Plan B

I do not understand the bad reviews on here. This place was SO good. The service was so great and the food was delicious. The tuna ceviche may be one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten. The vegetable paella was delicious and not too salty. The menu has a large variety of tapas and larger dishes.
We used a Gilt offer, and therefore had a slightly slimmed down menu to choose from. I have a gluten allergy and I don’t eat meat (I do eat fish though) and realized that I would not be able to eat quite a few things on the Gilt menu; however, the server, manager, and executive chef were all super helpful and accommodating and made sure that I was able to order things I could eat. I have never felt so taken care of by a restaurant!
I will definitely be returning.

A few friends and I dropped by Plan B on an early Sunday evening, looking forward to taking advantage of their (weekend-​approved) happy hour. Well-​priced glasses of sangria aside, I was curious as to how this Nolita tapas bar would execute in the realm of the Basque and Barcelona-​influenced menu. The executive chef, Roberto Hanechak, began his culinary studies in Spain before working in the kitchens at Nobu and Bouley. Things looked even more promising once I stepped inside, where I was greeted by urban graffiti-​inspired painting behind the bar, high ceilings sporting a few chandeliers, and a brown leather banquette backed with horsehide.
We were seated at a table towards the back of the restaurant and as one of my friends had been here several times before, we relinquished the ordering of tapas to her. The first dish to arrive was the Brussels Sprouts, which were lightly caramelized and served with chili oil and grated manchego. I would have preferred a stronger char and a touch more seasoning, but the melted manchego on top was a nice touch. This was followed by the Fideua, which was accompanied by a squid ink aoili. The flavor in the fideua was surprisingly intense, as the fish stock came through in the vermicelli, and was highlighted even more with the addition of octopus and calamari. It was surprisingly well-​balanced despite the amount of seafood utilized in the dish, although I found the squid ink to be an unnecessary side.
The Asparagus, a seemingly simple dish, were neatly grilled and complemented by a creamy romesco sauce and a hint of lime zest for a touch of acid. The Mushrooms, a mix of seasonal and wild, were served in a small cocotte and had just enough flavor when seasoned with sea salt and thyme — a testament to the strengths of simplicity in food. And because bread is a necessity at any tapas bar, an order of the Ham & Tomato Bread, a board of pan con tomate with a few cuts of Serrano ham, was ordered, although there wasn’t anything particularly memorable about it. For the daring, the Bull Testicles (braised, and served with nora pepper cream and caramelized onions) can be ordered as well, although the bite I had was too rubbery and tasteless to warrant additional ones. To finish, an order of the dessert special, a coffee liquor-​infused Flan, was shared, although the thin, crème brûléed crust on top was probably the best component of the dish.
Plan B’s motto is as follows: «Sometimes, what we need is a Plan B.» It’s a fitting statement, given the fact that the tapas served here won’t leave a mark, for better or for worse. Most of the dishes we tried played it safe in flavors and in the ingredients utilized, and perhaps sometimes, that’s not a bad thing.

Not usually much of a Unilocal reviewer (but a big user) unless I feel super compelled to for very good or very bad reasons! this review is for great reasons!
The place is on a great street, with awesome décor (as previously mentioned) but it was the service and food that stood out the most. we kind of went to town and had the tuna crostini, pigs trotter, octopus, shrimp, Scallops, Stuffed Red Pepper and a few other things as well as the chocolate moose based dessert. All were exquisite although highlights were the shrimp and scallops (as well as the dessert)
However, the even bigger highlight had to be the service. super friendly and welcoming and went out of their way to make you want to ‘make it your second home”. I am guessing this might be where the name came from?!
worth a visit

I’d give it a 2.5 stars but more towards 2 stars because I feel like their food is not worth the price.
Their tapas didn’t really vary so my friends and I took more than 10 minutes trying to choose 3 dishes.
Goat cheese croquettes were good and tuna was pretty good too but the squid ink paella was so salty that we had to get a basket of bread but it was still salty as hell. Their tapas were much better than the dish. So… their paella basically brought their rating down to 2.
Good service though.
Our waitress recommended a few dishes and was very friendly. She also apologied when we told her after the meal that the paella was salty.
I wouldn’t go back there because of the food they have is limited and. it’s just not worth going back.

