Standout service and delicious food. I would absolutely return for another meal. We enjoyed: Half dozen oysters Potato salad *stand out and unique, made with hot sauce Croquetas Fried Black Bass *also stand out The Burger Cheesecake We really enjoyed this meal. The restaurant itself is decorated nicely, and is lively but not super loud. A++ read more

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I went to this newer Basque-influenced tapas bar, from the same people as the very popular Cervo's, a while ago with a group. The inside is slightly cramped, and it's a bit loud, but I liked the neon and design outside of it being way too dark for photos. The service was pretty friendly, giving recommendations to people who needed them, though if I recall correctly, they pushed someone to over-order. To drink, I went with one of their Prepared Vermouths, the Marianito, for $14, with Atxa red vermouth, agricole rum, Curaçao, Angostura, and olive. It was a decent cocktail with bitter and mildly sweet elements, with the olive being a fun touch. I started with the $17 Mandarins with Murcian Goat Cheese. I liked the presentation, with the bright slices of orange contrasting with the olive oil and specs of balsamic vinegar on the plate. For being a goat cheese, the Murcian isn't funky, being more similar to a less creamy brie. It was different, but it worked with the mild sweetness and slight bitterness from the mandarins. This was tasty. In terms of other tapas and smaller plates, others enjoyed the Montauk Red Shrimp Pinxtos, the Gildas, the Potato Salad, and something else that I don't recall. My main dish was the unique $28 Grass-fed Burger with Boquerones and Roquefort. The beef was good quality, being tender and juicy, and I liked the bun, which was thick enough to keep all the ingredients together without being too thick. The boquerones didn't add too much saltiness, as I thought they would, with the strongest flavors coming from the funky cheese. Along with the listed ingredients, there was also a pickled piquillo pepper on top, and some sliced raw onion, to go with the funk. This was a different but tasty burger which I liked, but I'm not sure if many others would. In terms of other larger plates, others enjoyed the Half Chicken With Oyster Mushrooms and Brandy along with the Bomba Rice With Marinated Artichokes, with the person who had the chicken loving the sauce. This was a pricey but tasty place. In terms of Basque spots, I preferred it heavily over Ernesto's and wouldn't mind trying their original spot soon, as I've heard it's even better. If you don't mind a bit more salt than usual, you'll like this place, and as someone who personally doesn't mind, I liked it a lot. read more

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3.5 stars overall. I'm very conflicted in this rating, as the food was quite good and the restaurant has nice design and a buzzy (albeit sometimes too loud) ambiance. Highlights included the fried black bass, charred cabbage, bomba rice, and fries with very olive oil forward mayonnaise (in a good way!). Service, however, was laughably bad. If you don't care about feeling welcomed or taken care of, ignore this part entirely. We started off having a drink at the bar and while it was not that busy, it was exceptionally difficult / awkward to order. None of the bartenders seemed interested in taking our order. Eventually one of the bartenders came our way, stood silently in front of me, and seemed genuinely perturbed when I politely asked if we could place drink order with him. Once we were seated, our waiter was kind enough at first but truly didn't seem to care if we lived or died. It was hard to get his attention, never checked in on how things were, and it took at least 30 minutes for another drink to arrive after we ordered it. At one point the cabbage we ordered arrived twice (kitchen seemed disorganized). The food was pretty good but the service experience felt extremely haphazard. read more

The food and drinks were UNBELIEVABLE!!! My only wish is that they add octopus to the menu. Genuinely such unique cooking and everything was hot read more

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A treat from the moment we arrived. We are big fans of Cervos and the family of restaurants. Eel Bar did not disappoint! From the service to the drinks and food. Our evening was made by our experience. We loved the Bomba Rice, Fried Black Bass, Pork Chop and Sardine and Egg Toast. There's something for everyone here! read more

Our favorite bites of the night were probably all the appetizers - croquettes, pinxtos, and the citrus and goat cheese. We also did the lamb steak as our main with the potato salad as a side - also enjoyable but not as much as the apps. They also have lots of fun wines on their bottle list! read more

Eel Bar - Basque Near Me - New York, New York

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A very hip spot. We were seated outside in front of the restaurant itself and it was a lovely vibe. The interior was very trendy and upscale. Our server was ok, could've been a little warmer in my opinion. Otherwise, the food was pretty good. The highlights were the scallops and trout. You can skip the burger, fries were fine, mussels were good, shrimp and rice was great. read more

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Another amazing visit. The pintxos were probably our favorite bite of the night, with the bomba rice and fried mussels following closely behind. I'd probably get fish rather than pork for a man next time. read more

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Fun spot that gives dive bar energy, but serves great Spanish-inspired food. It's a great restaurant that gets quite loud, but it's great for a good meal before a fun night out in the LES. Service was great, our server did a good job breaking down the menu and provided helpful descriptions. On the food, overall I thought it was great, if a bit pricier side. The fried mussels on the half shell are delicious. The burger with anchovies and Roquefort somehow works. Overall I don't think I had a bad bite all night. read more

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Caught up with some friends at Eel Bar and had a pretty good time overall! Apps were tasty but mains could have been better. Started off with the pipping hot fried mussels which were pretty fresh. The cantaloupe with serrano ham is a classic pairing. Cantaloupe pieces were super sweet! Im usually not a potato salad girlie but I actually liked their version with octopus pieces. It was very creamy and had a nice texture - smooth and potato-y without being too heavy. The fried black bass featured fresh fish but flavors were similar to your typical fish and chips so it didn't stand out. The bomba rice was tasty! The rice itself had a tangy flavor that went well with the sweet marinated montauk red shrimp. For mains, the half chicken was decent! I enjoyed my tender chicken leg piece but it definitely on the saltier side. Sauce with olives and garlic was tasty for sure, but again too salty. The peashoots came out in a salad form but with minimal dressing and I didn't taste any of the salted cod. On the otherhand, the basque cheesecake with olive oil was delicious! It was very airy and creamy at the same time! The olive oil added another textural component and conferred a savoriness as well. Good amount of seating inside with an intimate vibe - perfect for happy hour or any meet ups. Our server was polite and food came out quick. read more

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Ambience is laidback, great to grab a drink solo or with friends Drinks: Sidecar & old fashion, well made and strong! Dessert: Tarta San Marcos & Caneles w poached pears Tarta = very sweet, the chocolate filling is a bit overpowering Caneles = typical canele, I was not a fan of the poached pears.. very particular taste read more

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Like many folks who rushed to Eel Bar upon its opening, I too am a big fan of Cervo's and was thrilled to hear the team opened a new spot. I happen to also love all types of Spanish food including Basque, so that added another element of excitement for me. Overall, the experience was a solid, four-star one, with great drinks, good food, and fun vibes. I wouldn't say it was as memorable as my meal at Cervo's but we still thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Came here at around 9pm on a Saturday night. As others have mentioned, the space is pretty loud, so keep that in mind anytime you are trying to communicate with the restaurant staff -- and your dining companions, for that matter. I'm sure part of it is the acoustics, but the space was also just buzzing with energy the entire time which contributed to the ambiance in a positive way. The exterior windows at Eel Bar are made of opaque glass, so that also creates a sort of enclosed/hidden vibe, one in which sound could easily be expected to bounce around in a sort of frenetic way. Honestly, it works, so I'm not really complaining. To start, we each got a cocktail. I got the Filthy Martini (gin, manzanilla sherry, dolin dry vermouth, brine, olives) and my partner got the Picon Punch (picon amaro, armagnac, pomegranate, sparkling wine). Though it took a strangely long time for them to arrive (the only issue we had with the service during our meal), the drinks were worth the wait. My drink was one of the better dirty martinis I've had, properly filthy but clearly unique to the specs created by the mixologists here. The Picon Punch was super interesting and unique, and my partner enjoyed it a lot. We also each got a glass of wine -- I got an orange and my partner got a white -- and we absolutely loved both of them. They both complemented the food beautifully but were just as delicious on their own. Food-wise, we tried quite a lot, as everything is marketed as shared/small(er) plates. In hindsight we probably could've lost one dish as we weren't able to finish everything, but we made a good effort and were glad we got to sample what we did. We decided to stick to seafood for our proteins which I do not regret, but the table next to us got the burger and it did look pretty mouthwatering (though I also overheard them discussing their shared envy of our order, so the grass is always greener). Eats, below: Pickled cucumber and anchovy gilda: A- This was a nice way to start the meal -- not quite an amuse bouche because it was mostly salt/fat dominant, but enjoyable just the same. Heirloom tomato pintxo: A This was really yummy, though if you are oil-averse I would suggest skipping it because it was drenched. Other than that, a super satisfying bite you likely won't regret. Charred cabbage with smoked cheese: A- Some reviews did not speak highly of this but I didn't have any issues with it. Very simple but good. I loved charred cabbage, especially as the weather gets colder, so it hit the spot. Ironically, I expected this one to be an oily dish (more so than the first two) but it was pretty clean. White shrimp in fresh tomato sauce: A- I seem to have not gotten a picture of this which is fitting I suppose because it wasn't super memorable. Solid dish though, and certainly try it if you like shrimp Rainbow trout pil pil: A- Another dish drenched in oil, which is the only reason I'm giving it an A- instead of an A-. Didn't seem totally necessary in this case. Still, the fish itself was delicious, pretty simple in preparation, just high-quality fish executed very well. Served with some roasted tomatoes on the side which were excellent and I could've used a few more of them. Black rice with tuna and sungold potatoes: A I wish we weren't so fully by the time we got this because the raves are all true. I'm not a big fan of rice but black rice is often the exception, as it was in this case. I'd never tried anything like this and I honestly didn't quite know what to expect, but it was definitely one of the standouts of the night. read more

