Bar Carrera

I would give a 4 for flavor, a 2 for ambience and 5 stars for the truffled egg dish.
The restaurant has a kind of a dark back room /​basement kind of vibe. It was low lit which is nice for dates, but lacked the charm and décor to make it romantic. If I hadn’t read great reviews for Bar Carrera, I wouldn’t have ventured here on looks alone.
However — the tapas were excellent! Excellently priced as well, with a majority in the $ 4-​$ 7 range. I went with a date and we split a bottle of the cucumber sangria ~ props for the unique twist, but per usual, I don’t get much of a buzz off sangria. We split the Goat cheese which was had an amazing flavor and was plentiful; Gambas — shrimp/​garlic/​white wine which were delicious; patats bravas — crispy and well seasoned. The real front runner was the Eggs in a Blanket — truffle egg, manchego, serano ham. I wasn’t expecting to love this one, but the mixture of the ingredients was amazing. I would go back for just this dish alone.
Excellent flavor and I would recommend for a low-​key meal with someone you are close to. Maybe not for a date you are looking to woo the pants off with a romantic vibe.

Oh Bar Carrera, how do you make me want to be in Spain so badly while simultaneously making me pleased to be in New York? With your incredibly delicious smoked salmon, mascarpone and black caviar topped mini brioche, drizzled with honey. Oh yea, that’s how.
In addition to incredibly decadent and meaty tapas items ranging from $ 5-​$ 7, the wines and sangria make a girl go zigazig-​ah on the regular. The only unfortunate thing about our dear BC is that it’s so darn dark here that you’ll mostly want to hide out in its cavernous depths during the winter months while summer attendance might prove more challenging. One things for sure though, whether you’re sitting on a high chair in the «restaurant» room or scooted up close to the bar, the service is always quick and friendly, and the food is always perfectly yummy.

errrmmm… it was ok. The service was good. The waitress came and checked on us the appropriate number of times.
The wine was pretty good. Not outstanding. The food was also pretty good … not outstanding. But as Kristen tells me, I wouldn’t know because I don’t eat pork… Evidentally some of the star dishes involved chorizo or bacon or something else pig related.
I’ll tell you what was amazing — the atmosphere! cute cozy place. no pretentiousness. very east village. loved it.

The best thing about BC’s inextensive, inexpensive tapas menu is that you can assemble a decent meal for under $ 15 a head before drinks.
Judging from the relative menu sizes, the $ 5-​$ 6 plates of Iberian staples — serrano ham, papas bravas, bocadillos and garlic-​licked gambas — are meant to be reprieves between quartos from the long and strong wine list.
The food itself falls within the dead zone spanning «nothing to sneeze at» and «nothing to write home about». Bargain tapas in a dark, rustic little tavern — not bad, all in all!

Lovely place. Came here for drinks after dinner so i didn’t try the food… but if i based it on smell alone– it seems like it would be delicious! we kept getting wafts of garlic, meat sauce, and herbs every now and again. the wine was very good, the atmosphere very cozy & elegant, and i luv the wine glasses with the engraved «bar carrera» signature.
good place to have a conversation or have a date ;)

Just got back from a late dinner. They are open until 2 AM on the weekends and that includes the kitchen, which takes last call a quarter of. There is a bar attached and the food does smell amazing, as reviewers have said before.
I agree that the bocadillos are the best thing here and their ingredients are definitely fresh, which comes through in every bite. The pork belly was exceptional because it was not too oily, as can be the case. The heirloom tomato salad was great but I found the chorizo in the shrimp and chorizo tapa to be too salty, although cooked well.
The service was slow but there was only one waitress, as we went so late in the night. Definitely worth a try but nothing I would go rushing back for.

I came here twice, but waited until the second time to review as we didn’t have any food the first time.
Love the ambiance. Love the wines. Love the sangria, especially the cucumber sangria. The staff are great, friendly, attentive, helpful.
The food smells amazing. I couldn’t wait to come back and try it. But it was just OK, really nothing wow. As I was eating things, I was thinking, it smells way more amazing than it tastes.
I had the pork belly in the garlicky chickpea paste, which was my favourite item. Delicious. Definitely lived up to the smells, lol. I also had the pan con tomate & the jamon wrapped dates. I usually loooove tapas, but the food was really just not what it was cracked up to be. The servings ARE really tiny, even for a tapas place. My friend got this goat cheese thing that was really tiny. It’s a mouthful or two for even one person, and yet this is tapas and we’re supposed to share? Really?
I would always come back for the sangria and wine, though!

