City Life Org - La Pulperia: innovative Latin American cuisine in Hell’s Kitchen

Octopus Paella

La Pulperia, which opened in Hell’s Kitchen in March of 2021 to provide diners with fun, innovative Latin American cuisine and cocktails, showcasing renditions of familiar dishes infused with cross-cultural flair.

The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Miguel Molina, who prides himself on his creativity reimagining dishes from Latin and South American countries like Peru, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico, to create and plate dishes that are totally unique. Chef Miguel hails from Guerrero, Mexico, where he worked at his parents’ small family-run restaurant, helping his mother and father in front and back of the house, learning every facet of the industry. He arrived in New York in 1996 and worked in French and Italian restaurants throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, finding a knack for composing seafood dishes and mixing ingredients.

The menu features classic Latin dishes reimagined and intricately plated showstoppers, which mirror performances on Broadway located just a few blocks away.

Highlights from the menu include:

Starters:

Tuna con Tomate, pan-seared tuna sliced and served in a salsa made of grated heirloom tomato, lemon zest, garlic, parsley, chives, and aleppo peppers, served with toast

Croquetas de Bacalao, filled with tender salted cod and served with citrus aioli

Raw Bar:

Hamachi Tostada, yellowtail tuna over smoked sun-dried tomato tapenade, avocado, jalapeños, and radishes, topped with crispy fried leeks and a dusting of ancho chile powder

Ceviche Mixto, a twist on classic ceviche that bears a resemblance to a cocktail made with shrimp, white fish, squid, jalapeño, red onions, cilantro, and avocado, creating flavor combinations that hit the palate in waves

Entrées:

Moqueca Mixta, a twist on the national dish of Brazil made with squid, langoustine, mussels, white fish, scallops, clams, cod, and Spanish chorizo in a dandelion-based broth, topped with green coconut-cilantro rice

Argentinian Parrillada for two that includes a New York strip sirloin, skirt steak, short ribs, chicken, chorizo, morcilla, salsa criolla, papas a la provençal, and a green salad, served with chimichurri

Desserts include Volcano Chocolate, a chocolate lava cake in dulce de leche, topped with orange mascarpone cream, and Churros served warm with dulce de leche.

You may view the full menu here.

The Beverage Program was created by Daniel Villanueva, who began his career at Cuba in the West Village. The cocktail menu is composed of classic cocktails redesigned with South American spirits with highlights such as:

Parcero Old Fashioned, Colombian Rum Viejo de Caldas Juan de la Cruz, Amaro, simple syrup, and chocolate bitters, smoked in a decanter, and poured into a smoke-filled rocks glass