New York City is seemingly becoming a Latin American gastronomical hotspot in the United States. Following the invasion of Peruvian food in the Empire State, another Latin American cuisine is set to conquer the city.

This 2016 has been a good year for Latin American culture and influences, especially in terms of food and drinks. And now, a Uruguayan haute cuisine is taking New York City's Lower East Side by storm.

Located at Essex Street, a restaurant called Charrúa is gradually captivating New Yorkers with its true expression of cultural authenticity and modern approach to traditional South American dining. The restaurant, which is named after the original inhabitants of Uruguay, is also bringing the authentic Uruguayan food culture to the city with its farm-to-table concepts.

The Uruguayan cuisine is typically influenced by the Mediterranean cooking styles, particularly Spanish and Italian. And while their usual meals also include pasta, meatballs and chorizo, the flavorful fusion of Latino and Mediterranean gastronomy is evident in every bite.

Uruguay is also famous because of their local delicacies such as churrasco, chivitos, beef empanadas and asados, the Uruguayan barbecue that is one of the most exquisite and famous worldwide. And since Latin culture has resilient traditions, Charrúa offers their infamous Escabeche, which is served with bread.

In addition, the restaurant also serves steak with Chimichurri, an Argentinian favorite, and local wines from Uruguay. As for dessert, the Uruguayan "chocolate sausage" with dulce de leche topping is a must-try.

"Charrúa mimics [Latin traditions] with its cozy, intimate candle-lit setting," Haute Living wrote. "With brunch, lunch and dinner menus, every dish at Charrúa is made with love, and a whole lot of sabor Latino,"

Meanwhile, if you prefer a taste of an authentic Uruguayan sandwich, Charrúa's chivito is on top of the list. According to New York Eater, the sandwich is consist of ham, egg, steak, bacon, olives, mozarellla, pickled peppers, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions and mayo. It is served with some fries on the side.

Charrúa is also serving faina, a chickpea flatbread, not to mention the world-famous empanadas, which are among the best in the Empire State.

"Fried to perfection, served in pairs, and poked with a toothpick that hoists green cocktail olives like a battle flag, the empanadas ($8) at Charrúa are among the best in town," New York Eater's Robert Sietsema wrote. "Your choices run to tuna, ground beef and egg, and best of all, corn kernels shot with pimento, making the filling sweet and salty and tasting like a summer day."

Aside from empanadas, the restaurant also takes pride offering their mushroom or ham and cheese croquettes, three-cheese fondue, chipirones a la plancha (small squid in a dark and salty braise), churrasco steak and milanesa, a lightly breaded beef or chicken schnitzel.

Charrúa's Uruguayan menu offers a wide variety of options. For pastas, its spaghetti a la Caruso and Spanish or cheese raviolis in either tomato or pesto sauces are also among the must-try dishes.

New York City's Essex Street, however, is not only home to Uruguayan cuisine. As a matter of fact, Patacon Pisao, a restaurant that serves the most authentic and critically-acclaimed Venezuelan cuisine, has also opened there. And their Venezuelan sandwich called patacon is a must-try.