The José Andrés portfolio runs deep, with concentrations of restaurants in Washington, D.C., New York City, Las Vegas, and elsewhere across the United States. Some concepts are standalone, while others, like Zaytinya and Jaleo, have expanded to include multiple locations.
It has taken 21 years for Oyamel in D.C. to spawn a sibling, but the Mexico City-inspired restaurant opened a second location on April 21 in New York.
“I am thrilled to bring Oyamel to New York City, a city as vibrant, diverse, and electric as Oyamel itself,” Andrés said in a statement. “I can think of no better place to welcome it than Hudson Yards, where I first began my New York City restaurant journey — and not far from where I first arrived to the U.S. so many years ago.”
Oyamel is located at 10 Hudson Yards, the same complex where José Andrés Group opened its multi-concept dining destination, Mercado Little Spain, in 2019. It has taken over the space that formerly housed Spanish Diner, also an Andrés concept, which closed last year.
The menu’s “Mexican Fiestas” section showcases large-format dishes meant for sharing, like chicken mole.
Oyamel enlisted Rockwell Group to overhaul the 150-seat space. It embraces the essence of Mexican street festivals, with vivid colors, lush greenery, and ceramic tiles. A neon sign declares “no hay vida sin tacos” (there is no life without tacos) in large red letters.
The restaurant is named for the oyamel trees in Michoacán that house millions of Monarch butterflies who migrate to the area each winter, and the butterfly motif appears throughout the design.
The menu features street tacos, soups and salads, a ceviche bar, and a selection of shareable plates. Tacos are served on fresh tortillas made from heirloom corn and include options like carnitas, chicken in green salsa, and menudo de res (beef tripe and trotters with morita chile stew, chorizo, and chickpeas).
Other highlights include pork belly quesadillas, Spanish octopus with yuca cream and salsa macha, and empanadas stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese, smoked pork, and cilantro.
Empanadas come stuffed with smoked mushrooms or pork.
Much of the menu is carried over from the D.C. original, but the New York location features a “Mexican Fiestas” section with large-format dishes meant for sharing. The opening menu has four of these options: sea bass, Yucatán-style cochinita pibil, chicken with mole poblano, and lamb barbacoa that’s slow-cooked in a wood-burning oven. Each dish is served with fresh tortillas.
The beverage program is stocked with Mexican classic cocktails, creative originals, and signature drinks like the Salt Air Margarita, topped with a fluffy, salty foam. There’s also a selection of Mexican beers and wines, and about 80 varieties of agave spirits.
José Andrés Group now has more than 40 restaurant concepts across the country and extending into the Bahamas and Dubai. Late last year, the group announced that it’s working on another Hudson Yards concept called Txula, a Spanish steakhouse that will revive the old Leña spot.
