Spanish River

We were really looking forward to our dinner here; my parents had been years ago, and remembered a very special experience. Sad to say, we were all disappointed. The weirdness started when we called to make a 7:00 Sunday reservation, and the hostess tried to talk us into 6:30. Well, we showed up at 7:00 to a restaurant that was 90% empty. We ordered cocktails, which ranged from excellent (smoky martini, house sangria) to fine, if a little boring (Ron barrica). We ordered a few small plate — fried olives, «jelly donut», and ceviche. We should have stuck with small plates! Alas, we wanted to try the whole fried snapper. Our waiter advised that there were only two left, so we snapped (ha ha) them up. The rest of our party ordered the Bronzino. About 15 minutes later, a casually dressed and grumpy man (the owner? manager?) unapologetically showed up to announce that the kitchen had «miscounted» and they had only one. Whatever — it happens. It would have been nice to have been offered a dessert or a drink as compensation, but hey, our party of 4 only spent $ 300 on a slow Sunday night, so why bother? We chose a wine; I’m assuming that was out as well, since our waiter brought one that was «cheaper but better.» The food was solid; good, but don’t blow your $ 40 on the snapper. We decided to order desserts and coffee; I don’t know what was wrong with the coffee, but whatever they sent as cream (They ran out of half and half during brunch. Too bad the restaurant isn’t 50 feet from a Publix!) separated into disgusting layers of oil and coffee. The waiter, who grew progressively more pompous during the meal, offered a second replacement pot, but by then we were ready to get the f out. Like I said, a disappointing experience, made worse by oblivious and uneven service. We definitely will not be back.

Visited SRG for dinner this week for probably the last time … The menu is way different than it was. Way to hard over Cuban .
The food is not nearly the caliber that it was in the past. Not sure what changed with them. The waiter was way over the top attentive interrupted my wife and I on several occasions.
This used to be our favorite place in NSB. As a local I expected more. $ 8.00 for a draft? Whaaaat? Come one !!

First time we had been in here was years many ago; an older couple invited us to share in their anniversary dinner with them. It left a mark in our hearts to return; yet, never had. So, Tonight, my wife had been surprised that I had made multiple little plans for our 25^th Anniversary around town. She could choose any restaurant she wanted; she did… but, it was closed, the other was packed and we’d been far too many times-​it was time for something different! So, we reviewed our options of nice places vs chilled places — they were all good; but, we wanted style, flavor & uniquely upscale settings. Things that you find secreted away in NYC or San Fransisco areas. Well, we did find such a place… fell right into it! Spanish River Grille is very much a uniquely high-​end styled restaurant with food to die for! Each bite was a pleasure in your mouth! My wife had the special drink of House Margaritas-​which were the best she’d ever tasted! It was ALL delicious and the servers were there in every possible way to be ready when we needed them, yet not in our faces. The style of the food was true art & tasted as though it belonged on a Spanish Continent from which all it’s many delicious dishes came… along with the live musical talent playing Castilian music; the night was a surprise and came together beautifully — it truly made our 25^th Anniversary night dinner the best! Shall I continue with describing our dessert choice? It was an unbelievable style flan that was perfect for an evening well spent– once again, it was made with such beauty and flavor. Drinks for adults at prices you can’t beat; fresh pressed coffee, delicious and rich, as though sitting outside a little French Café enjoying your drink with a beautiful woman and listening to love music! This place is a secret gem for New Smyrna Beach Area-​spread the word; it’s been here a long while; but has held its own… ENJOY!

I have eaten at this restaurant a few times and have found the food to be good and the service excellent, however the music is extremely loud which makes it hard to have a conversation.
It’s OK if the live music is performing, but call ahead to make sure.

Great food! Love the menu! They serve tap water (gross) and the music is atrociously loud! Inside is worse than outside and I was sitting by the outside speaker… Ah!!!

We loved the ceviche clasico! My dining companion (from Panama) thought it was truly authentic! We also loved the music and the atmosphere. The house red wine was surprisingly good, as was the sangria. I liked how the shrimp flatbread was prepared and my dining companion thought the pollo al mojo was delicious (I thought so too).
We were very happy with how fast the meals were delivered and how delicious they tasted! We will be back!

