On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Astor Place (6)
2nd Ave-Houston St (F, V)
8th St-Broadway (R, W)
Mon. 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Tue-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Loading...
Great rum bar! And I am addicted to the penne pasta dish here... The first time I ate here a young teen boy stopped by my table to perform some very entertaining card tricks definitely added to my dining experience!
The only downside are the hovering hosts I use to waitress so I know how it works but an overbearing host is always a pain.
Bon appetit!
Everything was fine until we got to my chocolate souffle. At 9 bucks, I was expecting a medium sized cake with ice cream. That, it was not. If one of us took anything bigger than dime-sized bites, the others would shoot a look of death. I seriously thought it was a joke when the waiter brought it out. I thought, "Ha-ha, now where is it? Really? Am I on MTV's boiling points? Candid camera?"
Drinks were good. It's like if Goldilocks grew up and became an alcoholic. Mojitos were not too strong. Not too weak. Just right!
Service was good-Hea talkeda likea dis! Bad Italian impression is now over.
One star is too generous, so hope it does not mislead...
The food was not memorable and the service was the worse I've ever experienced in my life (and I think I give great latitude on the point generally). Manager's response to lack of service was even more unforgiveable.
I wouldn't go back if it was free.
Been here 3 times. The wait staff has remembered my face every time. The service is attentive as all hell. The specials are always amazing. The deserts, although run of the mill are tasty. I'll come back again and again. People who give this place a poor review feel they're entitled to more than they're worth. But that's NYC.
How anyone would rate this as "amazing food" is incredible. This place serves some of the worst food I've ever had. The lobster ravioli was and clearly tasted like it'd been frozen. The calamari was just salt. And their other pastas were either bland or were at the level of Boyardee. No offense to Boyardee, but if I wanted Boyardee, I'd just pick it up at Associated. Furthermore the wine is pitiful. Astringent, sour and disappointing. It was pretty cheap though. Maybe that justifies it. Plus service was excrutiatingly slow.
Bad, expensive mojitos. They were incredibly sweet, all four of us ordered one and only 2 of us finished more than half their drink. And they were $12. The atmosphere doesn't even explain why their awful mojitos were that pricey - mostly empty on a Friday night.
I'd give them one star, but I feel guilty since I never tasted the food. Still, the fact that the drinks were barely touched and they kept asking if we wanted another... oblivious service, but not bad per se.
This is quiet interesting experience I have to say. Came here for brunch with a group of friends. it looks like an italian restaurant from outside.. matter a fact it is an italian restaurant.. however the menu was more vegan.. ???
we ordered a typical brunch stuff.. eggs...etc and few side of bacon..
Then the story went.. our bacon never came and we were waiting and waiting and waiting.. apparently they never have bacons on their menu.. they were making it as a favor for us. we were like what kind place is this that doesnt serve bacon for brunch..
FINALLY our bacons came and it was a completely disaster.. it looked like it's made from a person who has never made bacon before.. words just can't describe how bad it was..
However..I would still give them 3 stars because rest of the food were decent and service was good...
Had their Ceviche Caliente last night and it was great! The flavors were wonderful and although my companion said her calamari salad was "too fishy" (She expected it to be fried to take the taste away *blink blink*) I thoroughly enjoyed the taste. My only problem was there were too many clams (?? I'm terrible at knowing my shellfish) to scoop out and I got full and tired of doing so rather quickly.
Other than that, the servers were great, continually checking on us and offering us drinks. (They were insistent but we declined instead saving a little $$ with our water... yeah, we're those people. Haha!)
The atmosphere of the restaurant is great as well. Though the music can get a tad loud, it helps bring a great feel into the place- It made me want to get up and dance (something that would have been bad seeing as I have two left feet).
Overall a great place!
Well, it helps to sit outside or in the bar area facing 2nd avenue. We had a great time, just enjoying beer and wine and the sun. The cuban croquettes were de-li-cious! But then again, what's cuban about "croquettes?" Sometimes it's all about "vibe" and the company. Both were great and so, Candela was great. We were served complimentary olives and focacia with our appetizer. Wine was $5 a glass and beers $4 - what more could you ask for on a lazy Saturday afternoon with your old man/ significant other??
