I have yet to write up the *real* Caliza, the new Mexican restaurant and mezcal bar on the corner of Greenwich and N. Moore, but in the meantime I am tackling Caliza Next Door, since it just opened and it’s such a treat.

The multi-pronged concept here is ice cream shop slash breakfast spot slash takeaway lunches, and all three are among the tastiest options in the neighborhood. The lunch menu has been designed by owner and Tribecan Josh Lebowitz’s sister, Eva Pesantez (above), who has been cooking for her entire career. (She’s the one who got him into this business.) She was the chef operator at Dig Inn until she took over as executive chef for Wishbone Farms, Josh’s “farm to fridge” marketplace in Southampton.

NB: They are only open Monday to Friday, 8a to 5p for now — they still have to ramp up the staffing. (The restaurant opens at 5.)

Working backwards from lunch: the salads were fresh, original and delicious. I got the power greens salad, which comes with roasted butternut squash, really exceptional cabbage marinated in lime, cilantro and olive oil and a snappy tomatillo dressing on the side. There was a lime aioli and a spicy rojos dip on the side, both great with the pollo asado that we added to the caesar.

(My only complaint is all those bitty plastic containers bum me out, as does plastic ware, so next time I will just ask to skip those. I am even thinking I will travel with my own fork, as nutty as that might sound.)

We moved quickly to dessert, which is supplied by the celebrated Mexican chef Fany Gerson and the frozen treats from her shop, La Newyorkina. Her paletas (popsicles) come in both fruity, creamy-fruity or just plain creamy flavors, and you can mix and match and take home a box. We went for the scooped ice cream, and it’s awesome. Go for the horchata, coconut and chocolate, with toasted coconut and puffed amaranth. So good.

Their scooped specialty is a mango ice cream parfait layered with the sour-spicy chamoy sauce made with dried chilis and lime juice, and sprinkled with tajin, chili-lime seasoning.

So to the breakfast: I am still thinking about the veggie taco with eggs, caramelized onions, avocado and potato wrapped in a Vista Hermosa (the Tacombi people) tortilla, which are so buttery and flaky they are almost like flat croissants. Caliza makes their corn tortillas in house, but they buy the masa from For All Things Good, the noted Brooklyn-based Mexican cafes (they are a Michelin Bib Gourmand stop) since that production requires a bigger space.

The shop also has fun Mexican grocery items, and I hope they add more: $1 marzipan, chamoy sauce, chili and lime corn snacks, Vista Hermosa chips. The app for ordering is available in the app stores as of today, and the website should be sorted soon enough.

Caliza Next Door
378 Greenwich at N. Moore
Monday to Friday, 8a to 5p (for now)