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Cafe Espanol
Category: Restaurants Spanish Spanish [Edit]
172 Bleecker StNew York, NY 10012
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
(212) 505-0657
- Nearest Transit:
-
W 4 St (A, B, C, D, E, F, M)
Spring St (A, C, E)
Houston St (1, 2)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 12 pm - 12 am
Fri-Sat 12 pm - 1 am
Sun 12 pm - 11:30 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Validated
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Casual, Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
177 reviews for Cafe Espanol
Review Highlights
177 reviews in English
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Review from Bryan C.
2/6/2012 Seated via OpenTable 1 Check-in Here
I was a little concerned when I was able to get a reservation for a group of 7 on a Saturday night at a reasonable hour, just two hours before I wanted to go. That was concerning, for sure. However, upon arriving, my concerns were put to rest.
The staff seated us quickly even though the entire group wasn't there (I hate when some restaurants won't do that when just one person isn't around! Especially because one of my friends is always late. Maybe I just need different friends). The small little joint was definitely cozy, but didn't feel cramped. Maybe it was because it smelled so great in there?
The menu has lots of options, all of which would probably be good. They also have a pretty good prix fixe menu that you can go for, which one of my friends got, and consumed, and enjoyed.
I ordered the arroz con pollo. My fiance, the paella valencia. The food came out, a heaping enormous portion on the plate. Yes! For just $16, what a great amount of food! Then they brought out the dish that it was cooked in. What they had served us was just half of what our meal included! Amazing. Certainly wouldn't be walking away from Cafe Espanol hungry, that's for sure.
But with all this quantity, what about the quality? Well, in my opinion, they delivered. The rice was nicely cooked, not mushy, not too hard. It was extremely flavorful, wonderfully seasoned. The chicken was delicious! Juicy, tender, and bursting with flavor. It was definitely one of the better variations on this dish that I've had in New York City.
The fiance's paella valencia was also quite good - with all of the seafood being cooked perfectly. I notice that often with this dish the seafood can get hard from being overcooked - not here.
As a group we went through several pitchers of the sangria and they were cheap and delicious.
Overall, the whole thing came out to about $30 a person and everyone in the group left extremely happy. This place will definitely be on my list of places to go back to. What a find! -
Review from Jackie P.
Brooklyn, NY
This is my second time at Cafe Espanol and I have to say it is definitely one of my favorites. The staff is so attentive with all of your needs. The second I took a last sip of my wine/water they came right up to offer a refill. The food was amazing, I recommend the stuffed mushroom appetizer. Who's heard of a 3 course menu for $21.95???? Well they sure have one and it's a heck of a deal. This restaurant is also great for a date, the lights are very dim and it has the twinkly lights that girls go crazy for lol. The wine glass servings are massive for just $8 and they go well with the Creme Brulee which was on FIRE (literally) , what can I say I will definitely become a regular at Cafe Espanol.
Check out my pictures! -
Review from Katie S.
Manhattan, NY
1/3/2012
My roommate finally decided on this place for her birthday after much deliberation. It was great! Prices were super reasonable as it came out to only about $22 person including tip and tax and paying for the bday girl. We were also all full and satisfied. We ordered:
-Chorizo- Español Salteado- delicious as expected
-Paella Marinera- Decent amount of seafood, well cooked, and first place I've been to where they just charge for the dish itself and not per person eating it (LIKE)
-Croquettas- Good but nothing special..then again I'm not the biggest fan of croquettes so there's a little bias here
-Chicken al Café Español- This was good but not great- skippable
They also give you warm bread with Olive Oil to start. We shared dishes by 4's and we definitely had enough food. We also got Sangria, and although it wasn't the best, if you're celebrating something why not?
The inside is super Spanish and much bigger than it appears from outside; especially for a place in the West Village. There's a small room at the front with some tables and then you walk back through a small hall that leads you to another room where we had a large table for about 20 people. This place is great for large groups as they are one of the rare few restaurants that take reservations and serve you a decently priced and delicious meal. -
Review from Alan T.
KNICKERBOCKER, NY
12/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not bad not bad. But not great, and not as good as its sister Espanol a few blocks away. Aside from the garlic-breaded lobster, much of what we ordered that was on both Espanol menus was noticeably worse at Espanol Bleecker, including the sangria, mussels, rice and assorted meats.
