El Quijote Bar & Restaurant

Even after eating here for 25 years. It’s still damn good. Been too long in between visits. Shrimps in green sauce. Crispy chips. And the solid salad. Service is solid. Not super friendly. Just enough to do their job right. I do miss drinking a pitcher of their sangria all by myself. Save the calories for ice cream somewhere else. I hope it’s not another couple of years until to eat here again.

My experience with El Quijote was exceptional!
I was looking to throw a birthday party for my mother at a Spanish restaurant with certain key items on its menu — namely, Mariscada in Egg Sauce, Chicken Villaroy, and traditional seafood Paella. I recommend that you try each of those dishes — they are personal favorites that are particularly well prepared by El Quijote.
Everyone enjoyed their meal thoroughly. The portions were generous and the quality of the seafood, chicken, etc. were all excellent.
The gentleman with whom I arranged most of the details, including a banquet menu, for our surprise party with 21 guests was Claudio. Once the party surpassed 20 people we were not able to order a la carte, which was actually a great thing that streamlined ordering and included a starter salad or soup, followed by an entrée, and then dessert and coffee/​cappuccino/​tea. Their willingness to adjust the suggested banquet menu to include additional items (even if at minor additional charge when those entrees were ordered) was much appreciated.
Claudio and all of the staff were as accommodating and attentive as anyone could have hoped and helped to make the surprise aspect of the party go off perfectly. Our party was assembled in the room at the right, rear side of the restaurant, which the restaurant gave us exclusive use of for three hours.
The banquet package that we selected also included unlimited soda, sangria, wine, and select beers and the restaurant generously served all of these items, with bottles of wine and pitchers of sangria (red and white) set out in advance of our arrival and generously replenished.
I look forward to my next opportunity to dine at El Quijote.

Can’t imagine I’ve been coming here for over 20 years. The waiter, bartender and chef have been here forever. Food is delicious! We get the chorizo and garlic shrimp appetizer, the porterhouse steak with rice and beans for entrée, the caldo galego soup and red sangria every time. We always want to sit in the last booth, so we reserve in advance. They remember us and treat us like family. It’s very comforting that nothing has changed here, like visiting the past and reminiscing each time. Thank you El Quijoti for allowing us this pleasure.

Horrible Food !!! on Friday the 13^th — 630 pm
I went with 6 people = $ 400 plus tip … BIG dis·ap·point·ment !!
Everything is over priced… it is a tourist trap !
Also, we asked for food for a 4 year old child.
They gave him a huge platter of chicken fingers and fries, adult size.
We tried to send the fried plantains back to the kitchen and our waitress said «oh that is how they do it here»
This place is clueless, it is a joke!

A hidden gem from Spain, the proportions are big enough to share, seasoned just right, and well presented. The price is reasonable for the quality you get both in service and in the dishes.

I commend management on great customer service and attentiveness.
The restaurant has a very nice old school feel and relaxing atmosphere. Very rare these days do you see people put pride into their establishment and care about how they are portrayed.
Accommodating to large parties and if you ever have questions or issues don’t be shy… ask your waiter or the manager they are more than willing to make your experience a memorable one.

Amazing food and sangrias!!! Everything was good from the appetizer to the desert all the way down to the coffee very good place may need a little Decour update but who cares it’s so good.

I used to come here every year with my family when we lived in NY, and I would get the 1 ¼ pound broiled lobster. I went back after almost 20 years and I was so excited to see they still have the same lobster menu! Get it broiled, it’s the best.

I love El Quiote! This wonderful throw back to when dinning was full of hearty foods that included Soup or Salad in the price and waiters in suits, take me back to my childhood in California. The food is first rate Spanish, with all sorts of things to choose from. With a variety of Seafood, Poultry, Beef, be prepared to stuff yourself. These are large portions and can be shared. I took two friends that had never been before and they fell out. It was like walking into a different time and place. The full bar and the food was outstanding!