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We've always loved Cervo's so when Eel Bar opened, we knew we had to try it. You can definitely see the parallel in some of the dishes but Eel Bar is basque. The restaurant is easily missed from the outside. I'm fact, we've walked past it several times while looking for it. But the inside is super spacious and gives off a modern diner vibe. Service was decent. They forgot my beer order at one point and took awhile to get it reordered. Also the timing between the appetizers and the entree was very slow. There definitely needs to be some work there. Overall, the place is good and will probably go into our rotation of neighborhood restaurants. read more

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5 Stars for a great wine bar with delicious food and a cool vibe (but be prepared to pay for it!). As we arrived, the first thing I noticed was the neon and the dinner atmosphere, versus a smaller wine bar. It was lively and I felt like this could be a favorite special spot if I lived nearby. For a drink, I ordered the filthy martini (gin, manzanilla sherry, dolin dry vermouth, brine, olives). Gotta say, if you put sherry in a martini, I will likely order it. This one did not disappoint! We also ordered some wine, which was fantastic (GREAT natural wine list!). For food, we got the meatballs and French fries. At $32, this is not a cheap dish. With that being said, the flavors were hitting and we were blown away by the meatballs. We also ordered the wax beans, which were equally impressive, but I don't see them on the menu anymore (a few months later). Overall, it was definitely a fun stop while on the LES. It's pricey, but they really deliver on the quality of the drinks and food. Food is expensive. So is rent. I left having really enjoyed myself and that's what lingers! read more

The interior is stunning, really ambient lighting, amazing food.. I think this was a top Aperol Spritz for me, it was perfect. The staff was super sweet and accommodating, definitely want to go back! read more

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Eel Bar is a new LES spot from the same team behind Cervo's and several other restaurants - this place's influence is primarily Basque and the offerings are centered on seafood, pintxos, and Spanish wines and beverages in general - I'm here for it. Haven't tried gildas before so that was a nice start with the classic ones, but overall all the pintxos were satisfying, especially the snail pintxo - like a very flavorful escargot with the meat already taken out of the shell and served on bread. Overall a great new place for drinks and light bites just in time for summer. read more

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We tried this place last Friday and were not disappointed! Very cool, buzzy wine bar in the LES. The food was good. Loved the potato salad with trout roe, fried mussels, and crispy black rice. All are must haves! Our waiter recommended the tomato-braised rabbit, which I must say I was skeptical about as someone who is not a huge fan of braised meat. It was OK. Look forward to trying other dishes! read more

As a Cervo's fanatic I was thrilled to try Eel Bar when we got a reservation. Luckily if you like Cervo's, you're sure to like EB. I felt that the cuisine was very similar and did not veer too far away from the classic cervo's style, despite advertising basque elements. The venue is much bigger than the space at Cervo's, and we felt like we had more elbow room and a large surface area at our table. We enjoyed the wine recommended by our server, and she even let us taste two options, which was a thoughtful touch. read more

Eel Bar - Basque Near Me - New York, New York

This place was really above expectations. We really liked all the dishes we ordered & the cocktail/wine. Service was great - the portions were bigger than expected. Finally prices were not too high . We'd definitely go there again read more

The service at eel bar was immaculate first of all! Thank you to my server for notating our menus with everything I could potentially order due to my various food allergies (dairy, eggs, and gluten.) That makes this one of two non-Michelin restaurants to do so! The food was all extremely delicious as well as the cocktails. The ambiance inside is like a neon diner meets speakeasy, awesome for dates or even to enjoy some time alone. Can't wait to be back. read more

Was in Eel Bar last night, and its a lively, laid-back-fancy spot. Food was tasty, Mezcal cocktail was nice (the ice was overflowing the glass though and makes it difficult to drink the liquid without the ice rubbing under/all over your nose - gross!). We had a number of the smaller bits, an escarole salad-plate, and the rabbit. Substantial portions, skewing heavily to seafood items (well, not the rabbit:), and tasty across the board. Expensive though so caveat empteor I guess. Tables for two are small, but they handled the delivery schedule well. Not sure if our dishes were prepared as we finished, or if they had sat elsewhere waiting for us to clear some space. Our wait-staff were attentive, smooth and easy. Guided our menu review since we were not aware of most items. He was helpful, not hovering, and we were not rushed out (we had been warned by a couple friends who had visited that they rush you through the mean, and rush you out - not the case for us at least on a wintery Thursday night and 6pm seating, lasting until we left around 8). I did not pay so cannot speak to the total with specificity; I think it would be in the $200 pre-tip and pre-tax range, including two cocktails and a glass of red wine). Again, this is from my own summing of what we had, and before the tax, tip are included. read more

Stopped by for cocktails with friends. The place looks understated outside but quite fancy-ish, moody and elegant inside. There seemed to be a slight disappointment that we only wanted cocktails from the server and host, but the cocktails were quite good. The vermouth with olive brine was divine. I liked the saltiness of the drink and the vermouth was smooth and was bold and robust. There was some citrus accents which served as a nice balance to the drink. read more

best meal i've had in nyc in a while. the cheesecake, the seafood, the waiter Pedro. phenomenal

Had a great meal at Eel Bar, party of 3. we had a nice booth but the front bar room looked very fun as well for a drink and snack. Great service, really guided us through the menu and gave honest feedback that helped up nail the order. We had the traditional gildas - they were good but not needed. The grilled bay scallop skewer was phenomenal. Perfectly cooked, the green onions littered on top worked well. We then had Fried Black Bass with aioli, and fried mussels. Fried Mussels are killer, that and scallops were elite. The bass was quite good, but the housemade hot sauce really was the star. Surprise hit was a dish of mandarins, grilled squid plus blackened garlic and some raw onion. Not something I'd seek out but it was great. We then had swordfish with Clams and fries, plus Rainbow Trout Pil Pil and a side salad with a Manchego like cheese shaved over it. All very good, bread on the side was key to sop up the Pil Pil sauce on the trout. Good wine and cocktails for sure, we had a great orange wine that paired well with all dishes, very versatile. Will be back, maybe for a drink and snack, maybe a full meal if I'm feeling like splurging - you can rack up some $$ here but worth it. read more

Eel Bar - Basque Near Me - New York, New York

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Not bad, just really very little amazed me over here. Nice ambience and the fried mussels were excellent, but overall, very little food for the price. Wine was fine -- again nothing mind-blowing. read more

The service here is outstanding and the vibe is really cool. The drinks (both cocktails and wines) are great. The food is good but not personally for me. It's very heavy on mayo type sauces and I don't personally love mayo. Everything had mayo except for the short ribs which were really good. We got fries as well and they came with mayo, and we asked for ketchup and they don't have ketchup. read more

While overall the menu was a bit uneven three dishes here were so memorable that I will go back just for them: the potato croquetas loaded with green garlic, the piquillo peppers stuffed with cod, the Basque Beret dessert! A month later I still dream of them. If Eel bar would add the Cervos daiquiri with bitters to its cocktail menu I would switch my allegiance instantly and make this my first choice restaurant in NYC. read more

