Let me stress this part, MAKE A RESERVATION! We arrived on a Friday night and of course had no reservation. We were told 20/30 minute wait for a table which we were fine with, except we waited for over an hour. After being seated we then waited for another 20 minutes before we were even greeted by a server which was quite frustrating because we were starving. The restaurant itself is beautiful! Aside from our extended waits for seating and service, the food itself was great. I ordered the "Cielo" which was a nice smooth yet strong drink. The tacos were delicious, tortillas didn't immediately fall apart and the filet mignon was juicy and tender. The sauce was amazing. Shoutout to Roberto for making the rest of our night, he did an excellent job.
Mike Maggio
I feel like I've never had Mexican food until now! This place is incredible. Food is exceptional.Service is excellent, but they may need more help! The food is worth any wait that there is.... and the drinks are great too!Parking is a little tight... you can find a spot close by.go here and plan to come again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gina F.
I had to take some time out of my day to return to my Yelp Elite roots and write an extensive glowing review for Ixchel. It been quite awhile since I've been to an establishment that has impressed me enough to jolt me out of my Yelp slumber to the keyboard, and Ixchel did just that. Ixchel is Setauket's new best kept secret. In fact, it is easily the best restaurant in a 20 minute radius, comparable only perhaps to the excellence of neighboring Trattoria (Italian), and maybe St. James Iberico (Spanish) cuisine which are of similar caliber. So technically, it is easily one of the best restaurants proximal to Mount Sinai, Port Jefferson, Setauket, Stony Brook and Smithtown. What makes this place so special? It's the hand of the owners, of course. We had the good fortune of walking in and being greeted by owner Daphnee Munar. In my opinion, she is the heart and soul of this place. You could tell how deeply she cares about executing authentic Mexican cuisine in the middle of Suffolk County, which is no easy feat. She seemed to have a real appreciation for quality ingredients and freshness, and is willing to go the extra mile (literally) to obtain more niche flavors to take her dishes to the next level. In particular, she has reportedly imported over 12 different species of fresh Chiles and an even larger number of dried chiles from Mexico in order to truly capture the essence of Mexican cuisine. In particular I overheard her mention Mayan influences and roots in Guadalajara. Her attention to detail was simply unparalleled, and her homage honorable. Very few restauranteurs have the passion this woman does for producing unique, quality food paired with elegant attentive service. It is so refreshing in what is otherwise a cultural wasteland of an area. She is essentially carrying East Setauket on her back. My husband and I have been to Mexico City a number of times and have been lucky enough to eat in some wonderful restaurants there. This restaurant is a few microchips short of a teleportation device, in the best way. Furthermore, it seemed nearly everything is made in-house, from the syrups they use for their cocktails (which are AMAZING), to their desserts (I will be dreaming of her Tres Leches.) This is the additional time and effort and investment that take a restaurant from good, to excellence. You can taste the immense difference between something that is homemade and crafted with imported ingredients, and a concentrated syrup off the shelf at Whole Foods. We visited Ixchel initially expecting to try out some cocktails and an app or two, and were completely swept away by a fresh, thoughtful and unique menu. What did we get? -Tableside guac, made fresh in front of you with the ability to tailor some of the ingredients to your liking (ie, you could omit onion, or jalapeño if desired. For us, we love it all!) - Tuna tostada - Esquites - Kanki Shrimp Everything was truly delicious. Ixchel has a bright and busy future, and will likely soon require reservations exclusively due to popularity (She was kind enough to take us as walk-ins, we were unprepared!) I forgot to take photos because I was immersed in the trance-inducing deliciousness. I read somewhere her goal was to have her patrons leave thinking about what they want to order for the next time they return, and to dream of coming back. Daphnee, you have done just that! PS. Thanks for letting us try out the magical "worm salt"!!
Kurt Meyer
It was a busy night and it took a while to get dinner b7t the food was delicious the owners were so attentive. It was a wonderful experience. We will be back for sure. Please hove them a chance. They are great hosts.
Maria Suarez franco
We came in as a party of 4 celebrating a birthday and everything from the food to the service and vibes, everything was on point! We will most defiantly be coming back! We are Raving about Ixchel!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lindsay Navetta
First time here and will definitely be back. Food, drinks and service were all wonderful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rodrigo Herrera
Great Mexican food restaurant, with good combinations of signature cocktails, such as Ixchel Margarita.Tacos, beers, tequila or mezcal.The name IXCHEL means the Mayan Moon Goddess, responsible for influencing the cycles of the moon.Vegetarian options: Recommended is a delicious Mexican seafood dish, made with shrimp, fresh scallops topped with avocado and served with banana fries.Dietary restrictions: Consult when placing the order.Parking: Parking space close to the establishment.Kid-friendliness: Suitable for children.Wheelchair accessibility: Accessible at floor level with space to move around inside the establishment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sheryl G.