I am not a Tapas kinda person, Unilocal.Every time I go to Tapas I feel like I’m being attacked by Lilliputians. I just mean, I always find myself washed up on whatever Tapas-​Restaurant island beach, and I look around and I think «hey, this could be ok» and then I get bombarded by tiny bland dishes and have to pay $ 50 to take the boring away.
Not a fan.
So I walked into Bar Carrera with some trepidation, but I was with a friend from out of town so I decided to suck it up and go with the flow. And while it took me a couple of minutes to scale my seat (so high!), and for my eyes to adjust to the menu (lots of pork, all pork…) we eventually decided on about five dishes and ordered blindly.
And Unilocal my friend, it was good! Lovely delicate potato croquets, patatas bravas with a satisfyingly smoky/​spicy dipping sauce, chorzo bocadillo’s perfect blend of sharp and smoky flavor, pork belly and chick peas that melt in your mouth, savory jamon bocadillo on a perfectly toasted mini brioche… it was all great! Plus heavenly strawberry sangria that tasted fresh… what more could I ask for? I had to leave my prejudices behind, my eyes opened to a new way of life full of tiny cutlery and small glass plates. It was also the perfect size for two people and we both left feeling satisfied.
The only bland dish was the fresas dessert… the mascarpone just didn’t do anything for the strawberries and the whole combination fell flat.
So all in all, now I almost want to call myself a Tapas person… well, I’m at least a Bar Carrera person.

I came here for my birthday celebration on Friday with a group of friends. The good news is that with the expanded room, they were able to accommodate our fluctuating-​sized group, and the venue is great for talking and catching up. The wine list is not expansive, but well selected; and we were all good on that front.
The bad news, as many people have stated: is that the portions are teeny tiny. I have had amuse-​bouche portions that are larger in size. Tiny!!! And while the tapas were tasty, they were not anything inventive. I would recommend going to Sala if you are in the mood for tapas: larger sizes for the same price and essentially the same food. Luckily South Brooklyn pizza is in the area, and we were able to get some actual food before the debauchery began: Bar Carrera only whetted our appetites.

I love this restaurant and have been there few times. Last time I went though (around 8pm on Sat night), the waitress working in the room had me and my friend wait more than ten minutes for a table, only to tell us that we had to sit in the bar since we were not going to order dinner. I was slightly annoyed that she made us wait so much, although I was totally fine sitting in the bar.
The platos (Plato Jamon A La Campagna) and the bocadillos are great and I always get those. Other tapas are good too.
I had the strawberry sangria last time, which worked out fine. They also have great wine selection. I also really liked the dessert wine by the glass.
oh PS– price definitely adds up!

Bar seating in main room, table seating in side room. Great wine list.
The meat and cheese plate is awesome, but be sure to ask for extra bread. The olives are also great. Almonds are too small a portion to be worth even the $ 4. Pork belly is awesome as are most of the bocadillos. Have also had some really good specials here like a rice/​bean/​egg combo.
One of the best Tapas places I’ve been to in the city.

My spouse and I were meeting two writing colleagues at a reading on Houston, and got to our destination early. We took the opportunity to walk Houston to see what would be likely spots for a light dinner at around 9-​ish on a Monday night.
Carrera was our top choice. Four women, we wanted small bites of interesting foods, not four large plates of single tastes.
The menu was a little challenging to read by candlelight, but we managed to identify what we were looking for. We were unsure as to which of the sangria offerings we wanted, and the bartender was glad to provide us with a tasting of the strawberry/​red sangria and the cucumber/​white sangria to sample. While the cucumber sangria was certainly interesting, we went with the strawberry — a good choice to hold up with the tapas we ordered.
Manzanilla olives. More than enough for four to whet our appetites.
tiger shrimp with chorizo — yum!
the goat cheese dusted with paprika and served in light olive oil was delish with the fresh baguettes.
the croquets were amazing! Lightly breaded and seasoned, and a tasty mouthful of love.
Chorizo Bocadillo — nice flavor, and balanced well between the meat and mustard.
the plato combinato had serrano ham and another smoked meat, along with manchego and a really tasty goat cheese drizzled lightly with honey, and was served with a nice pinch of quince paste.
Even though that was enough for the four of us, we were having such a good time chatting — and the wait staff was comfortable with letting us stay as late as we wished — that we ordered the chocolate and the strawberry fresas to top off our evening.
All in all, a very pleasant evening in a corner restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere, and without making us feel rushed out.

I rarely give five stars when I rate anything but Bar Carrera is that good — from the service, to the ambiance, to the food and drink. I went last there last night on a date and everything was just fantastic.
We ordered the cucumber sangria — which was very tasty and refreshing. For tapas, we ordered the shrimp and chorizo, the pan con tomate, and the serrano ham/​manchego cheese on brioche (but made like a little sandwich… cute!). The waitress was on top of everything (always made sure our water and sangria glasses were full), friendly, and just really charming.
While my date paid, I noticed the prices were reasonable, especially given the quality of the food and sangria. Can’t wait to go back!

Drinking down the street at d.b.a., we decided we needed some food and a quick Unilocal!mobile search brought up Bar Carrera. After I saw that Leighann gave it five stars… I was sold.
We arrived around 9:30pm and the place was packed, however, the hostess/​waitress, seated us at a table straight away. The seating is communal, so shortly thereafter, we had another couple that joined us. The tapas menu is small, but there are many different choices for various palates. They have a unique ordering style, in that each table has pencils and a check list so that you can check off your choice of tapas and wine.
We decided to go with the goat cheese olive oil, smoked paprika & mini baguette plate, some patatas bravas with smoked paprika aioli, the pork belly caramelized with juniper sugar & chick pea purée and finally, the Plato De Queso (assorted spanish cheeses). Everything was awesome. The pork belly melted in your mouth, the patatas bravas came with the aioli on the side and it had just the right amount of heat so that you could taste the depth of the ingredients, and the cheese plate offered good size portions of very fresh product.
Everything here was simple, refined and very low-​key. I would come again without a doubt.