My wife and I decided to eat here based upon some interesting items on their menu (be sure to check their specials).
We had the tuna tartare and the tomato/mozzarella/basil tower for appetizers. The mozzarella was not mushy like other places -- they had a nice texture. The tuna tartare was amazing -- light and fragrant with pineapple. Quite unique!
My wife had the butternut squash ravioli and I had the mojo steak. The skirt steak was well prepared with a nice garlic/chimchurri rub. The flavors on the plate were quite good -- especially blended together. The portions were excellent. My wife 'liked' the ravioli -- I found it quite good myself (I think I liked it more than she did) -- the pasta was fresh with just the right amount of sweetness in the filling.
We did not stay for dessert.
Overall, I would definitely return to try some of the other dishes -- I'm interested in checking out the ropa vieja and empanadas.
Overall, an enjoyable and affordable experience!
For a mediocre looking restaurant both inside and out, the food here was really good! I order the ropa vieja (below) and felt like the meat melted on my tongue. The place was very laid back, typical of the East Village scene, and the service was attentive but not intrusive like in Union Square. We topped it off by going to "Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man" a few blocks away.
Ropa Vieja the real thing: twice-cooked shredded flank steak stewed with onions, tomatoes, red & green peppers and served with yellow rice and black beans
If you ever find yourself saying: "Man, I really want some lamely executed Italian food with an absolutely unnecessary and uninspired Cuban twist prepared by a group of nice, but over-eager Brazilian (or possibly Portuguese) guys giving one another fist-bumps all night" then this is the place for you!
Let's see: dirty laminated menus, sticky tables, 2-for-1 drink specials that were non-transferable - you had to drink both drinks yourself. Which means no sharing to reduce costs, and strikes me as very unfair, very anti-freedom, very non-capitalist, very non-American - I mean come on. Seriously.
We wanted dinner but only made it through appetizers. Couldn't be bothered to waste more cash on boring and sad food.
Without wanting to sound like a crank or my grandmother, I have to say I really don't understand these seemingly random fusion of cuisines. Cuban restaurants are usually pretty good, Italian food, hit or miss when dining out, but we all know can be great. Cuban + Italian = wrong, just simply wrong. It's madness, pure madness. And where does it end? Hey everyone, why don't you all come down to my new restaurant - it's German and Japanese cuisine fused together! Knackwurst sashimi! Kielbasa and cabbage rolls! What do you say!
The menu mentions something about a "Privet Room," which is either a left-field Harry Potter reference or a misspelling truly representational of the restaurant itself - the place is just off. It doesn't make any sense.
Two stars cause the mojitos were not bad, and the bathroom was clean. Even though I left the toilet seat up - much to the consternation of my fiance. I know, shame on me.
While not terrible, Candela Candela didn't impress me. Went for dinner and the place was empty -- yes, it was cold, but still...
The grilled calamari appetizer actually wasn't bad but a little overly seasoned. Then, for entrees, we tried the ropa vieja (steak with tomatoes, peppers, onions, rice and beans), which was flavorful but nothing special. The grilled salmon was very fishy and really not good; neither of us enjoyed it.
While we only had wine, the drinks looked good and I think this could be a fun place to go out to with friends for drinks. Based on other reviews, perhaps I'd go back and try the pizzas or pastas and the drinks....?
I'm still tasting the appetizer 'rice balls' I had at candela candela 3 days ago. That's not a good thing. I am struggling to understand how such a mediocre restaurant could stay in business when it's sandwiched between two great establishments.. Mermaid Inn and Franks. I agree completely with the reviewer who regreted not taking a few more steps to settle into an outdoor table at Franks.
I ended up at Candela Candela with a few friends because we wanted to try something new. We were celebrating a birthday... unfortunately we cut the celebration short because we just couldn't justify spending any more money. After the happy hour scam, terrible appetizers and really strange table service, we could only assume that the entrees would be a disappointment. We all went our separate ways with serious heart burn and actually had to declare a do over for my friend's birthday dinner.
ONE favorable note, the bread served when we sat down was pretty fantastic. That being said, I will never go back.
