Casa Purchase: Elevated Mexican Fare Close to Home

We were thrilled to hear that our favorite Mexican restaurant in Bronxville has opened a second location in Purchase and made a reservation for dinner a few weekends ago. We’re pleased to report that the menu is similar, the setting is warm and spacious and we had a delightful dinner.

Casa Purchase is located on Anderson Hill Road in Purchase in a smartly designed, two-story clapboard building with ample space, high ceilings and bars on both the first and second floors. Valets are available to park your car and we were greeted by enthusiastic staff.

Only recently opened, the restaurant was buzzing with positive vibes and we quickly scanned the drinks menu to find a long list of margarita options along with cocktails such as the Palma, Negroni, Pina Tropical, Oaxaca Mule, Mojito and more.

Even though the place was crowded our drinks arrived quickly and our server led us through his favorites on the menu. There were lots of appealing appetizers, tacos, quesadillas and entrees and it was hard to pare them down.

With so many good options we decided to share some guacamole and enjoyed the Tartar de Atun appetizer which is sushi grade blue fin tuna, marinated with soy, cilantro and ginger sauce and accompanied by avocado, cucumber, serrano pepper, radish and plantain chips. Yum!

We also order the Tostada de Jaiba, crabmeat, avocado, tomato, cilantro, and lime juice and the Tacos Al Pastor, marinated grilled pork, pineapple, onion and cilantro.Street Corn

We couldn’t pass on the entrees, though we were pretty full by then. The Enchiladas Verdes are chicken in tortillas with green sauce, cheese cream and avocado, which I found to be tasty but not too spicy. The Carne Asada, skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, plantains, black beans and rice was also a hit as well as the Blackened Mahi Mahi with jicama slaw, plantains, rice and beans.

The restaurant also has a full Vegan menu with some imaginative choices for those who want to avoid meat. Check it out here:

Reservations are available and in addition to dinner they are also serving Sunday brunch.

We spoke to owner Spencer Pingel about the new location and here is what he told us:

What attracted to the new location?

MargaritaThe Purchase location was very appealing to us for a number of reasons. It’s extremely convenient to so many towns with people who love to eat out: obviously Scarsdale, but also Rye, Greenwich, White Plains, Hartsdale. It’s close to many corporate headquarters which will be great when we start to open for lunch (soon). Plus, the layout of the space is flexible since we’ve got seating in a lively bar area downstairs and a quieter dining space upstairs. The second floor also works well for hosting private parties or get togethers.

How extensive was the renovation of the building?

Happily, we were able to use the existing layout and didn’t need to renovate extensively.

How did you find a chef for the new location?

Our Executive Chef is Erick Lopez and he’s really talented. He oversees the kitchen at both of our restaurants and came to us after 9 years at Casa Enrique, a Michelin-starred Mexican Restaurant in Long Island City. Erick grew up watching his mother, grandmother and aunts prepare traditional Mexican family recipes but he has a modern take on many classics and infuses local ingredients as well.

What has been the reaction from customers?Tostada de Jaiba

We’ve heard from customers that they’re thrilled to have an elevated version of Mexican in their neck of the woods. They’ve also really embraced some of the traditions we started at La Casa Bronxville, like our popular steak nights. We started offering these in Purchase when customers asked us to. It’s something we know offer once a month: a prix fixe menu for $67 per person that includes multiple courses: Caesar salad, street corn, different choices of sides, even a bottle of wine for the table. And of course, the steak entree which is a perfectly marinated and grilled ribeye that’s served family-style with chimichurri sauce. People really love it!

Anything else?

We have a great Sunday brunch and are starting soon to offer brunch on Saturdays. Also we want people to know that we are friendly to different diets. We have a separate and very large vegan menu. And we also have a separate gluten free menu and separate fryers, etc. in the kitchen to try to avoid cross contamination.

La Casa Purchase
578 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, NY
914-222-9016
Reserve here:

Tuesday, Wednesday 4:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Thursday 4:00 pm -10:00 pm
Friday 4:00 pm -10:30 pm
Saturday 4:00 pm -10:30 pm
Sunday brunch 11:30 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday dinner 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm