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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.

My friends and I went today and loved it! Brunch is $9.99 and that includes a choice of drink with your meal. I had the French Toast served with fresh fruit and the vegetarian omelet with home fries. I actually ended up having two meals since it was such a great deal! The service and the atmosphere is ok, but it's worth it to come for the food. This will probably become our new regular spot for brunch.

Food was good, service wasn't' great. Sangria was pretty bad, has a salty aftertaste. I would not rush back.

We finally made it to Esperanto and I must say that the dinner was disappointing. Both my snapper (whole fish) and my wife's pork tenderloin were both slightly overcooked. The tapas appetizer was OK but not worth the cost. The place is not cheap for Avenue C and while the service was great and the staff very helpful I would not go back. The place is always packed so perhaps it was just a off night.