Although on second thought, the anchovies here were actually quite spectacular and I'm craving them now as I think about it.
And yet on third thought, while the service at both Cafe Espanols is on the passive aggressive side, the experience at Espanol Bleecker was conclusively worse.
When ordering 2 plates of the dried chorizo tapas, I was very careful to point out that we wanted the dry chorizo and NOT the wet and sloppy chorizo tainted by veggies. After we received 2 plates of wet and very sloppy veggie-infused chorizos, I kindly asked the server if we could send them back for the good stuff. He asked if we wanted to keep one plate of the sloppy chorizos in an ambiguously sort of "why the hell not, it's already on your table and no one who works here is going to eat this hot mess" kind of way.
So I hoped he meant it as a courtesy rather than as a replacement for what we initially ordered, but I loathed the idea of refusing his nebulous request either way given that we had another half-dozen or so plates of food forthcoming.
Long story short, we only got 1 plate of the dried chorizos, and we were charged for an order of the crappy ones too. Longer story short, Cafe Espanol Carlisle rules.
Final verdict: go here to get mind-blown by the amazing space efficiency achieved from ringular 3-tier plate racks. -
Review from Thomas S.
KNICKERBOCKER, NY
2/6/2012 Seated via OpenTable
great pick for Spanish cuisine... consistently good food the empanandas and croquettes are a good selection. Courteous attentive staff
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Review from Hank M.
Brooklyn, NY
1/22/2012
Haven't been here in years and decided to pop in after a movie. Fortunately, it was good as it always was. Great service, tasty tapas and perhaps one of the best Mojitos I've had in a long time. Glad things stay the same.
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Review from ViviMar Luz C.
Manhattan, NY
1/18/2012
Soo delicious. Tried 4 tapas - croquetas, calamari, lamb chop and chicken empanadas - and the steak. Yummy. Gotta come back very soon. Great tapas selection - come with friends so you can more dishes. So good...
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Review from Olga T.
12/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place was pretty good. Some dishes were more memorable then others, but I wouldn't put this on my favorites list. Some dishes were really bland and the sangria was way too sugary and sweet. I'd come back, but not out of my own free will.
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Review from Tricia K.
10/22/2011 2 Check-ins Here
If you have a huge appetite, get the dinner special which (honestly) can feed about 3 people for $21.95 (there is a $7 sharing charge).
The caldo gallego is fantastic, as is the chorizo appetizer. You get fresh bread and olives in oil at the table, and that goes really well with both. Your appetizer will be huge. HUGE. I once cancelled plans I had after dinner so that I could safely and quickly take the delightful remains of my dinner home. Fact.
The sangria is more fruity than winey, but a pitcher will do the trick. I honestly can't remember dessert, as I am usually totally stuffed after the entree to consider it.
I keep coming back to this place, and it is always a pleasure.Listed in: Best Food So Far
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Review from Arthur Z.
10/6/2011 Purchased a Yelp Deal
$15 for $30 gift certificate via Yelp? My Jew sense is tingling...And this place is romantic?! You know what this means. TAKE GIRLFRIEND OUT ON DATE AND PRETEND I'M A BIG SPENDER.
Before I start, I have to give a quick note about our waiter. He was perhaps the creepiest/awesomest dude on the planet, resembling Frankenstein's assistant Igor. He creepily brought us our dessert and said "I maaade ze decoraaation myseeelf..." That man loves his job. Now, commence review!
The interior of this place is low ceiling'd and tight...mmm so tight.... Nevertheless, the walls are adorned with acrylic painted scenes of agrarian, tranquil rivers, so wet and flowing... The lamp-lined walls exude a soft, sensual light that increases females' oxytocin secretion and blood flow to their genitalia. Good thing I took my girl with me or else I would have just whipped it out and started masturbating right there on the table.
For some foreplay, we ordered the Tri Color salad with goat cheese, which was under the heading "Salads for One (but enough for two)". I think it was actually supposed to read "for One Family", but they didn't have enough room; the salad was sizable. In my opinion, a little too vinegary, but pretty good nonetheless. After tossing the salad, we moved onto tapas...
