Pomaire (CLOSED)

I've been back to Pomaire many times since I moved to Manhattan and LOVE it! The food is delicious (the fish specials, especially!), and the wait staff is always uber-friendly and informative. I HIGHLY recommend it.

We were a great fans of Pomaire for many years, most of all because their special atmosphere brought us a little bit of our heart of our land, specially for their great ethnic food and very reasonable average prices they used to have in the past. However latest their food and service are changing drastically. The quality of the food is not the same, I will say less than mediocre, the portions are shrinking drastically, the size of the entrees are like little tapas and the prices are highly high for what they are offering. If we talk about meal size, they looks more like kids menu (Ex: It is outrages that they charge $5.50 for one cappuccino- one little simple cup of coffee, that is nothing especial, that’s a shame!) We stop going latest because we were little disappointed for many thing we didn’t like it in the last couple of years, but like everything in life we want to believe that maybe was just a bad day. Unfortunately there were many bad days and this past Wednesday of October 4, 2006 was the one that overwhelmed our patience, and I’m sure it will be the last time at Pomaire after the service and poor food we experienced. We returned an entrée that we didn’t like it, and they didn’t have the courtesy to apologize offering something else instead. And they even charged us the food that we returned. They refused to credited, that was a shame! We are completed disappointed as Many of our friends that feel the same of us, and they do not going back to Pomaire any more for the same reason that we mention above.

After all the great reviews we tried Pomaire on a Saturday night. The atmosphere and service were okay, the staff friendly, but the food was merely mediocre. We ordered off the pre-fix menu, which was advertised outside the restaurant at $24.95 per person. The Chilean house Merlot was quite nice and the appetizer salad of mixed greens average in taste and presentation. We chose the Salmon as our entree and while I so appreciate smaller portions, this piece of fish was about the size of my thumb. It was tasty, served on a bed mashed potatoes with minimal vegetable shreds on the rim of the plate. I noticed that the chicken dishes were a bit more appropriately sized, perhaps because the patrons ordered off the regular, much more pricey, menu. The service was almost overbearingly "present" - always taking something away or filling a water glass. They don't master the art of attentive, yet discrete service and we also felt a bit rushed, as the dessert (which we hadn't even decided on) rolled out while we were still finishing the wine. Overall, we found the experience average at best - a bit of pretentious theater district tourist trap feeling - where they know most patrons won't return. I bet a New Yorker wouldn't eat there. Like most of the places on Restaurant Row, it's biggest charm is convenience.

As a chilean, I felt pangs of nostalgia as soon as I stepped into this small restaurant. It is aptly named Pomaire, the small town in Southern Chile where the earthenware products are made that are used by Chileans throughout the country. The restaurant's ambience is quaint and charming. A great place for a second or third date. Intimate and welcoming. The staff are attentive and not over-bearing. And of course the food is fresh and well made. To die for are the chilean empanadas, the fish, and the "Pastel de Choclo" - a chilean Shepherd's Pie made with mashed corn instead of potato. A calm haven in the heart of the theater district. Reasonably priced and good chilean wines available (a must).

This restaurant was great all around - the food, the service, and the ambiance. I was impressed already after we got our bread and sangrias. Both were delicious and the waitstaff was very accomodating and seemed to anticipate all of our needs. They did not mind explaining every ingredient to me. There was lovely music playing and great decor. But the focus of course is the FOOD! I had the Chilean Sea Bass and everything about it was wonderful. It was tender and delicious but even the tomato and spinach on my plate tasted great! My companion had the Poor Man's Steak which he greatly enjoyed. We were both impressed with the massive serving size! For dessert, he had a chocolate souffle to die for and I had the meringue/lucuma cake which was great. Overall great experience. Would definitely go again. (a bit pricey but worth it)

Everything was enjoyable here. The service was courteous, attentive and our waiter spent time with us explaining the menu. Our water glasses and bread baskets were refilled without asking. We enjoyed a leisurely pre-theatre dinner on a Thursday night. The food was delicious-- the sea bass was worth the price. I will go back again and recommend this restaurant to anyone who asks. It was a nice change from the standard menus we find.

This restaurant was mentioned in an article in Long Island's Newsday written by a local chef, who stated he found it by accident while on a theatre trip to New York City and returns every time he's in town. We thought we'd give it a try the next time we attended the theatre and are so glad we did. The meat and corn pie (recommended in the article) was excellent. The salsa and bread (recommended by another reviewer on this site) were great. My husband loved his pot roast. We shared the empanada (great) and a tomato and onion salad, which was yummy. We certainly will return to this restaurant again. The owners and servers were friendly and helpful, and the next time we'll try the Pisco Sours, which everyone in the restaurant seemed to be ordering as their drinks.