I highly recommend Plan B, if you enjoy seafood that is. I had fresh oysters, which were delicious. Did I say fresh because it was as if they were just picked out the ocean. The salmon ceviche is a must have, the chef definitely knows how to work it’s magic with this place. It marinated to it perfection, in my opinion of course.
The red sangria, wow. It’s a very refreshing drink and the strawberries make it an even more delightful drink.
Great customer service as well. Definitely going back.

3.5 — The duchess Dana F introduced me to this place! Gorgeous space. High ceilings, mood lighting, guitarist as entertainment. Plan B is a great place for groups. Not sure why they’re called Plan B, but ok. The tapas menu, as they say, is also really different. You can up the traditional patatas bravas (well, they do have that) and sherry chorizo with braised bull testes (yes– for those adventurous into the Spanish delicacy), python sausage, morcilla (blood sausage), and frog legs… interesting for sure. Not really my thing.
We sampled bites of the fideua (I had just been to La Vara which I thought was better), mushrooms with bread (very tasty– in black cast iron), ham with tomato bread (also very good– great jamon), brussel sprouts (great manchego, a little oily, I prefer mine more charred but I get that’s not how they prep it here), thin asparagus with a nice romesco. We had their special flan for dessert, which had a nice touch of coffee liquor (I think), coffee ice cream and a crème bruleed top (I’m personally a fan of that– makes it better than plain olé’ flan).
I would need to come back to try other dishes (like the marinated manchego, yum). The staff was super nice, and they do a great happy hour around 6ish everyday… as such, I tried their house red sangria which was delicious. Potent and not overly sweet.
$ 30 per person for our party of 5. We made a reservation and got a great community ish table; even on a Sunday early evening the place was at capacity so be sure to call ahead.

THIS PLACE DOES NOT OFFER COOKING CLASSES!
it offers a quick demo on how to cut an onion; champagne and cheese to snack on; and then takes u to the kitchen to WATCH the chef cook.
Which is good if u have nothing better to do on a weekend and have lazy friends to bring.
The only reason I’m giving this place 2 stars instead of 1 is because the chef is very very professional and pleasant.
The manager, Francis, is not. He’s more of a car salesman. There were ‘gift’ bags after the class which only contained cards/​advertisements for the restaurant … and CONDOMS. W.T.F…
If yr going to say ‘hey thanks for coming to our excuse for a cooking class’ put some candy/​cheese/​tiny bottle of liquor in the gift bag. Not ads and condoms.
On a side note, if you’re reading this and can recommend a good nyc cooking class, plz msg me. :)

I guess I’ll come here if buddies wanna go, but no way am i going back. Well, perhaps I’ll head back for a drink or two.
The food is very pricey for its quality. Perhaps I’m paying for the décor?
I came twice, on the beckonings from others, and never left impressed. The food is average, at best: completely forgettable, completely underwhelming. The tapas menu offers alluring if not provocative options like bull testicles, sneak meat, rabbit meat and so forth. Unfortunately, every single option’s outcome resulted to no where near as intriguing as what your eyes imagine on the menu.
Apparently there are cooking lessons offered on weekend mornings. I haven’t tried it, but it sounds cool.
Otherwise, meh.

Plan B is more like a solid 3.5 — as others have mentioned, the restaurant is decorated elaborately if not a bit overdone. The bench seating is upholstered with cow fur, some of the high ceilings are made out of corks and the walls have photos and quotes printed on. We came on a Saturday for a mid afternoon snack and lo and behold, they were doing a great happy hour deal! Dollar oysters, 3 tapas for $ 20 and a pitcher of sangria for $ 20 — you can’t find deals like this often in Lower Manhattan, people. The sangria was nice and refreshing. We ordered the marinated manchego cheese, Serrano ham and tomato bread, chorizo and boquerones. The marinated manchego was really just big chunks of cheese in olive oil. I never had tomato bread before but it was nice and simple, and nicely paired with a big pile of Serrano ham and a bowl of tiny olives. The chorizo was okay, served with lightly roasted garlic cloves that added nice texture to the little dish. The boquerones were the most unique to me, fishy tuna aioli spread onto pieces of bread and topped with an anchovy and olive. The fish on fish flavors did actually work, making it was flavorful and interesting. We also ordered a Catalan crème brulee which was really just super creamy crème brulee, almost like a pudding. Good but nothing outstanding,

