Came to this amazing place. Food, ambience, music and service were great! Cesar and JJ are so friendly

My friend had a sample of Marcela's food at an event and wanted to stop by and try out more. Went in for lunch that turned into an early dinner. The restaurant has a homey, Mexican theme and felt nice to be in. There are flowers and vibrant colors around the room. It was a really cold day and you could feel that in the restaurant as well.. The waiter was so nice and helpful while we tried to figure out what we wanted to eat. We ended up ordering the Pollo Mole Poblano and the Carne Asada. The Mole was delicious, creamy and the flavors were balanced well. The chicken was juicy and they give you a good portion. I also loved the rice and beans. My friend loved the Carne Asada. We ordered the Churros for dessert and it was the best I've had in a long time. I would go back just for the churros lol The vibe, food and staff were great. Would go back to try more of the menu! read more

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I came across this restaurant's food at a Dia De Los Muertos party 2 weeks ago and I was left super impressed with their pozole that I had to go to their mothership to see what else they had to offer to my taste palette. I went with my daughter and friend, Francis, who is also a fellow Yelper to have some yummy food and we weren't disappointed. The place itself was decorated all festive and with paper picado garnishing their entrance, there was no denying the type of food they served here and I was ready to dig into the food and vibe. First thing, Francis and I ordered were drinks and I'm a mezcal girl so I went with Lychee Mezcalito. I was so into it that I ordered another one because this was the perfect balance of alcolhol...not too strong and not too light. Ordering my entree was such a hard choice because they had so many options but I eventually went for my favorite Mexican dish, Mole with chicken and yellow rice. It was so filling of flavor and spices. I enjoyed the beans that came along with it. I got greedy and ate a bit of my daughter's carne asada but no worries, she had more than enough left because they gave her two slices of steak with big chunk of queso fresco. The dish itself fed my eyes before it reached my mouth...that's how good it looked and tasted. The best part of the day was when we got dessert, which was churros along with chocolate sauce. We were served so many that we got to take some leftovers home. Everything was perfect about this restaurant except for the waiting time but I truly understand why it took awhile for some of orders to come out. It was Veteran's Day and actually think there was only one waiter there. Even though there were two tables of people, I get the sense that he even created the food and drinks because I didn't see or hear anyone from the kitchen. And let me tell you, this food was made with love and care so I would have waited all day for it. And he was super friendly and attentive and even gave us a free shot of Mezcal. From what I saw from the Dia De Los Muertos and at the restaurant, it seems to me that this is a family-owned restaurant, and I love to visit places like that because you can feel the love in the food they make and that always makes it takes ten times better. I can't wait to go again and try another delicious dish. read more

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*This review is only for the Elote and the Pastor Burger* Marcela Cocina Mexicana is a very cute, quaint, and warm restaurant with pretty decors and aesthetics that reflects the vibe of the culture. It has a nice setup for whether you prefer an intimate or a more social dining experiences. The staff was nice and friendly, but perhaps because it was during the afternoon, he was often nowhere to be found (i.e., I had to go to the kitchen area to ask for the check); not a big deal but definitely not ideal. Now onto the food which I am confident they are capable of improving: The elote was perfectly charred, but the dressing on it was severely lacking as evident in the pictures below. Even after trying my best to spread the dressing all around the corn, a big portion of it was still just plain empty. So if you like eating a regular grilled corn, this may be decent, but I found it overly plain and disappointing since it wasn't like your typical elote where it was seasoned all around. The Pastor Burger was also unfortunately underwhelming. The interior of the burger was quite dry and the waiter did not ask how I'd like the burger cooked, so it was served well-done. The beef mixture of the patty had some herbs in it but no onions, which made the interior very dry and tough. The al pastor on top of the beef patty was also tough and chewy, which coupled together with the dry beef patty required more effort into chewing rather than enjoying. The guacamole on top was also a bit lacking and perhaps adding some more on top could've helped with its dryness. The grilled pineapple was perhaps the best part because it was grilled with a nice and not-too-overpowering-char, but it also included bits of the core which provided a tougher texture compared to its soft and sweet outer fleshy part. Overall, this was unfortunately not the greatest experience and I was disappointed that I could not experience the pleasant experience other diners/reviewers were able to have. I cannot comment on the other dishes since I haven't had them yet, and they may very well be more flavorful and enjoyable. I believe Marcela Cocina Mexicana has the potential of being a great Mexican restaurant for locals around the area, and I hope they are receptive to my minor critiques on how they can improve the abovementioned dishes. Thank you so much for reading and best of luck! (: read more

