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Cocina Consuelo in Harlem – From Mexico with Love
August 23, 2024, 7:27.00 pm ET

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Photos: Cocina Consuelo

Cocina Consuelo is a story of perseverance. Lalo Rodriguez and Karina Garcia, laid off from their jobs during the pandemic – Rodriguez at Cosme and Garcia at Eleven Madison Park – started hosting pop-up parties from their apartment after a visit to Rodriguez’s grandmother’s home in Puebla.

Garcia soon began experimenting with Mexican cooking, starting with a traditional birria that took 15 hours to prepare and was a hit with friends and relatives. Soon after, they began offering takeout and delivery service, and quickly selling out. As time wen on, they added more dishes from grandma’s recipes.

Now, the couple have opened Cocina Consuelo at 130 Hamilton Place on West 143rd Street in Harlem. That slow-cooked birria can be found in everything from tacos to consommé and atop roasted bone marrow infused with spices and chilies. Quail is stuffed with quelite (foraged greens) and Alborio rice with smoky morita butter and garlic. There carne asada tacos, and chile relleno stuffed with tuna that is drizzled with olive oil and cooked with a generous layer of onions in a clay pot.

It is that extra effort that is putting Cocina Consuelo on the map and now a Harlem destination. In the future, they hope to use their new storefront to host community gatherings, workshops and celebrations. For more information, visit cocinaconsuelonyc.com.


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