The décor is just GORGEOUS. Super high ceiling, dim lighting, but with a woodsy/​colorful/​vibrant feel. Our server was great. In fact, everyone was super friendly and attentive — it almost felt like they had a pep talk prior to opening for dinner…“yay…stellar service!”
I was a bit concerned about the mixed reviews on Unilocal,but just needed to try a new tapas place with a more date friendly atmosphere. Maybe I got them on a good day, but everything from front of the house to the food was more than satisfactory. My bf and I were celebrating date night and left really happy and full.
*THEY HAVE HAPPY HOUR DAILY FROM 4 – 7, btw. =D
What we ordered:
1. Fried Oysters: good! Panko-​crust texture with a nice creamy sauce.
2. Raw Oysters: standard
3. Shrimp heads: It’s really just shrimp heads with no meat, but it makes such a delicious sauce with whatever the chef puts with it. Slurp, suck and dip the toast in it! A bit on the spicy side, so beware if you can’t handle your heat.
4. Eggplant Fritters: very good. Not overly fried, but nice and crispy. The honey can be overpowering, so just use a little of it.
5. Octopus: very good. Very tender yet toasty.
6. Rabbit meatballs: this was my least favorite. Actually, I didn’t like it at all. Made medium-​medium rare, it was a bit too gamey and the texture felt too raw. Bleh.
7. Sea Scallops: this is by far my FAVORITE of the night. It was so well made: scallops were perfectly grilled with a savory sweet caramelized layer, paired perfectly with these little dried sweet pieces of figs and placed over a layer of this wonderfully spiced tomato sauce. MMM!
Def worth a 2^nd visit.
**Like another Unilocaler mentioned before, who names an establishment where one eats and drinks after a form of birth control… or is 2^nd choice? Horrible idea!

My husband and I made a reservation for this evening on Opentable. The restaurant offers 1000 point seatings pretty much nightly. The 1000 pt options are an awesome way to gather up Opentable points quickly!
We arrived and were seated right away. The atmosphere was laid back and very fun. The waitress came right away with water and was helpful and pleasant throughout.
In terms of drink, we both ordered a glass of wine. Glasses were decently priced at about $ 11/​glass.
A good number of tapas to order is about 5 total for two people. Plates seem to be served with 3 portions each…3 scallops, 3 pieces of cheese, etc. The presentation is tasteful but some of the dishes we got seemed to be lacking in flavor/​complexity, like the chorizo and wild boar sliders. The cheese plate and the croquettes were delicious, as were the scallops.
Overall a fun place to eat, especially if you score a 1,000 point table!

This place gives me very mixed feelings. I want to like it. Very interesting Barcelona inspired décor. It’s a nice room for sure. Real candles, not those stupid flicker lights, really makes a difference. Nice soundtrack.
Attractive and attentive staff. Owner seems accessible.
I wasn’t drinking tonight but the cocktail and wine lust looked amazing. The bar is stocked with everything needed for great drinks.
So décor, music, ambiance, and drinks are all great.
But I’m not sure the food keeps pace.
The paella is more of a pilaf, or a fried rice. Not authentic. But the chorizo in it was tasty… The Brussels sprouts were a bit mushy and not crispy carmelly like they should have been. Fried oysters, meh. Not-​toasted bread was lame.
The place feels like a new restaurant from a first time restauranteur trying to find his way. He gets the look and design, but isn’t a foodie. They know how to buy good ingredients, but they don’t really know how to prepare them.
That said, the food isn’t bad. I cleared all four of my plates. So try it. Maybe you’ll feel differently.
Oh and one last thing. The name is terrible. Plan B? Morning after pill and second favorite. Not good branding. They need to hire some seasoned pros to whip this promising property into shape.

The positives:
— awesome atmosphere and décor. The the perfect dinner in NYC feel to it
— go here for drinks or if your not very hungry.
— great service
— supper clean
The cons:
— the menu was lacking and unexciting for a tapas place. You won’t get to experiment with many fun dishes.
— portions were supper small, even for a tapas place.
— taste was only decent.
Overall it’s a three because the food was only ok, tapas selection was lacking, and so it’s not a great place for dinner. However, it’s in an awesome area of NYC to do a lot of shopping and then meet up with friends or family for a drink and a fun evening. Just don’t let food be the priority.

