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    Hellbender

    4.3 (117 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    Hellbender Photos

    Business Info

    HELLBENDER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Hipster
    Casual
    Trendy
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Hellbender

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    Reviews With Photos - Hellbender

    Sacheen V.

    Stopped here to grab something quick to go .. place was crowded - which is always a great sign. Patrons were even friendly. Bartender is a true mixologist and made me the bomb margarita with soda while i waited for my shrimp ceviche which was absolutely devine!! OMG - I will be coming back for my dishes being that the woman who was eating at the bar told me that EVERYTHING IS GOOD here and I believe it after a spoonful of that ceviche!! I mean - every bite was packed with lots a flavors. Cilantro seasonings so so damn good. I couldn't even wait to get home - I drove and ate it and that's means no pic either. But trust me I will be back - and sooner than later.

    Udochi M.

    Oh my gosh Hellbender... that was the best meal i've had in such a long time! But before I get to that, I will say that the service was super slow and the staff kinda sucked at their job lol. Took so long to get a drink, get a check, and even pay, but it is what it is. It still didn't not ruin my overall experience and dare I say that this is in my top 5 restaurants in the city now. The restaurant gives me a el paso/retro theme and has a life size leopard on their walls which was a bit random, but okay cool. Everything on the menu looked delicious, but at the same time I had no idea what it would look like, so we asked for some recommendations from our waiter. We landed on the fried Oaxacan cheese, the heirloom tomato salad, and the chicken milanesa. From the jump everything was out of this world! There was not a single dish that I did not like, however I will say that the tomato salad is less of a salad, but still super good! My favorite dish had to be the chicken! So much flavor and cooked to perfection! I genuinely loved this meal and also loved that I did not feel heavy after. I thought it was the perfect amount of food for two people and we avg. 100 total including two drinks and a dessert! Will definitely be back! This is a must try if you haven't yet!

    masa pancakes
    Janet Y.

    Some of their dishes are worth the hype! We made reservation for brunch at 11:30am on a Sunday and it was completely full. (don't attempt to walk in, place is small and PACKED!) We tried a bunch of stuff and the star was definitely the soft scrambled egg tostada, the masa pancakes and coffee tres leches cake. These are a must try! Good to try was also the fried oaxacan cheese but at $14 for 3 pieces, it's not worth a repeat order for me. These were skippable to be honest: mega thick bacon (just ok) home fries (meh) The chilaquiles (pork chorizo, salsa ranchera, crema, queso fresco, sunny up eggs) lacked flavor for a dish with so much going on. Service was pretty quick.

    heirloom masa pancakes
    Alex M.

    Amazing pancakes- probably the best I've had in NYC so far. Hellbender is in Ridgewood, Queens, and is owned by the same group behind Rolo's. Came here for brunch and ordered several shareable "tapas"-esque dishes. The chamoy watermelon, egg tostada, and oaxacan cheese sticks were also great options!

    Deep fried masa pancakes.
    Dee A.

    You. Must. Get. The. PANCAKES. All in all, an enjoyable experience although quite noisy.

    Queso Fritos
    Jessica G.

    The food here is 10/10, no wonder it's hard to get a reservation for weekend brunch. my friend and I got there 15 minutes before opening and there was already a line outside. Get the pancake, it's a must!

    Shrimp Tacos
    Carin R.

    Cute local bar and restaurant in Ridgewood. It's smart to make reservations especially for brunch and dinner times. The tables are pretty close together so keep secrets till later. The food is comforting and thoughtfully done but felt portions were on the small side. We ordered the egg tostada, shrimp tacos, and a side of potatoes to share. I loved the adorable little cow milk pitcher. It just made me smile. The servers were kind and attentive even though they were pretty slammed.

    Chicken milanesa
    Jenny J.

    Service was great and friendly. Had a reservation and they sat us down promptly. Parking wasn't great --street parking. The streets are very narrow but that's not their fault. They had specials [mostly seafood]. Menu seems to change often. Didn't love the menu this time. The ceviche kind of just tasted like a cucumber. The chicken milanesa had great flavor but you just get chicken for $32. Got the beans on the side but eh .. they needed cheese or something. Lump crab quesadilla was fine. Best part was my michelada -- very happy with that. Very limey and spicy and tajin-y. The brunch menu seems very good would rather try that. Cute regular place with a cool tiger on the wall.

    Oyster mushroom tacos
    Vishnu G.