The food is the best Mexican food I've ever had and the service was excellent. We had the fajitas with steak, shrimp and chicken. The tortilla chips and guacamole were excellent.
Igor Pinayev
It was our first time at this recently opened Mexican restaurant and we liked it a lot. The service was fast, food was great. The margaritas are excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joe Schroeder
Food and service was amazing. The ambiance was perfect as well. 10 out of 20 reccomend this place lives up the hype. Thank you to ixchel for exploring my pallet into mezcal and there house beer. You guys are killing it and can't wait to come back!
Absolutely fantastic dining experience! The food was fresh and delicious and the serving the size for food and drink was very generous. The ambiance was cozy, chic, and very welcoming. Everyone was friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. Great new addition to the East Setauket community! A must try!!!!Parking: Valet included (+ tip)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Guacamole, Amor a La Mexicana, Complimentary Salsa and Chips Salsa
Adam wilson (Fluke Killer)
You feel like you left our country and arrived in Portugal or Mexico,very authentic and laid back atmosphere will leave you yearning for another visit. The ceviche with tuna was so fresh and the cut was from a grade 1 tuna with nice blood ratio. This dish is a must have and can't wait to try something else tonight. The servers were knowledgeable and patient with us and kept us company and made us top shelf authentic drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer A.
Luckily this place is local to me, so it will make it convenient to go back. Although it is very much worth the drive. We met friends here tonight, we all agreed that everything was great from the lighting and ambiance on a cold rainy night to the drinks, to the food to the service. We had a 7pm reservation, were promptly seated, dinner arrived timely. We will be back soon.
Rosa M.
My son invited us to this restaurant to celebrate my birthday. I usually don't like Mexican restaurants, but this one is for the keeps. We ordered drinks and my son knew the bartender so he recommended for me to get the tortuga cocktail. It was amazing. We also had margaritas. For appetizers we had paraíso de gambas ( shrimp in sauce), cooked Al dente and great sauce; We had the pulpo rojo maya (grilled octopus). Soft and super tasty with mango sauce. We liked the Main courses: grilled branzino was perfectly cook and the enchiladas chicken it's was great too. It came with delicious rice and black beans. For dessert we had 3 leches which came with some black and red berries. Because it was my birthday, they came with an electric sparkle candle and all waiters sang my birthday. It was a very friendly and positive experience. I will definitely go back and we recommend this restaurant.
Janice F
What a refreshing addition to the North Country dining scene. The elevated Mexican menu has outstanding choices and the cocktail menu is equally inventive. Like guac? They have a guac cart where they’ll make it fresh as you watch. Great be in bar, especially the swings!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Complimentary Salsa and Chips Salsa
Let me stress this part, MAKE A RESERVATION! We arrived on a Friday night and of course had no reservation. We were told 20/30 minute wait for a table which we were fine with, except we waited for over an hour. After being seated we then waited for another 20 minutes before we were even greeted by a server which was quite frustrating because we were starving. The restaurant itself is beautiful! Aside from our extended waits for seating and service, the food itself was great. I ordered the "Cielo" which was a nice smooth yet strong drink. The tacos were delicious, tortillas didn't immediately fall apart and the filet mignon was juicy and tender. The sauce was amazing. Shoutout to Roberto for making the rest of our night, he did an excellent job.
I feel like I've never had Mexican food until now! This place is incredible. Food is exceptional.Service is excellent, but they may need more help! The food is worth any wait that there is.... and the drinks are great too!Parking is a little tight... you can find a spot close by.go here and plan to come again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had to take some time out of my day to return to my Yelp Elite roots and write an extensive glowing review for Ixchel. It been quite awhile since I've been to an establishment that has impressed me enough to jolt me out of my Yelp slumber to the keyboard, and Ixchel did just that. Ixchel is Setauket's new best kept secret. In fact, it is easily the best restaurant in a 20 minute radius, comparable only perhaps to the excellence of neighboring Trattoria (Italian), and maybe St. James Iberico (Spanish) cuisine which are of similar caliber. So technically, it is easily one of the best restaurants proximal to Mount Sinai, Port Jefferson, Setauket, Stony Brook and Smithtown. What makes this place so special? It's the hand of the owners, of course. We had the good fortune of walking in and being greeted by owner Daphnee Munar. In my opinion, she is the heart and soul of this place. You could tell how deeply she cares about executing authentic Mexican cuisine in the middle of Suffolk County, which is no easy feat. She seemed to have a real appreciation for quality ingredients and freshness, and is willing to go the extra mile (literally) to obtain more niche flavors to take her dishes to the next level. In particular, she has reportedly imported over 12 different species of fresh Chiles and an even larger number of dried chiles from Mexico in order to truly capture the essence of Mexican cuisine. In particular I overheard her mention Mayan influences and roots in Guadalajara. Her attention to detail was simply unparalleled, and her homage honorable. Very few restauranteurs have the passion this woman does for producing unique, quality food paired with elegant attentive service. It is so refreshing in what is otherwise a cultural wasteland of an area. She is essentially carrying East Setauket on her back. My husband and I have been to Mexico City a number of times and have been lucky enough to eat in some wonderful restaurants there. This restaurant is a few microchips short of a teleportation device, in the best way. Furthermore, it seemed nearly everything is made in-house, from the syrups they use for their cocktails (which are AMAZING), to their desserts (I will be dreaming of her Tres Leches.) This is the additional time and effort and investment that take a restaurant from good, to excellence. You can taste the immense difference between something that is homemade and crafted with imported ingredients, and a concentrated syrup off the shelf at Whole Foods. We visited Ixchel initially expecting to try out some cocktails and an app or two, and were completely swept away by a fresh, thoughtful and unique menu. What did we get? -Tableside guac, made fresh in front of you with the ability to tailor some of the ingredients to your liking (ie, you could omit onion, or jalapeño if desired. For us, we love it all!) - Tuna tostada - Esquites - Kanki Shrimp Everything was truly delicious. Ixchel has a bright and busy future, and will likely soon require reservations exclusively due to popularity (She was kind enough to take us as walk-ins, we were unprepared!) I forgot to take photos because I was immersed in the trance-inducing deliciousness. I read somewhere her goal was to have her patrons leave thinking about what they want to order for the next time they return, and to dream of coming back. Daphnee, you have done just that! PS. Thanks for letting us try out the magical "worm salt"!!
