Cafe Andalucia

This place is now Dolan’s and IT is closed.

Stumbled upon this gem in January. Had a blast with my mom sharing a pitcher of Sangria. The recommendations were spot on. Great tapas. Slow service, but worth the wait. Returning this week on my semi annual trek to NY.

nice spot for a quick american bite!

Don’t let the unassuming diner atmosphere fool you. This is a fun, tapas place. Took wait staff suggestions and they were excellent.

I went here because of the proximity to the hotel I was staying. Not much in the way of table seating so I decided to eat at the bar. I wanted paella but they only had one that was «serves two» but I went and ordered it anyway. Took ½ hour to get, supposedly because the rice is «made to order». Well, it sure did have a lot of rice, but not much seafood. Next time I will walk a bit further and go to a better place.
A word of warning — they only take cash! I was alone so this wasn’t a big problem, but it would have a been a disturbing surprise if I was with a larger party.

I walked into this joint, expecting to see some friends who weren’t there yet. So, I went to use the restroom. The bartender protested, «The restroom is for customers only!» «I’m a customer,» «Well then, order something». What attitude. «Okay, a Corona». When I came back to the bar, she apologized. «It’s just that people come in here and just use the bathroom and then we have to clean the bathroom. I don’t have a problem cleaning the bathroom, but I don’t want to feel like I’m cleaning for non-​customers,» etc. Talk about long-​winded. I wanted to order a sandwich but they didn’t have sandwiches, «ignore that section». I ordered Spanish sausage, which was expensive given the size of the plate. The dish was tasty. I ordered a small pitcher of sangria, which wasn’t bad. The main reason for choosing this place was the promise of watching flamenco dancers. They came eventually. The joke was where they were going to dance since the place is small and narrow. The dancers came, got ready and took turns dancing on the wooden board they put down. There were three dancers and a guitarist. Flamenco is intimate, passionate and rhythmic. The dancers and musician were friendly. They spoke Spanish, though none were actually from Spain. One was originally from Germany, another Argentina, the other two were US-​born. But they were certainly Spanish at heart and were cosmopolitan by nature. They danced, sang, and got lost in Flamenco. The performing artists stayed there before closing, even as most of the customers had left, reasoning that they had to work the next day. The owner of Café Andalucía, a native of Argentina, joined in the singing. The busy bartender put on some Egyptian music and showed off some of her moves. Earlier in the evening, a group of hipster girls danced enthusiastically to the jukebox. What Café Andalucía lacks in space, it makes up in spirit. (Note this place is cash only. Another customer had to walk to an ATM.)

I think the key here is to manage expectations. Skip the tapas, order the Spanish rice and shrimp or sausage and you are golden. It takes twenty minutes because they have to wake grandma upstairs. (This is just a theory, mind you.) Super nice waitress if you want to discuss DWTS on a random Monday night, and pretty good tempranillo.

Probably the worst place I have been in a long time. Very rude service and absolutely appalling food. I am a vegetarian. Or at least I was at the time we went there.
NYMag claimed it was a hidden germ. Or something to that effect. We went there on a Saturday night. It was not very busy despite the 8pm reservation. The veggie options were limited — and for the uninitiated, I maybe a vegetarian but that does not mean I am a cow. A plate full of lettuce and two croutons does not qualify as a main course. In any culture. The rest of the group claimed the meat was good. It looked average to me; definitely not the kind that would make me make the switch. That would have been the burger in Extra virgin a few months down the line. Best burger ever.
Whereas this meal, one of the worse. To be honest, I had better meals in a school cafeteria.

