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A report of tampered drinks at Casa Carmen
Several readers sent me a thread from Reddit last week, and it has since gone a bit viral: a woman was out at Casa Carmen on Franklin with three friends and part way into her second margarita — two hours into her night there on November 22 — she started to experience a loss of memory. However, video footage from the restaurant of her group at their table, which is being reviewed by police, does not reveal anything out of the ordinary.
The woman arrived at Casa Carmen at around 8:30 and left at about 10:40 in an Uber — one of her friends who was dining with her walked her to the car and then returned to the restaurant, the video footage from outside the building shows (I watched it). Two days later, she called the restaurant to complain and the owners offered to have her come in and review the footage and their bar operations. When she came back to the neighborhood two days after that, the restaurant wasn’t open so she went to the 1st Precinct. Officers there initially refused to take her report, she said. So she returned again the next day — it’s now Thanksgiving Day — and was able to file a report.
The Reddit thread unspools from there, with references to similar claims on Yelp and Google.
“Luckily I made it home OK, but the whole experience has really unnerved me,” she wrote in her post on Reddit. She told me in a DM that she made one stop at a bar near her house before going home, and that her neighbor found her incapacitated on the floor in the vestibule of her building after that and helped her into her apartment. (She also said that a friend was in the cab with her, and that she dropped her off on the way, but the video clearly shows her getting in alone.)
I emailed with owner Sebastian Ramirez Degollado, who said the footage of her table over the course of two and a half hours shows nothing unusual.
“I told her when we spoke that we have nothing to hide, and that I want her to feel safe and know that nothing negative happened here,” he said.
Sebastian was actually working as the manager that evening and said her table seemed to have a good time — even stopping to speak with him as the remainder of the group left at 11.
Sebastian said that after her call, he spoke with the team members who worked that night, reviewed the footage himself, reviewed the restaurant’s draft system (margaritas are on tap) and reviewed the recipe.
“We serve many many margaritas in a night so we make them in big batches — that way we know every drink comes out the same,” Sebastian said. “The bartender pours a mixture of tequila and triple sec from the tap, shakes it and adds one ounce of fresh lime juice then adds the flavor and ice and shakes it again with some water. They are strong drinks. They are also large — between 4.5 and 5 ounces (including the 3 ounces of liquor) depending on if you add flavor. People think margaritas don’t have much alcohol and they actually do.”
They are now considering changing their formula.
“We spoke to many other restaurants and they use around 2 ounces of liquor per drink,” he said. “Our margarita has 2 ounces of tequila and 1 ounce of triple sec, both of extremely well-known brands, so we decided to decrease it from now on. Ours is more like a martini, and people are more respectful of a martini.”
Sebastian offered to show me the full two hours of footage as well; I will stop by when I can to take a look and update this post. The NYPD said the investigation remains ongoing.
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I have known the owners for 20 years. We are friends from Mexico City….they would never allow that ….the post says the woman stopped at another bar before getting home??? if anything the issue was there…..
Multiple people have reported feeling sick multiple times.
I think it’s important to look at the full context before assuming anything happened at Casa Carmen. The owners immediately cooperated, reviewed hours of video footage, spoke with staff, checked their bar systems, and even invited the guest to personally review everything. The footage clearly shows nothing out of the ordinary, including the fact that she left the restaurant safely and alone in an Uber.
She later stopped at another bar before going home, which is where her condition appears to have deteriorated — something the restaurant has no control over. Casa Carmen also serves strong, standardized margaritas made in batches to ensure consistency, and they are now proactively adjusting their recipe out of caution and transparency.
Jumping to conclusions based on rumors from Reddit, Yelp, or Google isn’t fair to a business that has shown full transparency and a willingness to cooperate with authorities. The NYPD is still reviewing, but so far there is zero evidence of wrongdoing at Casa Carmen.
Again, you’re failing to acknowledge that a multitude of women have blacked out at this establishment. You keep saying “she” when it’s actually “them.”
https://nypost.com/2025/12/07/us-news/female-customers-at-ritzy-nyc-eatery-report-blacking-out-feeling-drugged-after-drinks-at-tribeca-spot/
We were there Friday evening and had several drinks and they were great. It’s a lovely place with wonderful staff. I sincerely doubt there was anything wrong with her margarita, much more likely she lost count of how many she had. It’s ridiculous and sad that the restaurant has to deal with this.
I’ve gotta say, blaming the victim has never been a good look and will never be.
Your 100% baseless comment is ridiculous and sad.
I like their margaritas, but they are pretty strong.
I was there less than a few weeks ago. We actually enjoyed the drinks, but they were unusually strong. After we left, the person I was with felt very drunk after only two drinks, which is highly unusual for them. I didn’t say anything at the time, but it left me wondering whether the pours were simply extremely heavy or if something else was going on. I’m not making accusations, but the experience felt strange — and seeing how many others have mentioned similar concerns, it no longer feels like a coincidence. Something about the drinks just seems off. I am glad people are speaking up. I will not go back. It’s too risky.
It’s one of those sad cases where you obviously don’t want to jump to conclusion and you’d hope the person who is bringing these claims to light ISNT lying; But if they are it makes you think what is the reason..
i can only confirm i have never ever had any issues and i love that place – food, beverages (I had happy hour there last week) and service.
Margaritas are strong but crazy to say they have been tampering with it. Also its relevant if the person went to another bar afterwards. It’s a great place and great food but drinks are strong.
I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that she did not disclose in her Reddit posts or in her interview with the NY Post that she went to a bar after Casa Carmen. Wouldn’t the bar and the people she went with be the prime suspects? Even the Uber driver could be at fault. She completely lost credibility in my opinion, and what makes me even more upset is that she just made it more difficult for real victims to be believed.
As a regular customer of Casa Carmen, I’m incredibly saddened and honestly shocked to see these accusations being circulated. I’ve personally been there countless times and have always felt completely comfortable and safe. The staff is consistently attentive and trustworthy.
It’s important for everyone to remember that social media posts are not evidence. I’m relieved to hear that the restaurant is fully cooperating with the police and that, according to reports, the initial video evidence suggests the girls were able to walk out of the restaurant without issue.
I urge people to reserve judgment until the official police investigation is complete. They deserve to be treated fairly, and these kinds of false accusations can cause irreparable damage to a local business built on hard work and good faith. I will continue to support them
I have had a blurry memory several times after dinner at CC… but that’s 100% bc I had four margaritas… they were excellent and I’m very sure no one tampered with them! Will be back for those tacos soon!