New Smyrna Beach is not lacking for restaurants. Typical to a Florida town with many tourists and retirees, there are many formulaic food establishments. One can easily find a decent meal but nothing memorable. Spanish River doesn’t fit that category. Tucked in the back of a fairly non-​descript shopping center, this is a gem of a find.
It was three of us for dinner on a mid week and the place was moderately filled. We started with the house sangria. Most of the time, this is a poor choice — cheap wine, a mish-​mash of fruit and a watered down mess. But Spanish River’s sangria is a delight. Infused with some brandy, a bit of sugar and just a modest amount of fruit, it was everything that this refreshing concoction should provide. Even though it does not have a strong alcohol vibe, the generous portion made having just one totally sufficient. We all felt the booze by the time our glasses were drained.
For dinner we stuck with the tapas. Our first two dishes, the house ceviche and the fried eggplant were the stars. I’ve had ceviche many times and it can be disappointing when the fish and briny citrus base etc are not totally fresh. Spanish River was using swordfish cut into small cubes. Very nice, particularly as it was accompanied with fried plantain and guacamole. Fresh and flavorful.
The fried eggplant was potato chip thin and crisped to perfection. They are a must have if you dine here.
We also shared the popcorn oysters. Nice but maybe a bit over breaded. But they sat on a delicious bed of coleslaw. Worth ordering.
Mussels in a tomato sauce was a special that evening. We enjoyed it although the recipe seemed familiar from other places serving this dish.
Lastly we had the beets with garlic aioli and manchego. At this point, since my appetite was done, it is unfair to evaluate this dish. But based on smell and presentation, looked great.
We shared a flan for dessert. Save room for this since it is done really well. Light, creamy and sitting on a sauce with hints of fruit. We fought for the last bite.
The service was excellent and everything makes for a very comfortable dining experience. If you want to treat yourself to a special meal in NSB, I would plan to eat here.

Wife and I had dinner this New Years Eve. We had eaten here several times before. As usual, Spanish River Grill did not disappoint. Service was outstanding, sangria tasty, appetizer and entrees fantastic. My wife had the Pollo and I ordered the crispy Snapper. It is our favorite NSB restaurant, and there are several really good restaurants in the area. Highly recommend it to any and all searching for outstanding Latin Fusion cuisine.

Enjoyed dinner outside. Small lovely spot in NSB. Thursday is ladies night with ½ off appetizers. Sunday Brunch will be my next visit.

Ended up here on a Friday night when basically every other restaurant we tried was packed. But this was a pleasant surprise! Nice variety of food (all of which was delicious), beautiful atmosphere, and great service! The beet salad was particularly great, as was the smoked flan. And the pork belly. And the conch ceviche. And the sangria. Obviously, I can’t even pick a highlight! Just go. Price is a little high for the area, but definitely worth it.

Really great place. The menu is so inspired and creative it’s very difficult to choose a dish. A bit tough to find unless you’re looking for it but worth the trip. Had the Carne Frita and really enjoyed it. Very solid service. Nice décor.

We have to stop ourselves from eating here every night we visit NSB and Spanish River is open. Beef is always incredible. Tomatoes melt in your mouth. Octopus appetizer is tender and moist and covered in a tomato sauce I wanted to lick from the plate. If you’re able, flan is also superb.

I have been to this sister restaurant of Txokos in Winter Park, Florida many times before and this visit was as good as every other we’ve had.
We were checking out a new venue here in town for wedding clients of mine and knew without question where we would eat this evening.
The service from Benjamin was excellent from the beginning and Seth, the General Manager, came by to visit frequently.
The Latin music, ambiance and general vibe was comfortable and inviting. We especially liked the accommodating attitude towards gluten free guests
We started with the special appetizer of the evening, a grilled shrimp and polenta dish and it was delicious. My entrée was the fish tacos and my guest had the yuca crusted grouper… Both outstanding. In fact, I stopped ordering fish tacos long ago because they are always disappointing to me for one reason or another. These were not only the exception, they have become the standard I will hold all others to moving forward… Yes, that good. Dessert was the Latin version of bananas foster and I ate half of it, which almost never happens.
I can’t recommend this restaurant highly enough. If you are in Winter Park, their sister restaurant Txokos is equally good with a focus on Basque cuisine.
Bön Appetit’

This place has decent, but not great Cuban food. The interior is pretty nice for a strip shopping center spot. Service was professional but uninspired. The food items we tried were just fine. I would have rated it 3 stars, but it is way overpriced for what you receive. I would say it is Cuban food, 80% of how good it can get, priced about 150% what it should be.

The gm quickly reconfigured a table to accommodate us. I took advantage of the happy hour with a delicious Tempranillo My husband ordered a vodka martini which we consider a piss pour by ny area standards
I started with the gamas which were small, oily and wasn’t worth it calorie wise and value. The foie gras was outstanding but miserable in size.
I shared the ½ roasted chicken flavorful and moist with yucca fries. I was looking forward to my side of black beans which never was put in so I cancelled it.
We have eaten here since it opened and will always return because it’s as close to aNY dining experience including NY prices.

Went there for brunch and we got the bread pudding and crab avocado benedict. The service and atmosphere was really nice. Food was not as super as we had been hearing about. The potatoes are not the best tasting side — very dry. We weren’t sure why the bread pudding which is made with a significant amount of eggs had even more eggs on top. The bread pudding was great on its own. The crab avocado dish was average. Nothing too bad or good but I would probably try a different dish when I visit again. We would try this place again but maybe some other dishes.

