Yuca Bar & Restaurant

(212) 982-9533

111 Ave A
New York, NY 10009 40.7263 -73.9833

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Neighborhoods: Alphabet City, East Village, Downtown

YUCABARNYC.COM

Last updated 12.12.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Debit Card

Cuisine:

Spanish, Cuban, Mexican

What People Are Saying About Yuca Bar & Restaurant

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

Colorful Latin restaurant serves tapas-style fusion dishes like lobster quesadillas, Cuban sandwiches and tuna ceviche, plus powerful margaritas and sangria.

Editor's Tips

Save Money:
Happy hour goes down Mon-Fri 2pm-8pm and Sat-Sun 5pm-8pm, with specials on beer, sangria and mixed drinks.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. The ambiance is very lively, loud, and i've had a good experience with the waiters.
  2. Definitely recommend it for B-Day parties or when you just want to have a fun time.
  3. Service was fast and my waitress was a lot of fun, we ordered buch of tapas to share , the lobster quesadilla was delish.
  4. The atmosphere is fun and you feel like you are on vacation somewhere else.
  5. Great food, fun atmosphere
  6. The prices were extremely reasonable,and the atmosphere was great.
  7. Last time, it was so bad that my friend commented on what a sour person he was and how he was ruining what should have been a pleasant experience (place has nice ambience).
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. The mojitos are some of the best i've tried, the food its decent and good portions, i like crab cakes and lobster quesadilla, it gets crowded but who wants to be in an empty place?
drinks
88.6400032043457% positive
  1. Service was excellent, food was great, and the drinks are strong.
  2. The drinks are great, have two of them and you?
  3. 've been to the Yuca Bar several times with different groups and for my birthday, never had a problem unitil now (thought some waitness were kind, food was fair, drinks were good)
  4. Went to Yuca for brunch - the food is great, and the brunch deal includes a drink.
  5. drink mojitos pretty much wherever I go, and Yuca Bar has the best mojitos I've ever had.
  6. The food is good, the drinks are ok but the service is terrible.
  7. The bartender made us the best drinks which included Mango Mojitos and Margaritas.
  8. Prob the best coffee I've tried in the city.
  9. And besides great food the drinks are strong and delicious (at happy hour $5, cant be topped) Caprioskas are delicious.
  10. but the bartenders managers and waiters provide the worst service ever, first of all they have happy hour from5pm to 8pm 6$ a drink i ordered my last round of drinks around 7:45 the guy told me hold on and he turned his back on me for 10 minutes and he wa
  11. The wait staff are very nice and the drinks tasty (although way too strong).
  12. My food was ok, perhaps I didn't choose the best entree but the drinks were pretty good.
  13. The drinks were strong, the white sangria was amazing!
  14. The drinks were GREAT!
  15. Really tasty latin drinks and great prices on lunch menu.
  16. Next day I woke up feeling great after some very satisfying dinner and best drinks in the city.
  17. have been here a few times for brunch as they have a great deal - I think it's something like $11 for your entree, a drink (the bloody marys are delicious) and coffee.
  18. i've been to yuca bar on a couple of times for and have nothing but good things to say , they have the best guacamole that its to die for and they come with plantain chips to eat it with.
  19. we went there a few times, the food and the drinks are the best, the restroom always clean, toilet paper and soap always full and they have a super air freshener, smell great,
  20. Great food, mediocre drinks.
  21. great drinks!
  22. We order a bloody mary each at the bar when waiting, and got another at the table.
food quality
81.82000160217285% positive
  1. The salmon ceviche was delish with just the right amount of lime juice and cilantro.
  2. Our app, name I am forgetting, was comprised of beef, fried onions, and flat bread ?
  3. Awesome food
  4. The steak was delish, and the tuna was cooked as requested wich is unusual, the tapas were small but tasty.
  5. The wait staff are very nice and the drinks tasty (although way too strong).
  6. however,our waitress was kinda pushy and impatient abt ordering food.
  7. Great Sangria was fresh fruit in the pitcher for 22 bucks.
  8. love their veggie burger( i'm not even a vegetarian), very flavorful--tasty.
  9. Service was excellent, food was great, and the drinks are strong.
  10. The food is good, the drinks are ok but the service is terrible.
