Molly T.
Yelp
4.5 stars. We came to Bad Hombre on a whim during a somewhat hectic day that did not allow me to make a reservation somewhere ahead of time. I saw that there were times open on Resy and while I'm not big on walk-ins, we tried our luck. There was only room at the bar that was plenty good for us. Everything we ordered was great and would have happily tried more.
We came here at around 9pm on a Saturday night. I absolutely loved the space and am curious what business this was before Bad Hombre opened, because they did a great job with the interior design. It somehow strikes a perfect balance between classy and East Village grunge, such that it feels very approachable yet you know you're going to get some sophisticated fare. The bar itself is beautiful and something about its setup or design felt vaguely European though I can't put my finger on it.
Bad Hombre has a great drink selection, including a well-curated menu of agave-based cocktails. To start I ordered the Rosa y Rosado (rose infused mezcal, damiana liqueur, rose vanilla water, strawberry jam, lime juice, alaea rose salt rim), a truly magical mezcal margarita variation. I the just got a classic mezcal negroni because I was in the mood for one but I rarely order them when I'm out.
It was Cinco de Mayo weekend, so we were very excited to have Mexican food. The menu here is definitely seafood-centric, though there are plenty of options for vegetarians as well. Part of what appealed to me about this menu is that there's quite a lot of variety, it's not just tacos or just aguachiles, etc. While I love both of those things, sometimes I want to try a mix of preparations. In hindsight we probably could've ordered one more dish as a few of the plates we ordered were on the smaller side, but we were still plenty satisfied with what we ended up with. Eats, below:
Tuna Crudo w/ yuzu-mandarin consommé, cilantro, finger lime, chips: A
This dish checked all the boxes for a good crudo: beautiful presentation, fresh fish, flavor elements that highlight but don't overpower the fish, great use of citrus, and accompanying chips for dipping. Loved the yuzu in particular.
Shrimp Tacos w/ tortilla, garlic aioli, cabbage, cilantro: A
I don't have a picture of these because we gobbled them up too fast. You get three per serving but they're on the small side so I'd recommend two orders if multiple members of your party are excited by them.
Brussel Sprout w/ habanero aioli, greens: A
I'm always thrilled to find brussels on a menu, though you won't typically find them at a Mexican restaurant (at least I haven't). The spicy aioli was just divine, and the combo of that plus the lime juice you can squeeze over top of the sprouts was delicious. Despite being a veggie, this was probably the most filling dish we ordered.
Grilled Octopus w/ salsa verde, black bean purée, pico de gallo: A-
A great octopus dish though less memorable than the others. I liked the contrast of the more earthy salsa verde with the brightness of the pico. The octopus itself was cooked well and was the perfect amount of tender.