Boca Chica Restaurant   

13 1st Ave
New York, NY 10003
212-473-0108

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Like a spicy-hot jumping bean, this mainstay East Village Latin-loco-lounge has eluded price hikes and turnover trends and remained reliable, affordable and did we mention, hot-hot-hot? Located in what locals call the "Nexus of the Universe" (First St. and First Ave.), the festive and boisterous cheetah-printed Boca Chica serves up sizzling flavor-flav South American style, with coconut, chili and garlic tastes hailing from Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic and other countries where the words "salsa" and "spice" don't just refer to food. After breaking the ice with plantain chips and black-bean dip, regulars go straight for the Pinones (plantains filled with sliced beef), and the smoky shrimp chipotle, which has attracted a cult following among those who can withstand center-of-the-earth-like heat. In fact, the tangy meat and seafood dishes are so spicy that it's probably a good idea to keep the waitstaff tethered to your party on sangria alert. -- Yon Motskin (Photo: Noah Kalina)