Eel bar with no eel. Disappointed!!! Awwright I'll order a burger with fish?!? I guess it was a meh but my friend liked it. Now i'm confused how to score this place because I'm tipsy. 8.5/10 read more

Food was fine but I don't know who told you guys that this is an acceptable serving for Spanish vermut . I couldn't believe it when I got the glass . 14 bucks for what seems to be a shot of vermut . Take a little stroll down to Bar Oliver and check their portions . Or even better , take a little flight to Spain. Very disappointed read more

Eel Bar - I don't know who told you guys that this is an acceptable serving for Spanish vermut - Basque Near Me - New York, New York

Looked forward to dining here given its Cervo's DNA. Chic aesthetic inside with no thought given to acoustics as the extraordinarily loud atmosphere demonstrated throughout our conversation-challenged meal. The food was creative and a lot of it good, however the portioning and pricing is outrageous. Our server giddily encouraged us to get 2 of any appetizers we wanted to share -- each order only had 2 small sticks ("Gildas") which would be impossible to share among four people -- to the tune of $12-$17 per little dish. We had the Shrimp & Egg, Croquetas with chorizo, Piquillo Peppers, Potato Salad with Trout Roe, Eggplant (voted our best among our appetizers). Rainbow Trout (a small portion) and Half Chicken (delicious) -- both came with nothing. The French Fries were excellent with a nice aoli. Sorry but restaurants just have to do better. Do better at making a comfortable space with humane conditions conducive for normal conversation. Do better at portioning and pricing your dishes -- especially appetizers. Our THREE appetizers cost $87 with bread!! Insane. Probably one and done for me. Good food but was it worth it? read more

Eel bar is the new sister restaurant to Cervo's. Similar to Cervo's, but leaning more into Basque cuisine Eel bar is another great option in the Dimes Square area. At the moment reservations were not difficult to get and they do accept walk ins at the bar. By 6pm the restaurant was packed. All the dishes we had were excellent. The menu is broken into three parts - bite sized snacks, shareable appetizers, and larger entree style portions. We had; Potato Salad With Trout Roe - this was good, albeit probably the least favorite dish of our meal. Everything else was excellent that this got outshined. Smoked Eggplant With Tomato And Bottarga - phenomenal, this is definitely a dish to have on the table. Make sure to order the excellent sourdough bread to soak up the leftover jus. White Sauce In Fresco Tomato Sauce - another phenomenal dish, the shrimp were delicious. Meatballs And Fries - The meatballs and fries are tossed in this gravy like sauce that is excellent. The meatballs themselves are small, tender, juicy, and tasty. Grass Fed Burger With Anchovies And Roquefort - we opted to get the burger with no cheese. Like the lamb burger at Cervo's this is excellent. The meat is cooked a perfect medium rare. Didn't know how the anchovies would pair with the beef but it didn't overpower any of the flavor and didn't taste too fishy. With cheese this burger is probably even better. Just like Cervo's the service at Eel bar is excellent, attentive, and laid back. read more

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So fun! The Gilda is so fun and different. I love their vermouth selection. We didn't have any of the food but the vibes are great and our server was amazing. read more

Clean lines and very Nordic feeling interior. The service is friendly and prompt. The food is where I'm a bit torn. The pinxtos are meh. I'd chalk that up to sourcing ingredients. It's just different from San Sebastian. Some of the bigger portioned dishes are hit and miss. The eggplant dish especially has good fire roasted flavor but everything is one dimensional because it's drowning in creamy sauce along with mushy eggplant. This dish needs something to cut the thickness every other bite or two. The price is fair for the bigger dishes but expensive even for NY standards for the smaller bites. read more

Great service, nice lighting, & great appetizers. Not so great? Burger with a ridiculously sized bun outweighing the meat. No fries or greens with the burger. Really? No ketchup at all. Even if you ask for it. Instead a weird tasting boozy (bourbon?) mayo. Lastly, including the tax amount into the suggested tip calculation. Please. I might have had too much to drink but I'm not stupid!!! read more

