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Without a doubt some of the worst service I have ever experienced. Went with a group of people. We were seated at our table, and did not see a waiter for 45 minutes. After placing drink orders the manager made our group move tables. We were not asked, we were forced. For 6 people we were given a tiny loaf of bread. When asked if they were short staffed, the waiter replied "NO" and was confused. We just assumed since he was MIA for the entire meal. Food took forever, and when we asked for more bread it took another eternity to get it. Food came, most was delicious, some were just okay. When finished the check took a while. Assuming since we were troubled and had to move tables we would be comped our drinks. Nope. We then asked for the manager, who finally came over after speaking to 3 employees. She had a whole list of excuses and blamed us for our issues. Last I checked the customer is always right. She was too defensive and should have understood that sometimes service is not always the best. I do not recommend this place. If you are in the E. Vil you have a million other options. Do not go here.

I went to Esperanto with a group of seven last night. Understandably there was a wait, but simple appetizers and entrees turned into a two hour ordeal. 45 minutes to get appetizers, 30 more minutes to get entrees. Fortunately, they provided us three slices of bread for the entire table to hold us over. Twenty minutes after we asked for our check our waitress was nowhere to be found. I finally went looking for her and there she was, chilling outside, enjoying the evening. The food is good, but the service is an abomination. and ps: no air conditioning, so be prepared for a nice rolling sweat through your meal. enjoy.

This is a truly a hidden treasure on the LES. After coming here on a Friday night with a group of girlfriends for the first time we were all pleasantly surprised. We had a reservation but had to wait for a bit before being seated. However, once we were seated our server was with us immediately. We ordered a bunch of appetizers which were IMPECCABLE and so tasty. Esperanto is truly an authentic south american restaurant. The vibe is also a great place to have fun with friends on a weekend night. We also ordered 3 pitchers of sangria and were very full and satisfied from only sharing appetizers. The check ended up being about 30 dollars each which is great for a fun and delicious place like this on the les! I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to have a casual yet fun experience. This could also be a great place for a first date since the food would be a great conversation starter.

My girlfriend and I have eaten here at least 10 times. Whenever friends are coming to town we bring them here. Quite simply we've never had a bad meal and we were here as recently as last week as my girlfriend had friends from France visiting. They had already been in NY for a week and had eaten out every night and Esperanto was their favorite. Very relaxed vibe and you feel welcome as soon as you walk in. Love the Ceviche. Empenadas great also. Grilled Tuna and Carne Asada are my favorite main courses. All very reasonably priced. The type of place you want to linger at the bar before and after dinner. I love this place

I have been to Esperanto a few times and the food has been good. Friends and family came from out of town, and I suggested Esperanto for early dinner. We made a reservation for 8 and had a pleasant time.......for an hour. After an hour, we tried to order more drinks. The server said no, that they had another reservation in 45 minutes. (server was lovely, order came from management) Really? She said that we didn't have time for another drink, and we were rushed out of the restaurant. Our reservation was early in the evening, so I am assuming they were "squeezing" us in. I didn't reserve a table for 8 at McDonald's. Although I realize they have to accommodate many guests, I was offended that they expected us to have a pleasant dining experience in under 1 hour. We were prepared to spend big bucks, but alas, they wouldn't allow it. In short, Esperanto =good food in under 1 hour=Brazilian diner.

Snagged the last two seats at the bar so service was excellent... we never had to wait for drink refills. Busy Friday night at dinner time. Got the special Tuna and Scallop Ceviche and Crab Banana appetizers - both were very good and flavorful. For entrees got the Lomito De Cerdo (pork) and Grilled Tuna. Again, both were very good. Bartender was attentive, made strong drinks and refilled our water regularly. We each had 2 drinks and total bill was $71 . I wish we lived closer so we could eat here regularly. There was so much more we wanted to try. I would recommend it. The only downside - it was very loud once the restaurant filled up and there wasn't really a lot of room for people to wait for tables

I live in the neighborhood and have eaten at Esperanto dozens' of times for dinner. I always wanted to try the brunch but the wait is a minimum of 45 minutes. Today my boyfriend and I walked by and to our surprise, the wait was only 10 minutes, so we decided to wait. Once seated outside, it took the waitress 20 minutes to place the menu's on the table. Another 20 minutes for our coffee and Bloody Mary's and another 25 minutes for our food. The food was cold, especially the potatoes. The waitress didn't come offer once and ask if we need anything like ketchup, coffee refill, nothing. She didn't even deliver the food, all she did was place the order and serve our drinks. The couple seated next to us was about to get up and leave b/c their food was cold also. The hostess asked them to stay and they picked up their tab. In the meantime, I had to get up and ask the hostess for our check which took another 15. We paid but needed change which took another 20 minutes. I wish I made a stink like the couple next to use so our food would be paid for. Aside from the lovely weather and the great live jazz, I will never go there again for brunch.