I haven’t eaten here but I have had lots of drinks here. Worth going just for the artwork on the wall. You’ll know what I mean when you see it. Towards the front door. Man with a boner and boobs…

I figured a dumpy looking joint sitting catty corner from the butt end of Port Authority on the seediest strip of Hells Kitchen that can pack in a 10pm crowd might just be a diamond in the rough, but Café Andaluca is a zirconium in a trough.
The apartment-​sized air conditioner was not up to its task, nor was the amateur bartender. It was uncomfortably stuffy and I spent almost 10 minutes perched on my stool before being acknowledged. And like the clime, my beer wasn’t cold enough.
I thought the basket he plopped down with my food was garlic bread but it was stale bread unsuccessfully disguised by a quick toasting.
Tapa #1 was described as Serrano ham, Manchego cheese and olives. The ham was okay but it was not the silken, acorn-​fattened delicacy I know to be Serrano, the cheese as bland as convenience store provolone, and, in the most egregious culinary atrocity in recent memory, making the toasted-​on-​one-​side-​two-​day-​old bread seen like haute cuisine, the green olives were of the wan, machine-​pitted variety sold in industrial size cans and normally reserved for Midwestern pizzeria salads or military messes. The entire plate was drenched in and dominated by Blimpie quality red wine vinegar and olive oil about as virgin as (place favorite celebrity slut’s name here).
I ruminated (get it? Ruminate can mean to ponder or to chew. How freakin’ clever am I?) wistfully of the Greek grocery a block down with its tangy spectrum of olives bursting from their briny bins – ah, the true food of the Gods, not this agro-​industrial desgracia. And of the cheese store a five minute walk down 9^th Av, still open at that moment, with probably five or six types of complex, earthy, hauntingly piquant Manshegos and contemporary loaves from both Sullivan Street and Tom Cat bakeries.
The shrimp and garlic sauce at least had flavor, but the 4 undersized shrimp – a rip-​off of a portion – were chewy and stringy.
I finished my beer and clanked down the empty bottle just as the do-​ragged bartender – a man with no discernible personality or skill set– brought my second dish. He didn’t notice and I didn’t care anymore.
The production of Serrano ham and Manchego cheese are controlled and protected by a Denominación de Origen issued by the European Union. For Manchego, it ensures the exclusive use of milk only from the Manchega sheep and dictates a two month minimum aging period in natural caves. I do not believe the cheese they pass off as Manchego is authentic and hereby call bullshit.

Let me tell you folks… I came into NYC traveling alone and was looking for a place to eat after watching the firework show on the 4^th of July. I stumbled upon Café Andalucia and it was like walking in a rustic Spanish tapas bar. Will, the Bartender, was the coolest! The food and drinks were great… definitely go for the Sangria. The digital jukebox was awesome too.

Generally, tapas are pretty expensive. But some tapas bars have happy hour specials, like 2-​for-​1 tapas, or whatever. This place didn’t have that. The tapas were small, but big enough to share, and they were pretty good. We got a bunch: the chicken tenders, octopus, shrimp, menchango cheese, etc. We also got a lot to drink because they had an all-​day happy hour. My beer, though, wasn’t part of it. A small pitcher of sangria, which is enough for like 2 – 3 cups was $ 10 and margaritas were $ 5. There was also live jazz music and that was cool. Unfortunately, the bar was pretty empty for most of the night, so that would probably explain why the bartenders were really cool and very attentive to us. But they seemed cool any way, whether it’d be crowded or not.

I organized this month’s office happy hour here. Normally the deals extend only briefly until 6, but they agreed to extend it until 7 for our group. The drink specials are definitely what make this place worth going to after work. Yuengling is $ 2.50, well drinks are $ 4, mojitos $ 6, and half pitchers of a pretty decent sangria are $ 10 and serve about 3 glasses. They took the time to muddle the fruit for the sangria. The bartender chick with really long hair was sweet and Guillermo and his friend were also fun to chat with. The tapas menu is a little pricey for the portions. I shared a $ 10 shrimp in green sauce which came with a few pieces of nice garlic bread. Though there weren’t enough shrimp, they were surprisingly fresh and in a very tasty garlicy sauce. I think to get good service here you need to chat it up with the staff. They might not realize they are a dive, but its loveable if you embrace it for the divey tapas bar that it is.