A good replacement since Xunta no longer exists. :(
It’s tiny but has a good vibe.
The strawberry sangria was excellent. Tried some tapas– basically machego cheese with some ham on bread. Wasn’t as good as it was at Xunta. Am thinking Carrera might be best for good drinks, so 3 stars for excellent wine/​sangria.

Huge 4 page wine list. Wow. I had the red navarro, very nice smooth a little sweet, little bit spicey.
The place actually has two rooms, and is very cozy and intimate. Perfect for a date.

I tarnished my restaurant recommendation credibility with one careless suggestion — «howabout dinner & drinks at Bar Carrera?»
Visually, Bar Carrera is still appealing, nothing has changed there. And the wine list is exciting as always. However the food has seen better days.
A dish of roasted maitake mushrooms was nearly inedible due to the embarrassing level of salt. The famed egg in a blanket, which bolstered my 5 star blessing on my previous visit, sported a rock-​hard stale brioche. The similarly famous strawberry sangria tasted just… strange (an uninteresting adjective, but only fitting). A pitiful portion of dried out patatas bravas was delivered for $ 6.
In order to salvage my restaurant credibility, i’ll point future customers to more agreeable options; Tia Pol, Mercat, Boqueria, etc.

An experience at Bar Carerra defines a few things for me:
1. Neighborhood feel
2. Tapas Bar
3. My 29^th birthday
After a cocktail and charcuterie plate across the street at The Blue Owl, we decided more food was in order and sauntered over to Bar Carrera. Even on a bustling Friday night, the hostess informed us that the wait was minimal (no more than 20 minutes) and we enjoyed a glass of Cava ($ 9) in the bar area to pass the time.
Behind the counter, we were dazzled by a whole leg of pig, suspended in a gleaming metal display apparatus; slices being carefully procured for salivating customers around the dining room. Salivating ourselves, we vowed to order whatever it was on the menu that involved that pig.
The hostess, Christina, who also came to be the only waitress, was the epitome of welcoming, efficient, down-​to-​earth and knowledgeable. She was helpful in explaining portion sizes and didn’t try to steer us toward ordering more food that necessary for two people. Her wine recommendation was fantastic, and she took the time to explain the choice, the varietal and the region, while bringing over a taste of a contrasting red for our comparison. Throughout our time at Bar Carrera, I was really impressed with how she handled the entire dining room without delay or rush, and knew just when to come over and when to leave us to our conversation.
As tapas should be, the plates were small bites and sharing is encouraged. We started with the jamon-​wrapped dates (four pieces total) and the pork belly (three pieces). Both plates were delicious and after devouring them, we went for the pig – slices of serrano ham, and a side of hot buttered baguette. Though I could have eaten half the leg myself, the few bites were satisfying in their salty, soft texture combined with the crunch of the warm bread.
The birthday part comes in about this time. After midnight passed and my 29^th year was official, Christina brought over an order of fresas, fresh strawberries and mascarpone atop mini brioche. There was even a candle. It was a wonderful way to start a birthday. And after the warm kindness of the hostess, delightful fare and relaxed ambiance, a return to Bar Carerra is inevitable.

This is a great tapas restaurant, but I certainly prefer the one near Washington Square Park. The atmosphere there is so much better.
Also, I was unlucky enough to try the Cucumber Sangria at this establishment. It was horrible. It was barely drinkable. Neither me nor my date could finish the caraffe.
I had to get the goat cheese just to get the taste out of my mouth. As always — the tapas were the highlight.

A fellow Unilocaler had recommended this as a good spot due to proximity to the movie theater we were planning to hit up. I didn’t like the lack of a menu online to peruse in advance, but decided eh it’s tapas — give it a whirl.
I didn’t like that the sangria was only available in the $ 15 carafe. Granted it didn’t last long once purchased but in arriving early, I was a little annoyed I couldn’t just get my own personal glass. Also, the three offered varieties didn’t just include your standard red or white, but were instead different variations. Variety, while good, should go along with the traditional. That’s just my $ 0.02.
Anyhow, the tapas were very good. Complaint would be that the ones served with bread were actually only accompanied with what could be more properly classed as a knotty roll. I thought they were a little skimpy there. C’mon it’s bread. How expensive is that?!?
The chorizo bocadillo was fantastic and I really did like the sangria with the strawberry purree. The cheese platter didn’t include (IMHO) enough cheese to warrant the $ 11 sticker.
Seating is limited so I’d recommend coming during the week versus a Friday evening, like yours truly. Cute place, though. Love Spanish tapas, so it’s hard to knock any place serving them up tooooooo badly.