My husband introduced me to this place when we met in 2002. He was a regular diner for almost 30 years, but we can both tell the food quality had declined overtime.
Last Saturday evening, we ordered a Seafood Paella and we specifically requested NO sausage. When the food came out, it had sausage in it. We told the waiter and he was very apologetic, so we let it go…
After my husband finished his meal, I noticed there was blood in the chicken bone; the chicken was undercooked. Due to the poor lighting at this restaurant, we were unable to inspect the chicken before eating to see if the chicken was cooked properly. We called the waiter to bring it up to their attention. Again the waiter was very apologetic, but this time, we wanted to speak to the Manager.
The Waiter insisted that the Manager «said» he was sorry for what had happened… I asked the Waiter, why can’t the Manager come to the table?! –No reply– He just looked and stared at me.
During our conversation with the waiter, I saw the Manager walking around, I flagged him down to ask if he is the Manager. I explained to the Manager about the two incidents, he looked at me with a facial expression of «So what do you want me to do about it?!» look.
With no apologies, the Manager left and did not return to our table. He kept passing by our table and he never said a word.
The waiter was so kind to ask us if we wanted anything else to eat. I was not hungry nor am I asking for any refund. All I wanted was an apology from this rude Manager. The waiter handled the situation professionally and he insisted for us to order something else to go. I declined, but the waiter insisted to remedy the situation. My husband ordered the pork chops to go; and we left the restaurant afterwards.
The food at this restaurant was not good anymore and the Manager needs some Customer Service skills.
This restaurant may have been around for 80 years, but they have already lost their charm!
Go somewhere else! Bye El Quijote!

I had an absolute fantastic evening. I threw a surprise party for my father, 23 people. The food was delicious and the staff kind. We had a truly wonderful birthday celebration. Never has a restaurant accommodated my family with such kindness.
Thanks to the staff for such a great evening. I will be planning all my families birthday parties here!

A Spanish NYC dining establishment where great service, huge portions and traditional fare can be expected, this is a great spot for large groups. We enjoyed pitchers of sangria, lamb chops, lobster (complete with the obligatory plastic bib) and steaks and everything was basic but delicious. This is not a restaurant boasting contemporary cuisine; they offer up well-​prepared staples from a menu that wouldn’t have been out of place in the 70s. The nostalgia definitely added to the appeal for me! The staff definitely aims to please and easily accommodated our sometimes crazy beverage requests including a few rounds of shots.

This is an absolute gem in the heart of Chelsea in NYC. We sat at the bar and had a lovely casual dinner served by the bartender. Their authentic Spanish food was over the top delicious.
My absolute favourite dish was their Camarones en salsa verde and chorizo asado.
The ambiance of this joint is very warm and classic, it has a great buzz and you feel like you’ve been transported to another time to fully enjoy the entire experience of your dinner out.

I have eaten at El Quijote many times and still believe it is one of the best kept secrets for affordable lobster in NYC. Where else in NY can you get two Maine lobsters for under $ 40 and have a side and salad included? They also serve steak and paella which are both very good. I have yet to find a better place to have a fancy meal at such affordable prices.

I came here for a date last week Friday. The first impression was that the place had a romantic atmosphere to it due to the low lighting. The restaurant has very vintage décor, from the painting on the walls to the tables and chairs. The noise volume is low so holding a conversation with my date was no hostile. However when it comes to the food, the amount of food is what you expect from a family-​style restaurant. The portion is big! Definitely worth the price. My date and I ordered two appetizers and one entrée. We got the shrimp with garlic sauce ($ 14.95) and stuffed clams ($ 14.95). I enjoyed the shrimps, giving it 5 stars. The stuffed clams were okay, 3.5 stars. The portion for the appetizers were decent size split between two people. For the entrée, we ordered the whole baked red snapper ($ 29.95). It takes 45 minutes to cook. By the time we finished our appetizers, the fish was ready. The fish was big! Between my date and I, we were able to eat 80% of it. It was soo good! Perfectly cooked and tasty. The fish was topped with onions, peppers, and peas. It came with rice (2^nd option is potatoes) and salad (or soup). The salad comes with three different dressings. The whole meal was very good. I have no complains regarding the service. They were attentive and always refilling our glasses with water and soda. I believe there was a $ 7.50 surcharge for sharing one entrée. My date paid for the meal so I can’t confirm if this is true. I heard the waitress saying it would be $ 7.50 extra when we ordered the fish. All in all, it’s a great place for a date or a family outing.