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Stopped by on Sunday afternoon and had some delicious food. It was a rainy day and it was not too busy. From my understanding this restaurant is owned by two brothers, one manages the front and the other the kitchen. The one managing the front is also the bartender and the drinks were great! He checked on us often to make sure we were good - and our server JJ did as well so we were really pleased with the service. We were a bit disappointed with the Guacamole size, I think for $13 the portion size should be bigger. However, the Chile relleno and the birria grilled cheese were super good! We will be coming back to this restaurant soon to try more things off the menu! The restaurant is very cozy, welcoming and aesthetically pleasing. read more

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REVIEW FOR DELIVERY ONLY: We ordered the Birria ramen and it was SO GOOD, it was wrapped up nicely with no spills! See photos for yourself. There was a ton of meat and a good amount of noodles. But beware, this dish is NOT low in fat... Birria is known to be greasy BUT flavorful. They also sent some garnish which we added, some onions and cilantro (yum). read more

Marcela Cocina Mexicana - Ramen Noodles - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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What a place, the vibe is beyond perfect!! The service is incredible! I hosted my sister baby shower at the restaurant in the middle of a snow storm and not only did they not cancel but they went out of their way to help with EVERYTHING! The food was incredible, they helped me set up the decor and made us all feel like we were part of the family! Not to mention the food and drinks beyond delicious! Marcela is the place you want to host your next family event, no question about it! read more

Marcela Cocina Mexicana - They set up the bar and tables and allowed us to bring desserts. They made an amazing tres leches cake for the event. - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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My friend took me to this cozy hidden gem on a Friday night and it was worth every penny. Hibiscus cocktail (Toxica) is a must try! Carnitas and Al Pastor tacos are highly recommended. I am definitely returning to try other things on the menu. read more

J J the bartender hooks ur drinks up.. definitely a come back. All smiles here!!!! I had the Al Diabla wings and the nacho and cheese. Ambiance is on point cozy family feeling. Must come back. read more

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The best caldo, tacos and margs! The flavors of all the dishes we tried were so delicious they were nostalgic. 1000/10 recommend.

A quiet neighborhood spot with delicious authentic Mexican food. Nothing fancy or formal and you can expect to hear the TV in the background. My soup was so good and definitely prepared with care in building the bowl. read more

Marcela Cocina Mexicana - Chicken Tortilla Soup - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Great service. Atmosphere was perfect. Great place to sit down for a while and enjoy their amazing food

This is a fantastic taco spot! I like that each type of taco has different toppings in them. There's lots of seating inside with a bar area. Super cute floral interior decor lining the corners to ceiling. We came here on a weekend afternoon and it was pretty quiet but more customers came in during the time we dined. Our waiter was super attentive and kind. I also love that they provide small jugs of green and red sauce so you can pour as much sauce to your liking! The price point is fair and the portions were satisfying! Would definitely come back. read more

Marcela Cocina Mexicana - Interior - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Buffalo fries was something I did not know I needed !!!!!! A MUST. Vibe was cozy and food was amazing !

Best Mexican food in the area with a great vibe. The Birria is out of this world. JJ is an awesome bartender and host. Everything from the drinks to the food was immaculate. This is our spot anytime we are craving an authentic Mexican cuisine. read more

We had a really good lunch here. Great food, great music, great vibes, and the waiter was so kind!

Came here for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and there was 1 other party here. Here's what we got: Chips and guac ($13) - the guac was one of the best I ever had! Had great flavor and seasoned well. The chips were average, wasn't fresh, probably not made in house but together with the guac, it was really good! Think it should have been a little bit cheaper for how much we got though. Birria tacos ($15) - I haven't had birria in a long time but this was very flavorful, the pork was nicely shredded and tender and the consommé was very flavorful. Tacos, steak and spicy pork ($3.75 each) - these were also pretty good, not the best iv had but definitely flavorful and worth the price. Each taco came with 2 tortillas and medium in size so it would take at least 4-6 bites to finish it. There are a couple reasons why this is not getting 5 stars from me and it's not because of the food. First, when we were first seated, the server said "would you like some chips and guac?" And we said sure. A lot of restaurants give free chips and salsa and I know guac is expensive and never free but the way he asked and the timing was very sneaky because we just sat down and didn't even glance at the menu yet. So yea, even though it tasted great, it was not what we wanted and was charged for it. Second, I normally don't look too deep into the receipts especially the tax portion but I was looking and saw that they charged 13% tax? I thought it was always 9% but I didn't ask. Overall, good experience with food but not great experience with the other parts. read more