We indulged in some champiñones rellenos, which I felt really cool saying correctly whence ordering since I took Spanish classes. These mushrooms stuffed with seafood were also tasty, and not overly oily, slick, and sticky, as some stuffed mushrooms have tendencies of being.
Finally, for the main (inter)course we had the paella marinara with a half lobster. This was a seafood paella, including squid, clams, mussels, shrimp, and scallops. It was flavorful, and perhaps just as important, of a hefty size; whoever tells you size doesn't matter....it does. It was a little on the watery side, but I guess some paellas are just naturally juicier.
And for a final (money)shot of sugar, we ended with a big climax of tres leches cake. Almond milk, coconut milk, and condensed milk make it up. A tiny bit dry, but served with sweet, whipped cream to make everything lip-licking good.
As always, such experiences are received in exchange for money. This place is a bit on the pricey side, at least for a college student, but it's a definite go-to place if you have a gift certificate and need to impress someone.
....
.....
Sex.Listed in: Cheap Eats around…
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Review from Kei Ling W.
New York, NY
9/23/2011
Great atmosphere. Went tonight with some friends and we got to sit in the outdoor garden in the back.
It's a really nice and romantic atmosphere for a date too since there's a fountain structure in the garden and candles are lit for each table. Too bad I wasn't on a date :(
We ordered the Chicken a la Espanol and the Paella de Mariscos (Seafood Paella).
We got complimentary bread and salad, which was definitely worth it to eat here. The bread was complimented by an olive-filled oil, which is the first I've seen but the saltiness of the olives in the oil made the bread basket to die for.
The Paella de Mariscos was good, although I would have preferred more rice in it. The entree was about 70% seafood and 30% rice. I'm a weird-one since I like the flavored rice more than I like the seafood, but hey...it's my preference.
The Chicken a la Espanol came with a choice of sides: vegetable, saffron rice, or potatoes. My friend chose the broccoli vegetable. At first, I was not expecting much, just boiled broccoli, but the broccoli that came out was very well-seasoned with chopped garlic and was delicious.
The Chicken a la Espanol, itself, was good. For white meat, it was very juicy since it was drowned in a sauce that reminded me of a wine marsala sauce.
In the end, we also ordered a creme brulee, which was a bit eggy for my preference. The most interesting part is that they actually light up the creme brulee with fire and serve it to you like that. The fire died down too quickly for me to take a pic...boohoo.
Overall, this place isn't bad. I would go back if I had the chance and I think I might also try the Sangria next time, which looked really good and really popular..... -
Review from Brittany E.
Staten Island, NY
12/27/2011
Went here late one night after hitting up some of the local bars on bleeker street with my girlfriends. At about 12 in the morning there was actually a few tables of people... I had the classic chicken and rice which came with a cute little salad. The sangria was awesome along with the service. I will def go back with my boyfriend
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Review from Veronika B.
Brooklyn, NY
10/1/2011
Extensive list of tapas plates to choose form. All dishes were really good, but the tortilla chips that came with the guacamole were pretty bad. I will go back to keep trying all the different types of seafood. Good atmosphere, good services.
15min wait on friday night without reservations.
Would like to sit outside when weather permits. -
Review from Ken W.
Manhattan, NY
12/22/2011
I've been here twice, the first in the Fall when lunch was a very easygoing affair and we got to sit in the garden in the back. The second, last week, was much more crowded. We had to change tables (for two!) because the servers kept running into me. However, kudos to management for recognizing that that would happen pre-emptively and moving us asap. The food is excellent. The paella marinera starts off strangely wet but once the rice soaks up all the seafood-infused broth, all is forgiven. I don't think I've had a bad tapas here, except the octopus, which was mushy, and the lamb cutlets, which were ordinary. The shrimp in spicy garlic sauce, gambas al Ajillo, was worth fighting over, as were the scallops in green sauce. the mussels al Cafe, with tomato, garlic and wine, was excellent, as were the patatas bravas, my favorite. Stuffed mushrooms were ok, but didn't shine among the crowd. Jamon was excellent, as was the grilled baby squid. My dining companion thought the food was 'awesoome!'. Me, being a toned-down kind of guy, simply thought, I'll be back again.
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Review from Rush K.
