Boqueria
New York, NY 10011
Phone: (347) 448-5729
- Price:
- $$
- Cross Street:
- Between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue
- Directions:
- 1 at 18th St; F, V at 14th St
- Best of Citysearch:
- Small Plates 2008, Small Plates 2007
- Hours:
- Sun-Thu 12pm-11pm, Sat-Sun 12pm-12am
Message from Boqueria
Barcelona Tapas Bar/Restaurant inspired by the famous Boqueria market
- Spanish Cured Meats & Tapas
- Lunch, Brunch, Dinner
- Catering & Delivery
Paid advertisement by Boqueria.
Editorial Review for Boqueria – by Katie Heffernan
The Scene
Compared to its famous namesake, a bustling Barcelona marketplace, this polished tapas place is quite the sophisticate. Ham ages artfully in the window, and a marble bar stretches back toward a snug cul-de-sac of high cream-colored banquettes. Well-dressed patrons share this strong consciousness of style. They--and the room--warm up with food-induced buoyancy.
The Food
There may be nothing like the real thing, but chef Seamus Mullen's two-year tour in Spain is certainly evident. Trust the encyclopedic service to recommend the best of his attempts--and definitely begin with Pimientos de Padron, a grab basket of seared green peppers that surprise you with sweetness or heat. The hidden flavors of the ham, chicken and mushroom croquette trio, however, get lost in their creamy fried filling. For something more substantial, the Huevo y Pisto is a delightful, alioli-drizzled assemblage of poached egg, asparagus, peppers and zucchini, and the tomato-brothed seafood soup is a saffron-steeped elixir.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Know Before You GoMenu items are sized on three tiers: Tapas for small tasting ($7), mid-range media-raciones ($11) and entree-sized raciones ($27).
What to DrinkOf the four sangrias, skip the fizzy white to gamble on the buzzed-about beer-infused rendition. Or choose from a 50-bottle wine list. A glass of the deep red Onix ($9) has nice hints of black cherry.
The ExtrasLunch offers salads, bocatas (sandwiches) and cocas (open-face sandwiches).
Look GoodCheck the rotating menu of cured meats for jamon Iberico, a rare specialty that comes from acorn-fed pigs.
Save TimeLunch cravings can be satisfied at work with Monday thru Friday delivery from 12pm-3pm.
User Reviews for Boqueria
10/02/2008 Posted by farmerpeggy
I went with two good friends from college, one of whom had visited before and recommended that we eat there early as the place fills up quickly. We arrived at 6:30 on Wednesday and were promptly seated at the end of a high top table for 8. The other seats were soon filled by other people. In fact, within 15 minutes of our arrival, a large crowd had gathered, making the place noisy (and a bit crowded) but in a lively, convivial way. We ordered two salads for the 3 of us to split, plus the croquettes, serano ham on toast, sea scallops (which turned out to be 1 scallop but was on a bed of great pea/corn mixture) and 2 cheeses. We were dissappointed to see that the brussels sprouts we had seen in the online menu were not on the menu at the restaurant. We all tried some of everything as these types of plates are conducive to sharing and conversation. We also each had a glass of wine - don't be afraid to ask about any on the list - the waitress was pretty knowledgeable, I had a great red which I promptly forgot the name of! Dessert we ordered the churros which were tasty as well. overall a great experience - i'd definitely go back.
Pros: Great place to share with friends and chat
Cons: Noisy, fills up quickly
08/19/2008 Posted by DoctorDoctor
Firstly, my wife and I love tapas and the small plate concept. Both of us have lived in Europe and have ties to Spain. That being said, I recognize that not every tapas restaurant has to push the envelope and redefine Spanish bar food. Classics can be fantastic when well executed. This however, was not the case here. The dishes such as razor clam, "chorizo con vin", and Mahon cheese were just simply not executed well. One can maybe forgive the lack of culinary excellence for $6 small plates but at double that, the expectations are higher. The server was knowledgeable but bland dishes with silly names and long stories of what market the ingredients came from did little to make the food taste better. In terms of boring: "Cave Aged Mahon" was a tiny, tiny sliver of Mahon with one Spanish almond, 3 table grapes, and one black olive the size of a pea (including pit). I believe it was about 9 dollars. There was a couple slices of truly old and dry bread that came with it. That is just a bad dish. Additionally, The chorizo tasted store bought and the razor clams were bland, oily, and in desperate need of salt and acid. Just a poorly executed series of dishes. Other dishes such as "Pulpo de Playa" translated literally as "octopus of the beach" left us scratching our heads and wondering where the honest, rich, and inventive food of Spain was on this menu. On the positive side, the place had many open tables and we were seated right away. The environment is nicely arranged but looks more like a place to grab a bite for lunch, then to linger for dinner.
Pros: Nice environment
Cons: not a good value and bland, poorly executed dishes
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