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The food was alright. We ordered Chicken burrito, enchilada burrito bowl, 3 different tacos and chicken tamale. Here's where the problem was- the cilantro was very sandy/muddy. This cilantro was added in the guac which was served in every dished that we ordered. So that dampened our eating experience. As a new business, they have got to strive to pay attention to details. We ordered our food as a pickup. The service was super slow. There was only one person serving drinks at the bar, serving food to people dining in and handing pick ups. Too much pressure on one person! If this business wants to last longer than expected, they need to serve banging food to attarct more crowd. Chef needs an overview of the community he/she is cooking for. read more

Marcela Cocina Mexicana - The guac was served almost brown. Not a norm! Not ok to serve food like this. - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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the food is good, but I placed an order and the delivery time moved a half hour. I called to make sure it wasn't going to be canceled, he said no just delayed. I called again when it was 10 minutes beyond the new time, same guy said it's actually on the way. 20 minutes later seamless texted me the order was canceled. Ordered at 6:40p, got texted at 8:20p that I was refunded. I called a third time to ask what happened, and he said hold on and then he left the phone on the counter until I hung up after 8 minutes. I heard the TV and conversations in the background, it wasn't a bad signal. There's plenty of other great restaurants nearby. read more

I wouldn't go back to this place for anything, our waitress was great but the guy at the bar came up to us and said that I couldn't be the only one consuming liquor and that if we wanted it to stayed longer in the restaurant, my wife would have to consume alcohol too. I find that disrespectful. read more

Another eatery added on this block! Soft opening featuring some of their bites and drinks. Good eats. Mixed drinks. Live band. More reasons staying closer to home. read more

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I was in the mood for birria tacos, and I came here to get some. Marcela is located at 7121 Fort Hamilton Pkwy. They have different styles of birria here. They have birria tacos, empanadas, burritos, sandwiches, birria ramen, birria burrito bowls, birria mulitas, and a birria burger! They have other tacos as well. Chicken pork steak fish, etc. I might be ordering from here again today and adding more photos and updating my review. But so far this place is good! I'm glad it's not far from me. I ordered pick up and got 3 birria tacos and one fish taco. The birria tacos came with the consume dipping sauce. I have tried birria tacos from another Mexican place, but they didn't have the dipping sauce with it. Was still good, tho in my opinion, but I like any food that can be dipped in more flavor! But if and when in the neighborhood stop by Marcela mexican restaurant. I'm sure you will be pleased. read more

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This place has good drinks, but the plate to talk about is the Ramen birria. I would've never thought that birria and Ramen would taste good together, but this place taught me something new. The atmosphere is decorated beautifully and the staff was tremendous! read more

JJ is awesome. He's the best server. He makes sure everything is in order and he just goes out of his way to make sure you have an excellent service and experience read more

Good is great we ordered to begin the buffalo chicken wings, amazing !! Also had the classic margarita which was very good not too strong but I did love the cups they served on very chic. Then had the pozole rojo with pork I like it though it had a few chunk of fat I did not like and the pozole is from a can, my husband says it would taste better with the pozole from a bag which is not to cooked. Also ordered the enchiladas verdes with steak but the sauce was a bit too tangy and not spicy at all as I would expect from a Mexican authentic restaurant. Everything was amazing in my eyes but my spouse thinks they need to do something about the tables outside as there's a lot of pigeons flying around and the tables and chairs get poop on. The sign on the restaurants need to get some maintenance as it's been pooped on by the pigeons. In conclusion I enjoyed their service and food they are very accommodating and provide great service. Would highly recommend this place. read more

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I always get shrimp tacos and they never disappoint. The service is amazing. Jay is the greatest bartender. Very attentive and the atmosphere is great. Definitely my go to place. read more

This place was over the top amazing You got an amazing waiter named Cesar ask him anything and he knows what he's saying. He described a dish so perfectly, I can't say the food was amazing The ambience was over the top. They constantly kept coming to ask if we were OK if we needed anything to offer us the next thing I was so satisfied. I will definitely recommend this place and definitely come back. And I definitely recommend drinks. That bartender know what he's doing. read more