You know this place is good. Every time I go there are at least 2 people having their birthday dinner there. And if it’s your birthday you get to go to wherever you want, and that seems to be this place!
The place is filled with history. It’s in the Chelsea Hotel. It looks real gangster. The food is consistently great. Even sitting at the bar at happy hour. Staff and patrons are friendly. I’ve been coming here for over 20 years and have never been disappointed. It’s old school New York, so it’s no hipster, on the scene stuff, just bare knuckle, 1960’s chic eating. It’s the place if you love garlic. Good sized portions. You will not be hungry when you leave. Good sized drinks. You will not be sober if you have a few. Definitely a spot to see if you’re visiting. You should have to have eaten here at least once to be considered a New Yorker. Enjoy!

LOVE LOVE LOVE
You feel like to stepped back into a shady jazz bar in the 70’s when you 1^st walk in
The food is amazing and huge portions,
the steak bites were so good
the cava sangria was so good
the wait staff was nice
had the lobster and it was very good, was with a big group so I tried a lot of different things and all good!
love this place and would come back even for a drink

I absolutely love this place. The prices aren’t bad for the food you receive. The portions can feed anyone of any sized appetite, the paella can feed two so don’t bother making two orders instead order a extra side of shrimp or clams .
I’ve ate here four times and three out of four were ⁵⁄₅ the one visit I don’t rate a 5 I ordered chicken El Quiojte and I just didn’t like the texture, it reminded me of pollo guisado which I’m not s big fan of. I’ve had salmon from here and it was great, stuffed shrimp great baked clams great and the drinks are great. The lighting is dim and romantic and the staff is super friendly. I would recommend this place to anyone

Another check off my bookmark list and once again my fellow Unilocalers did not disappoint me im glad to say!!! A friend and I decided to meet up and come here fiving me the choice to pick the place. I arrived first and on time which is shocking. The place qasbt that busy probaly because it was a tuesday and we were promptly seated.
We skipped the appetizers and went straight for the entrees and ordered a pitcher of sangria which wasnt strong at all (hence the 4 instead of 5 stars) that was disappointing. I ordered the surf and turf cooked medium and my friend ordered the el quijote combination which i should have ordered. His meal came with a lobster tail, grilled shrimp, a stuffed fried chicken and a filet mignon which he subsituted out because hes hindu for more shrimp. He loved the chicken the most. My order was a HUGE chunk of filet mignon and a lobster tail which was perfectly cooked and seasoned and oh so ever juicy!
Despite the weak sangria (go for the wine or cocktail instead) i really loved this place and cant wait to go back again!

My friend and I went in around 4:30 during the week just for some Sangria which was very good. Very romantic and quiet. We sat right at the bar and we enjoyed every minute of it. My friend and I were starving but only ordered Sangria because were meeting someone else for dinner afterwards. The bartender was a sweetheart!!! Ordered fresh chips for us (like… Seriously freshly made, warm potatoes from the kitchen)!! Then he gave us some warm chicken that he had up in the bar in some buffet style server. Boy was that chicken tasty! It was like a small tapas! I can’t wait to go back just because he was so very cool and the chips, chicken and Sangria were amazing!
I should add that a few guys were also at the bar eating and seemed to really enjoy their Pina Coladas.

Cuisine espagnole.
Large carte: tapas de 7 à 14 $ très copieux, poissons fruits de mer viandes et volailles de 14.95 à 33.95 $. A découvrir: Madrid-​New york boiled whole lobster and sirloin steak à 29.95 $ un régal!(homard entier servi avec un steak à déguster en même temps!) légumes à part servis dans un grand plat pour chacun! Prime steak Quijote (40oz) à 29.95 $ un rôti à vous seul! Le tout dans un cadre typique espagnol et une multitude de figurines et poupées de Don Quijote.
Bar à cocktails avant de passer à table.

Le nom né peut tromper personne, ici la cuisine est espagnole !
En entrant, dites bonjour à Cervantes, et découvrez un décor espagnol typique. Des tapas viandes & poissons excellentes mais également des plats succulents.
Très bonne ambiance