Recommends

sunnynero8

Joined 4 years ago

Good ambience, food unimpressive. I took my parents here for their anniversary dinner. The place looks great, and although it was packed on a Friday night, it never got too loud. (they don't blast the music like some other places) The tables are also well organized, making the small place seem larger. The atmosphere was very comfortable.

We ordered this quinoa salad, which was very unimpressive, they "Fried in the Style of La Gloria - avocado, heart of palm" salad, which was okay, the fried yuca - which were great - but how can you mess up fried yuca? The avocado causa where bitter. Chocolate truffles where as you would expect truffles to be - nothing special, nothing really disappointing.

My parents are picky with their wine, and they loved the Verdelho. The portions are small, so don't come too hungry, or you might end up spending a lot of money!

The staff are very friendly and the service is fairly quick. Overall, a nice experience, but the food is a bit harsh. Maybe I just don't like Peruvian, but if you have also never tried Peruvian food, maybe another place would be a better first time.

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Au Gourmand

Joined 3 years ago

Bar Paya, June 26, 2010. With all the different authentic and not-so-authentic restaurants in New York, I was surprised that there was not really any Peruvian restaurant (yes, I know Pio Pio and I roast chicken better, all right?) in New York. But this anomaly has been corrected, partially at any rate, by Bar Paya. Partially, I say, because the menu is not extensive - it is a bar after all. Bar Paya serves some delicious ceviche and tiraditos (ceviche - cubed, tiraditos - sliced). Sea bass with orange was good but it paled in front of the triumphant Fried in style of La Gloria (this sounds intriguing, doesn't it? Imagine fried ice cream, dipped in light batter: it is the same concept so that it is still predominantly raw and chill inside) or the delicate scallops with coconut milk. Octopus tiradito still has much to be improved as the meat was simply tough. I forgot what it tasted like because I was concentrated on chewing, not tasting. Now, causas - basically big gnocchi topped with spicy crab salad or barbecued duck - were an eye-popping moment. I love gnocchi; I have had a life-changing experience just last month in Vence (that is in France). Yet these causas were, although not life-changing, but good enough to put a chain around my neck and draw me back to Bar Paya. Paya, yes, the name of this bar-restaurant, is a flat bread. Laden with shrimp and cilantro pesto, the paya was highly satisfying in its texture - crunchiness of the flat bread and the plumpness of the shrimps - and of course, flavors of the cilantro pesto (cilantro is my weakness, but I assure you such weakness was not taken advantage of, unjustly). Now, dessert - the cacao tart. It is gluten-free and vegan, but these attributes I do not care (as much). It was so full of chocolate flavor that I am sure Quetzalcoatl would have danced in joy (I know he is Aztec but he would have danced anyway).

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kharamia77

Joined 6 years ago

Good but not worth the prices. I went there with 3 other people, trying it with a $50 LivingSocial coupon. The food and drinks were great but really, really overpriced. We had 5 tapas and 4 drinks, bill was $120. That's $150 with tip!!! When we left, we were completely sober and still hungry. We all decided we'd love to go back if it was a company outing and our boss was picking up the tab! I love using groupons or living social deals to try new places out but if I spend $150 and feel like I just had a snack..ehh too rich for my blood.

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Patrick Heig

Joined 5 years ago

Citysearch Editorial Profile. Really just a tapas-serving annex of the adjacent Winebar, Bar Paya serves diminutive plates of trendy Peruvian cuisine--think ceviche of sea bass, bitter orange, botija olive, and fennel--in a casual, vino-friendly atmosphere.