Playa Betty's

The palm trees and holiday lights and surfboards on the walls at Playa Betty’s could make you feel like you were in some kind of Times Square tourist trap if this Upper West Side spot took itself at all seriously. But everyone at this restaurant, which serves a massive burrito called the Hang 10, just seems to be having fun. And that also goes for the crowds of people at communal tables sharing beer buckets and guacamole.

This place doesn’t make the best tacos in the city, but that’s not why you come to Playa Betty’s. You come here for affordable stress relief in the form of colorful cocktails, warm chips and queso, and fake palm trees. This is one of the more casual and enjoyable spots to spend a few hours with a group of friends uptown - assuming you don’t take yourself too seriously.

Food Rundown

Guacamole

The guacamole comes with ingredients like tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, and peppers - so you can make it exactly to your specifications.

Queso

It’s not a big surprise that a bowl of melted cheese topped with chorizo is pretty damn good. We will say that the chip-to-queso ratio is way too high, and you’ll almost definitely still have a big pile of chips after all of the dip is gone.

Tater Tot Nachos

Again, we’re not sure it’s possible for tater tots topped with cheese, beef chili, guacamole, and sour cream to be bad. Like with everything here, you get a big portion for a very reasonable price ($12).

Avocado Taco

These have raw avocado along with fried avocado and guacamole. They don’t have a ton of flavor, but they’re definitely filling.

Carne Asada Taco

These are the tacos to get - a solid amount of steak topped with a lot of guacamole and cilantro.

Hang 10 Burrito

This burrito has steak, french fries, and guacamole in it, but despite its size, it has too much tortilla and not enough meat.