New York, NY
8/4/2011
I know I ordered the wrong thing off the menu, Vegetable Paella, but they could have at least tried. Why put it on the menu if your going to boil the vegetables until they are tasteless chunks of off-green mush. It was probably the lamest meal I've ever had so I'm calling them out. We can't let them get away with this.
I think everyone else in my party were fairly satisfied with their meal, though. You know, they ordered the lobster, seafood paella, ect. But I didn't hear anyone necessarily raving about the food. -
Review from Virginia L.
Brooklyn, NY
9/22/2011 4 photos
I selected this place for my 23rd bday party with my friends cuz I had a coupon for 20% off ^_^
We came here for lunch and I selected the open-ceiling area w/ the garden cuz I just love eating outdoors But not anymore after the experience cuz it was noon time and the sun was just beaming down on us. I tried to change to a table with more shade but the waiter wouldn't let me even tho we didn't eat any food yet. We had to wear shades and keep fanning ourselves and there were insects/flies =_= I was getting into a bad mood already cuz i just made all my 7 ladies with me feel uncomfortable.
We started off w/ our complimentary bread and dip: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
We also got a round of red sangria drinks and that kept me quenched. It was more sour than I liked tho.
For apps, I got black bean soup but prolly not the right choice to eat on a summer afternoon so I didn't finish it: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
For entree, I got the Mariscada dish that has mussels, scallops, shrimp in this yummy yellow sauce with yellow rice: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Almost everyone of us had a plate of yellow rice it was like the table turned from white to yellow lols.
For dessert, I got the flan and it was just okay for me. I couldn't finish it either: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
My friends had got me a bday cake so that made up for the dessert area of my appetite. Next time, if there's a next time, I'll be sitting inside the resto AND with a coupon. -
Review from Sascha M.
5/11/2011
Stopped in here on a lazy late afternoon/early evening with my stand in boyfriend aka my sister. We sat outside in the cute little garden and order a half pitcher of white sangria. The sangria was pretty yummy and super cheap. We then decided to order a bunch of tapas since we are baby fatasses. The chorizo was delish and they gave a ton of it. The baked clams were amazing and not too bread crumby. We practically licked clean the plate of garlic shrimp. The cheese plate was enormous and we couldn't even finish all the cheese even though we are huge cheese whores. The ham and cheese croquettes weren't bad but weren't great. This was the only thing we didn't really enjoy.
This is definitely a cute, casual, cheap tapas/spanish place that everyone should try out.Listed in: Tapas
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Review from Phillip M.
New York, NY
8/15/2011
Awesome restaurant. Food was great, very generous portions and reasonably priced. Fun and friendly staff. Service was very attentive. Look forward to returning again!
We had been back MANY times ever since and it had replaced our former number one restaurant (Trattoria Spaghetto - which is now back to being our NUMBER TWO restaurant). What has made the place special was NOT only the food but the entire wait staff! Rafael/waiter and with the two owners (Roscendo F.) along with the rest of the staff made it a friendly, festive, party atmosphere and made you feel at home and part of a true "family". We have celebrated my and my wife's birthdays there for the last 2 years now going on three.
Pros: Food, Service - especially with Rafael as your waiter, Price.
Phillip & Lisa -
Review from Katie G.
Brewster, NY
6/1/2011
Just moved to the neighborhood and stopped here for happy hour with a friend after observing a sign advertising $15 pitchers of sangria. The sangria was okay - nothing spectacular but a very good amount for $15, so that portion of the trip was a success.
However, we were made to feel very uncomfortable by the waitstaff for not ordering a full meal. It's happy hour - it's to be expected that people will come for drinks, maybe some appetizers (we ordered guac), but not a full dinner. We were asked three separate times by three separate waiters if we were going to order food, and when we politely said "no thanks, we'll just stick to the chips and sangria for now" the staff was clearly annoyed and lingered as if that would make us change our mind.
I won't return here - there are plenty of other great restaurants in the area to choose from, I'd rather not go to one where I'm made to feel uncomfortable. -
Review from nancy y.
4/20/2011
My friend and I were aimlessly wandering around Greenwich village in the rain last Saturday (Comedy Cellar tickets were sold out), and Cafe Espanol was one of the only decent restaurants that didn't have a 2 hour wait for dinner.
