Cafe Espanol

Service is amazing and food is consistently amazing!

Imagine this…
You’re about to dine at a Spanish restaurant (or any restaurant for that matter) and get hyped up, because you’ve had an awesome experience at another restaurant and figure, you’ll have the same encounter.
Well… I hate to break it to you, but tonight, they were detached on so many levels. (More on that later).
Mutual friends of ours, invited us to dinner here. We were looking forward into trying a different Spanish restaurant. Although we frequent another Spanish restaurant in Charles St, and have had wonderful experiences there, with foods, we were game to try out Café Español…
Here I go…
Exterior and interior have a villa-​type style. When inside, you’ll notice how compact Café Español is. Bar towards the left, coat check to your right. And I believe, the main dining room has an adjacent dining room. Interior walls are finished in a stucco-​facing adding more of that villa style. Off on one side of the dining room, you’ll see a huge mural, which to be brutally frank, did not contribute an authentic Spanish energy to the restaurant-​at all.
To start, we went for a whole pitcher of Red Sangria, which was prepared nicely, with the right amount of fruit pieces. I went for Olives as my appetizer, but our server stumped that whole thought and said, «we don’t have any Olives and we can’t serve them because they have seeds». Huh? What? At that point, I was lost in the sauce! What Spanish restaurant doesn’t offer Olives?
Boy…At this point, I didn’t have any patience… And I do understand it’s a virtue.
Let me go on… I went for Patatas Bravas (Diced Fried Potatoes), with an aioli sauce, which I kindly told our waiter to serve separately. Our friends went for the Fried Calamari– which was soft and lacked crunch and flavor.
I was hoping that our Seafood Paella would be enough to redeem the lifeless appetizer episode, but it was not my bag of chips, either. Although the rice was cooked perfectly, the pan was holding a lot of liquid at the bottom and the shrimp and lobster were cooked way too long with rubber seafood as an end result.
Did I eat the Paella? Of course I did! Did I enjoy it? Absolutely not.
So I took into account one last time, that perhaps Café Español could redeem themselves with dessert…
I figured, that I would pass on the moment to satisfy my chocolate vice and go for the Tres Leches Cake which our server indicated also had «coconut milk».
When my Tres Leches was brought over, I did a full-​on body inspection, because it looked like a fluffed triangle snowball FULL of coconut. Nowhere did he say it was a coconut cake, rather it has «coconut milk». (I only ate half). If I had no patience earlier, I was definitely going crazy now!
My friend went for the Crème Brûlée, which was a show and dance and said that the Bourbon was too overpowering for the delicate taste of the Brûlée and didn’t eat her entire dessert.
We thanked our friends for inviting us to one of their favorite spots. And honestly, we had a good time being with them.
Was it fair or not to compare Café Español to the other higher-​grade Spanish Restaurant on Charles St? Maybe yes. Maybe no. Or, were my expectations too high?
But the fact that they didn’t have Olives (still dazed and confused), the dull Fried Calamari, the watery Paella and my Tres Leches cake which in reality was a Coconut Cake… for all those reasons, I’m out.

This restaurant is fantastic. The food is delicious, and the service is on point! I always enjoy myself and I have been a customer for about 3 years now. It certainly is my favorite restaurant. The chicken fajitas are awesome as well as the arroz con pollo!!! Lunch is half off pretty much everything before dinner begins! Just amazing!!!

When picky sis is in a bad mood and whipping out complaints, I can feel like the shoreline being pounded by surf. After rejecting almost every restaurant recommendation with the speed of a pro tennis player returning volleys, sis agreed to go to Café Espanol. It was my treat, but I had a head cold and I knew from a past visit there was little likelihood the restaurant would disappoint sis. An unhappy sis meant a bigger headache for me. Sis instantly liked the décor, commenting how it seemed as if we were in Spain, with the paintings and the villa feel. Her passion fruit frozen margarita immediately put her on track to a better mood. Unlike other Spanish places, the bread here is decent and is served with a tasty olive oil that has sliced olives in it. Our mixed salads came with a tasty dressing, and our shrimp with garlic and pepper appetizer was cooked just right and laden with garlic that made soaking our bread in it addictive. We even poured some of the chili garlic oil over our paella. We ordered the marinara paella for two, a flat pan of yellow rice generously mixed with large scallops, mussels, clams, shrimp and calamari. the paella rice was cooked right, seasoned properly and not over salted and filled with flavor. Not one bit of seafood was undercooked or overcooked – they do their seafood impeccably here, the large portion of food even providing sis with a takeaway enough for lunch the next day. We left stuffed.
Service here is erratic. When I asked the waiter if it was happy hour, he said no but didn’t impart information for when it was, seeming to flee. I asked for tabasco for my paella and had to wait a while though the place wasn’t packed. Guess they don’t want to dole out the $ 6 tapas. For the most part, the waiters were attentive (though no one said good bye when we were leaving (and yes, I left 20%).Trouble came earlier when I realized upon paying there was a Unilocal check in and the waiter whisked away my phone to the manager, who kept it for a while. Err… in this age of hacking, please don’t carry off my phone. I kept my eye on them, say them flicking screen after screen. Unilocalers, make sure your phones are clean! After they finally figured that out, they brought the check, and neither sis nor I realized until the next day that they didn’t return my credit card. I called no one could answer me until the manager came in, at 5 pm. A whole day and night with my credit card after having carted away my phone for some time. Sorry, call me a paranoid but I cancelled that card. And when I called to collect it the next day, the hostess told me «I» had «left» my card and required ID to retrieve it. That soured me and almost made me leave a bad Unilocal review. In person the hostess did apologize after I glared when I went to retrieve my card. The manager said nothing, even though he was the one who processed the card the night before.
So my tip? Come enjoy the delicious food, and the ample portions, and if you pay by credit card, make sure you get it back before you leave.

