Esperanto

I haven’t had a chance to review and thank Esperanto. Organized a Bachelorette brunch for a friend and everything was just as expected. Good and varied brunch choices, and the unlimited brunch cocktails were flowing. I had made mini cupcakes for the bride to be and the staff plated them for all. Everyone was happy!

I had brunch last weekend at Esperanto. There was a short wait and I was seated within 5 minutes outdoors. They have a great pre fixe brunch special for $ 22 bucks where you can get an entrée and two drinks and coffee or the bottomless for a few bucks more.
The food was amazing! I ordered the quesadilla and it came with salad and fries. Also had two mimosas.
The server was honestly very sweet but not the best server at all! She seemed flustered and I overheard her make mistakes at nearby tables. Her manager ended up reprimanding her for not working fast enough which made some of us a bit uncomfortable. Also, I ordered a special mimosa with a special juice and the servers manager brought me a mimosa because he had asked what I was waiting for and so I was brought two mimosas at the same time and the server said I guess you can have two. I thought one would be comped since by the time I started with the second one it was flat.
Overall, delicious cuisine, love the live music, mediocre service would come back for the food!

I have been coming to this restaurant for years, they used to have the most delicious ceviche and they took it off their menu :(but the food is always good and sometimes they have nice live music playing. Tonight we got a free drink through Unilocal.I had the trio ceviche so good and my boyfriend had oysters and the pork stew. For entrée I had 4 additions and it was delicious. This place never disappoints!

I went to this place with one of my best friends, we made a reservation 3 days before going there, when we got there and our table was ready, I ordered steak with rice and beans, the food was really good, I really enjoyed it and it was well cooked, that day it was cabaret night which I didn’t know until a lady started dancing. I had a really great time

If you’re looking for a fun and different brunch /​happy hour spot with an amazing atmosphere, look no further. I have been here for dinner and brunch, and both have been great experiences. In terms of value id say go for brunch since dinner can get a little expensive. They currently have a prix fixe brunch option where you get one entrée, one coffee, and two cocktails (mimosa, screw driver, or Bloody Mary) for $ 22, and a bottomless brunch option for $ 30. Beware though, they make their drinks pretty strong here — all of their drinks taste like doubles.
I have always gotten great service from the staff, who are great with suggestions and know the menu inside out. They are also very dog friendly and will happily bring out water for them if you choose to sit outside!

Great appetizers, happy hour every day from 3−7pm. If you are looking for a good spring/​summer date spot with some culture this is it!

Disappointed!!! Let me start off by saying that this is one of my favorite brunch places. However my last experience made me sad.
My partner and I went for brunch on our anniversary ⁴⁄₁. I ordered the Quesadilla with chicken (which I love and always order). Unfortunately, the Mariachi band was so loud that the waiter misheard and thought I ordered chorizo.
I didn’t realize that I was eating pork until I had eaten some of it and I Do Not eat pork.
I immediately lost my appetite and could not finish the meal.
What bothered me was that there was no discount on the check and I wound up paying for the full meal which I could not eat.
I politely paid and left very annoyed. Still love this place and recommend the Brunch!

What can I say about this place? It was an incredible experience and the food was fantastic. More importantly, the service was spot on as well. When I had a group of over 16ppl I was nervous because it’s NYC, sometimes places are difficult when accommodating that many people. Fabian and Amber were so helpful. Even when I called day of and said our reservation is actually for 20 people, Fabian was more than accomodating. We even showed up late to the reservation and Fabian still was cool and let us take our time at the bar before we were ready to all sit down. Just wonderful service and headache free.
Our dinner was set up perfect thanks to Fabian. Instead of everyone ordering whatever they wanted, Fabian set up a prix fixe menu and kept the beer and margs coming. It worked out perfect because service was on point and we all liked the idea of sharing anyways. All people were focused on doing is having a good time. Food was fantastic and cooked very well. The chicken and steak were the biggest hits. The flan was dynamite. Everyone loved the informal atmosphere with live music because it allowed us to sit back and enjoy ourselves without any pressure at all. The location is true NYC. Very vibrant NYC neighborhood with tons of culture. I’m very happy with my experience and I know everyone else in my large party was as well. My fiancé will most certainly be back and I can assure you that many people in my party will be back sometime in the future as well.
Thanks for the great experience Fabian!

A few friends recommended this place to us so we decided to give it a try for early dinner on Saturday, especially since we heard about some nicely priced margarita pitchers. We got there at 5:20 and were told the kitchen doesn’t open until 6… which, well was pretty confusing to me. We were starving and were told we could only order drinks for the time being, and «maybe» some apps by 5:45. Our waitress got our drink orders and disappears for over 25 mins. When she finally comes back, the margs were fairly weak but we ask her if we can get some chips and salsa (which we all assumed were free) while we waited. SUPRISE! Chips and guac and salsa cost $ 13 a piece. I understand «guac is extra» but why wouldn’t you tell us that some fried tortillas and chopped tomatoes would cost so much?
6pm rolls around and we wanted to order food but our waitress was nowhere to be seen. After an additional 15 minutes of waiting, I got frustrated and went inside to find another waiter who came from behind the bar to take our order. The menu was a bit limited and while I do enjoy Brazilian food, there wasn’t a lot of things that appealed to me. The most popular thing on the menu was the 4 for $ 18 sides deal, which sounds bizarre. Why would you not just offer these things in a combo of a meal? I will say all the food was great and I enjoyed my empanadas ant the cheese bread. My friends also loved their skewers and the yucca.
So que probably like 7 pm and we are wanting to pay for our meals as we had somewhere to be. Waiter #2 was nowhere to be seen so we had a 3^rd waitress get our checks, which she returned with about 30 minutes later. It took us 2 hours to get through a meal here, a ridiculous amount of time for the experience. Not sure if the margs/​food were worth the wait.

Good food, good music and cozy ambience. Ceviche was a little salty but tasty. Used a Gilt deal last time but the service and food were both good so definitely want to go back again!

Really fun atmosphere! Came here for dinner last night. Got seated without a wait. We ordered the shrimp empanadas, the hearts of palm salad and a fish flounder special with cilantro rice. My favorite dish was actually the empanadas.
I tried a michelada which was pretty good too.
The service was really slow, I think there was only one waitress attending to the entire outdoor section so every time we ordered something we’d have to make sure that we asked for everything all at once.
With that being said, my date ordered a hot coffee and it came out cold.
We got the chocolate lava cake with gelato which was awesome.
Overall, this restaurant was really fun with live music and adorable décor but don’t expect fast service.

delicious meal from cocktails to dessert… The staff was warm and welcoming and made us feel like we were family… if you want a meal that is perfect you must visit. OUTSTANDING!!!
Live music was fantastic as well.

I first came here ages ago for after work drinks. Now it’s one of my lunch spots. They make delicious sandwiches, particularly the fish sandwich. The juice bar at back is another draw.

Deep in Alphabet City, you’ll find this little gem of a Brazilian resto. Digged the dark dining atmosphere. We got a big table for our group of 6.
Definitely get their house caprinha pitcher! A bit of spice to it, and pretty strong as well. All about it. Their chips and guac were pretty standard, could go without it. The burger was surprisingly decadent! I wasn’t expecting a Brazilian place to offer such a delicious burger (maybe my expectations should have been higher), but it was so juicy and tender, and I want it again right now!
Wait staff was friendly. The atmosphere was pretty vibrant and by the time we left, was pretty packed with people. Definitely recommend for a night out and solid dinner on the east side.

This place is BOMB. A hidden gem in Alphabet City. I even made my boyfriend promise he wouldn’t tell anyone so it stays locals only.
The restaurant is quiet, romantic, and cozy. Perfect for a date night. (+1 star)
Service is really great. Wait staff is super responsive and generous. (+1 star)
THE FOOD IS SO GOOD. (+2 stars) I recommend:
Mexhilhoes — mussels roasted in a garlic pesto-​like sauce that is great for dipping bread in
Salada de Casa with a side of avocados– baby arugula salad, bacon, figs, walnuts, and ricotta
Moqueca — amazing coconut milk stew with shrimp and snapper
The price is right (+1 star). For $ 100 we had 2 entrées, 2 appetizers, and 2 glasses of wine + leftovers for another late night meal to take home.

«Yo amo this place»
This review is a drinking/​beverage review.
This restaurant/​bar is one of my favorite spots in the ever changing east village area. The drinks, especially the caipirinhas, are made to perfection and they are pretty strong. The staff is wonderful and engaging. Josiah, a bartender, is great on the weekends. He even made a special nonalcoholic drink for my teetotaler friend.
If you want a chill scene, i would recommend going after the sunday brunch rush (around 4ish). Just note that many items may not be on the menu since that is near the shift change. Plus, who needs calories from food anyway!!! However it is the perfect time to try out the many drinks that are available.
Perhaps, one of these days, I will try the food.

Came here for some drinks with friends before a night out. For a Friday night it was pretty vacant but we didn’t care.
The bartender was great because he hooked it up with the drinks and made them pretty strong. Shots of tequila? More like half a cup! It took me a while to finish one shot but hey, not complaining. My friend had the sangria and said it was pretty good.
It’s a cute little place. I probably wouldn’t go there again when you have a hundred other alphabet city bars that are half the price.

This is one of my favorite neighborhood gems! It’s a fantastic mix of Brazilian and Mexican! The food and cocktails are to die for!
Last weekend, I sat at the bar with a girlfriend and Josiah took wonderful care of us! He made us a fresh juiced watermelon margaritas. It was super yummy. The restaurant has a juice bar as well. You can have their fresh juices alone or in a cocktail. It takes the normal mimosa to the next level for weekend brunch.
The décor is colorful and festive. There is sidewalk seating. Perfect place to people watch. The servers are all very friendly and great at what they do!
The food is amazing! Especially the fresh guacamole. I’ve never had a bad meal or experience here.
Perfect spot for a pre game on a weekend night, a fun date, and to take out of towners who want to see a unique local spot!

Loved it here! There was a fun casual vibe and the food was amazing. They also have a great brunch deal! $ 15 for food, coffee and a mimosa/​screwdriver. They were actually making a special drink while i was there: watermelon and cantaloupe juice and they added champagne– it was great and refreshing. For food i got the quesadilla with cheese, beans, salsa and avocados. It also came with these home style fried potatoes which were awesome and a spinach salad with a light citrusy dressing. Everything was so good! There was this rice vinegar with mexican peppers on the table which we put all over our food because it was so delicious and added a great flavor. The waitress was soooo friendly — we asked for some salsa on the side and she brought us a full assortment of sauces for us to try.
Overall, it was really good and i definitely recommend coming here!

From beginning to end, I enjoyed everything about this place. The staff was amazing, the food was delicious, the décor was beautiful, the price range was decent and the live music was brilliant. Put all this together and it makes for one wonderful night out with my babes.

Wir hatten einen super leckeren Brunch– alles hat gestimmt! Die Frucht Schale und die Kartoffeln mit dem Gewürz waren so lecker! Der Service war auch wie immer super und das Preis-​leitungsverhältnis stimmt auch!
Die Location ist auch supergemütlich und persönlich!

Debería de llamarse «esperando» porqué vas a esperar por tu comida, y mucho.
INSANELY long waiting time. Unless you’re immortal, don’t eat here.

delicious food, terrible service
dont go for brunch, go for happy hour