When we walked in, they took our coats and ushered us to the veranda in the back that apparently opens up during the summertime. It was nice. The restaurant felt like one of those family-owned places you would find while traveling in Latin America - colorful murals all over the stucco walls, arched doorways, a slightly shabby interior. I may or may not have imagined a jovial, round-bellied man in a sombrero laughing into his mustache next to a cactus.
They started us off with some bread and salad and we went to work on the menu.
#1: Sangria? We were sold instantly. What flavor? Some hesitation... Two half pitchers? Done. We ended up getting the house red and the mango (white). Tip: go with a whole pitcher of house red. The mango was fine but lacked fortitude, if I wanted juice I would have simply stolen my roommate's mangosteen nectar from the fridge.
#2: Baby squid in its own ink. Om-nom-nom (onomatopoeia for "delicious") Sure, I looked like Paul Wall afterwards, but Alas, such sacrifices must be made.
#3: Seafood stuffed sole. TO. DIE. FOR. Two huge filets. Must order.
#4: Paella Valencia. Great. Quality of the seafood was really good and the portions were incredibly generous.
Key takeaways from the restaurant: great for groups, extensive menu, huge portions, tiny bathrooms, possible facade for covert designer umbrella-snatching black market operations -
Review from Heather S.
New York, NY
6/21/2011
Let's start with the good... half a pitcher of sangria is $20, I suggest the investment. The service was great, quick and courteous. The rice was decent and the salad was fresh.
Now for the bad. The menu is 6 pages and has dozens of items sending the big red flag that this place not only has no great dishes but also does not invest in fresh food.
For the first course we got the cheese and ham plate. Both items tasted like they were in the refrigerator uncovered for some time, not very flavorful to say the least.
Main courses we shared; sea bass and pollo espanol. The chicken tasted like it was boiled and then had sauce dumped on it and the fish was definitely frozen before being cooked to a rubbery finish.
all in all, go for the sangria and service but don't expect a good meal. -
Review from Gina J.
REGO PARK, NY
12/23/2011
LOVE this place! One of my fave restaurants in Manhattan. I always go back and I always recommend it to others. Food is wonderful and the restaurant itself has an authentic feel to it. Great for either a group or just a one on one. Try it!
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Review from Bear P.
Manhattan, NY
11/1/2011
For a seafood place the seafood sucks. I ordered the fried calamari and it sucked! it was so oily and chewy and a bit cold. and i don't think i've ever had bad calamari before. I also ordered the paella and that was ok.
They also charged me for a bottle of water i never ordered ...when we first sat down there looked to be tap water in a bottle on the table (we drank it) and then i saw at the end of the night that we were charged $7 for a crappy bottle of water! i had no idea they could do that. i didn't dispute the charge but i've never been to a restaurant that has done that before.
luckily, i had a coupon for that night because i would not have paid that much for a crappy meal and for water.
I would not recommend this place. -
Review from Roberta C.
Brooklyn, NY
6/22/2011
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place! I have been here several times and I always choose it for special occasions (birthdays, Valentine's Day, etc.) My mouth waters just thinking about their food!
I love the ambiance, it reminds me of when I lived in Granada in southern Spain. The food is the closest thing I have found in the city to authentic Spanish food (that is reasonably priced). The waitstaff are very professional and attentive.
I have tried pretty much all of their tapas and loved every one of them. My Mom likes the chicken Cafe Espanol and my Dad has gotten the paella many times and has always enjoyed it. A friend also tried the tilapia once, and that was also very good. Steak is also delicious. Not to mention the amazing olive oil with pieces of olive and garlic that sits on the table to dip the warm fresh bread in.
For dessert the creme Catalan (creme brulee) is delicious, they serve it flambe style (literally on fire when they place it on the table). The sangria is delicious and you get a nice size pitcher. The Spanish coffee is also very good.
Highly recommended! -
Review from Jinna W.
Manhattan, NY
4/9/2011
Kind of pricey.
Yummy food.
You can do better with your money though.
But if you're not gonna take my word for it, try it out for yourself anyway.
You probably won't regret it.
You probably won't love it either.
Your prerogative. -
Review from Herb L.
Hillsborough, NJ
6/4/2011
If you're going...
