Cafe Espanol

The Quick: Lackluster food but fantastic sangria and nice enough staff.
The Details: There’s not much more to say, I was with a group of five and none of us enjoyed the food. There was no real flavor, no kick, nothing overly Spanish or exciting about any of our meals. We all agreed the food was mediocre and we did not want to return.
The only saving grace is that the sangria was fantastic. We all got pretty drunk and still did not enjoy our meals… Sadly that is saying something. This restaurant is very convenient location for me however I have not returned and do not plan on it.
The Damage: I remember our disappointing meal been weirdly expensive, luckily the sangria cushioned the blow.

I’m a tapas fan and it’s a good choice to. have here in the bronx. I truly like this place. The happy hour has good prices and the girls are very attentive and pleasant. The tapas are substantial and the choices are great,
your a tapas enthusiast you pretty much know about authentic flavors,
the patatas bravas are my all time favorite of spanish cuisinetoday was on point,
.I love this place.

No. Just no. «Gambas al Ajillo» is not what you eat here. It’s completely off. I was in Madrid for one year and I know what I’m talking about.
Pulpo a la Gallega is good. Soft, fresh and lots of flavor.
Paella was mediocre. Tortilla was so-​so, too. Jamon was not impressive.
So in all I would not recommend this place. Spanish food is so much better than this.

Stopped in for a quick light dinner by myself. Had the Seafood salad & had a hard time figuring out if the Seafood crab was real… could have done without :/​sat by myself & was forgotten about. Granted I did sit in a far corner…
Wasn’t impressed.

Had dinner here last night and was not impressed.
8pm — the restaurant was literally empty with the exception of 3 other tables, two of which were singles dining alone. Our waiter was okay and very helpful with recommendations.
The food was not good.
We had:
Calamari — flavorless. It came with an aioli sauce that did not do much for the dish. Skip it.
Chicken Francese — hard and tough to slice. Not well seasoned and very heavy taste of unseasoned egg yolks
Yellow rice & beans — rice was as hard as the chicken. Beans were well cooked but also flavorless.
Stuffed seafood lobster and broccoli were both fantastic
The bread basket is just hero bread and Hotel Bar butter packets. Shameful.
The drinks were the saving grace here. The Long Island Iced Teas and Sangria both pack a subtle punch. I switched from red to passion fruit on my second drink (waiter’s recommendation) and it was absolutely disgusting. The mango version was a bit better but definitely stick to the red sangria.
Service was pleasant enough but I honestly wish the bussboy had been our waiter as he was such a sweetheart. He tied my bib on for me, bought out all of the little odds and ends we needed and even checked up on us — something our waiter did not do.
I see alot of reviews about this venue being listed on groupon and it doesn’t surprise me. Café Espanol does not seem to do much business.
Prices are pretty low but definitely not worth it.
Steer clear — there are much better options in the area.

Do not buy the Groupon «$ 39 for $ 116 worth of food for 5 tappas, 2 coffees and 2 desserts.» It’s a bait and switch scam. We were seated by the Maitre’D and given menus. When the waiter arrived and we gave him our Groupon before ordering, he took our menus and said we had to order from a special «Groupon menu.» The waiter actually called it the «Groupon menu.» We were shocked especially because the FAQs for the Groupon specifically said it was for the regular, full menu. He came back with a one page menu covered in plastic. At least both sides were written on, but the selections were stripped of all the «expensive» tappas items.
I got a sinking feeling that the portions were going to be extra small so we ordered 2 extra tappas that we knew we’d have to pay for. When the tappas started arriving I was right, the portions were tiny. Here’s a couple of examples: One of the tappas we ordered was stuffed mushrooms. There were 4. Only 4 and none larger than a dollar coin. Another tappas was a spicy shrimp dish. Tiny shrimp and only 6. They were popcorn shrimp size. The only tappas worth writing home about was the spinach and chickpeas. The portion was large and it was delicious. I’m Spanish and, besides the spinach dish, the food was just okay. I wasn’t overwhelmed thats for sure. If these were the same portions and quality as the regular menu, I’d say this place is a rip off on a daily basis, not just the Groupon.
Also, the prices came nowhere near $ 116 worth of food. The max value you can get from the special «Groupon menu» (5 tappas, 2 coffees and 2 desserts) is $ 75. I used the calculator on my smartphone to do the math on the most expensive items while I still had the «Groupon menu» in front of me.
Never again. The management/​owners are cheats. I’ve asked Groupon for a refund. Over 700 Groupons have been sold. I think this is ripe for the Attorney General to investigate or a Class Action lawsuit.

My friend had purchased a Groupon for Café Espanol so we decided to make a double-​date night out of it.
My boyfriend and I got there early but we were immediately seated and served water. Finally, when our friends arrived, we made a menu wishlist and all chose a tapas dish to try. Unfortunately, we were informed that the Groupon deal has a separate menu. Figures. Luckily, everything we wanted was still on the selective menu.
We shared:
White Sangria (more fruit juice than wine)
Almejas Rellenas (stuffed baked clams)
Gambas Pil Pil (sizzling hot shrimp in garlic and olive oil)
Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes with alioli & spicy brava sauce)
Champinones Rellenos (stuffed mushrooms)
Paella Marinera (seafood over saffron rice)
Churros Con Chocolate
Tiramisu
Everything was extremely bland. Even the patatas bravas, which I usually love, had a congealed cream taste to it. Just wasn’t right.
The service was pretty good, so I’m giving 3 stars. Based on the food alone, however, they would have gotten a 2.
Just not worth it.

Café Espanol at Carmine St. — not to be confused with another restaurant by the same same, Café Espanol at Bleecker St (closer to NYU campus). The two locations are actually NOT affiliated.
One of my friends bought a Groupon deal. $ 45 value. Choose 5 Tapas from their menu, 2 coffee/​tea, and 2 desserts. Price ranges from $ 7 — $ 12 per tapas plate. The tapas were embarrassingly small and tasted average at best. I’d definitely NOT come here for tapas.
The desserts were probably the redeeming part of the deal. We shared tiramisu and crème brûlée. The crème brûlée had a layer of liquor and the appeal was the waiter set the dish on flames. The spectacle lasted for about a minute. It was a bit more sweet and rich than most crème brûlées and liquor definitely made it more indulging. Tiramisu was delicious, too.

Went to dinner here last night at around 7:30pm. There was only two other couples in the restaurant. My boyfriend and I ordered one tapas and two entrees. The tapas came out quickly. The entrees? That was a different story.
The entrees took about 35 minutes to come out. Surprising for a place that was not even close to crowded. When the entrees came, it was super salty. I ordered lobster with my marascala and the lobster literally had three bites worth of meat. FAIL!
The service though was impeccable. At least that, right? I think our waiter knew we were waiting a long time because he kept pouring us our half pitcher of sangria.
Overall, what a disappointment. Maybe the other location is a lot more efficient? Who knows? Not me!