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“The atmosphere was pleasant and the design chic, but the service was no good and everything was over-fried and over priced.”
“the sangria was great, and the food was pretty tasty overall - we ordered 6 plates + a dessert and were pleased with them all.”
“Jessie, the bartender, was very helpful, explaining the menu and specials, and recommending an excellent Chilean white wine.”
“The atmosphere is causal, but sophisticated and the food is terrific.”
“The service is warm and friendly, and they willingly walk you through what is a very confusing menu.”
“good place for first dates, girlfriends getting together or even medium size parties (not bigger than 8-9 the place is not huge).”
“liked this place, but I don't really feel the need to go back.”
“Very good tapas and a charming staff.”
“The Food: Tastes good, but even for tapas, the portions are insulting.”
“took 15 minutes to get seated (had drinks at bar) service was slow to get espresso and check (very spanish).”View Less
Not what it used to be.
Went there July 22nd. Very busy, nice crowd & atmosphere. The food however was not what I had become accustomed to at Boqueria. I had been to both the Flatiron and Soho branches at least a dozen
times and had always enjoyed it there. I was told by a friend that the chef had changed, but that most of the menu stayed the same.
We ordered 7 dishes, but were disappointed with all of them. The only dish we liked was an heirloom tomato and watermelon salad, but we had to fight for the very few pieces of tomato in the dish. The dish was fresh and tasty, but was mostly composed of watermelon and salad. From there on, a bit of a disaster. The lamb cubes were under seasoned and rough. We had to return the burnt patatas bravas, which should be very easy to master. The second rendition was barely any better. The stuffed dates (filled with ham, cheese and almonds and formerly one of my favorite side dishes) were too sweet. The bacalao was runny and had a strange flavor to it (which might explain why I was later sick from what was most likely food poisoning).
While the service was polite and pleasant, it certainly felt very rushed. All of our dishes except for the bacalao were served within 10 minutes. At this point (9:30pm), there were a good number of empty tables, so I am not sure why we were being rushed.
I had many good meals at Boqueria, but I am afraid I will not return.…
High Hopes...Sadly Disappointing.
I was surprised when I entered the restaurant, from the description, I expected fairly small and cramped seating. It wasn't. The decor was clean, minimal and very comfortable. All the tables and
chairs were at bar level, which I liked. Like I said high hopes. We sat down and ordered our drinks, a spicy bloody mary.
Sadly, I cannot recommend the Bloody Mary. I wondered why they accompanied the drink with an anchovy (along with an olive, cheese and pepper). Its because their version of a Bloody Mary was basically cocktail sauce on ice, I wish it had been accompanied with shrimp. Did I mention that it wasn't spicy?
We waited 40 minutes for our meal from when we ordered it. I ordered Bocata Boqueria (egg sandwich, chorizo, market vegetables). I enjoyed the side salad (market vegetables). I don't eat potatoes and the eggs were basically a scramble with chorizo. Did I mention that my eggs were cold and a little pathetic looking? they were. I felt like I was served someone's left overs after looking at my neighbor's plate, who had ordered the same dish. My companion ordered a medium burger with bacon. The burger came out rare and cold. We sent it back. Twenty minutes later, after i shared and finished my salad and the sad scrambled eggs of my dish, the replacement burger arrived. It was more well done than medium but that was better than it being raw. He said it was ok, but nothing ruins a meal than having to send something back.
What I found really disappointing was that people who came in after us received their food in a timely manner and left before I did. In addition, the person sitting next to me ordered the same dish I did and it looked much better.
We didn't try any tapas, but unfortunately I have no interest in returning to try it.
We work so hard to earn a living in such an expensive city that I would rather spend my money on a restaurant that did not disappoint.…
Great Tapas!.
I may not be a foodie, but I've been to Barcelona and went to amazing tapas restaurants.
Boqueria took me back to Spain.
The croquetas were perfection.
There was a selection of 4 different types of jamon. I ordered one and it was so good. For those that have had good jamon in Spain, it's just not the same here in the states, but Boqueria's simple jamon with bread was so yummy.
The service is great. From hostess, to the bartender to our server, everyone was on top of things.…
Best Tappas outside of Spain.
Awesome selection of tappas, definitely try the jamon cerrano. The Sangria is great too, but be warned it's $32/pitcher which can add up quickly.
I have gone multiple times with groups of 3-6 and the longest I have ever waited in 15mins.
Great time for friends or co-workers, reasonably priced, definitely worth a trip!…
Good food but sketchy Israeli manager ruins authenticity.
Boqueria in Flatiron is an excellent choice with two important exceptions - I'll get to them in a minute. On the positive side, the variety and quality of tapas is terrific. I'm a foodie and
passionate about markets from Barcelona to Sao Paulo to Mumbai. This place knows its food. We had the Serrano, sardinas, saladas and gambas to start and the paella and fideua as mains, washed down by a couple of bottles of grenache (excellent) and tempranillo (average). Overall, this place was very good and our party of four had a great time.
Now for the issues -- more for the management than patrons, necessarily. The tapas of sardinas essentially had one sardine each for $12 each. Even by NY standards that's a rip. I discreetly mentioned to the waitress that I thought it was odd - she graciously said they would do something about it. Next, the manager Gil saunters up and loudly asks our table (me and three women) what the problem was. Firstly, rude and confrontational approach. I told him I'd come by in a few minutes and I did. I found him a bit later - checking email on a wireless Mac at a banquette, no less - and mentioned to him my irritation with the portions. He chafed and told me this wasn't Barcelona and that was the price of seafood here. And if I had an issue, I should write the chef a suggestion card!! I asked where this champ was from - Israel, apparently, where manners and restaurant management seem to have been perfected. When I asked the waitress if I could get contact details for the management, she politely declined and said ... yes, again ... I could fill out a suggestion card.
Bottom line is, the restaurant is pretty good and my review shouldn't stop you from going there. Rather, if ownership/management actually care about management of their properties, I'd suggest they find Gil a role at a falafel stand in Haifa where the portions are small and manners are smaller. This is New York, after all - we prefer our tapas joints staffed by Spanish hospitality, not Israeli pettiness.…
