#TBT Banging Brunch: Mocondo
They say you never forget your first.
When it comes to my first, (brunch, that is) I wholeheartedly agree. Tucked away on the Lower East Side, Mocondo Taperia Latina was the lil bastard that swiped my brunch virginity. Thankfully, Mocondo and I have remained good friends. We chat occasionally and I’ll even pop in once in a blue moon to catch up. I truly have nothing but kind things to say about Mocondo and I highly suggest any of you virginal brunchers out there give this Latino lover a try.
Serving up arepas from Venezuela, cocas from Barcelona, empanadas from Colombia, and tacos from Mexico, Mocondo offers signature cuisines from all over the Spanish-speaking world. Now, although Mocondo knows how to get down-and-dirty in the kitchen, his real talent lies in the bottom of your champagne flute. This place has managed to master the fine art of the mimosa, and come weekend, when their brunch special runs, its alllllllll about the mimosa.
For a flat rate of $15 you receive unlimited mimosas for two hours, flavors include your classic OJ, mint-blackberry or white jasmine-guava. What’s nice is that Mocondo allows you to switch between flavors throughout the meal, unlike other joints that’ll anchor you to a single drink.
In terms of eats, the food aint half bad either. Not only was Mocondo my first brunch, but the rascal was also my first egg. “How the fuck has this chick managed to go 21 years without eating an egg?” you may be wondering. Basically, as a child I was a VERY picky eater. On top of that, with the few foods I did enjoy, I’d often resort to bouts of extreme binge eating…Christmas Eve circa 1998 I consumed a 2 pound shrimp platter in under 10 minutes. Cherry picking in the summer of ’99 I climbed a tree and guzzled what I estimate to be close to 200 cherries.
Colossal puke-fests followed both of these incidents, resulting in me swearing off shrimp and cherries for life. As you may have it, the same can be said of eggs. It must have been the sheer grace of God that possessed me to sample a sliver of Mocondo’s Egg Benedict that one fateful day; but one bite was all it took. I’m now proud to call myself a rehabilitated egg-lover.
Eggs aside, this place is notorious for their yucca fries, so make sure to give them a go. Their apple-wood smoked bacon avocado burger is also one of my favorites. Most brunch dishes are under $15, so your total meal cost usually taps our around $30. Not too shabby.
Final words on Mocondo: as lovely as their food may be and as trashed as you will get off their mimosas, I’ve got to come out and warn you that their servers have a tendency to be low-key assholes. Like I mentioned before, the drink deal is supposed to run for two full hours, yet on one occasion they cut my pals and I off only one hour in. BIG MISTAKE. HUGE. Mocondo picked the wrong alcoholics to fuck with. After some sassy remarks we were finally able to work it out with the manager, who allowed us to rightfully resume our drinking and even gave us a small discount on the bill. Moral of the story: speak up when you've encountered injustice and you'll be rewarded with alcohol.