Bar Tulix is a Mexican restaurant in SoHo that is casual, fun and a bit sexy with the dim lighting. It’s the kind of place that you can have a solo outing at the bar, a date night or have a small group of friends and have a good time.
The menu is seafood-forward but there’s some meat and vegetarian options scattered about to satisfy most eaters. We ordered:
- Sea Bass Agua Chile Negro with cucumbers, avocado, pickled onions, cilantro
- Spicy Tuna Tostada with Chintesle mayo, avocado, radish, hibiscus
- Pibil rolled tacos: Roast pork, crema, salsa cruda, cilantro, chives
- Masa encrusted branzino tacos – Branzino Chipotle Mayo, Cucumber Slaw, Spring Greens, Herb
- Chicken al Pastor, grilled pineapple, salsa guajillo, cilantro, served with corn tortillas
The sea bass agua chile negro was the perfect dish to whet the palate. Very refreshing and acidity with all of that lime juice and pickled onions; the silky sea bass and avocado added the creaminess. The squid ink that makes this agua chile black (or negro) added some interesting color and perhaps subtle salinity.
The tuna tosada was good but nothing really sticks out. The corn tortilla was nicely crisp and the tuna was silky and gently spicy. This was not bad but it’s for the type of eater who likes or wants familiar dishes.
The two tacos were excellent in their own distinctive ways. The branzino taco was the fish taco I’ve yearned for a very long time. The warm, soft corn tortilla with the crisp fried branzino was delicious especially with the punch of fresh herbs, creamy spicy mayonnaise and crunchy cucumber slaw and greens. The pibil tacos were fried and the tender pork rolled within the crisp tortilla was lovely.
The chicken al pastor was very good. The chicken was very juicy, had subtle complexities of the uses of peppers and spices and the sweet pineapple. It’s a unique take on the traditional pork version.
Information:
Bar Tulix
Website
25 W Houston Street
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 334-7320