  11. Fresh food made for a happy rest of the evening.
  12. My friends and I made plans to go out on Friday for some good latin food and decide to go to Yuca Bar since we've been there for brunch and we love it, we figured dinner has to be good.
  13. we went there a few times, the food and the drinks are the best, the restroom always clean, toilet paper and soap always full and they have a super air freshener, smell great,
  14. TERRIBLE service, mediocre food.
  15. Really tasty latin drinks and great prices on lunch menu.
  16. The mojitos are some of the best i've tried, the food its decent and good portions, i like crab cakes and lobster quesadilla, it gets crowded but who wants to be in an empty place?
  17. And besides great food the drinks are strong and delicious (at happy hour $5, cant be topped) Caprioskas are delicious.
  18. have been here a few times for brunch as they have a great deal - I think it's something like $11 for your entree, a drink (the bloody marys are delicious) and coffee.
  19. Horrible service, mediocre food
  20. i've also had the steak which was very tender and nice portion.
  21. The food was delicious!
  22. The food is served with great aesthetics without overdoing it.
  23. I'm a fan of spanish/latin/tapas cuisine so have been to many places around the city, and this place was average at best and not worth the price.
  24. The restaurant itself has a very nice interior and the food itself is very decent especial.
  25. To worsen the experience, even the quality of the food was only slightly above mediocre.
  26. My food was ok, perhaps I didn't choose the best entree but the drinks were pretty good.
  27. The Yuca Bar offers a unique variety of spanish food without being too exotic or ordinary.
  28. dont get me wrong the food is great but the service is so shady and lots of friends told me the same its up to u people if u wanna go there and get rip off.
  29. We had the Yucca fries,which were absolutely awesome!
  30. Great food, mediocre drinks.
  31. 've been to the Yuca Bar several times with different groups and for my birthday, never had a problem unitil now (thought some waitness were kind, food was fair, drinks were good)
  32. decent food, horrible waitress
  33. food was delicious, great music, service was great.
  34. The lobster meat quesadillas are delicious and the churrasco steak it is very juicy, but can do with a bit more flavor.
  35. Great food, fun atmosphere
  36. love this place, they have great mojitos in all kind of flavors and tasty tapas, little bit pricy but worth it
  37. It must be the owners posting reviews because the food was mediocre at best, and the service was horrible.
  38. Was owed a meal from a friend and she ended up taking me to the Yuca Bar and wow was the place great.
  39. Great food, miserable service
  40. Went to Yuca for brunch - the food is great, and the brunch deal includes a drink.
  41. Best steak and eggs with beans and rice in the city.
  42. The food is delicious, the chef is a master of sauces.
  43. The brunch Saturday was fantastic, my breakfast burrito was delish, the accompanying salad had great ingredients, and my friend's french friend an unusual blend of fry meets ring.
  44. The food was Terrific, and the margaritas were good and really, really strong.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. Really tasty latin drinks and great prices on lunch menu.
  2. The next time was around dinner (mind they don't serve the main menu till 6) and the tapas were fantastic.
  3. The Yuca Bar offers a unique variety of spanish food without being too exotic or ordinary.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. this restaurant is a great place to sip on some sangria or mojitos, their side walk cafe is the best for people watching
  2. great place for birthdays, is one of the best places to take out of towner, or group of friends after work.
  3. The mojitos are some of the best i've tried, the food its decent and good portions, i like crab cakes and lobster quesadilla, it gets crowded but who wants to be in an empty place?
  4. great place to hang out!
  5. service was great, i spill a glass of water and before i could clean myself a busboy was on it , plus my waitress was very cute; overall i enjoy this place every time i go, weekdays are not crowded.
  6. If you want to stay hungry, this is a great place
  7. The absolute best attribute this place has to offer is the waitstaff - EXCELLENT!
  8. The service wasn't the best but they were always friendly and hey, the place was pretty busy so it's to be expected.
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. Service was excellent, and when we receive the bill, i was very pleased; i will defenetly come back for some mojitos in the out doors.