We walked in on a Saturday evening after wandering around Nolita and not really knowing where to go we ended up here. They had a happy hour special with oysters ‘basque style’ which had sherry vinegar and chorizo. I thought it was okay-​I like oysters plain and the extra add-​ons made it a little harder to eat.
Drink-​wise I got the cider which was a little pricey at $ 12 bucks but it was a huge bottle that I drank by myself since the lady was drinking wine and thought the cider was too sour. After nursing the drinks a little more I got hungry again and got the rabbit meatballs.
They were okay, not game-​y but without much flavor.
Service-​wise, it was pretty eh. From being seated in the back where a staff member was eating her shift meal to waiting for our server to notice us, it was a little off.

Arrived here on a weekday night in time for the last of the Happy Hour specials. For it, we managed to get regularly shucked oysters, «special» shucked oysters and oyster shooters. Apart from the specially shucked oysters (I found the additions to it overwhelmed the subtle tastes of the oyster itself. They were oily, and the oil lingered in my mouth long after), the other two oyster styles were pleasant.
As for the non-​Happy Hour dishes we got: green paella and the chorizo, they weren’t impressive, portions were small for its price. The paella was a little dry and resembled a pesto flavour. The chorizo was salty.
This place had a nice ambience, but I wouldn’t be enticed to come back for its food.

M-​F during lunch all you can drink Belinis for just $ 25!!! Need I say more? I love this place. Haven’t been here for dinner yet, but I definitely will.
Came here for lunch with a bunch of colleagues and fell in love with the place. Great décor, great food, very friendly staff. You absolutely have to try the steak and eggs dish. Its on the brunch menu, but they serve brunch all week long. Odd, I know, but just roll with it.
The steak and eggs dish was so good I came back two days in a row to have it. It’s divine. This place also has some great red wines. Also, the rib sandwich is very good.
I highly recommend Plan B for lunch! More about dinner, soon…

Funky décor and delicious tapas. I popped in at a random time on an early evening on a Saturday, and it wasn’t too packed.
I enjoyed their happy hour and specifically the half-​dozen basque oysters (yum!). My glass of Malbec was perfect. I love, love, loved the quail. The short ribs and rabbit meatballs with roasted potatoes were also equally delicious.
Welcoming and attentive staff.

I have eaten at this place a few times already and I must say it takes tapas to an entirely new level. I’m officially a fan.
PROS:
Everything was delicious, I think the chicken was my favorite so far. But I even tried the python sausage which was definitely unique and tasty. Specialty drinks are great too, I wish I remembered the name of my favorite one. Either way I wasn’t disappointed so far with anything I had. Service was excellent. Food came out fast and waitress was very polite.
Cons:
None that I can think of as of right now.
I’d recommend it

Hmm really split minded on Plan B
One side of me really likes this chic yet unpretentious Basque style tapa place. The huge flamenco dancer mural defines the bar area. The couches, under the 2-​story high lofty ceiling with occasional exposed bricks, are accentuated with faux animal skins. The restaurant definitely did a GREAT job in choosing their service staff, who live and breath the unpretentious yet sophisticated ambiance
The other side of me… however… Was not thrilled by the food ughhh. So here is the run down:
***BONE MARROW*** the highly anticipated dish before we came that night, only to find out it was sold out (so hopefully a good sign it is good?)
*** TESTICLES***!
Also sold out… bummer
*** PYTHON SAUSAGE*** !! (3)
Finally a wild dish that was still available for the curious minds. However… The sautéed veggies were much more impressive than the dry tube of meat… sorry python, apparently you won’t be my tummy’s best friend
**** Green Paella*****
Solid! no complaints
***** Scallop**** (5)
Last but not the least, this dish was the highlight of the night. The outside was well crusted and cooked to have a crispy yet not-​greasy finish. The inside was still preserved with the juicy texture.
*****Boozes*****
The owner was thoughtful to craft a Spanish wine/​beer list. Among the many white wines and Champaigns we tried that night, I was not particularly impressed by any. To be honest I was never thrilled by Spanish/​Portuguese wines (well maybe except Ardesea), so you can take this with a grain of Spanish salt