Do get the sangria. The four of us got a red sangria to share. It was tasty, cheap, and lasted through most of the meal.
Do get the Mariscada with garlic sauce. This seafood pot was quite good. The sauce definitely made the dish.
Do ask for an extra basket of bread to sop up the left over sauce from the Mariscada. The bread itself was good too.
Be wary of the broccoli and potato sides. The broccoli looked nicely roasted, but tasted like mush. I suspect they over-boiled them before broiling them. The potato side was basically potato chips fried in-house. They were just ok. Regret not trying their rice side. And if it turned out bland, could have used it as an excuse to eat more of the garlic sauce.
Be wary of their Paella Marinera. It was ok, but just too watery. Since this was a Spanish seafood restaurant, I was expecting paella with socarrant. Instead it was sitting in a pool of liquid.
Be wary when ordering lobster. We ordered lobster with our Mariscada. The meat were stringy and were stuck to the shell. Probably frozen lobster. Ask them if they will be using live lobsters to cook before ordering.
Other notes... Ask to get seated outside or in the back room. The weather was perfect yesterday evening, but the tables were all taken. Noticed the skylight-lit back room only after we were seated in the dim main seating area. Share an entre and maybe an appetizer if you are into portion control. The entre size was not too big that a piggy like me can't finish, but it was definitely generous. An extra plate was $4.95. The Chicken al Café Español was okay. Try it if you like mushrooms. Service was great. Four stars there! -
Review from Toni P.
Scranton, PA
11/20/2011
My family and I have come here numerous times before. Went last night with my boyfriend and as always, excellent meal and service. Love the lobster and sangria. Always a good choice to stop at Cafe Espanol! :)
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Review from Luca B.
Brooklyn, NY
10/14/2011
Been to this place twice an each time it was remarkable. The food is incredible, the service is awesome the whole atmosphere an everything about this place is greast. Perfect spot for couples an anything romantic. Average price is about $100. for a complete 3 course meal with drinks. I highly recommend this place.
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Review from Stephanie v.
New York, NY
6/11/2011
If you want to be out within an hour, Cafe Espanol on Bleecker is great. If you want a leisurely Spanish dinner, go somewhere else.
The food was great, the service was very friendly and immediate, the value for money is fantastic, but after an hour, even with a full pitcher of sangria on our table, we were given the check and felt we were being pushed out the door. In fact, for the next 30 minutes (and surely, 1.5 hours is not extensive on a Saturday night), we spent most of our conversation about how we didn't want to leave yet.
We brought this up with the guy at the door, because so much of our experience was really nice and they were so close to providing a fully charming dining experience, but he seemed very defensive and unwilling to hear our attempt to offer constructive criticism (and we are not confrontational people - these are my lovely parents from N Carolina that I was having dinner with!).
I sincerely hope that management read this. We had almost a wonderful time - and fully wonderful is well within their reach. If I need a place that is suitable for a rushed dinner, I now have it. But I would like to have had a more leisurely dinner there with my out-of-town guests. -
Review from Wendy C.
PRINCE, NY
9/20/2011
Can't miss the $11.95 lunch special! Mussels are delicious! And the lunch special comes with sangria as well!
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Review from Lucie T.
3/19/2011
Came here for lunch and though their price is very attractive and my fish was cooked well.
The veggies were out of a can.
That's all I got. -
Review from Jim D.
Marina del Rey, CA
5/15/2011
The good news: Great location and ambiance out in their garden terrace. All the food was delicious as was the sangria, and the prices are extremely reasonable.
Why not 5-stars: Ordering the food with our waiter was... interesting to say the least. We ordered 3 items off the tapas menu and a salad off the dinner menu. I asked if we could get the salad first. You would've thought I asked him to explain quantum physics. He said something to the tune of tapas are appetizers so they come out first. That's wonderful, sir, but can we get the salad first? No, tapas come out first. Argh! I gave up and said "whatever just bring out whatever is ready." Then he says, "ok would you like the salad first?" Let me think...um, sure. My wife looked at me and said, "that was weird." Yeah, ya think so?
Long story short, I highly recommend this place, but I'd also recommend brushing up on your Espanol before ordering. -
Review from Nino B.
