A Boozey, Babelicious Brunch

AYCD... that's right, All You Can Drink. Say it with me now!  This glorious concept should definitely be embraced when you're in the company of some fabulous lady friends and that is exactly what I did on Saturday.

My gaggle of sexy gals and I hit up Diablo Royale on Ave A off of East 10th.  I made reservations for fear of not getting a seat, but they were completely empty when we showed up at noon.  Apparently everyone is still asleep at this time...

The decor is really fun here, with antler chandeliers and crazy skeleton artwork.  We picked the table near the outdoor area, so we wouldn't get rained on.  Did I mention it was totally gross out.  What is with NYC weather lately?!

Our server, who reminded us all of a hipstered long-haired Michael Cera, was extraordinarily attentive to us the entire time.  He made sure that everything was perfect since we had two food allergies at our table, mine to dairy/cheese and Liz's to gluten.

The deal is $25 for all you can drink mimosas and red sangria with your choice of entree.  The nice thing is how strong both were.  Most AYCD mimosas are mostly orange juice with a splash of the bubbly, but this was the total opposite.  We were ecstatic and certainly got our drink on.

We took our sweet time drinking and ordered our food.  They didn't rush us at all and kept the drinks flowing,  never once having to ask for a refill.

Considering the deal was $25, I wanted to pick the most expensive dish (yeah, that's how I roll), so I went with the Steak and Eggs.


The food took a while to come out, but we were content snacking on some really amazing cinnamon and sugar chips while sipping our drinks.  The restaurant was starting to fill up, so we assumed that the cook was just busy.

Mine came out first and unfortunately there was cheese sprinkled on the eggs.  I had to say something cause it wasn't something I could scrape off.  Our server was a champ and quickly remedied the situation with a new set of fried eggs.  Horray!  I was worried my food would be cold, but the steak was still warm and super juicy.  It wasn't the best brunch food, but when you go to an AYCD place, you don't really focus on the food - am I right?

The eggs were overcooked, but better that than undercooked.  I liked the potatoes a lot - they were crisp and spicy, similar to the Rabbithole's but with a spicy mayo sauce all over.  There was a lot more steak than I thought and couldn't finish.  It was cooked medium rare, just how I like it.  All this dish needed was a good sauce to make it sing, but alas there was none.


Liz M. ordered the the Huevos Rancheros, which looked really good!  It was a huge portion and oozing with goodness.

She was careful to ask for the corn tortilla to avoid any gluten-related issues.    It's really wonderful that so many restaurants are aware of this particular food allergy since it affects so many people! 

Liz did mention that her food was particularly spicy including the cheese grits.  I wasn't able to try anything, but was really surprised that even cheese grits would be so spicy.  Perhaps they need to take it down a notch with that - its annoying when every bite is a kick in the mouth and you have no relief! 




Tara and Jenn ordered the tacos, which were really tempting.  I believe they ordered:

One Fried Fish Taco, which was tempura battered tilapia with guacamole and spicy cabbage slaw.

One Al Pastor Taco, which is roasted pork and pineapple-pico-crema on a flour tortilla.

They also went with the cheese grits instead of beans.


Both ladies seemed to enjoy their food thoroughly. They were nice sized tacos, so it was definitely enough food to fill you up.

They also mentioned that everything was really spicy.  Not sure if it was the overall flavor or the fact that the tacos had giant slices of jalapeno (as you can see in this photo)

I love spicy food, but not sure I could rock it so early on in the day with a stomach full of mimosa. 

Liz B. went with her all time
favorite brunch option, Eggs Benedict, which I would have selected myself except for the fact that it was a cream based sauce.

The Huevos Benedictos looked really good.  It looked like a serious meal, probably because the sauce was green.

The ham was cut thick, the eggs cooked well and the sauce was apparently good.  It was definitely an unusual take on the classic, but she seemed to enjoy it!

I think they made a slight mistake, or they thought I was particularly hungry, and served an extra side of home fries.  It was really unnecessary and we didn't end up eating much of it.  Liz M. had a chance to try them, but wasn't a fan of the spicy mayo sauce.  I think she had enough spice in her life at the moment :)

So after over 2 hours, we were ready to pack up and ship out.  We really did take our sweet time and enjoyed hanging out.  By the time we left, we were full, moderately buzzed and the place was packed.   Oh, and there was one girl near our table that took a little nap and keeled over at one point.  Her friends didn't seem to mind that she looked like she was on the verge of barfing everywhere, but thank goodness she didn't and left shortly after.

So yeah, Diablo Royale is a bit of a party waiting to happen, all you need is a gaggle of awesome gals to make it one kick-ass brunch!  I wouldn't necessarily come back to Diablo Royale again, since the food wasn't exactly remarkable.  With a large enough group and the endless mimosas, it might be a good idea, but there are so many places in the city its silly to not try something new.