Tracking Down the Best Tres Leches in the Big Apple
Good Mexican food can be exceedingly hard to find in NYC . . . but a delicious Tres Leches cake is perhaps even harder. This deceivingly simple milk-soaked butter cake includes three types of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and either whole milk or cream. Essentially it's Mexico's answer to Italian tiramisu or Grand Cayman rum cake. Despite all the lactose, a great Tres Leches slice is typically light, savory and cooling -- an ideal afterthought to the fiery enchiladas verdes you just ingested. After the jump, where to head for a great one. (photo)
Cubano Café
110 Thompson St
New York, NY 10012
Head downstairs to this Soho spot for one of the best, surprisingly light pieces of Tres Leches in the city. The dish is so weightless in fact, that last time I was here … I had to order a second slice. [link]
Havana Central
22 E 17th St
New York, NY 10003
Don't be dismayed by the fact that this Mexican eatery is a chain. Check out locations at Union Square, Times Square, or the Upper West End for a signature gooey … cake-meets-fluffy topping version. [link]
Café El Portal
174 Elizabeth St
New York, NY 10012
This tiny Nolita restaurant is especially unassuming given its downstairs locale and minimal signage. But, inside, it's an authentic Mexican restaurant serving up a … sweet, creamy version of the classic Tres Leches cake. (Their traditional Mexican coffee, flavored with nutmeg and cinnamon, might be the ideal way to wash it down.) [link]
Ideya
349 W Broadway
New York, NY 10013
Some chowhound enthusiasts credit Ideya's Tres Leches cake as the best dessert in the city. And, for good reason: it comes in a banana version that's unlike any Tres … Leches you've probably ever had. (photo) [link]
Bonita
338 Bedford Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
This popular Williamsburg Mexican joint (with a sister outpost in Fort Greene) offers a unique take on Tres Leches: it's heavy on the milk. With chocolate mixed in to the … cake, each piece proves as delicious as it's aesthetically appealing. (photo) [link]