    The food is alright, but the portions are quite small and the prices are very high. This is probably a spot to grab a drink and a small plate instead of a full meal. There's a decent selection of small plates for vegetarians. The oyster mushroom tacos ($14) were very flavorful, and nice fusiony flavors from the sesame and Thai basil. The tortillas tasted fresh as well. The empanada ($23) was the only vegetarian large plate, and totally missed the mark. The pops of Thai basil made things interesting, and the salsa verde on the side was nice and tart, but overall it's just a bunch of cheese in a fried corn shell. I really don't think this item works as an entree. The bill came out to $48 after tax and tip, which is pretty outrageous. The tacos were tasty enough to improve my overall impression from disappointed to just mixed.

    Cynthia L.

    Lives up to the hype. My friend and I used to live in this area and I am reminded about the parking situation in Ridgewood. Other than that the textures and flavors are completely unreal. I've never drooled over such a place after my first visit this badly for the past few years.

    Pancakes
    Keshia C.

    The service was great and I came here under the recommendation of a random doom scroll on YouTube. However, the soft scramble tostada was very greasy with chili oil. That was a turn off for me but the fried oaxacan cheese was good. The pancakes were okay!

    Lauren S.

    I almost don't want to write this review, because I want to still be able to get a table here, but... Wow. Hellbender is a gem. Came here for a friend's birthday dinner and was amused at all the things that seemingly didn't go together: the name "hellbender" itself, the giant leopard statue in the wall, Mexican food... what do these things have to do with one another? It doesn't matter. It works. We ordered almost everything and shared, so I got to try a good portion of the menu. Every dish was outstanding. The only one I wasn't enamored with was the mushroom tacos, but my friends loved them, so I think it was just a matter of taste. The fish here deserves recognition, because it's so incredibly fresh that the flavor is just better than other places where you can get seafood. Plus the bright Mexican flavors and creative combinations of ingredients are what really makes this place stand out. The drinks were delicious as well. I honestly can't wait to come back!

    Heirloom Masa Pancakes
    LeeLee S.

    We went for brunch and had a wonderful time! My husband was dying to go. We had been following Hellbender on instagram for a while so finally my husband made a reservation. We got there a little early so we went over to the bar and got a drink before being seated. When our take was ready they were able to transfer our bar bill to our table bill. There were so many dishes we wanted to try so we ordered a bunch of food and shared it. We loved everything we got. It's a very cute restaurant, service was great as well as the food and drinks. We would 100% go back.

    Pancakes

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    The Bad Old Days

    The Bad Old Days

    4.3
    (64 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    According to the Internet, this is the #1 bar in Ridgewood, so I decided to check it out with BF…read moreafter dinner at Rolo's. The bar is a bit on the smaller side in terms of seating, but it has a TON of personality. I loved the eclectic decorations and knickknacks around the seating areas and the bar. The bartender had the TV tuned in to Jeopardy, so my inner (or extremely obvious?) nerd was beaming. In terms of the drinks themselves, I tried the cocoa orange whiskey (?) infusion on the rocks, and my BF had the chipotle paloma. We would both say they were solid, definitely not at "craft cocktail" level, but decent. This bar has a fun + dive-y feel - the kind of place where you get a beer, a plate of chicken nuggets, and watch trash tv with your neighborhood crew (I think they actually do have people who have a weekly Bachelorette viewing during the week). Definitely worth checking out if you're already in the area and looking for ~vibes.~

    I've spent a decent amount of time in Ridgewood and unsurprisingly, much of that time has been here…read moreat The Bad Old Days. I've had a number of drinks here and it's been a great meeting spot for late night occasions, especially ones that revolve around a good drink. No doubt it's one of the more underrated nightlife venues in the borough. The setup feels like something out of a Brooklyn type bar - pseudo hipster vibe, casual environment with the whole board games and stacks of books all within a space that is well divided to give a different feel in each corner of the small'ish interior. Like a living room extension but with adult company. Of course, the bar is the most prominent thing in the room and it's a great place to chill as a solo patron. Groups can congregate in the lounge-y areas but the feel is remarkably different depending on where one choses to hang. On a beverage front, there is no shortage of quality drinks to be had. The cocktails are well made and not expensive; the bartenders do a good job of making sure each drink carries a certain kind of potency before leaving the bar. The happy hours are lovely as well, combined with a good deals ($5 shot + beer special, $5 cocktails, etc.) and even better hours (2-8pm!). Lastly, I appreciate a good name. Bad Old Days can be interpreted in many facets, but I think this establishment prides itself on good company and somehow rewards us with simple, good drinks. Bring a friend or three, enjoy the random movies that get projected onto the wall, and enjoy a late night capper in a quiet part of an emerging part of Queens.

    Photos
    I'm loving the 'BAR' sign outside.
    I'm loving the 'BAR' sign outside.
    The Bad Old Days
    The Bad Old Days

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    Hellbender - mexican - Updated August 2026

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