While many of us hate to give low reviews, I also hate to give low reviews for improper service. This is especially true when a person SEEMED like they were trying to give me good service.
I went here with Leslie O. and another friend while waiting for the TAGINE Unilocal event to begin.
I wanted a salad (which is only because I ate like a pig all day and wanted to balance myself LOL), and specified no onions and no dressing. The girls ordered some other stuff.
The waitress was kind enough to warn us that a movie had just wrapped and the entire staff from that movie (they were already hanging around) were first in line to eat. We appreciated that wait and were patient.
She then asked if we’d like drinks, and when we didnt, that was met with a snotty look in the eye (that most wouldnt notice cuz it happened so fast, but i did cuz im an asshole, too).
Next, the wait turned out to be longer than expected, but we dealt with it (gotta be understanding, cuz the place was rammed). However, the blow came when the bastards covered my freakin’ salad in vinegar (despite my saying I want nothing on it). They got the onions right, but it was completely inedible.
The girls got their meal and they seemed to enjoy it. I didnt touch my food at all and pushed it aside. The waitress walked by us at least seven times and never asked why I didnt touch my salad. I did that on purpose. I could have just bitched right away like I normally would, but I knew the c-​nt would not even acknowledge it openly.
Okay, so now for the bill. We get our bill and the numbers seem a bit off. I ask her why, and she states that items on the menu go up by $ 1 in price after a certain time. This was not told to us in the beginning, nor was it readily apparent on the menu.
If not for the Unilocal event waiting for us, I’d have reamed her a new one. My friends felt the same way.
Thank god for great Unilocal events to soothe the savage beast.

Well to start off the tapas are great and affordable. I’ll give some recommendations for some reference.
If you like chicken) The chicken in rice or the chicken portobello are great
If you like seafood) The paella, Seafood soup, mussels in garlic, or shrimp in garlic are great.
Steaks are the best especially the Skirt Steak w/​Fries
The Serrano for two is a good combo for a date and friends
There are a lot of things that are great here. They are affordable and have flavor.
There’s even an internet jukebox for free wi fi and almost any kind of music you can think of.
And the drinks are refreshing. White or Red Sangria by the pitcher are always some of my good selections.
I’ve only been here a couple of times but I always stop by for something to eat when I’m with friends or on a date
Whenever you’re in town stop by and try it for yourself

Really terrible. This «Spanish» bar is right next to Port Authority, and it certainly continues the theme of «depressing and avoidable at all costs». The smell when you walk in is a mix of bleach and stale bar. It looks like they clean it once a month. I’m all for dive bars, but this place is way over priced for what it is. The small plates are expensive and mediocre at best. (The clams tasted like low tide, bread was the worst I’ve had since my high school cafeteria.) The friend who chose this place for our get together had just gotten back from Spain and wanted a little reminder… she was visibly upset with the food and the atmosphere. New York Magazine inexplicably has this place on it’s Critic’s Picks… don’t get it. At all.

wow… today I experienced the worse steak I’ve ever had in my life and one of the best steaks I’ve EVER had in my life. Right across the street from each other. yeah this place should recieve one less star for its image — but hey isn’t about the service and the food!
maybe because all of the negative reviews of this place are men, that says something ;) Maybe we ladddies get treated nicer? lol
alright. This place in regards of decoration, isn’t that fancy or even interesting. I dont care who owns it, what happening there, if fights occur WHATEVER
I am in love with Café Andalucia. Let’s just say the Steaks with Fries (16 bucks — compared to the 22 at the «nicer» spanish place up the street) was SO MOUTH WATERING that I literally, literally did NOT drink water so I could keep the taste in my mouth.
Doesn’t that say something? like [italicize this] something.
Today I ate at across the street at «bus stop shop: cough bulls***: coffee stop» this was for breakfast, I literally gagged at the steak they gave me and I could have thrown it against the wall and no juices or anything would have came out. Tonight I decided to try the place across the street.
To be honest, I walked into this little hole one night, and walked back out an the owner asked me whyyyy and it seemed he was pleading with me. Me and my girl bounced right out of there… Today I decided to order some take out and all I could think about was how good this steak would have been actually eating there and drinking wine with it.
Guys, I’m serious. …
Anyway, my partner in crime ordered the chicken thing at the bottom of the tapas menu and omg it was SO JUICY as well. It came with an entire little loaf of bread… I was shocked…
the end.
ok p. s. im munching the last piece of steak now. i love it… I will be going back… if anyone wants to go on a date please take me to this «hole in the wall»! I love it!!!

