Raj's Spanish Cafe — Restaurant in Kolkata

MAN this place is almost like a hidden gem, nestled in the little alleys of New Market area. It was the evening of 31st December, me and my friend paid a visit here . I know it's super late for the review but hold up !!

The food here just slaps! The ambience, the paintings on the walls are marvelous, quirky (there's a painting of Bhuvan Bam on one of the walls, adding to the funky touch) . Coming to the food, we ordered Garlic pasta with Fried chicken which was hands down so damn appetizing and delicious, and the dessert we went for was Soufle di Cioccolato (hot choco lava brownie with vanilla icecream) , it was lip-smackin , the taste still lingers. It was a wholesome experience and I really really want to visit this place again , just looking for an opportunity. We were lucky enough to get a seat with the background of the walls where lots of stuff was scribbled making it pop!! It was New Year's Eve , obviously there was a crowd but the place had a really cozy and warm atmosphere. Locating the cafe will be a task tho :)

EDIT : THIS IS MY SECOND REVIEW OF THIS PLACE AFTER THE success of the most awaited Second visit to this amazing cafe .

The first time I visited I didn't order the Wood Fire Pizza but this time I made sure to try it and man it was so worth it. So so so appetizing, filling, absolutely justified price, they serve 8 big slices , I ordered the Funghi Pizza and I repeated the order of Garlic Pasta with Fried Chicken as it was freaking delicious and so it was this time too. I just love love love this place.

The Pizza was priced at 400/- And the Pasta with Fried chicken was 320/-

Please if u haven't checked this place out yet trust me u r missing out , starting from the ambience, the behaviour of the staff , the food quality and the price...

This cafe is very beautiful with grafitti adorning its vibrant high walls and relaxed, laid-back seating arena, both indoor and outdoor. The ambience is ideally suited for couple and friends for an intimate evening.

However the main turn-off is the food here. Exorbitantly priced with mediocre taste at best. I have no inkling how this place has managed to get such a high rating with reverend phrases thrown around it such as "under-rated" and "hidden gem". We were so overwhemled with the menu and the google reviews that we asked our table attendent for his recommendations. Accordingly, we ordered spicy chicken pizza(Rs.500) and Tiramisu cake(Rs.250). The 12-inch pizza had a thin and super crunchy crust, but the raw smell of the refined flour was still lingering. The toppings, made from bits of chicken with cheese and some sauce, was very sparsely scattered. Though the 8 pieces of pizza satisfied my hunder prangs, it never touched my soul.

Coming to the dessert, the Tiramisu cake tastes okay, but it is not worth the price. Needless to say, the presentation was top-notch with coffee powder sprinkled all over(don't believe me? Check the photos below)

I wanted to visit this cafe for a long time, mainly because of the reviews and the hype created by the (somehow paid) influencers. But any pizza lover worth his salt will never recommend this joint. I visited this place on a saturday evening after being buzzed from a nearby watering hole of Metro Gully, and came out dejected. This parlour doesn't live upto its expectation. I will not recommend this place to anybody, even to the locals. There are far better alternatives available out there nearby. I myself am not coming back to try anything else...

This is probably the most popular cafe in New Market area that doesn't need any introduction. They're very popular for their Spanish items but unfortunately when we reached, we only got Italian items. But the ambiance, food and service here was so amazing that I'll definitely visit them once again for their Spanish items.

We ordered below items from their special menu. It's good that they've mention their specialty items on a board as well as staffs are very courteous to help.

Iced Mocha @ Rs.150 (2/5) I'm not a coffee guy so can't judge, but I didn't like it much. Espresso was too strong for me and whipped cream didn't go well with it, if you're into strong coffee you might like this.

Garlic Pasta Fried Chicken @ Rs.320 (4/5) Their pasta was different, not very creamy rather very thin and light, well done fusilli with the perfect amount of cheese. But the turner was the fried chicken, it was excellent and a fabulous combination with the pasta. It was like fish and chips but solid portion of chicken inside the fry in place of fish.

Polo Asado con pure de patata @ Rs 330 (4/5) Roasted chicken served with mashed potato dipped in butter. It tasted quite amazing. Chicken portion was quite big. A must try here.

They're popular for a reason and that reason is in every segment. I'll surely visit them again for Spanish items. Prices were affordable. Highly...