Elite Event at Ideya

A smooth Caribbean/​Latin eatery with an equally suave cocktail offering in Prospect Heights? Whatta a great IDEYA! ha seewhatididthere terrible i know.
Peter D. and team put together quite an event – introducing us to a restaurant delivering on tasty eats and boozy drinks from warmer climates. :)
The space itself is a mix of outdoor (sidewalk) and indoor seating. Obviously the outdoor seating is going to go away soonish as the temperature drops. The indoor seating is comfy – with a mix of banquette/​boothy style seats and a mix of regular two– and four-​tops as well as some high table seating in the back. The bar is tucked in the back of the space as well. This is a relaxed medium-​sized space. Lots of Latin as well Caribbean accented colors and décor. The combination of influences comes together for a modern yet low-​lit aesthetic that works well for a restaurant that could double as a lounge late night (unclear if they are a late night joint).
The food? Tasty and straight-​forward. Not a lot of complexity which I like in a place where food and drinks are to be enjoyed loudly with friends and family. I nibbled on the plaintain chips and salsa, but the real winners of the night were all the appetizers being hand-​passed by the Ideya staff. Favorites: the various empanadas (beef was my fave of the faves); ropas on sweet potato (melts in your mouth. savory sweet flavor); and the mini quesadillas were outstanding. There were many other bites throughout the night to be ad, but those were most memorable to me. Honorable mention: we got tiny mini bites of flan which hit the spot — if you have dessert here… try the flan, man (no rhyme).
The drinks? Perfect mojito, yes. I stuck with the classic most of the evening as it was boozy, refreshing, and well-​composed as all mojitos should be. The dark rum version was fine. And the passion fruit was a bit too sweet for my tastes, but all drinks were flowing and enjoyed throughout the night.
The staff? Hardworking. The waiters/​tresses hustled throughout the night to keep everyone fed and informed about the food we were eating. They navigated a lot of Unilocal crowds and table mazes to make sure food got spread out throughout the night. The bartenders kept their cool even as wave after wave of thirsty Unilocalers came their way. Drinks flowed pretty quickly and without a sweat being broken. Kudos to the Unilocalers for overflowing the drink slingers’ tip towers. Well done.
Thanks to DonQ, Unilocal,and the team at Ideya for putting together another awesome Brooklyn evening.
Much like a cool Caribbean breeze on a sweltering day — Ideya is refreshing, energizing, and needed in Prospect Heights.
Drops mic for Mo’ Mojitos!
i out.
zzz

We had a great time at this Elite event! Ideya was in a very central location in Brooklyn close to a few train lines, just a bit off from Park Slope. The area was very cute and parking was easy.
The staff at Ideya were very friendly and talkative! Some of them were even Unilocalers which made the experience all that much better. I tried a number of their samples last night, but the stand out for me was the veggie quesadilla. I’m a simple girl and that thing was DELICIOUS! I had seconds, thirds. fourths. Let’s just stop counting!
It was great to meet some Unilocalers and talk over mojitos. I might consider DonQ for all my mojito making days at home. I would more consider Ideya for an easy date night close to home though!

Ideya was an ideal way to enjoy a Tuesday.
Anything was better than watching that Mets loss.
Arriving late is not something I’m known for. My roommate assumed the only logical thing was that I had to have been hit by a car. Rather I was just busy.
Upon arrival I was greeted with food, food and more food. It was a feast. While waiting in line for a drink, I got to try the whole menu. Was it because service was speedy? More or less because the bar was overwhelmed. They were not prepared for the volume of people.
That food though was amazing. The best was those mini Cubans! They were delicious. The empanadas, croquettes, and fried fish were all fantastic. Though I didn’t care for the shrimp too much. As for dessert we had flan. Not the biggest fan of flan, but this was some good stuff.
In the end I was very happy and grateful for a nice Tuesday night. Thank you to the staff at Ideya and Peter D! We didn’t get the win that night, but we ended up taking the series.

Great event last night! I must have passed this place a hundred times, but never noticed it. However, after last night, I will surely will visit again in the future. I enjoyed the empanadas and caramel flan which was excellent! The Mojitos were good I tried the passion fruit and regular, by the time I tried to get a dark one, they ran out :(
Anyhow, great event and it was good to meet some of my fellow Unilocalers for the first time. Also, thanks Jana P. for the tip you gave me!

Shoutouts to the Unilocal community! We rock… well duh!
This was a great event. I was given the opportunity to see a lot of my Unilocal friends and introduce myself to some new ones. Who can go wrong with Latin food anyway?
I got here a bit late and was still able to take advantage of those mojitos (thank god to Juan and his fast exceptional service ;-)), the vegetarian quesadillas, the empanadas, the shrimp, the chips and dip, the thingy majiggy with the potato and beef on top (if it was pork don’t tell me u guys know I don’t eat that), and that flan… THAT FLAN WAS DELICIOUS. I just wish this could’ve lasted longer :-(. I had a great time and as always I’m looking forward to more Unilocal events.
Luhhhh you guys :-*.
Oh, and it’s so nice of Unilocal to allow a +1 to expose them to the wonderful atmosphere the elite crew brings. I met a few of those as well… all love. Thanks again Peter!

As always I had a great time at this Unilocal Elite event.
This is a great spot in the Prospect Heights area to grab some Caribbean/​Spanish inspired food.
I had a great time catching up with my Unilocal friends at yet another great event. Ideya is conveniently located across the street from the Q and B train and also not far from Atlantic Barclay Center.
We were immediately greeted with some delicious mojitos ranging from passion fruit, classic and dark rum. The mojitos were excellent. My favorite was the dark rum. The bartenders were swift keeping the drinks flowing all night.
The food at Ideya was very good as well. We were able to sample empanadas, vegetarian quesadillas, shrimp pesto, fried cod fish, and ropa vieja on a potato croquette. All of the food was yummy. My favorite was the ropa vieja on the potato. That is definitely something that I would want when I come back here. To top everything off we had some delicious flan for dessert!
The staff was very friendly and I cant thank them and Peter D enough for another great event!

Great food, good drinks, and great people. This was my first elite event and it was a great one. I hadn’t been to Ideya yet and this was a great chance to get there. It’s a wonderful
Space with great staff and we will definitely be back.

Had a great time at Ideya tonight! Good food and strong mojitos. Loved the mini Cubano sandwiches and the shrimp. The empenadas, ropa vieja/​sweet potato croquettes, and tiny quesadillas were also good. As with most +1 events, it was quite a mixed crowd, and I felt bad for the bartenders but they did a wonderful job of making sure people got their drinks in order. The Don Q mojitos when made by hand were great!
Saw some old Unilocal friends and made some new ones. Fun time all around. Thanks for Pete for organizing, Ideya for having us, and for Don Q for the wonderful booze!