  2. would go back on a nice summer nite.
service
67.64999866485596% positive
  1. the maitre-d was friendly, helpful and kind, as was the bartender.
  2. dont get me wrong the food is great but the service is so shady and lots of friends told me the same its up to u people if u wanna go there and get rip off.
  3. The service though was abysmal.
  4. TERRIBLE service, mediocre food.
  5. was so pleased with our waitress; it was a great relief to be given a break from the snob-fest characteristic of so many
  6. this restaurant is a great place to sip on some sangria or mojitos, their side walk cafe is the best for people watching
  7. The wait staff are very helpful and cute.
  8. by all means pass the word how horrible this waiter was.
  9. Service is always attentive and quick, tapas are delicios and decent portions.
  10. It must be the owners posting reviews because the food was mediocre at best, and the service was horrible.
  11. service was great, i spill a glass of water and before i could clean myself a busboy was on it , plus my waitress was very cute; overall i enjoy this place every time i go, weekdays are not crowded.
  12. Great people watching when it is nice outside.
  13. decent food, horrible waitress
  14. Or waitress was great, very cute.
  15. NOT GOOD FOR DATES, better for a loud girl's night out, but then again, be ready to fend off aggressive waitresses.
  16. best service ever
  17. The food is good, the drinks are ok but the service is terrible.
  18. Also, the hostess (whose name I don't know) was so, so nice - a big change from the snotfaced hostesses that have become de rigeur in the east village and LES.
  19. The ambiance is very lively, loud, and i've had a good experience with the waiters.
  20. The service was slow and not attentive, but we were not in a hurry.
  21. food was delicious, great music, service was great.
  22. recommend that any one intereted in a good service go elsewhere.
  23. however,our waitress was kinda pushy and impatient abt ordering food.
  24. Great food, miserable service
  25. The bartender made us the best drinks which included Mango Mojitos and Margaritas.
  26. The service wasn't the best but they were always friendly and hey, the place was pretty busy so it's to be expected.
  27. Service was fast and my waitress was a lot of fun, we ordered buch of tapas to share , the lobster quesadilla was delish.
  28. went with a friend and the service was excellent, as well as the appetizers.
  29. Horrible service, mediocre food
  30. She jumped around talking to staff and looked over to us again with a weird look on her face and ask if were waiting for a table of 3, bring over the list right besides me and I ask me what was the name.
  31. it was packed, good loud friendly crowd, nice nyc night.
  32. Good Food worst service ever.
  33. but the bartenders managers and waiters provide the worst service ever, first of all they have happy hour from5pm to 8pm 6$ a drink i ordered my last round of drinks around 7:45 the guy told me hold on and he turned his back on me for 10 minutes and he wa
  34. The wait staff are very nice and the drinks tasty (although way too strong).
value
100.0% positive
  1. Really tasty latin drinks and great prices on lunch menu.
  2. I'm a fan of spanish/latin/tapas cuisine so have been to many places around the city, and this place was average at best and not worth the price.
  3. The prices were extremely reasonable,and the atmosphere was great.
  4. The portions are perfect.
  5. love this place, they have great mojitos in all kind of flavors and tasty tapas, little bit pricy but worth it
  6. Great place wonderful value
  7. Service is always attentive and quick, tapas are delicios and decent portions.
  8. Great Sangria was fresh fruit in the pitcher for 22 bucks.
  9. The mojitos are some of the best i've tried, the food its decent and good portions, i like crab cakes and lobster quesadilla, it gets crowded but who wants to be in an empty place?
  10. My friend recommended yuca because of their cheap happy hour deals and great tapas.
  11. Drink prices are definitely reasonable ($10).
wait time
33.3299994468689% positive
  1. Service is always attentive and quick, tapas are delicios and decent portions.
  2. The service was slow and not attentive, but we were not in a hurry.
  3. but the bartenders managers and waiters provide the worst service ever, first of all they have happy hour from5pm to 8pm 6$ a drink i ordered my last round of drinks around 7:45 the guy told me hold on and he turned his back on me for 10 minutes and he wa
1 Star Rating: Poor

