Cafe Espanol

let me first say that i've been to spain more times then i can count and my mother was born there.... this is not "cafe espanol"-you walk in thinking you've crossed the border and stumbled in a mexican restaurant including chips and salsa, and the mariachi- not to mention the burritos in the menu. We ordered the paella which could not have been dryer. would never say this was "spain in nyc" and would def not recommend this to anyone who was in the mood for real spanish food. the only good thing was the serivce.

I used to eat at this place 3 to 5 times a week at lunch time. This is one of 3 restaurants in this area that offer a lot of value, and by that I mean home made quality food that tastes good and is plentiful, at a great price. They have a lunch and a dinner special. The lunch special is the one that's hard to beat. For $10.95 you get: Chips, salsa, and bread that is usually warm and fresh. Salad, or soup. Choice of gazpacho, caldo gallego or black bean. Any entree on the menu under $10. That includes several meat and fish dishes, and three kinds of paella. All the meat dishes come with either rice, french fries or string beans. Choice of Sangria, Beer, Wine or Soda. A delicious home made flan, and coffee. Not everything is equally good in this place, but enough of their menu is, to recommend it highly as a great deal. Things that I've found consistently good: Chicken Estremeña, Chicken Cafe Español, Veal Extremeña, Veal Sevillana, broiled Salmon (large portion), Sirloin Steak (large portion), all the paellas and rice dishes. Their house wine is very nice, so is the Sangria which, though it's made to order by whichever waiter happens to be serving you, it is still consistently good. Their service has always been prompt, friendly and accommodating. I've been there for brunch several times and I've had them make me things that are not even on the menu. I've also called ahead of time to have my food ready when I get there. I love this place, it's an honest good deal, a reliable everyday eatery for those who want to have a satisfying meal at a very decent price in a warm and welcoming environment. I've brought many of my coworkers there and they all love the place as much as I do. We are all low income people and this place fits our budgets and our appetites.

I usually go to this restaurant at least once or twice a month and each time I order the Prime Sirloin Steak. It is very delicious, and juicy to eat every time. The atomosphere can be very loud sometime. The bar area is quite small. This is not a place for a romantic nite out with the lady but a place to hang out with your pals. You will enjoy the food and drinks.

We went there for dinner on a Friday night and it was great. As for the chips and salsa...in the menu they explain it is a holdover from when it was a primarily mexican restaurant and you could request bread and olive oil instead. The chorizo was great, the seafood was great...the Sangria was good, the service was top notch and the Creme Catalena was super (also brought to the table en flambe--super). I will definitely go back.

We went there Monday night after seeing the review in Zagat's about the lobster special. Well, we were pleasantly surprised with lobster deals. We had a 2lb. lobster for $26 and a 3lb. for $31.00. I don't think you can get a better deal in the city. The lobster was very good, served with a salad and a side order. My Fiancee had Paella which she loved. Overall an excellent value.

This is my worst experience of a Spanish restaurant, honestly. First with the sangria the waiter served us, with so much ice. It tasted like diluted wine. I had to complain, the waiter came back with another jug but still I grant him there was fewer ice cubes but it was so bland and tasteless. Then when you are eating in a Spanish restaurant i would not expect them to serve us some basket of tortillas chips, otherwise i would go to a Mexican restaurant. The typical dishes we ordered were also tasteless, without caracter, 90% of them: - the chorizo tasted of peperoni, nothing like something you would expect from a Spanish chorizo - the calamari fritos were very thin, nothing plumpy as as a Spanish restaurant would serve you. - the paella was so bland too. the restaurant is supposed to be popular for that, who said that? The only thing that i liked was the olives!Really nice ones! to conclude, I ordered a take out of my paella thinking i could re-heat it so as make it better with added spices, and to my surprise half of my food was nowhere to be found, not to mention the missing lobster claw that i had cared to save for later. What am I supposed to think? Who had my lobster that i paid for?! that is so cheap! I am not Sherlock Holmes and will not place a complaint as I will never go back to such a place. -

A group of 8 of us went at 9:30 on a friday night and were seated in 5 minutes. The staff is attentive, and the peach sangria is just good. If you are looking for the biggest portion of seafood paella in the world, this is the place. The appetizers are good too (chorizo and mussels). I liked it , but I would not go out of my way to come here again. There are too many other places that are just as good, if not better. However, the prices were very reasonable. Only $28 per person.