Pampano

(347) 394-2648

209 E 49th St (at 3rd Avenue)
New York, NY 10017 40.7551 -73.971

Neighborhoods: Midtown, Midtown East (Turtle Bay)

modernmexican.com/…

Hours:

Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:15pm, 5pm-11pm

Sat-Sun 5pm-11pm

Make a reservation

View the menu

Email business

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 6.24.09

Pampano

What People Are Saying About Pampano

The Owner

Pampano

Owner

Our sophisticated, tropical restaurant serves dynamic seafood from the coasts of Mexico and celebrates the partnership between renowned Chef and Restaurateur Richard Sandoval & Maestro Placido Domingo. A beautiful front bar area leads to Pampano's intimate downstairs dining room. From the bar, our original cocktails and margaritas are made from the freshest fruits. We feature an impressive tequila list, along with an international selection of wines by the glass and bottle. The upstairs dining room is decorated with ornately crafted iron railings, and tropical touches adorn the whitewashed walls. Outdoor seating is available on our second floor terrace. Whether dining with a group or as a couple, Pampano is the perfect restaurant to savor the tastes, sights, and sounds of sophisticated modern Mexican cuisine!

Read more from the owner

The Editor

Contributor

Citysearch

The Scene
The white-washed interior of the bi-level space feels like an exclusive beachside hacienda, especially in the second-floor dining room, which always seems filled with light. Palm trees sculpted onto the walls, lazy fronds spinning from the tall, angled ceiling and arched doors leading to an outdoor terrace add to the "on-vacation" vibe for a mix of midtown suits and funkier food lovers.

The Food
Chef-owner Richard Sandoval applies his chile collection so skillfully that he never masks the essential flavors of each fish. An improbably delicate chipotle and manchego cheese sauce gracefully embraces shrimp and bay scallops, and refreshing cubes of salmon tread above the citrus-habanero sting in the ceviche marinade. Whole red snapper arrives like a seafood sculpture, artfully de-boned, rounded out, stuffed with tangy cactus salad and surrounded with a chile de arbol lake. But most impressive is crispy, guajillo-enhanced pan-seared pampano, which is worthy of the restaurant's good name.

dtwes7

June 08, 2009

Had a 9 PM reservation Friday, 6/5. We liked the upstairs dining space but that's about the only positive we could take from the meal. Generally, we are relatively easy to please; however, Pampano was thoroughly disappointing. We ordered a house margarita and glass of sangria to start, to go along with guacamole/chips appetizer. We proceed to order our entrees - my girlfriend ordered the filet mignon, I ordered the miso black cod. No more than 6, 7 minutes later are our entrees already brought out. At this point, we had barely started eating the guac/chips appetizer. Now I'm annoyed and feeling rushed. The entrees were tiny, nowhere near what you'd expect when paying $34 for a filet mignon entree and $30 for a fish entree. In all seriousness, the piece of cod I received was ridiculously small and was only served over 3 pieces of grilled asparagus, no carb whatsoever on the plate. Both still hungry, we go back to snacking on our guacamole and chips. At this point, it's literally 9:20 and we are done with our main course. 20 minutes! We ask to take the remainder of the guac/chips home. The waiter comes over to ask us if we want dessert, all but throwing the menu at us. Clearly, the waitstaff was looking to go home shortly thereafter. We decide to order the corn cake/coconut ice cream/hibiscus sauce dessert simply to delay going home (we live around the corner) - again, our dessert is brought out 2 minutes after we order! We finish the dessert, they clear the plate, and drop the check off at the table about 30 seconds later. Now I'm furious. It's 9:35 and we're discussing the bill - $155 (with tip) for chips/guac, 2 house margaritas, 1 glass of sangria, two tiny entrees and a shared dessert. To top it all off, our waiter never even brought us back our guac/chips to take home (we had already left quite upset by the time we realized). Would never go back. Haven't been this disappointed by a dining experience in quite some time.

JDay

March 18, 2009

9P meal, 10P kitchen closing. Waitstaff did everything to hurry us out before ordering: no welcome, no suggestions, no clearing of plates, multiple requests for beverage refills ignored, no dessert or coffee offering. Great meal, completely offset by the worst service I've seen in a while. Rowdy overserved party of 7 in the back just added to the 'charm'.

lewdawg928

December 12, 2008

i can think of 10 other mexican restaurants I prefer. There is a very nice upstairs dining area/terrace though. The food just stinks.

The Details on Pampano

Delivery:

Minimum delivery is a hefty $25

Where to Sit:

The best seats in the house are in the main dining room upstairs. Downstairs is noisier and often jammed with margarita lovers overflowing from the bar.

Save Money:

Pampano offers a three-course lunch for $20.12 on weekdays.

Know Before You Go:

Love chef Sandoval's flavors but don't live uptown? Try Upper East Side favorite Maya.

Know Before You Go:

The taqueria is located in the food court of the Crystal Pavilion mall.

Delivery:

Minimum delivery is a hefty $25

Know Before You Go:

The taqueria is located in the food court of the Crystal Pavilion mall.

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Business Dining, Outdoor Dining

General Info:

Open 7 Days

Cuisine:

Seafood, Mexican

Message from Pampano

  • Freshness Balance Creativity
  • Fresh Tropical Seafood
  • Specialty Drinks

Our sophisticated, tropical restaurant serves dynamic seafood from the coasts of Mexico and celebrates the partnership between renowned Chef and Restaurateur Richard Sandoval & Maestro Placido Domingo. A beautiful front bar area leads to Pampano's intimate downstairs dining room. From the bar, our original cocktails and margaritas are made from the freshest fruits. We feature an impressive tequila list, along with an international selection of wines by the glass and bottle. The upstairs dining room is decorated with ornately crafted iron railings, and tropical touches adorn the whitewashed walls. Outdoor seating is available on our second floor terrace. Whether dining with a group or as a couple, Pampano is the perfect restaurant to savor the tastes, sights, and sounds of sophisticated modern Mexican cuisine!

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Pampano

209 E 49th St (at 3rd Avenue)
New York, NY 10017

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