I’d like to have a python sausage and some bull testicles. For dinner!
So myself and 3 of my more adventurous foodie friends came here on a Monday night to eat the funky stuff, and some normal stuff too. We were seated immediately, although for a Monday night, there were more people than we would have expected.
They started the night off with an amuse bouche for the table, which was a crostini with some type of dried fruit (cherry maybe) and eggplant, that was excellent. We ordered a whole mess of stuff for the table.
Boquerones (Anchovies) — well, what can you really say about anchovies? They were ok… nothing earth shattering here.
Shrimp Heads — this is an acquired taste and texture. You have to be a fan of sucking the brains out of shrimp, and the texture of soft shell crab. If you checked those boxes, you will love these. If you order this, ask for extra bread immediately so you can soak up all the deliciousness.
Serrano Ham with melon mousse — this is everything you love about prosciutto and melon, in a molecular gastronomic form. It’s excellent, and not something you will find elsewhere.
Goat Cheese Croquettes — always a fan of fried goat cheese, in general. Beets, however, I normally don’t care for, but these beets were both sweet and spicy and I actually found myself wanting more.
Octopus — excellently prepared in a slightly different presentation. The octopus here is super tender and sliced very thin, as opposed to the normal service of a giant tentacle.
Quail — tasty little buggers here with a glaze that is sorta like a BBQ sauce, but not. The order comes with two quails, each halved.
Python Sausage — without knowing much about python as a meat, I have to assume it is very lean because this sausage was dry. Really dry. I’m giving the kitchen the benefit of the doubt here that they didn’t over cook it and it is the snake’s fault. Mustard with it was good though.
Eel — this was the biggest disappointment of the night. The sauce was good, but the eel was just kinda tough and chewy.
Sea Urchin Butter and Bacon Coca — seafood heaven right here. Pretty simple dish, yet totally decedent. How can you go wrong with sea urchin, flying fish roe, and bacon? So good.
Duck on plantains — you know how sometimes you thing of flavor combinations and don’t expect them to work, but when you take that first bite, it just goes? This is one of those dishes. Pulled duck in a sweet sauce served on a sweet plantain, and everything in the bite just went harmoniously.
Squid Ink Paella — one of the more common dishes we had, but still good… nice portion with squid and shrimp and scallops.
Potato Croquettes — probably some of the best and most different croquettes I’ve had. It is almost like a potato mousse with a crispy outside, and topped with flying fish roe. Really good.
Rabbit Meatballs — now… I love rabbit, so it was a little disappointing that in meatball form, you lose everything that you love about rabbit. It’s good if you want someone less adventurous to give it a try, but if you are expecting rabbit-​y goodness, it isn’t really here.
Blood Sausage — blood sausage exactly how I like it… with a crumbly texture more like an Italian sausage vs. like a pepperoni sausage. I wish more places in NY served blood sausage.
Tres Leches Cake — sweet, decedent, and delicious. You must get this.
So why only 4 stars for this place? Well… a few things.
1) Service wasn’t great. With the shrimp heads, we asked for extra bread when we ordered it. Didn’t come. We asked 2 different waiters for more bread, took about 20 minutes. We aren’t talking toasted bread, or warm and fresh bread, it was just normal, sliced bread.
2) They were out of a lot of menu items. No bull testicles. No scallops. No pig’s blood chocolate ice cream. Items also removed from the menu include the duck heart and calves brains. Really, we were coming for the funky stuff so this was disappointing.
Now… will I come back here? For sure. The food was really overall excellent, and the value is solid (plus you can get 20% off on savored), and there is so much on the menu you can’t get elsewhere.
Definitely recommend checking it out, but if you are going for testicles or other funky stuff, I suggest calling before hand to make sure they actually have it.

I’ve got to throw a 4 to plan B to help them advertise the treasures inside — here’s why:
First of all, the name Plan B alludes to some skeezy after hours night club where the patrons are trashed, no?
Well, this place has a terrible case of the misnomers going on. It is actually a VERY CHIC tapas restaurant and bar. My goodness did the owners put a sizable chunk of change into this place! It is really well decorated.
FOOD — I hope to go back and try their food. They have brains and livers and all that jazz. Everything looks very intriguing.
DRINKS — My galpal and I had one cocktail each, and my Patxaran Cup ($ 12) was very complex — so complex that the bartender took FOREVER to make it despite my friend and I as the sole patrons…
Overall I think that the propinquity is why I tried it out and why I think it’s a gem… there’s really nothing like it in Nolita!