Yerba Buena Perry, located in the West Village, brings Latin American cuisine to this food focused area of New York City. Often overlooked by other popular Mexican and Spanish restaurants including Agave, Diablo Royale, and Empellon, Yerba Buena is definitely the sleeper in the bunch and deserves more attention. My girlfriends and I went to the restaurant last week to welcome in fall and I couldn’t have been happier with my experience. Several dishes on the menu contain ingredients that I am unfamiliar with, and I was concerned that these ingredients wouldn’t cooperate with my nobread diet. Thankfully I was wrong and my concern quickly changed to excitement when I learned that the majority of the appetizers and essentially all of the entrees are gluten free!…
NOBREAD approved orders I recommend? To start, you can’t go to a Latin American or Mexican restaurant that serves guacamole and not order it. The guacamole at Yerba Buena is delicious but if you are dairy free, make sure you ask for it without the queso sprinkled on top. The chips, like all other fried foods at Yerba Buena, are fried and subject to cross contamination, so if you are sensitive I would eat your guacamole with nochips. Ceviche has become a go-to order of mine at restaurants and unless soy is used, it is typically gluten free. The atun ceviche is 100% gluten free and was a favorite of the night, and the longosta and hojas de salmon ceviches are nobread approved, too. The last ceviche, the hamachi chifa, is gluten free if you ask for it nowonton. For your main course, I recommend the traditional arroz con pollo, chaufa de costilla (beef short ribs), and paella de mar or paella de quinoa. If you’re feeling really aggressive, or dining with male company, I highly recommend ordering the Parrillada for two. This dish contains ribeye steak, beef short rib, chorizo, bone marrow, and morcilla arepa, and is one hefty portion. Lastly, everyone who knows me knows how much I love brussels sprouts and fried food, and even though I shouldn’t eat anything fried, I often subject myself to cross contamination just to indulge in the greasy goodness. I shockingly managed to behave and resist the side order of fried brussels sprouts, but my gluten-eating friends commented that they were incredible! For those of you who can tolerate cross contamination, I say go for it!
While Yerba Buena is a great dinner spot, it is most well known for brunch! Classic huevos rancheros that use a crispy corn tortilla and steak “a caballo” are crowd favorites and I look forward to trying them on my next visit to the restaurant. Guacamole, great atmosphere, a nobread approved menu and an awesome cocktail list to finish it off; Yerba Buena is the perfect restaurant for your next girls night out or large group dinner. My next stop will be Yerba Buena on the Lower East Side… see you soon!