The food is very affordable at around $9 for eggs norwigienne. It was really nice to have the bread heated up and presented to us. The atmosphere is really cool (if you like high tinned ceilings) and they close at 2am.
The rating has to do with the quality of the food. The fries were excellent in every way, but sadly the eggs and burger were just okay.
We tried to go next door to Frank, but the long wait was reason enough to try Candela Candela. Looks really cute from the outside - People sipping their mohitos and sangria. The menu was a little bit of a mess - I was expecting a Latin flair, but instead got a little of everything. The menu didn't bother me that much, but what did is that the food was just REALLY bad. I must admit that I feel bad writing this because they were SOOO friendly and even gave us a free round of shots - I guess that was their desperate attempt to draw us back somehow because the food definitely wasn't doing a good job. My second disappointment was when the check came - it ended up being soo much money. Usually I wouldn't mind (if the food was at least decent), but in this case was definitely not happy about it. In my opinion it was a waste of a dinner out.
The reviews on here were so mixed, I was skeptical the first time I went! The food was great - I got the cold pasta salad, and at first the waiter misunderstood me and brought the antipasto salad, but quickly fixed the mistake (though i was still charged for the antipasto??? whatever!) the cold pasta salad was delicious! my friend got some sort of pasta dish which was fantastic! we all ended up eating off her plate by the end of the meal. my other friend got a BLT which she said was the best BLT she's ever had....and she has a BLT every sunday...so I give it five stars for the food.
the service? the waiter was friendly....but we were the only people there and service was really really really slow....our waiter did sit and chat with us a bit, which was cool.
overall, this place is worth a visit.
President's Day was beautiful, and standing on the sidewalk reading the menu, with the bar doors open to the street, this place looked inviting. The bartender came out to greet us...all a good start.
Waiter/Bartender was nice and pushed the mojitos hard, which they had a few on the menu...but no prices....We later find out he was pushing them at 9 each. Which is not ridiculous for NYC, but these were tiny...tiny.
The food was ok, not very imaginative. Decent lunch fair but not somewhere I would go for dinner. Not even worth mentioning what I ate.
Decor is by far the nicest part of this place, if it was in the suburbs I would go back, but there are dozens of better places withing a stones throw.
Here's a great example of how awesome it would be if you could access Yelp in your head. Walking around in a place you haven't been to in years, you want to seat down for a late night snack and everything is starting to close. All I had to do was walk another 20 feet to Frank, but no, this place screamed: "I'm new and different and big, and Latin looking."
So we bit and I'm really sorry we did.
The food had absolutely no flavor and I'm a bit concerned about how the tuna and shrimp will effect my day.
Recently had a friend's birthday dinner here, and the staff was more than accomodating and attentive. I had the special tagliatelle with duck ragu', which was fantastic, albeit ever so slightly salty to my taste. however, everyone else at the table thought it was perfect, and it was loaded with duck - completely worth the price. the BF had chicken milanese, which was really perfect in its simplicity, and very large. the accompanying salad was fresh and light. the cuban appetizer platter was tasty as well, as were the mojitos.
My girlfriend and I were really looking forward to a repeat dining experience at Frank, next door (we stumbled upon this place a few weeks ago, after the Elite event and loved it!), but with time constraints and the place being packed, we were forced to make a quick decision, landing us next door at Candela. The menu looked good enough, and we were hungry.
We ordered our usual Grey Goose Dirty Martinis, and they came out looking less than appetizing, my friend's with a little hair in it (YUCK?). Mine was dirty, but not in a yummy kind of way. Just had olive pit looking things floating on the bottom.
Finally decided on our dinner order (we were sharing), and I hoped that would be more appealing than the drink. We got the Grilled Salmon with roasted veggies and the Tuna Tartar. Both were actually extremely flavorful and healthy tasting, which is what we were going for.
I would return to this place if it were my only option in the area, but for the food only...and after reading some of the other reviews, I feel like I made extremely wise ordering choices, and may stick to those dishes.
I'm glad I had dinner here after I read the previous reviews because honestly, I had a wonderful experience!
