Mexi (149 North 9th St.) is opening in Williamsburg on Wednesday, October 4. The new restaurant will serve a menu of modern, New York-inspired spins on Mexican classics in a unique courtyard setting.
The new addition to North Brooklyn comes from the team behind The Bedford, Macchina, and Roebling Sporting Club, Sean Rawlingson and Daddo Walker, who are partnering with New York restaurant industry veteran Ramon Morado and Andres Balbuena.
Chef Zenaido Hernandez, who has been with the restaurant group for several years, is leading Mexi’s kitchen, with consulting chef Johan Svensson.
Mexi’s menu offers a variety of seafood and meat-centric dishes from different regions in Mexico, influenced by New York’s restaurant scene. Many ingredients, like the mole and corn tortillas, are made in-house.
The food menu includes small plates, large plates and a few sides. A highlight of the small plate section is the tuna serrano aguachile with cucumber, pickled purple onion, and jicama in a cucumber-lime broth. Another option is the hibiscus salmon ceviche with fresh avocado and crispy tortilla tokens.
Standouts in the larger plate section include pork shoulder al pastor taco skewers served sticking out of a grilled pineapple, plus short rib birria tacos served open faced with their own consommé sauce, and a chicken tinga nacho quesadilla prepared with a three-cheese nacho sauce, black beans, Oaxacan cheese and baby spinach.
The cocktail menu was designed by Ramon Morado and Carlos Becerra. Each drink was inspired by a Mexican cultural event, icon or landscape.
One cocktail menu highlight is the Mexi in the City, which is Mexi’s take on a cosmopolitan, with rum, beet grenadine, sage, lime, agave, and prosecco. Another cocktail of note is the El Concord with tequila, red wine, orange cordial, grape juice, lime, and agave. It is a combination of a margarita and a wine float to represent the historical Spanish influence in Mexico.
Though cocktails are clearly the main draw, Mexi’s beverage menus also offer wines by the glass and bottle, including an orange one, and a generous selection of beer.
The restaurant’s location was a former garage, but now, the 2,000 square feet of space looks like a Mexican courtyard. There are balconies overlooking the dining room of 84 seats and 17 bar seats with a skylight in the center. 100-year-old church pews were used for banquet seating.
Large-scale oil paintings fill the walls with color. The art was hand-painted by local artist Jessica Planter who depicted landscapes, agave plants, deserts, and a traditional folklore dance dress.
Mexi is open everyday 4 p.m. – 11 p.m., and reservations can be made on Resy.