Calle Ocho

The food and atmosphere were incredible. The back dining room takes you completely by surprise as you walk into it from the chic bar. Like I said, the food is fantastic. I ordered the vegetarian paella, not to mention the cheesy bread rolls which come with the meal. My only dissatisfaction was that we waited for a table twice as long as the host told us our wait would be.

I've eaten at Calle Ocho twice in the past year and I always wind up craving their rolls for days and days afterwards. Mmmmm. Warm and soft, almost doughy on the inside, with a crispy sweet outer layer- and the flavors are brought out evenmore by the black bean/garlic dip theyre served with. Great music, great ambience- the atmosphere makes you want to dance! On the pricey side, but I reserve it for special occasions- perfect for the festive atmosphere. If you want to impress your date, you shoudl absolutely take them here. **DEFINITELY** get the mixed appetizer- the dishes change every night according to the chef's specials and they're uniformly delcious. Entrees can be a bit one-note but when that one note's so good, it doesn't really matter.

Went here on a recommendation. The drinks were amazing (I love frozen concoctions - like passion fruit juice and delicious mojitos). Had two orders of ceviche, which were excellent. The bread that they give you for the table is amazing - it was almost like a dough pudding on the inside, and it came with a black bean spread. Yum! Entrees were very good - I had paella and enjoyed it (huge portion). Don't remember dessert (it was a few months ago) but I remember that I liked it. Atmosphere was great - a big open back room that feels like an atrium (almost like you are outside). The bar (in the front) is cozy and was really packed when we were there, but there are a few great tables right in front in the bar area that would be great if you were just going to drinks and appetizers, if you could snag one. Will definitely go back!

Delicous food, try the Calamari appetizer - excellent and food in general impressive. Great space, unusual for the Upper West Side. But service was indifferent, staff seem to have an attitude, both bar and wait staff need to add a little charm to their service.

I decided to treat myself to dinner one Saturday evening and chose Calle Ocho, I'd never been there before but my dining experience was absolutely the best. I was not sure what to get and requested a suggestion from the Exec Chef who no only obliged but cooked for me the most fabulous chicken dish I had ever had. Being a creature of habit and probably the biggest mouth when I discover something great, I retuned the very next weekend to be thrilled again by Chef Alex Garcia but this time with friends. Trust me, you will enjoy it!

The concept is well developed with good execution. The bartenders are attentive and not pretentious. The menu is entertaining and has a good variety of dishes taken from many Latin American and caribbean countries. Decor goes well with the idea of the place. My party and I had a good dining experience. Lastly, I wish people stopped using cliche phrases to describe the food and this restaurant. Please no more "hot tamale", "off the hook", "awesome" come on people expand your vocabulary.

The food here is incredible. The presentation was gorgeous and the combination of flavors was outstanding. I had the pork tenderloin and my bf had the bistec...both were so tender and tasty. The drinks are not to be missed! The mojitos are perfect and the sangria is excellent. The atmosphere and design of the restaurant was also very modern and chic. Definitely a place for the 20 or 30 something crowd. I honestly don't know how anyone could say a bad word about this place. The only mishap was our server forgetting our side dishes...we cancelled the order after we were almost finished with our meal and they still served it to us on the house! Very accomodating staff and well worth the money for the food.