a choice of premium tequila, shaken and served tableside
- Chain Smokers, JAJA blanco, sweet almond liqueur, lemon juice, bitters, smoked and served tableside
- The Mezcalero, Del Maguey Vida mezcal shaken with passion fruit, guava, and fresh lime, served in a chili salt rimmed glass
- Berries & Blooms, Código 1530 Tequila Rosa blanco, raspberries, honey, Aperol aperitivo, lime juice
The beverage program will curate its cocktail menu to pair with its coastal-inspired dishes and will feature hand-crafted margaritas like the Blackberry Ginger Margarita, made with fresh blackberries, ginger, Blanco tequila, fresh lime, and agave nectar. The restaurant will also serve other spirit-based cocktails like celebrity collaboration cocktail, Velvet Espresso made with Bruno Mars’ SelvaRey Chocolate rum, cafe espresso liqueur, Italian cream liqueur, and topped with Cardi B’s Mocha Whipshots. Additionally, the restaurant will feature over 100 of Mexico’s finest mezcals, tequilas, and nearly 10 different Cristalino tequila offerings.
SOL Mexican Cocina will be open on Thursday, May 4, and will be open at 11 a.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. on the weekends.