I actually had a little bit of an "only in New York" moment here. There was a big party being thrown in the back room for a little girl who had just recently been adopted - probably about 50 people were there. Halfway through their set, the band that was performing began to play "Happy Birthday", and soon we were all clapping along and dancing. People even made a circle so the kids could jump around in the middle! The management made sure everyone in the place got a piece of (delicious) birthday cake, and treated us as though we were guests in their home.
As for the food, I got a very generous portion of almost a "jambalaya" mix of sausage, potatoes, peppers, corn and pork that was awesome. And when I say generous, I mean GENEROUS.
Overall, a great atmosphere, friendly service (if just a bit slow), and hearty portions at a moderate price. I am seriously contemplating having my next birthday there.
Mediocre food and uncomfortable seating. I had the mussels marinara and the veal saltimbocca which were both okay. Mussels are way better next door at Franks. The pasta wasn't too bad, I didn't get though I wish I did was the pesto and shrimp pasta, its smelled amazing. I do have to give some points to the large portions and the staff was quite attentive. Probably wouldn't go back.
No bueno. The focaccia they give you was dry and tasteless. The beets and crispy plantains on the ensalada candela turned out to beet chips and plantain chips from a bag. I ordered the lasagna trio, which sounded really good. They said they could make the dish vegetarian and exclude the beef lasagna. However when it came, the beef lasagna was right there. They replaced it, this time actually without the beef, but by the time it came, my dining companions were all close to done with their entrees. It also oddly did not have any noodles. It was a large mush of vegetables, sauce, and way too much cheese. The ravioli pesto was fairly good, but the sauce was too rich and heavy. I left feeling weighed down and pretty gross. The pear tart was the best part of the meal, although instead of the maple syrup it says it comes with, it was drizzled with Hershey's syrup from a bottle.
Despite the price ($16!), I was very excited about the three kinds of ceviche on the menu at Candela, Candela. Ceviche, a kind of fresh seafood salad marinated in lime juice and served cold without cooking, is the perfect food to enjoy outside on a warm, summer night. I've had ceviche with fish, shrimp, squid, scallops, and, probably my favorite, conch pulled right out of the shell in front of me (in the Bahamas). Thinking that we could split the dish and forgo anything else, we ordered the spicy, mixed seafood ceviche with lime at Candela, Candela.
Perhaps I am not accustomed to the Cuban variety, but I did not care for this ceviche. We were served a variety of seafood (shrimp, squid, and mussels??) in a large glass bowl, but the seafood was quite whole, instead of being chopped up (I was told this was Cuban variety). Nonetheless, I couldn't taste any lime or any other seasonings. It basically tasted like a bowl of fishy seafood (with flavors not altogether pleasant to meld). Now, fresh seafood is great, but not when I want ceviche. I want something a bit more liquid, with lots of lime, tomato, avocado, and whatnot. I want to scoop it up with plantains or tortilla chips.
One of my stranger restaurant experiences. I took my leftover ropa vieja back with me, reheated it, and bit into tiny chunks of gravel about 2-3mm in diameter while eating it. Now I know there ain't no gravel in my sister's kitchen! At the moment i don't think any teeth are broken... But wow.
These stars apply to the bar+drinks ONLY.
From the other reviewers' comments, I guess the food sucks.
A friend and I had seats at the bar and each got the Candela Mojito, which didn't really taste like a mojito at all because it was made with raspberry puree, but man, it was gooooood. Then she had some other crazy peachy pineappley champagney estrogeny drink and we left. The bartender was really nice, too; we chatted with her for a while.
Went here last nite and it was a good time...sat at the bar so me and my gf could get the 2 for 1 happy hr mojito special...the mojitos were good, not the best (not minty enuff for me really) but good, the funny thing was we both got 1 and when we were getting the chekk he asked if we wanted our 2nd one...and we were like, nah we're good...anyways come to find out you dont get the deal unless you specifically order 2, not 2 for 2 people...basically, it was 2 for 1 PER PERSON! so we had to get our free ones considering the fact that it woulda cost $24 for 2 instead of the 4 we were suppose to get! even funnier than that is the fact that that the $24 we spent on the mojitos was a lil bit less than the food we ordered, which was AMAZING! We went there cuz my gf really loved their penne ala vodka, which was what she got, i got the fetuccini alfredo, which mite have been the best i've ever had (maybe), i mean it was REALLLLY good, really rich, and creamy...deeeeelicious...would def. go bakk, but wouldnt worry about gettin the mojitos nexx time, just get the food!
