Hey there fine people,
My wife, me, and two kids (ages 6 & 10) will be in NYC next month for a couple of nights. I'm looking for dinner for each of the nights: One Indian and one Spanish tapas.
We'll be in the midtown/central park south area but open to places in farther out neighborhoods.
I've researched a few spots already.
Indian
Chola – Menu looks great and the pictures make it look very spacious.
Semma – I appreciated the Bon Appetit On The Line video and everything looked amazing. Reservations could be challenging.
Tapas
Boqueria – We've been to the one in DC at Dupont Circle. Both my wife and I enjoyed it. Do any of the NYC locations stand out among the pack?
Casa Mono – I like the menu and I think there are a few things for all of us on it. I've seen posts which make it sound small/tight even by NYC standards. Is that true?
Tomino – Their menu was really speaking to me but might be a bit heavy on the seafood for my wife and 6 year old.
La Nacional – Menu looks great and the cultural angle is compelling/interesting.
Mercado Little Spain – I'm confused, is this a food hall or a sit-down restaurant?
What else is out there?
by RedditAccountThe3rd
20 Comments
Casa thirteen for tapas if you want slightly higher end, mercado for a more budget option – it’s like eataly: a food court but you can buy almost all ingredients that are being used
Boqueria has fallen off. Wife and I had a very disappointing meal at the spring street location a few weeks back.
Casa mono is tiny but the food is worth it.
Little Spain is a food hall and a sit down place. It’s pretty good, but crowded, loud and full of tourists.
We went to the Boqueria on the upper east side recently and loved it. They have great happy hour specials on their tapas.
Try Txikito for tapas. Or their sister restaurant, La Vara, if you’re willing to go to Brooklyn.
So, whether or not you consider mercado little Spain as tapas, if you enjoy tapas, you’ll love it. It’s designed in a way it doesn’t feel like a food hall. Fun environment with good food.
Throwing out another little known rec: Carlota.
For Indian, what type of dishes do you like? Dhamaka, which is a sister restaurant of Semma does North Indian very well. Good pick if you like goat meat. If you’re looking for south Indian food with fish and can’t score a res at Semma, try Chatti or Kanyakumari
There’s much better indian than Chola in manhattan, but not in midtown, imo. One other advantage of Chola is that the menu is biiiig, so if you want to try a bunch of different things from different parts of india, it’s a good option.
Casa mono is worth it, but yes, it’s not the most spacious spot. For a group of 4 its manageable.
Adda in the east village is owned by the same restaurant group as Semma. Unfortunately the Dosa isn’t on the menu, but it is fantastic Indian food and an easier rez. I believe Bon Appetit just did a similar video on Adda as they did on Semma if you want to check it out on YouTube
Casa Mono is my favorite spanish restaurant in the city, but for more typical tapas Inwould go to Mercado Little Spain for lunch and then can walk around the highline
I enjoy Bazar Tapas personally!
Casa Mono is still really good. There is a place in the East Village called Adda that look amazing for Indian. Haven’t been but it’s at the top of my list. https://www.addanyc.com/
Saravanaa Bhavan might be a good pick for indian food, especially if your kids are tired from a busy day. it’s a casual spot (i used to go for lunch a lot) and all vegetarian & south indian focused. its a chain based out of india w a couple locations in manhattan. took a couple visitors there recently and they were blown away. it’s cheap too, may justify the splurge on something else on a different day.
Mercado is a food hall situation, except all the vendors are part of the same company – sort of like a Spain Eataly or the Tin Building. it’s pricey & kinda fun. not like, a fancy restaurant with great food, but fun. there’s a restaurant attached that is more of a traditional sit down restaurant. i suspect you could get equivalent quality for better price & ambiance elsewhere.
La nacional is great!! busy, but i’ve been able to walk-in no issue on the weekends. I’ve also been to Swagat (amsterdam ave) & loved it (their garlic naan & chicken saagwala omgg)
Casa Mono for tapas and Dhamaka for Indian
I live in NYC and have yet to find a legit Tapas restaurant
Chola sucks. If you can get a semma rez then go there but other options are Kanyakumari, Chatti, Kebab Aur Sherab, and Dilli Dilli
i like el born in greenpoint. No idea how authentic it is but i get full and its pretty cheap.
Try Dhamaka or Adda instead if you can’t score a res at Semma
Soccarat
casa mono is super good but expensive and it like traditional tapas if that matter. but definitely the tastiest tapas listed
tomino is good and they have plenty of non seafood. their food can be a little salty. the main selling point is that they are one of the few Spanish restaurants that sometimes still serves caberiones (large red Spanish shrimp that are super good)
little Spain can be good for a little kid because so much is going on to see and stuff buuut if your hungry (or kidn is ) it can be a pain because going to multiple stalls. food is also less good then some of the mentioned restaurants.
Would recommend pil pil and kebab au sherab