Jajaja Mexicana: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Jajaja Mexicana serves an entirely plant-based Mexican menu, so a vegetarian or vegan guest can order anything. The brand runs shops in the West Village, Williamsburg, and Long Island City, plus one in Wynwood, FL. This profile covers the brand, and we use the West Village shop at 63 Carmine Street as the example.

The first Jajaja opened on the Lower East Side in 2017. The company’s location list no longer includes that original shop at 162 East Broadway, so skip it and head to one of the others.

The menu leans on jackfruit, mushrooms, hearts of palm, and house-made “chorizo” and “steak.” Start with Grande Nachos at $19, topped with the chorizo, habanero queso, and salsa verde. Or order the Hijiki-Hearts of Palm Ceviche at $14, served with plantain chips. The Beet y Pumpkin Empanadas, also $14, come with kabocha squash, Swiss chard, guacamole, and chimichurri.

Tacos run $15 each. Jackfruit Carnitas pairs roasted jackfruit with hearts of palm and orange. Crispy Pescado swaps fish for hemp and flax battered chayote squash with chipotle almond butter. Buffalo Flower is tempura cauliflower with queso azul. For a bigger plate, the Birria Tacos at $22 and the Quesabirria at $35 both use the house “steak” and arrive with consomé for dipping. The Mole Jackfruit Enchiladas cost $18. The Chimichanga de Birria costs $22. Finish with Churritos at $12 over coconut dulce de leche, or the Coconut Leche Pie at $14, built from cashews, almonds, and agave. These prices come from the West Village page, and the other shops may charge differently.

Where a dish would call for dairy, the menu uses coco queso, almond parmesan, and nut-based desserts. The allergen guide on the site, a PDF dated June 2026, lists coconut, gluten, tree nuts, soy, and sesame among the ingredients, and it has no dairy, egg, or fish column. A few dishes put “eggs” in quotation marks, which means plant-based stand-ins.

The kitchen situation is simple. Every dish is vegan, so cross-contact with animal products isn’t a worry. Nuts, soy, and gluten are. The menu marks gluten-free items and gluten-free modifications, and some dishes come in an onion-and-garlic-free version. Tell your server about any allergy. The restaurant warns that dishes may touch wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, seeds, and soy.

The bar earns a visit on its own. The company says it stocks hundreds of tequilas and mezcals and pours agave cocktails, mocktails, and Mexican-style lagers and pilsners. The West Village shop takes reservations through OpenTable, and its menu tabs list brunch, a kids’ menu, and separate cocktail, mezcal, tequila, beer, and wine pages.

Hours at the West Village shop are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Tables get 90 minutes. Parties of five or more pay a 20 percent gratuity. Call the West Village shop at (917) 262-0184.

Choose Jajaja when your group splits between plant-based eaters and people who like their tacos loaded. Order the birria with consomé, then split the nachos.