The food was absolutely delicious! The Paella was to die for! A great place to go to for a Christmas dinner! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone! DELICIOUS!!!

Great atmosphere and amazing food. Service was lovely — everyone was so nice.
The portions are huge, four people shared quite a bit of appetizers. The Octopus with paprika was so good. Right amount of kick to it. My favorite was the fried calamari. So flavorful.
We ordered the lobster tails and it was a tad overcooked — both in green sauce and garlic sauce lacked flavor.

This place is very good and we visit as much as we can. The passion fruit sangria is out of this world

My husband and I ate here recently and enjoyed it nearly as much as the tapas we had while traveling thru Spain last year. Highly recommend the sangria, gambas pil pil, and the paella. Their complimentary bread and olive oil are great too!

How I was disappointed of the restaurant not even trying the food!
It was Friday, I was looking for a place for Christmas Eve to spend time with my boyfriend and my mom who is coming from another country.
Twice we were in Spain and I decided to visit Spanish Restaurant in New York, but before make a reservation for Christmas Eve I wanted to try it.
My Boyfriend made a reservation on Friday, November 20^th at 8 pm for us and one more friend.
We were there at 7−50pm. The Host asked us to wait outside because she could seat us without our friend. I was surprised, but we agreed with her. People were coming inside the restaurant and we were waiting for our friend outside. After 15 min of waiting, I was completely cold and hungry, we told the Host that we want to cancel our reservation. She suggested us to wait inside. I could not reach our friend (she was on a train) and we really wanted to try this restaurant. After 15 min standing inside I was disappointed when The party of 4 came in without any reservation and they gave them a table!
I was so impressed such a «perfect service» which we got. We told them that it was really unfair and unprofessional, they didn’t say anything and we left.
We met my friend on her way to the restaurant and we found another perfect place where we spend cool time together.
They can’t use Spanish name because the Service in Spain is better, people are friendly and they would never give you such a horrible time. Absolutely ZERO to this place.

HORRIBLE SERVICE! we made the reservation and arrive on time, the hostess made us wait 20 minutes outside the restaurant because we were waiting for a friend. She didn’t respect our reservation and let many groups get into the restaurant even if they didn’t make reservations. Really frustrating and I will never come back!

The paella is delicious, though the consistency is different than I’m used to. The sangria isn’t watered down at all. The gazpacho is mediocre, but I haven’t yet tried the other soup options (there’s also a salad option for your side). And the staff is jovial when talking to you, but do not hover over you.

Attended a birthday party here and I didn’t know if this was Manhattan or Spain??? Great experience and food. This is on my revisit list with the family.

Atmospheric, full of Castilian flair, and large large portions.
I’ve been coming here since 2009 and Café Español has always been enjoyable. The restaurant has three main sections. The first is a bar section, where you can sit and enjoy various types of alcohol. Second is an indoor dining section which makes me feel like I’ve been transported to old world Spain thanks to the wall décor. Third is a section with a lot of translucent glass and garden-​like decoration which makes you feel like you’re dining in a greenhouse amidst plants. All throughout the restaurant and every time I’ve gone, they never fail to play Armik’s nuevo flamenco songs.
The appetisers such as the croquettes are lovely, and the plates are enormous. I always get the paella for one. Even though it is ostensibly for one person, it can easily fill up two normal-​sized people. It’s hearty and wholesome and keeps me coming back to this staple in my life.

One of the best happy hours around! $ 6 tapas and $ 15 pitchers of sangria! Who doesn’t appreciate a good happy hour? Café Español is a quaint little restaurant that I’m not sure if I’d try if someone hadn’t recommended it. However I’m glad I did. The $ 6 tapas are definitely worth it. We had the meatballs, baked clams, shrimp in green sauce, pork tenderloin, stuffed mushrooms, and chorizo. Everything was delicious. The stuffed mushrooms were slammin’. The sangria was pretty strong causing me to have a headache the next day.
The service was exceptional. I say this mainly because they allowed us to order from the happy hour menu on Columbus Day even though happy hour specials are not valid on holidays. We thought this was a very commendable gesture on behalf of management. I’m sure we wouldn’t get that lucky again so we will stick to happy hour on non holidays. However next time I’m in I also want to try one of their entrees.