Jersey City, NJ
4/13/2011
We went here on a whim, looking for a tapas spot realizing we wanted to have more to eat. We shared the fixed price menu.
Appetizer of chorizo was great.
Croquette was cooked fresh, just the perfect amount of sauce.
Now for the main course, something you really can't mess up. Garlic Chicken... it came dry and not too appealing taste.
Aside from the main course.. this is an ok place -
Review from Greg R.
New York, NY
4/3/2011
To be fair, the service was excellent. The food just didn't do it for me.
Wasn't crazy about the ambiance either. A little cramped, a little drab.
None of us were craving anything in particular, so we asked the waiter to bring a variety of tapas. Already, the morning after, I can barely remember what we had. All in all, a very forgettable meal. -
Review from Megan L.
Huntington, NY
4/18/2011
So my bf and I found ourselves wandering around Greenwich Village aimlessly on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and got a sudden craving for tapas. I searched for tapas restaurants in Greenwich Village and Cafe Espanol was at the top of the list. We went there blindly with no previous knowledge of the place.
First impression of the place is that they have a very extensive menu - both normal and tapas and their tapas was less expensive than a lot of other places we'd seen. There are 3 dining rooms, each with their own ambiance - the first two were very dim and intimate feeling and the third is very bright and airy with murals painted on the walls and skylights bringing in the sun - thats where we decided to sit.
The margarita(s) I ordered were big, fairly strong and delicious. The wait staff was very attentive - an empty place or glass didn't stay on the table longer than a couple minutes before someone came to take it away.
As for the tapas - outstanding and large portions - I would hardly call it tapas. I have seen entrees in restaurants half the size of these portions.
Ordered diced potatoes which were delicious, chorizo, which was sliced thinly and had a great smoky flavor to it and chicken empanadas which were great as well. My bf ordered the Paella Valencia - while it was flavorful with generous amts of seafood and meat in it, the paella seemed more like regular spanish rice. That's literally my ONLY piece of criticism about the food, And thanks to Cafe Espanol I am now a massive fan of squid marinated in squid ink, which is now my new obsession (if you order that dish, just remember to wipe your mouth and teeth frequently - I learned the hard way that squid ink leaves a stronger and darker impression on your mouth than red wine).
All in all the portions were so big we took them home for leftovers (its a rare day when you bring home leftovers from a tapas restaurant) and I left pretty tipsy from delicious margaritas. Its a nice, intimate place - I wouldn't bring a large group there but its great for a date or if you get a sudden tapas craving. -
Review from Nicole E.
Brooklyn, NY
3/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really liked this place.
The decor is so intimate. This would be a great place to bring a date.
Also. . .tapas! I love tapas and sangria and coupled with an intimate environment. . .well, this just makes me want to recommend it to everyone!
I have no complaints about anything. . .not food/service/etc. I had the lobster and it was great. And there's enough variety on the menu to keep me coming back for more.
I will have to say that their paella did not look that great. My friends ordered the seafood paella and when it came out, I was happy I stuck with my lobster. I've had paella in Valencia (which was probably one of the more delicious things I've had in my mouth) and this paella did not look that appetizing. I say stick with the tapas, you can make a whole meal out of them and it's fun to share with friends OR stick with their lobster which was meaty and fresh.
Tip: I think they have a happy hour before 7? Where tapas are buy one get one half off and they have a deal on sangria also. -
Review from Kris B.
PRINCE, NY
10/2/2011
Great atmosphere, wonderful pitchers of sangria, fantastic lobster paella, all with an easy pricepoint. You'll find me there next time in the village.
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Review from nick c.
Howard Beach, NY
12/5/2011
All the tapas we tried was delish!! went with a party of 6 people and the octopus, empanadas, chilean seabass, cured meats and cheeses were all excellent. drinks were great and also the price. I will def be there again
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Review from Shehzad R.
Manhattan, NY
9/27/2011 Purchased a Yelp Deal
Food wasn't very good or fresh.
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Review from Dan G.
New York, NY
9/25/2011
The paella is very good. It is simple and very tasty - basically a dish for two because it is too big.
The tapas are good but a little too buttery.
Sangria is good and reasonably priced.
Overall, I'd recommend this restaurant. It's low-key but great food.
