Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Beloved Bronx Mexican Spot El Atoradero Reopens In Brooklyn
By
Nell Casey
Published Dec 23, 2015
Modified Dec 23, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 11
By
Nell Casey
Published Dec 23, 2015
Modified Dec 23, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
It's a familiar tale: beloved independent eatery falls victim to whims of landlord, who demands more rent, resulting in the closure of said restaurant. That's the basic story of El Atoradero, which closed over the summer following a crippling rent hike. But what's unusual about the restaurant's story are both its location—in the as-yet-ungentrified section of Mott Haven in the Bronx—and the landlord's reason for hiking the rent: the restaurant was super popular with food critics.
Denisse Lina Chavez, who began her operation in the back of a bodega, has now found a new home in Prospect Heights, miles away from the original. Together with Noah Arenstein, partner at Bushwick's Arrogant Swine and fixture in NYC's food scene, and Dassara's Josh Kaplan, Chavez has opened the sunny new space to cook and serve her legendary carnitas as well as other Mexican staples. The space is much larger than her other outposts, with seating for dozens, plus a full liquor license to serve micheladas, margaritas and other speciality Mexican cocktails, beer and wine.
Carnitas were one of the bigger draws in the Bronx but they're not featured on the soft opening menu, which should be expanding early next year. The spit-roasting trompo will be doing overtime, no doubt, turning out al pastor, chorizo, bistec and chicken tinga in taco ($3), quesadilla ($10), torta ($11) and cemita ($12) forms. Larger dishes include succulent pork ribs in a pumpkin seed sauce (pipian rojo de costillas, $15) and lamb barbacoa ($20).
708 Washington Avenue, Prospect Heights, (718) 399-8226
Tagged
el atoradero
mexican
new restaurant and bar radar
prospect heights
original
Nell Casey
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Sep 12, 2026
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
Food
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Can a congressional candidate's dumpling diplomacy win over Queens’ immigrant communities?
By
Caroline Shin
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .