Malbec and Tango House

Tango show — great. Atmosphere — SO cute. Service — excellent. Food — great. Wine list — excellent! Best date place! Great for a bday or special ocasion. Would also be a good place to take out of town-​ers visiting NYC (it is a bit of a pricey night with the show and dinner but it is worth it)!

Place has completely changed from my last visit. New Manager and new Chef. Not sure why those changes were made because the place sucks compared to what they had. It’s a disappointment when places cycle through management so much. I highly doubt this place will last in NYC.
I do not recommend it, if you want overpriced and bad food then you’ll love it lol.

Good

How was this place absolutely empty? I don’t understand.
The inside is very funky, silver colors and wooden accents with cozy seating.
Our server was delightful — he was from Argentina so I was reminiscing about my trip in 07′ to La Boca (where tango started) as we spoke about the downstairs performance area.
My friend and I ordered rose wines to start and ended up going with the empanadas, steak, potatoes and pork belly. Each dish was absolutely delicious. The portions were decent for the pricing. The empanadas were light but full of flavor, the chimichurri sauce was great. Pork belly was amazing. Steak was very good and the potatoes were addictive like our waiter said!
We did not have room for dessert but I most definitely will be back and maybe next time I’ll see a show? Que Rico!

This downstairs venue is surprisingly big. At first you walk down the red stairs of the Tango House and encounter a nice gray, sleek but earthy bar and you think how is this going to accomodate a tango show? Then you continue inside and realize there is a big open space in the back, warmly decorated and ready for the show.
The show itself is sexy and very entertaining. Its about an hour of talented dancers switching off from classic tango to a little modern dancing with a twist. We enjoyed a discount and also the cheeses and charcuterie which consists of MT Tam (smooth, creamy, earthy), Tomme de Savoie (mild, semi-​firm), and Majorero which is a goat cheese which are all delightful. The charcuterie which consists of Jamon iberico, prosciutto cotto, and felino salami. I really enjoyed the Jamon and prosciutto but all the cheeses were similiar and in the dark they were all the same to me.
I’d probably come here again with a date. It’d be a good time.

Only reason a four star is because of the cost. We did get a Groupon for half-​price and was worth every penny, so would be weary of full price however after having been to Buenos Aires and experiencing a traditional tango house this is the next best thing. Do not come here expecting a traditional American overexposed and commercialized experience. Note that there is the Malbec restaurant and next door downstairs is the Melbec Tango house, these are two different spots.
The tango is spectacular the wine was delicious and the light tapas in the Tango house were yummy as well! Service was good and table was wobbly but they fixed right away :) Best part they don’t allow photos so you will truly enjoy the experience instead of trying to capture it. Enjoy

Came here for the Sanctuary for Families special event. Wow I didn’t think this place would be SO TINY! It was a nice place, but it was very cramped. I enjoyed the special «couch» seating in the back. Is it me or is the ceiling lowered once you enter? Ho, dang… if you are claustrophobic don’t come by…

Good evening Unilocal,
I am writing this review as an update to my original review of this restaurant.
After posting my original review I was contacted by management the following morning (very quickly) which was very appreciated.
They apologized for my horrible experience and promised to reimburse me for the amount of the voucher ($ 99) I had which was not validated that night by the manager on duty.
Within 3 – 4 days of having been contacted I received the money in my account, therefore I am amending my review and giving them 1 more star for a good follow up and trying to resolve the issue at hand.
JM

Wow, what a horrible experience. It’s not often that I am so disappointed with an establishment. First of all, they failed to recognize our gilt city voucher which although expired should have been worth the purchase price as indicated in the fine print. Their manager was also degrading when speaking to us that the voucher only included the «tango house» as opposed to the «Malbec“restaurant even though both names are indicated on the voucher, saying that because we shared a bottle of wine we were «too drunk» to understand what they were saying and he didn’t want to have to repeat himself.
Second, their staff was under trained in the specifics of the menu, including how old the dry aged steak was, and their menu is completely overpriced for the ambiance (small rickety tables and too bright for a Friday night — although they did finally from them around 10:30pm). We knew we had a problem when we ordered a 2009 Malbec off the menu and they brought a 2011 — the manager was completely unapologetic to this «detail» when we called it out. We asked if the price was the same, his reply was «why would it be?».
All in all the dinner was subpar and the managers treated us like second class citizens. I will absolutely tell everyone I know to avoid this place at all costs.
Did I mention that I asked if they had chimichurri halfway through our steak meal and the waitresses response was «oh yes, everybody asks for it, it is so good». Well why do you make me ask for it then?

I came here on date night with my woman, and we were not disappointed. I bought a living social deal for it, and won major brownie points! Thanks, Malbec and Tango House!
The show was spectacular. We thoroughly enjoyed it, and recommend it to anyone that loves tango or is dating a girl that loves tango (do it, boys. you’ll thank me later).

The food is delicious… Great service, I would defiantly recommend it … Getting the 3 course meal is way better then ordering separately…
The show was amazing

I entertained clients for dinner and the Tango Show on Tuesday ¹⁄₁₄ (party of 7). We had a really great evening. Tuesday might be a slower night than others, which only meant that Sebastian had time to educate us on the fine regional differences in the Malbecs from Argentina. Very reasonably priced list, which meant we could enjoy with abandon the fact that we were watching the show after dinner and cabbing back to hotels!
Gabrielle was our server, a Parisien by birth but with excellent service and engaging patter. Everyone enjoyed the authentic Argentinian cuisine. I want to take my wife to NYC and revisit!
Afterward, we retired downstairs for the Tango show, with the staff continuing to serve our wine, dessert, etc. on my same tab. Wow, what actor/​dancers! And then, early on, the curtain drew back and there was a very accomplished 4-​piece orchestra behind the show — keyboards, string bass, violin, squeeze box (who plays a squeeze box these days?) — all very talented.
Really great evening with my clients, as reasonable or expensive as you want to be in NYC — go, check it out, and enjoy!

So the issue of the double charge on my card was eventually resolved, but mainly because my friend ended up sending me a check for her half directly as it was more of a hassle dealing with the staff, giving out her card info, back and forth etc. I never understand why they can’t pull it up in their receipts. I’ve worked in a restaurant back in the day & know that the office has all the receipts. Even now my place of work charges clients on credit cards, and my staff has the ‘merchant copy’ which always has full credit card info.
Overall the staff was polite about it, but I wouldn’t bother again as the food/​price ratio is off & the overall experience is nothing special for the price. It seems many others have had similar experiences based on recent reviews though the Tango show seems to be getting good feedback.

It was my GF’s birthday and like every year, i found myself scrambling to find something fun for us to do. After reading about the dreadful dinner and show experiences, a.k.a. a touristy wormhole. I stumbled upon the «only tango house» in the United States.
Lets get down to business. We had the pre-​fix theater menu and the food was a mixture of okay, what did i just put in mouth?, and pretty darn good. The pumpkin soup was okay a little bland for my taste. The skirt steak was wonderful, I almost shed a tear at my last bite, knowing I will not be able to keep consuming. The dulce de leche flan was very sugary, I was not impressed. I was pleasantly surprised with the tarantela not knowing what it was. The combination was very good.
I thought the service was good, the place is a little cramped, having to move my table around to let someone behind me get in or get out.
As far as the show, I have nothing but good things to say. Well with exceptions we sat in the back and I thought the tickets were a little pricey. The chairs were uncomfortable and we were looking forward to the show ending not because of the performers, but because my back hurt. Also there seems to be no crowd control, we had some foreigners? from dumblandia I presume, since they felt it was appropriate to speak through almost the entire show. It was very distracting. I guess there is more exceptions than i thought.
As far as production value and actual performers they were great, and if this place could perhaps get more comfortable chairs and make sure to tell people to STFU since I payed 50 bucks not to listen to your annoying… oh man there I go again.

The show was just breathtaking to watch with the dancers getting more daring and seductive as each performance went by.
I showed up early and chatted with the bartender, Ben downstairs. I eased into the evening and then ordered a Malbec flight. This had the sommelier himself, Sebastien come down and talk more about the Malbecs i the flight. Great selection of Malbecs in the flight. Chose one of the bottles to buy and a cheese plate for the show. Perfect. Once the show was done instead of heading upstairs had dinner at the bar. While the selection may be limited its a whole different laid back atmosphere plus Ben made some great suggestions for appetizer (seafood stuffed tomatoes) and entrée (Veal) just paired perfectly with the wine. More conversations later with some of the dancers, wait staff and of course Ben, walked away sated, content, full and cultured!

Great show!
The food at the restaurants was superbe. I forgot what I ate but I remember loving it :)

3.5 stars for the food, 2 stars for the service; rounding up to 3 stars. We came in time for happy hour and proceeded to each order a glass of $ 7 Malbec. They have decent wine list with a good selection of Malbecs, but options are not limited to this grape variety.
We also arrived early enough to order the very reasonably price prix fixe menu that included an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert. The food was fantastic — tender grilled octopus with flavorful romesco, buttery fish, juicy veal — however there were some execution flaws. For example, the poached egg served with the veal was in desperate need of salt. The desert was pretty good as well, especially the poached peach with ricotta — it was probably my favorite part of the meal and was very unique.
Service left something to be desired. They just couldn’t seem to get it right. We didn’t have enough silverware and even after they brought more we were still missing some. One person had a fork but no knife; the other had a knife but no fork. Dessert was also served in phases, with three people receiving their dessert first, another two people receiving theirs after a 20 minute wait, and the last person receiving theirs after another 20 minutes.
Hopefully they’ll work out these kinks. Then, I’ll be happy to come back for some food and wine before catching a Tango show downstairs.

This is about the Tango House and the show only.
If you dance Argentine Tango, go see this show. If you don’t dance Argentine Tango, go see this show to see some amazing tango dancing by brilliant dancers while you enjoy wine. The bar has a huge selection of wine (mostly from Argentina) and you can bring your wine into the theater room. I say it’s a room bcoz it’s not huge but comfy and groovy vive.
When we were there, the show which was scheduled to start at 8pm did not start until past 8:30pm. I figured it was Argentine time, so I was used to some delay. Besides, I had some delish wine in front of me. But then a waiter offered me and my husband another glass of wine each to apologize for the delay (Turned out there was a big group finishing up dinner upstairs before the show). With additional wine, I then needed the show to start before I was too drunk. Thank god, it did. The show kept us captivated w fantastic choreography and amazing dancing. The stage is small and no square inch is missed by those fast moving feet. And the music! We were especially moved by the piazzolla piece.
You can relax in the room but show will invigorate and excite you.

This place is really 3 ideas in one: a restaurant, a wine bar and a tango show!
And even though the show has not been advertised yet — the house gets packed on a weekend! Worth watching after a contemporary argentinian dinner and a fine glass of Malbec! Every one of my friends who have seen the show were amazed at the level of professionalism that dancers and musicians offered! Besides, it is the FIRST & ONLY nightly tango show running in New York! I recommend!!!
PS: on a sweet note — one must try ALFAJOR from the desert menu — (it is not what you expect it to be) — ice cream based delicious masterpiece that goes perfectly well with cappuccino!

Went there last night while my girlfriend’s and I were looking for a place to eat in the area. They opened up only 2 weeks ago so it wasn’t packed as the buzz hasn’t really come out about them I guess. We shared a cheese and charcuterie plate and dessert. The chocolate sweet potato dessert was so good! I would have never paired those two together but they did an excellent job. We also had the ice cream cake it was $ 14 which I thought was kind of pricey, however, they give you a huge piece and the warm sauce they put comes out to the table and poured over it. Great presentation.
Would definitely come back and check out the Tango theater downstairs.