If you haven’t been in El Teddy’s, you’ve probably walked by it and wondered what the hell was going on inside. The exterior features “Teddy’s” spelled out in funky mosaic tiles, some sort of warped, arty canopy/awning overhanging the entrance and the Statue of Liberty’s crown sticking out of the roof. The shabby chic people must love this crap. The interior is even more bizarre, decorated like a Hop-A-Long Cassidy lunchbox, or Roy Rogers’ fantasy of the perfect children’s room. Despite the bizarro 50’s cowboy lounge kitsch, the main room of the restaurant is comfortable and conducive to large and small parties alike. El Teddy’s is supposedly famous for their margaritas. When the drinks are all people mention when talking about a restaurant, it doesn’t bode well for the food. Unfortunately, that is the case with this joint’s attempt at Tex-Mex cuisine. Soggy. Dry. Bland. Not adjectives you want associated with your food. Nor are they things you want to be putting in your mouth. The saddest part is that the portions are so small (compared with your typical Mexican meal) that you don’t even leave full of the soggy, dry, bland stuff. We still stand by our credo that “Mexican food is supposed to be cheap, good and filling.” Plus, how hard is it, really, to make a good margarita? [MF]
219 West Broadway
212/941-7070