Unilocal wins again with an accurate 3.5 star consensus.
Yes the place is lovely with Spanish decors and tiled walls and intricate painting, yes the food is closer to authentic tapa than many other «tapa» places in town. However, the service is just off…
Our waiter that day was in a weird mode.
When we asked him what’s the difference between the app palella and the entrée palella, he plainly replied –
«the price».
Uhmm DUH. we can read those numbers, too. If we were at ABC Cocina or other on-​par places, I’d expect a detailed explanation about the ingredients, the portion size etc. Who brings up the price at a friendly restaurant??? WTH
Also, they don’t have a drink menu… just ask for a glass of Rioja, cuz that seems the only wine they got. …

This is my allllll time favorite restaurant. I have been coming here for over 15 plus years. I just saw the one on carmine closed. Sad but I was never a fan of that location. My first experience with café was when I went for dinner at the location in college point. It was close to my house and a frequent weekend stop for sure! I was very sad when it closed. But if they ever decide to return to queens, I will be there. This particular location in is the biggest of the 3. It’s close to the train. And in a nice trendy neighborhood. I have celebrated many birthdays, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day alike. I have also hosted about 4 separate retirement parties for my office staff. They have 3 separate rooms so if you have enough to fit enough into one room it’s like a private dinning experience. They also cater very well to giving you a nice prefix menu for when you host events. So long as you provide them the total number of dishes the night before the kitchen moves flawlessly. The last event I hosted was 90 people strong and the staff did an awesome job. If you go here the items to try are as follows: lobster, lobster, lobster! Lol Monday or sunday’s, I forget which, but they have a lobster special and you get two lobster tails for a decent price. Try the stuffed tails with crab meat. The second best thing to try here is the sangria. They make one of the best sangria’s you will ever try. Their appetizer is extensive. I always order the clams, chorizo and anything wrapped in bacon. For entrée the pollo or shrimp al ajillo, chicken café espanol, the paellia and of course like I said the lobster. Desserts are large selection too. I usually get crème brule or the tres leches. The staff is friendly and very accommodating. Try them out!

One of the best Spanish restaurants I’ve been here. Vast selection of tapas, all delicious and generous considering they are small plates. We got to try the paella which is s dish that usually you have to pay per person or it’s expensive which is not the case here. The pulpo a la gallega is to die for along with the scallops. Tortilla is average but still pretty good. The selection of desserts is also a must. Amazing flan!
Very good service and the place’s décor makes you feel you are in Spain.
It’s been a long time since I came here so I’ll have to go back to check if the food is still good. ;-)

Pedimos una variedad de tapas. Recomiendo el «Picoteo» es excelente pero bastante austero.
La tortilla es muy buena, especialmente para los que no nos gusta babé.
Las papas bravas no son papas bravas, pero están buenas igual. (Las hacen cn mayonesa y ajo). La carta de vinos es extensa y la atención excelente, todos los mozos hablan español y te cuentan algún anécdota.

My friends and I made reservations for a Thursday night at 7 PM. As soon as we arrived, we were offered coat check and seated right away. This cozy little Spanish restaurant has an intimate atmosphere great for special occasions or a casual dinner with friends. The décor and wall paintings make you feel like you are dining in an authentic Spanish village.
We ordered Croquettas (Serrano ham, chicken, béchamel served with ali-​oli) and Calamares Fritos to start, and were also served fresh bread and a side salad at the beginning of our meal. For the main, we ordered Paella Marinera for 2 (shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, squid & saffron rice) and Paella Valenciana for 1 (sausage, chicken, seafood and saffron rice). This was more than enough for 3 people and we ended up taking leftovers home. The Paella Marinera was excellent but my one complaint is that I wish there were more scallops in the dish, it only came with 3. To Drink we ordered Red Sangria and our server asked the level of sweetness we preferred to adjust the flavor to our taste.
Overall, it was a great meal with great service.

*Must Try: Stuffed Mushrooms, Chicken and Ham Croquettes, Paella Marinera.
*their Red Sangria was too strong for me.
*Paella comes in HUGE portions.
*desserts are good.

Café Español has been an institution on Bleecker St in the Village for as long as I can remember. Hanging out drinking sangria with NYU friends, date nights, birthday dinner celebrations, we’ve done it all here. Sometimes we’ll drop in on them with 15 people with no notice and they’ll wrangle enough tables together to accommodate us with no problem, but a reservation is always good. I have to say that the quality and consistency has not waned over the years.
The Pulpo Café Español is a great appetizer with chewy pieces of octopus in a flavorful garlic sauce. Don’t be shy to ask for more bread to soak up that sauce. The guacamole is so so, but is fairly large sized that you’ll have to ask for more tortilla chips to scoop it up. My favorite entrees are the Mariscada in Green Sauce (get it with ½ lobster) or the Paella Valenciana. But for my birthday, I went with the Baked Stuffed Lobster. There’s a lot of satisfaction in ripping up a 1.5 lb lobster and extracting every last bit of succulent meat out of that shell. Most of the entrees come with a salad and sides of potato chips & spanish rice.