Good joint near the port authority and abortion of a neodive bar SIberia. Reasonably priced, good for drinking and eating. Strangely enough one of the best items on the menu is the burger. Not a place for fine dining or exotic food, but a good place for relatively inexpensive food and drinks. Actually got into a brawl in this place, but it’s not really that kind of place– just a random, stupid situation. After some yelling and shoving, my opponent got a good hit in on me, due to my drunkeness and being distracted, before people stepped in to separate us. To her credit, the bartender saw the other guy as the aggressor, did not eject me from the bar, but instead offered me a free shot of Patron! In fact, on second thought perhaps I should give it 4 stars on that basis alone.

oh no! I’m saddened by the negative review. yes, this place is run down looking, but it’s also a total hole-​in-​the wall, family run/​owned, locals type of a place. don’t come here to impress a date, unless he/​she can equally appreciate a true hole-​in-​the wall. My co-​worker who’s lived in the neighborhood forever took me here, I’ve come here for a drink by myself, and I’ve even come here to borrow stuff for a last-​minute birthday party for the boss! Every time, I’ve been warmly met by either the owner, Guillermo, or his son (ponytail). Welcomed like family, and when I stopped in to try and buy some martini glasses after unsuccessfully trolling 9^th ave, Guillermo apologetically said he could not sell them, but instead lent me glasses, a shaker, a bag of ice, a bottle of vermouth, and asked if i needed him to show me how to make a proper martini. During my first visit here, they even offered to let me use the internet to settle a heated bet.
I haven’t had the food here, but while waiting for the glasses et al., I watched other people getting served, and my mouth still waters at the memory. Will update this review once that perfect chilly evening calls for some tapas comfort food.
So, come here if you’re in the mood for something low-​key, casual, and familial, but if you’ve got any sort of higher expectations, keep walking :)

I went to Café Andalucia a few days ago and was very much disappointed. First of all the place locks rather run down, which by it self should have been a big warning sign for me. But since I was in the mood for tapas, a kind of tired and didn’t feel like looking around much longer for another tapa bar, I decided to try my luck.
I first ordered half a pitcher of sangria which the bartender made by filling a small plastic pitcher with ice cubes, cheap looking red wine from a 2 liter bottle and some slices of apples & oranges. The half pitcher came at $ 14, which is way overpriced considering how and from what it was made. Since I was quite hungry, I had a look at their tapa menu and ordered calabrese ($ 7) and sliced spanish sausage ($ 10).
The calabrese was some what okay, but the fact they used cheap, regular vinegar instead of balsamic one (or something along these lines), downgraded the taste quite a bit. The spanish sausage tapa was cocked in greasy oil and tasted terrible to the extend that I was not able to eat more than two bites. I requested to talk to the cook who turned out to be the owner of the place. He was somewhat angry and told me everything was made from fresh ingredients and therefore I shouldn’t have any problems with the food. I asked him if it would be possible to get some other tapa instead of the spanish sausage, but he just got even more angry and refused to take the tapa back. Since he didn’t offer me the option to get something else, I had little choice other than paying the bill and leave the place.
You should definitely steer clear of Café Andalucia unless you are looking for the worst tapa bar in the city. I truly hope this place goes out of business rather soon.