Upper West Side Restaurant Added To Prestigious Michelin Guide

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A little more than a year after it opened, an Upper West Side restaurant has scored one of the industry's most coveted honors: a place in the Michelin Guide.

Covacha, a Mexican restaurant on Columbus Avenue between West 77th and 78th streets, was added to the guide on Tuesday, Michelin announced — one of 30 New York City eateries to join the fabled list.

It opened in April 2021 in the former home of Cafe Frida, as Patch reported at the time. Its owner, Cristina Castañeda, brought a new focus on the cuisine of Jalisco, a state in Western Mexico — which Michelin shouted out in its brief review.

"The tequila selection is a perfect companion to the Jalisco cooking," Michelin wrote. "It’s not your typical Mexican menu: think of everything from delicious and messy shrimp ajillo with hollandaise to torta ahogadas with birote salado, pork and oregano-spiked tomato sauce."

Castañeda had previously run Cafe Frida and still operates fellow Upper West Side spots El Mitote and Ella Social.

Covacha joins a dozen other Upper West Side restaurants already listed in the Michelin Guide, including Barney Greengrass, Dagon, Amelie, Takeda and Chick Chick, among others.

Related coverage: New Mexican Restaurant Opens In Former Home Of Cafe Frida On UWS