Mexico City-Inspired Restaurant Opens On The UES

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — It may be freezing outside, but inside Calaveras Social, a new Mexico City–inspired restaurant opening Friday on the Upper East Side, it’s always summery.

Calaveras Social, founded by longtime Upper West Side restaurateur Victor Martinez and his business partner Francisco, debuted Friday on East 75th Street between Second and Third avenues, taking over the former B. Cafe space.

Martinez, who moved to New York from Mexico City more than 22 years ago, said he has worked in the restaurant industry ever since — even before he spoke English.

"I was a dishwasher, busboy, delivery boy — honestly, every position in the business — until I became a manager and then owner," he said.

The partners opened their first Calaveras Social location on the Upper West Side in 2019, followed by a second restaurant near Columbia University during the pandemic. After years of operating uptown, Martinez said expanding to the Upper East Side felt like a natural next step.

However, one conversation in particular helped push the decision forward, Martinez said.

"This one couple, they live on Park Avenue and 76th, and they said there weren’t any good Mexican restaurants down there," he said. "There are good Mexican restaurants, but I believe there is nothing like what we are putting on the table for the residents of the Upper East Side, which is Mexico City flavors."

Martinez credited the restaurant’s ingredients and close ties to Mexico for setting the menu apart, noting that his business partner frequently travels back with hard-to-find chilies and spices.

"We are able to bring a lot of the bright dried chilies, those ingredients that you can’t really find here," he said. "Even if you find them, they taste different. It’s just a different flavor that you can’t really replicate with ingredients from here."

The Upper East Side location recently held a soft opening for friends and family, with several dishes quickly standing out.

"I think enchiladas suizas — they took the night," Martinez said. "Every table we had last night had enchiladas, and they only had good things to say about them."

Other menu highlights include tacos made with cochinita pibil, a slow-roasted pork marinated in Mexican spices, and rotating tostadas. Salsa macha is a key component of the menu, Martinez said.

"It’s this dried chili sauce, oil, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, a little bit of garlic," he said. "It’s actually becoming kind of popular in New York. It’s already popular in Mexico. Our chef makes a mean salsa macha. It’s a little bit spicy, but the peanuts and the nuts and the dried chilies make it very enjoyable, even if you just have it with chips."

Martinez said Calaveras Social plans to bring the same community-focused approach that helped build a loyal following on the Upper West Side.

"We are planning to be part of the community," he said. "Besides serving food and cocktails, our service is very friendly-oriented. We will learn your names. We want people to feel like they’re at home. At the other locations, we created a lot of regular customers. That’s what we want here. We’re excited to be part of the Upper East Side community."

Calaveras Social is located at 240 East 75th St., New York, NY 10021.

Know of a business opening or closing in Manhattan? Email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com