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Traveled almost two hours to this place to take my bf for his birthday just the two of us before our group celebration the next day. I wanted somewhere affordable and food and drinks he loved. We entered this establishment after going through Groupon to find out that they 1. Didn't have any drinks and 2. No brunch. I told the guy who worked there that we traveled all this way is there something and he said no. So I asked him why were they still on Groupon and that they need to take it off. Because why I have the brunch all over Groupon and not have brunch. He said we could come next weekend for the alcohol I'm assuming but I stated again it's my bf birthday. Waste of time and $20 flushed down the drain to travel. read more

The food here is amazing! But I must say the service is even better! Every single person working in this restaurant is so kind and attentive and they really care about their customers! They made my 21st birthday one to remember! It really feels like you're eating at your friends home :)! This is a must stop place for me and my husband! read more

The food is always amazing. The service is beyond expectations. Not your average Mexican spot.chill spot for High end brunch , the owner is amazing. read more

Great restaurant. Family went for a Sunday brunch and loved everything. Everything was seasoned well and flavorful. The highlight was the nacho. The restaurant dressed each and every nacho chip. It's a small detail but made the dish so much better. Definitely get it for the table or like one of our member, just for yourself. read more

Marcela Cocina Mexicana - Nachos, torta, enchilada with home fries, asada taco, and tlacoyo - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Amazing Mexican food no mames shots shots all the way!!!. Service is a five family vines. Music soothing,the place for a family dinner and more. read more

Marcela Cocina Mexicana - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The Food here was so good came here after work and the atmosphere was great we came at a great time and the host. Tomas was super fun and cool 1000/1000 recommend coming here . read more

The tacos were SO flavorful. Service was so nice, we even got free soup and flan. The flan was delicious. Atmosphere was very calm. Will be recommending to my friends!!! More people need to know about this spot! read more

Marcela Cocina Mexicana - Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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This place is awesome! We haven't had such high quality Mexican cuisine in a long time, not in this neighborhood. The staff is very friendly and offered great recommendations. We will be back many times to come. read more

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Amazing Birria tacos and quesadillas! The owner was so accommodating as well! Will definitely come back

This place is owned by two brothers. One working the floor and the other working the kitchen. I think they divided the duties perfectly because the brother (I'm so sorry I never asked your name) working the floor was so very nice. And the brother working the kitchen..."my man, everything was delicioso!" We had the guac and it was so fresh. We also ordered the nachos and I was expecting the traditional pile of tortillas with the toppings just thrown on top but they weren't. The nachos were made so that you didn't have to fight over the toppings and each tortilla had equal amounts of toppings on each (see pic). I especially liked the random pickled carrot. The shrimp and chicken fajitas were so good. Is it weird to say that the peppers were sliced to a good size and cooked perfectly. We loved the hibiscus drinks, horchata, tecate beer and tequila shot! I also have to make special mention about the mild green and hot red salsa sauces. They were a perfect condiment to the dishes. YOU MUST TRY THE RED HOT SALSA. I put some on my street corn . I even asked for some to take home and he was so generous with the amount he gave me. I am so grateful. If you feel like some Mexican and you happen to be in Brooklyn...check them out. read more

Marcela Cocina Mexicana - Hot and mild salsa sauces in cute little containers - Mexican Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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One of the worst places I have been to in a while. We waited 40 minutes and we still didn't get appetizers in which I asked for the drinks. We didn't get no plates, no water, no utensils. We told the waiter to give us the check because the wait was ridiculous and he didnt even apologize about the wait. We ended up going to a spot on 86th street and 15th avenue and they were 100x better. read more

Foood is very yummy. Portion are big and drinks are well prepared. I've been a few times and will come back for more food.

From the moment you enter Marcela's you are treated like family. Owners and servers are friendly and attentive. The redecorating job they have done is amazing. For those who know the area Marcela's is located where the old Three Sons Diner used to be. Where the previous decor could best be described as old time Greek diner, it is now a beautiful blend of modern and warm. Casual enough for a fun night with friends, but also classy enough for a date night. However, you can't eat service or a chandelier, so what about the food? This is where Marcela's truly shines. The owners are the same family who own the bagel store on the same street, and their food was delicious when they were making hot dishes there. Here, in their own restaurant, their ability to create delicious cuisine really shines through. Food is flavorful, plentiful, and fairly priced. Also, one of the best Margaritas I've ever had! read more

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