Candela Candela is one of my favorite places in NYC! I love going with a big group of friends and enjoying the mojitos from the extensive list (i.e. lychee, strawberry, classic, mango, etc). The staff is great and very accommodating. Comfortable seating and the patio is especially great during the summer. I can't wait to go back!
We went there because we had a gift certificate from http://restaurant.com. The food was very good. We got a pizza, tomato mozzarella, and empanadas for appetizers and then we each got an entree. My boyfriend got the special veal ossobucco, I got the salmon, my sister got the chicken marsala, and my mom got pasta. The pasta and chicken were great, and the ossobucco veal special was AMAZING - tasted like my grandmother's brisket. My salmon was okay but I wouldn't get it again - it was too balsamic-y for me. Overall, really good but expensive for what it was.
I used to hate bad meals in the city. And although they are still unpleasant, Yelp has made them more bearable. I can now log on and attempt to take back the money they stole from me. I have even taken time to add this particular restaurant. "Candela Candela" is not to be confused with "Candela" in Union Square, which is quite nice.
It was a last minute decision to try this new place. A fusion between Italian and Cuban...yeah...that makes sense. First, we order the empanadas as appetizer. It took me back to my childhood...you know, when you're hangin out at your friends place, watching MTV and playing Techmo Bowl...and your friend's mom brings out some snacks. If those things weren't made last month by swanson...you could've fooled me. And did I mention they were cold?
Next, I had the shredded beef stew. Also, apparently served chilled.
I can only say that this is one of the worst experiences I've ever had at a restaurant...ever, and that includes all previous Waffle House experiences.
If I were to draw a parallel, this experience would be like rolling down a hill, trapped in a thoroughly used state fair port-a-john...and then taking a nap. Terrible.
Perhaps the clever play on the name of an existing restaurant is a ploy to steal good reviews...
Amazing place! They just changed chiefs and the new menu is scrumptious. Highly recommended.!
Thumbs down to this restaurant. I was going out in the area and decided to try this out with a couple of friends. The service folks were slow and not very professional. I'm not uber picky, but I do expect a level of service and class when dining out. It took a good 20 minutes to get someone to take our order and then we waited for another 25 minutes to get our food. The food was not very good - the portions were small and the food was cold. To top it off they took so long to get our bill and they split it incorrectly! I was fuming by the end of it. I don't feel super strongly about restaurants, but this one was waaaaay crappy.
I normally try and write reviews right after going but I was just writing a positive review and thinking to myself...."wow, i haven't had a bad meal in awhile. I wonder what my last shitty meal was" That's when i remembered my experience at Candela.
Dragged the lady friend out to watch football, so to be a good guy i said lets go to dinner. We decided to just walk around and try someplace new. Unfortunately we went to Candela. I think it was the slowest service I've ever experienced and I am from the south and have been to numerous Denny's so I think it's fair to say it was probably the slowest service on earth. It wasn't even busy which makes it worse in my opinion. After an eternity we got our food and it was ridiculously blah. I had a pasta dish; all I can remember about is that it was so dry and devoid of flavor. She had fish, which came with the head and everything. She wasnt too pleased with the head thing so she didnt each much. I swooped in to finish it up and wasnt too pleased with the flavor. Basically, because there was no flavor. I don't remember what her friend had but I know I tried and obviously it was forgettable.
All in all the only redeeming quality was live spanish music.
these people have no idea how to run a restaurant. i went in with a party of four and the food came out at different times. i got my entree before my friends got their appetizers. finally when my friend's lasagna came it was frozen. literally, frozen solid. it seems they stuck it in the micro for two second, enough to melt the cheese. ridiculous.
the only plus about the restaurant is that is has outdoor seating and had two musicians playing in the back.
Offer of the month
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Nightly $35 3 Course Prix Fixe
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Civic Center
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Gramercy
Category: Asian Fusion
