A new Mexican restaurant called Frijoleros has taken over Jungle Cafe’s old home at 131 Greenpoint Avenue.
Three Brooklyn natives quietly opened Frijoleros last week. Co-owner Fabiola Juarez told Greenpointers that she and her two partners, Cesar and Liz, have extensive experience in the hospitality industry.
“We all grew up in Brooklyn, so naturally we wanted to open in this borough,” Juarez said. “When we saw the space we loved it.”
Frijoleros is still waiting on gas, which they hope to have in “a month or so.” The co-owners did not let this stop them from opening with a menu of mostly cold dishes and a full bar with “very playful cocktails.”
Frijoleros’ extensive cocktail list kicks off with Daisies, which are typically fruit-forward drinks. One highlight is the Holy Smoke with Manojo Espadin, Earl Grey, Crème de Peach, orgeat, and lime. Another is called Fine Snap and contains Don Fulano, snap pea, green apple, fino, egg white, and lime.
The cocktail menu continues with highballs like the Tepace with Mexican kombucha, Scotch, Cyan, Oloroso, and passionfruit, followed by Zero Mole milk punch with Japanese whiskey, black sesame horchata, coconut, and citrus.
There are several drinks characterized as “coladas” including the Bonnie and Clyde with strawberry, Patron Repo, and a piña colada. The category of “stiffies” includes the Bitches Brew with arrack, absinthe, Crème de Violet, Palo Santo, falernum, and lemon.
The drink menu concludes with beer and nonalcoholic options like the Prickly Pear, which is a homemade prickly pear basil soda.
Frijoleros also offers happy hour Monday to Friday until 6 p.m. with $10 cocktails, $5 beer, and $8 micheladas.
Frijoleros’ food menu offers several seafood-focused options like hamachi aguachile with prickly pear, strawberry, cucumber, jicama, and red onion. There’s also the salmon tiradito with avocado and black sesame, shrimp and clams with avocado, tuna with matcha aioli, and shrimp with a Mexican beurre blanc.
Heartier plates include a quesadilla with huitlacoche mushrooms and roasted corn, salt-cured steak tacos with potatoes and caramelized onions, and tacos placero with Mexican rice, boiled eggs, and potato.
Frijoleros is open Monday to Wednesday noon to 10 p.m., Thursday and Friday noon to 1 a.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.