A let down. The good? The service. The svc was "good". The mid? Ambiance. Think your friend's paneled basement in 1986 - complete w/blaring 80's songs. Really? The bad? The food. The food was so salty as to be inedible. The tomatoes on toast was crunchy....because it was encrusted in huge salt crystals. Another dish included pan seared shrimp swimming in a way over salted sauce - and the poor shrimp still had their shells and little legs on them! I wound up spending the night struggling to dislodge the legs from the little bodies, and ended up getting tomato sauce on my pants as a result. Rule #1 when cooking shrimp - remove the shells and legs!We had high hopes for this place. Like an eel, our hopes slipped away quickly tonight. read more

Great new spot from the Cervos team. Enjoyed the variety of vermouth drinks. All the bites we had were unique and yummy! Almost polished retro decor vibes read more

Eel Bar - Basque Near Me - New York, New York

Despite being very excited to try Eel Bar after a phenomenal experience in the past at Cervo's, it was an awful experience due to an extremely patronizing, condescending, demeaning server who was so full of himself. Following are a few of many examples of his obnoxious attitude throughout the increasingly unpleasant dining experience: 1) instead of providing a simple answer to a simple question (whether cocktails in the first section of the menu labeled "Prepared Vermouths" are pre-batched or custom-/made-to-order), he chose to give a condescending circumloquacious response, which never answered the question, but instead offended and belittled his customers; 2) proceeded to be super snarky, sarcastically stating "the menu is also pre-batched" (not humorous at all); 3) got combative when clarifying a question regarding a neighboring table's dish, rudely stating he works there and knows the menu (a courteous response highlighting it was a different dish than we thought it was would have sufficed...the dish looked really good and we wanted to add it to our order); 4) did not take accountability for a mistake of an ordered dish never arriving at the table (the dish was brought to and consumed by a neighboring table), but instead blamed the food runner...of course, the ill-mannered server didn't bother to still bring out the dish as a courtesy, nor acknowledge the mistake (and his vile attitude) with an apology or by comp'ing our dessert or after-dinner drinks. Clearly, he thinks he does no wrong. Aside for the disgusting server, the atmosphere was energetic and vibey (albeit very loud acoustics and difficult to hear each other), other patrons dining were amicable and pleasant to chat with, and the food (and "prebatched" drinks) were reasonably good, though nowhere near Cervo's quality/execution - Marinated Mushrooms with Boquerones were great, Fried Mussels and Tarta San Marcos good, rest of dishes decent/fine, but nothing to write home about (i.e., Potato Salad with Trout Roe was bland, server failed to indicate Grilled Squid came with potatoes, Pork Loin fine, Watercress is actually a salad, not a cooked side dish). It would have been a positive experience if it wasn't for this despicable server. Still have a bad taste in my mouth from this encounter nearly two weeks ago. Will not return and do not recommend. There are way too many excellent dining options in NYC with high-quality food, drinks, ambiance, and service! read more

I wanted to like this place. Cervos is my favorite in NY. However, I found the service here to be extremely off-putting. We put our name in at 7:30 on a Wednesday, and were told it would be an hour and a half wait. Fine. We dined somewhere else and came back for drinks when we received our alert. We were never told that "drinks only" was not an option. Three of us were sat in a booth while we waited for our 4th to arrive. We ordered drinks, and were rudely asked when our 4th would arrive. She was 10 minutes away. Once she did arrive, they asked about food, but we had already eaten. The server was EXTREMELY rude about this, despite us ordering several rounds of drinks. If ordering dinner is a necessity to be seated, just let people know up front, rather than making paying customers feel guilt over just having drinks. We were then told our table would be booked for other guests. Fine. However, the bar had open seating and there were two empty booths when we were essentially kicked out at 10:00pm. There could have been a polite offer to move us to the bar at the very least. The server did not treat us respectfully, and he made us feel extremely awkward, when all we were attempting to do was catch up with friends while supporting a business associated with one of our neighborhood favs, Cervos. The drinks were good, but the experience was just weird and uncomfortable. Just communicate at the onset to avoid an unnecessarily rude experience. I have no desire to return here. read more

Loved the food and the vibes, the dessert was especially remarkable. The staff was also very attentive and sweet, a LES gem.

Excellente! Drinks and food were all perfect. Trout to die for. White shrimp and tomatoes was best dish that we tried. Coming back with GFs soon. read more