Brooklyn taco joint Cochinita is set to open its second outpost, Cochinita Dos, at 49 Canal St. in about two weeks.
The LES version will serve the same menu as the original across the river, but seat about twice as many patrons, with about 30 seats, plus takeout and delivery. Owner Adam Frank has been interviewing job applicants this week and plans to employ between 15 and 20 people. His application for a full bar permit is pending; the State Liquor Authority was scheduled to hear his case late yesterday.
Frank says he’d been scouring the LES for a second location for some time. He was on his way from the East Broadway subway station to look at a potential space on Allen Street when he spotted the “For Rent” sign in the window of the former home of Overseas Taste restaurant.
“It just felt right, in terms of the vibe and what we are doing,” Frank said between interviews and construction projects yesterday afternon. “Our clientele in Clinton Hill is very diverse, and it’s great to be here in the middle of the co-ops and the old tenements, new developments and boutique hotels.”
Cochinita’s signature dish is all-natural pork with cheese, hot salsa and pickled onions, which is served as a taco ($4.29), a burrito ($8.49) or a plate ($9.89). Six other dishes, including fish and tofu, come in those three styles, and traditional Mexican sides like guacamole and tortilla soup are also available. Drinks include iced ibiscus flower tea and horchada. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays, and 11 a.m. to midnight on weekends.
Cochinita Dos is one of two Brooklyn restaurants expanding to that corner of the LES. Williamsburg’s Pies ‘n’ Thighs is opening later this year just a few doors down, at 43 Canal St.
