Ask anyone who’s eaten at Clavel what they remember most and the answers split pretty evenly between the mezcal list and the tacos — which is exactly the point. This narrow, candlelit spot on West 29th Street in Remington has been doing Sonoran-style Mexican food since 2016, and it still draws lines on weekend nights. That consistency is rarer than it sounds.
Start with the space. You walk into what feels like a well-loved cantina — wooden stools at the bar, low lighting, a back patio strung with lights that fills up fast when the weather allows. It doesn’t try to dazzle you with design. The room has a settled, lived-in quality, the kind of place that earned its regulars rather than buying them. The bar runs the length of one wall, and the people behind it know what they’re doing. If you’re new to mezcal, tell them. The list is serious but not intimidating, and the staff can talk through it without making you feel like you’re being educated.
The food is the second reason to go. Clavel makes its own tortillas, and you’ll notice the difference immediately — thicker, earthier, with a slight char on the edges. The birria tacos are the obvious recommendation, and they hold up to the hype: braised short rib, consommé for dipping, a restrained amount of onion and cilantro. Order two. Maybe three. The quesabirria situation here is genuine, not a trend-chasing afterthought. Beyond birria, the pescado taco — beer-battered fish with a sharp, creamy salsa — is quietly one of the best things on the menu, and it sometimes gets overlooked.
Small plates matter here too. The esquites, warm corn with cotija, lime, and chile, disappear fast. Guacamole is made to order and priced accordingly — around eight or nine dollars — but the portion is honest and the quality shows. If you’re going with a group, order a spread of small plates alongside the tacos rather than trying to plan a formal progression. The menu rewards grazing.
Drinks: the house margarita is competent but the real value is in the mezcal cocktails. The rotating specials tend to use things like tamarind, hibiscus, or fresh citrus in ways that complement the smokiness rather than fighting it. Cocktails run twelve to fourteen dollars. Mezcal by the glass varies widely depending on what you order, but there’s plenty available in the ten-to-fifteen range that doesn’t feel like a compromise.
On a Tuesday, you can usually walk in and find a seat at the bar within a few minutes. On a Friday or Saturday after seven, expect to wait. Clavel doesn’t take reservations for small parties. The wait is manageable if you get your name on the list and settle in with a drink, but it’s worth knowing going in. Parking on 29th can be tight; the surrounding side streets are usually your best option.
Dinner for two with drinks lands somewhere around fifty to seventy dollars, depending on how deep you go into the mezcal list. It’s not cheap for tacos, but Clavel isn’t really selling tacos — it’s selling a full evening in a room that knows what it wants to be. Eight years in, it still does.