12/06/11

You have to TRY to have service this poor!

by junglejodi2000

It was like revenge-of-the-bitchy-nerd-on-a power-trip!

I've gone a few times for brunch and the food is tasty but the service is consistently slow and the waitresses all have bad attitudes - which I was able to look past and continue to tip well and bring friends - until this last time.

I went with two other ppl on Saturday and the host said it would be a 10 min. wait. We ordered cocktails at the bar only after 25 minutes did we notice that everyone walking in (from 2-tops to 4-tops) were getting seated right away. Still in good spirits, we asked the host about our wait time and instead of apologizing for forgetting about us, he had major attitude and said that we were a 3-top and he couldn't seat us until our 4th got there. We said there was no 4th person, it was just us, and we're all here and ready. He walked away without a word.

We sat back down at the bar and then it became apparent that he had no intention of seating us at all. Another 10 minutes went by and now there were some empty tables, plus ppl walking in and getting seated, and still nothing. He wouldn't look at us and seemed on a power trip. I have NO CLUE why, we were nothing but polite. We finally left.

There is no reason to ever treat good customers that way!

4 Star Rating: Recommended

06/04/11

Worth Your Money

by flaca1987

Had lunch delivered to the work place and it was unbelievable. I had the latin burger which was perfect for just under $10 and it came with fries. I really enjoyed it, too bad I didn't get to go to the place in itself. The delivery experience was great they did not take long at all, mind you it was a big order. There is still more to try on the menu, I definitely plan on going there soon.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

03/22/11

good food, good atmosphere

by stephbot

Had dinner here with a group this past weekend. Enjoyed it very much. The Yucajito was excellent! Pitcher of sangria was good. They don't fill it up with ice like most other places do. They put ice in your glass not in the pitcher so you get more for your buck on this one. Food was good and place was packed. Definitely plan to come back again. Not on the cheap side but good for the taste buds and the atmosphere.

3 Star Rating: Average

08/17/10

Decent, but pricey food

by itsbeenvery

I enjoyed my experience at Yuca Bar, but it's definitely not for everyone. This place is LOUD, emphasis on LOUD. You pretty much have to scream at your dinner guests, which is fine I suppose if you're there for drinking and having a few snacks, but less ideal for dinner. During dinner its also very dark, making the menu nearly impossible to read. (This is where a cellphone light comes in handy). The drinks are okay; the signature Yuca Sunrise was met with some confusion/dislike, while I thought my White Grape Martini was a little too strong, but hey, when do you ever get to complain about too much alcohol in a drink? Apps were okay; surprisingly, crowd pleasers like coconut shrimp were so-so while the seafood salad was amazingly fresh, light and luscious. I had the salmon entree, which was kind of boring and not very flavorful. My friend's mahi mahi dish was a little better thanks to a creamy, spicy sauce, and our fellow diners' flank steak and pork shoulder dishes looked appropriately huge, meaty and juicy. None of us could finish our entrees, so while they were getting wrapped up we had some dessert coffees. Mine with liquor 43 was ok, but some of the others, such as one with brandy, was downright undrinkable and had to be sent back. Overall it was an okay meal, not horrible but not particularly memorable either.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

03/26/10

Delicious Pan-Latin Fare

by Athena Chang , Citysearch Contributor

I came here once 3 years ago and was impressed. My boyfriend wanted to check this place out so we came back again. My expectations are amazing Pan-Latin grill and delicious tapas. They undoubtedly met mine.

We started with crispy calamari. It came with two dippings, one is red and spicy and the other is greenish mayo. It is truly crispy and the dippings were amazing. We got the Carnitas for two (grilled sausages, chorizo, short beef ribs, skirt steak and chicken). It comes with pickles, bean and rice, and crispy yuca fries. We couldn't even finish half! The short beef ribs was almost falling apart in my mouth and the skirt steak was delicious too.

We had a good time and really enjoy the atmosphere. They also have happy hour from 1 to 8PM on weeknights. Definitely a good spot to sit on mojitos!

  • Pros: Big portion, great flavor
  • Cons: noisy

The Details on Yuca Bar & Restaurant

Place Categories:

  • excellent aggressive service
  • great bad date place
  • best drinks
  • terrible service
  • great drink prices
  • best mojitos
  • best great sangria
  • mediocre good food
  • nice portions
  • great experience
  • helpful maitred
  • great fun atmosphere
  • delish steak
  • delish lobster quesadilla
  • great music
  • great waitress
  • pushy abt
  • excellent waitstaff
  • fantastic tapas
  • best cafe
  • best coffee
  • great ingredients
  • great latin food
  • very nice wait staff
  • best eggs
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