It was a busy night and it took a while to get dinner b7t the food was delicious the owners were so attentive. It was a wonderful experience. We will be back for sure. Please hove them a chance. They are great hosts.
We came in as a party of 4 celebrating a birthday and everything from the food to the service and vibes, everything was on point! We will most defiantly be coming back! We are Raving about Ixchel!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time here and will definitely be back. Food, drinks and service were all wonderful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great Mexican food restaurant, with good combinations of signature cocktails, such as Ixchel Margarita.Tacos, beers, tequila or mezcal.The name IXCHEL means the Mayan Moon Goddess, responsible for influencing the cycles of the moon.Vegetarian options: Recommended is a delicious Mexican seafood dish, made with shrimp, fresh scallops topped with avocado and served with banana fries.Dietary restrictions: Consult when placing the order.Parking: Parking space close to the establishment.Kid-friendliness: Suitable for children.Wheelchair accessibility: Accessible at floor level with space to move around inside the establishment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is the best Mexican food I've ever had and the service was excellent. We had the fajitas with steak, shrimp and chicken. The tortilla chips and guacamole were excellent.
It was our first time at this recently opened Mexican restaurant and we liked it a lot. The service was fast, food was great. The margaritas are excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food and service was amazing. The ambiance was perfect as well. 10 out of 20 reccomend this place lives up the hype. Thank you to ixchel for exploring my pallet into mezcal and there house beer. You guys are killing it and can't wait to come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Absolutely fantastic dining experience! The food was fresh and delicious and the serving the size for food and drink was very generous. The ambiance was cozy, chic, and very welcoming. Everyone was friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. Great new addition to the East Setauket community! A must try!!!!Parking: Valet included (+ tip)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Guacamole, Amor a La Mexicana, Complimentary Salsa and Chips Salsa
You feel like you left our country and arrived in Portugal or Mexico,very authentic and laid back atmosphere will leave you yearning for another visit. The ceviche with tuna was so fresh and the cut was from a grade 1 tuna with nice blood ratio. This dish is a must have and can't wait to try something else tonight. The servers were knowledgeable and patient with us and kept us company and made us top shelf authentic drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Luckily this place is local to me, so it will make it convenient to go back. Although it is very much worth the drive. We met friends here tonight, we all agreed that everything was great from the lighting and ambiance on a cold rainy night to the drinks, to the food to the service. We had a 7pm reservation, were promptly seated, dinner arrived timely. We will be back soon.
My son invited us to this restaurant to celebrate my birthday. I usually don't like Mexican restaurants, but this one is for the keeps. We ordered drinks and my son knew the bartender so he recommended for me to get the tortuga cocktail. It was amazing. We also had margaritas. For appetizers we had paraíso de gambas ( shrimp in sauce), cooked Al dente and great sauce; We had the pulpo rojo maya (grilled octopus). Soft and super tasty with mango sauce. We liked the Main courses: grilled branzino was perfectly cook and the enchiladas chicken it's was great too. It came with delicious rice and black beans. For dessert we had 3 leches which came with some black and red berries. Because it was my birthday, they came with an electric sparkle candle and all waiters sang my birthday. It was a very friendly and positive experience. I will definitely go back and we recommend this restaurant.
What a refreshing addition to the North Country dining scene. The elevated Mexican menu has outstanding choices and the cocktail menu is equally inventive. Like guac? They have a guac cart where they’ll make it fresh as you watch. Great be in bar, especially the swings!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Complimentary Salsa and Chips Salsa