Cuna Delivers Mexican Food With a Distinctly New York Accent

1. Calderón has already had a storied career, both in and out of New York.

Those who are at all familiar with Mexico City’s dining scene would be hard pressed not to have heard of Calderón, or at least of his restaurants. Huset was previously part of a limited pop-up in New York, and Hanky Panky regularly ranks among the top bars in the world, known as a trailblazer of the speakeasy cocktail lounge concept in Mexico.

Calderón also has earned a Michelin Green Star, an award given to those who place particular focus on environmental sustainability, for his work on the produce-forward menu at Acre in Cabo, Mexico, and he plans to open another location of Cuna soon in Vallarta, Mexico.

2. Calderón’s résumé and extensive travels form the foundation.

Despite the fact that Calderón has never had a restaurant of his own in New York, he’s no stranger to the city. After starting his career in Spain at the age of 17, he eventually began what would become a 10-year career with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the celebrated chef behind restaurants like his namesake Jean-Georges and now, Four Twenty Five.

“Mexico is the ninth country that I’ve lived in. Traveling has always been in my DNA,” Calderón, who was born in Venezuela, says. “I came to open one of Jean-Georges’ restaurants in Mexico City and I stayed. I fell in love. Design wise, concept wise, it’s a very creative country and city.”

He’ll continue his lifetime of traveling now that Cuna is opening in the East Village, traveling back and forth between here and Mexico City to set up the kitchen staff, train employees, and make sure everything is running smoothly.

To start, Cuna will be open for dinner and weekend brunches, with potential lunch service beginning soon.

3. It’s a New York restaurant with a distinctly CDMX sensibility.

At Cuna, the menu will be rooted in Mexico with a “New York language,” Calderón says. “Of course, tacos have to be on the menu.”

For starters, this means a shrimp taco with black beans and pickled mango and the New York taco, with crispy Chihuahua cheese, avocado, and tomato.

Pork Milanesa, served with roasted sweet potato, feta cheese, and garlic cream, grilled Mayan octopus, and roasted sea bass with coconut rice are also all on offer.

“The menu is going to be constantly changing,” Calderón says. “It’s going to be very alive. We’re going to change it according to what the market gives me and according to the seasons. Of course, we’ll make it fun and delicious.”

For dessert, there’s a warm corn cake with cajeta, a caramel-like Mexican sauce, and mezcal-spiked vanilla ice cream, a grilled pineapple with passionfruit sorbet, and a chocolate mousse with toasted marshmallow and cacao.

Cuna Bar will have its own menu, with some of the same dishes (like the tacos) plus extra bar bites like chile sea salt popcorn and short rib nachos.

4. Cocktails abound.

Fans of Hanky Panky will be excited to see a robust cocktail program at both Cuna and the bar.

“Everything has to be very fresh, very seasonal, and made every day,” Calderón says of the bar ingredients. The team is making horchata, cordials, and sodas, among other ingredients, in house.

All of the drinks lean toward Latin flavors, like the Chili in the City, a mango-chile take on a margarita, the Watermelon Bloody Mary with housemade sriracha, and the Milk + Mischief, a clarified milk punch with Suze and blanc vermouth. A variety of frozen cocktails, like the popsicle margarita, and zero-proof drinks, like the Te Rojo with iced tea, cranberry, and lemon, also made the cut. The wine list is also largely Mexican, Calderón says, with 11 options by the glass.

5. Inside, it’s green and grounded by design.

Calderón’s wife and business partner, industrial designer Marifer Durán, co-founded the original Cuna space in Mérida, and continues to play a large role in the interior concept of the New York space. It’s adorned with plants like cacti and succulents that are native to Mexico, clay pottery, and plenty of wood accents.

“The vibe in the restaurant is very grounded,” Calderón says. “Because of all of the windows you can see everything that’s going on [in the neighborhood].”

The space also has a terrace and a DJ booth inside of Cuna Bar, nodding to the energy of the neighborhood that so appealed to Calderón originally.

“We’re very connected to the neighborhood. It has such a great vibe, such a great energy. It was a great match,” he says. “New York is a city that recharges me. We always wanted to have our own place here, and now here we are. Dreams do come true.”

Cuna is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. for dinner. 

Cuna Bar is open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m., Friday from 5 p.m. until 1 a.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 a.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. 

Ellie Plass is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram and X. Follow Resy on Instagram, too.