The Black Ant’s Twist on Mexican Cuisine

Walking along Second Avenue in the East Village, people will stumble upon one of the city’s latest hotspots, The Black Ant. Mixed with modern and old world charm, owner Jorge Guzman fuses traditional and contemporary Mexican and South American ingredients.

The food scene in New York is constantly evolving and restaurateurs put their own twist to certain cuisines that may seem strange to eat. The Black Ant serves the unique Mexican delicacies chicatanas, which are eponymous ants. Using dehydrated ants, The Black Ant includes this ingredient within their guacamole and margaritas.

The menu is filled with all kinds of food that might be hard to digest, including chapulines (aka grasshoppers). With the delectable mixture of ingredients it is impossible to regret trying one of the dishes, but for those not quite so brave The Black Ant also serves food that does not come with insects. Some of traditional dishes include tacos, slaw and enchiladas. One of the must try dishes at The Black Ant is Huarache de Nopal, which is grilled cactus pads with black mission figs, cheese and chilhucale marmalade. There are some ingredients that people might not know, but don’t worry, it’s something that will leave their taste buds wanting more.

Whether people drink margaritas or take shots of tequila, The Black Ant has everyone’s perfect drink, which makes it feel like Cinco de Mayo every day.

As patrons walk into the quaint restaurant they will feel like they stepped into an old world Mexican eatery. Embracing the origins of the black ant, the owners installed a colorful ant mural on the back wall, which might be hard to look at after having a few margaritas. Filled with different Mexican collectibles, there is outdoor seating available for the upcoming summer.

The Black Ant is a different style compared to their sister location Ofrenda in the West Village. During the opening party, Guzman explained that the East Village is hip neighborhood and residents like to try new things. “I think it is great for this,” he said.

Twisted Talk: Will you stop by The Black Ant? Would you try food with insects as an ingredient?