How can this be a restaurant in NSB? Best dinner ever here or anywhere in the world
All four of us were pleased and we are hard to please. Leah was fantastic, very knowledgeable and friendly. She recommended the pork and clams for my hubby and he was extremely happy. My sister ordered the Ceviche as app and was quite impressed.

My sister was excited to share one of her favorite restaurants for our birthdays. After we decided we would be going my sister received a lovely hand written note from the restaurant for her bday. They gave her a free entrée and dessert. So so unique and thoughtful.
The restaurant has lovely ambience. Low lighting. Unfortunately what really made our experience not what I had hoped was our service provided by Ben. He had some sort of attitude and I didn’t hit it off from the minute he walked up. It was clear server tables was nit his passion. I took off one star at least off for the service.
The food was good. For tapas we had the fried green olives were the most amazing item of the evening. The other two tapas we had was the shrimp and the jelly donut (fried conch fritters — so so creative but I didn’t really enjoy).
For entrees we ordered the hamburger (what my friend was in the mood for), roasted half chicken and fish tacos. We were so full we brought almost all of them home. They were all good. Smashed potatoes were pretty good as well
I would go back but would ensure we received a different server. Creative food, charming ambience.

Spanish River is a «modernist (e.g. 1950s-​60s era décor) Cuban (inspired?) restaurant that I fell in love with on Feb 7, 2013. It appeared to be date night (and a romantic one at that) for a half dozen or so couples, and although I was there with a longtime friend I enjoyed the extra charge in the atmosphere that was due to it.
I liked the lounge jazz (think Astrud Gilberto, Fly Me to the Moon), the 1961-​swank décor (pre-​Castro Havana or one of the more exotic Mad Men restaurant sets), and the very enjoyable, low-​key greeting we received, but I was bracing myself for disappointment with the food itself. I’m not sure why – perhaps because it shares a roof with a Publix – or perhaps because I peeked at some of the mixed reviews this establishment has gotten on Unilocal?
I’ve given some good reviews to far less pretentious restaurants in New Smyrna (one of which is in the same shopping plaza) and I enjoyed them genuinely, so note that this is a «fine dining» restaurant with chops for «big city» diners and is not the place you go to save a buck. My 5-​star for Crabby Chris is on that establishment’s own terms (e.g. that it’s a crab shack) and so is my 5-​star here.
On my visit, SRG and its staff delivered highly on the terms that they defined. I needn’t have worried over the food as it was ALL exceptional. The flavors, presentation, were quite above average.
Our servers knowledge of the menu was encyclopedic and he answered any and all questions adequately. We tried the ceviche (served with two plantain cakes I nearly mistook for crab cakes), the veggie plate – you get to choose 5 of Spanish River’s outstanding vegetable preparations – my choices were black beans, spinach, collard greens, saffron rice, and mashed potatoes – each of which were splendid, with complex, smoky flavors each different than the other. Additionally, we split an order of fish tacos.
There were glasses of wine (solely for my friend) and bottles of mineral water and then sparking mineral water for me (I was driving).
For dessert I had a cappucino and we split the Maduros Foster. All that and drinks came to around $ 125.00 including tip. It is by far the priciest outing I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy during my New Smyrna Beach winter, but it is also by far the most enjoyable one.

We dropped in for brunch this is the go to place in NSB on Sunday mornings. I have never had an issue here so I take the negative reviews with a little smirk people relax this is an awesome spot for drinks and tapas. The white table clothes and live music is awesome but I prefer to sit at the bar so me and the girls made our way to find three open seats. Todd was tending bar and walked right up and set up our place settings followed by an explanation of the specials the girls had $ 2.00 Bloody Mary’s and Double Mimosas they looked great and were well received and it wasn’t but a couple of minutes until they were ready for refills. I wanted a Redbull and Ketel One but no energy drinks here so he made up some sort of limeade and diluted it with lots of vodka (excellent). We then started in on the feast there are plenty of choices so we just kept ordering and shared the fare.
–Fried Chicken Livers and Hot Sauce — OMG tender and fried crispy with hot sauce and a garlic dipping sauce yummy.
–Mahi Mahi Cerviche — So fresh and infused with herbs and citrus it’s so perfect then add in the guacamole it’s heaven.
— Popcorn Oysters — The were huge and plentiful not popcorn size but more like a fried oyster you would get at dinner fried perfectly and served with a vinaigrette infused oil and the garlic dipping sauce add some hot sauce and you will understand what being spoiled is all about.
— Cuban Sandwich — We should have stopped long ago but with the alcohol flowing and we did take a short break between orders so let it rip. The bread was fresh and pressed until it was just crunchy Dijon Mustard, ham, pork, Swiss cheese and crunchy pickles it was created not simple assembled.
It was just a great experience again the place was filling up so we decided to move on but not until the manager stopped by and thanked us for stopping in and made sure everything was as expected and as you can see it was. We may have to do this again next weekend but we will start earlier — maybe :)