Boqueria Flatiron — Restaurant in New York

A friend and I decided to check this place out because I had a 30% off deal via Blackboard Eats. It's not valid on happy hour items. Happy hour is until 6:30 and it's at the bar only. You can get $7 glasses of sangria, $8 house wine, $5 Estrella beer, and a few other random select cocktails.

For dinner, we decided to order a bunch of tapas and share everything. We ordered six plates, but by the time the last one showed up, we were already getting pretty full. This is was we ordered:

Patatas Bravas ($10) - crispy potatoes, salsa brava, roasted garlic aioli. I loved these. They were perfectly crispy and I loved the aioli.

Pulpo a la plancha ($19) - grilled octopus, fennel, smoked pimentón, Picual olive oil mashed potatoes. This was great. The octopus was nice and tender, and the mashed potatoes were very flavorful.

Albondigas ($16) - Colorado lamb meatballs, tomato sauce, sheep's milk cheese, basil. These were pretty gamey. There were five in an order and my friend really did not care for these so I ended up eating four of them.

Croquetas Cremosas ($12) - creamy croquettes; three each of mushroom and Serrano ham. This was probably my favorite out of everything we ordered, especially the mushroom.

Jamon Serrano ($13) - "Jamónes de Segovia" Serrano ham, aged 18 Months. This was good - no complaints here.

Calamares ($14) - baby squid, white beans, artichokes, squid ink, Calabrian chilies, garlic, dill. I guess my brain skipped over the beans part because I was completely surprised when the dish showed up served on a bed of beans. It's not a bad thing but it was A LOT of beans. This also happened to be that last dish that showed up, so we didn't eat too much of it.

Even with the BBE deal, it was still a tad pricey so I'm not sure I would be back - especially when there are so many other tapas places in NYC I...

Came on a Sunday for an early dinner. It was a bit empty when we arrived but slowly filled up with different sized groups as our meal went on. Very nice warm ambiance with all bar height seating which was actually kind of nice.

There were 3 of us and we were hungry after doing some shopping around the area. It’s tapas style - which I think is slowly becoming new speak for “small but still expensive”, but I digress. We started with red sangria which was yummy in a fruit punch kind of way. Next was the chipped up eggplant with big chunks of toast - delicious but for some reason wasn't expecting the eggplant to be chopped up. Then the croquettes - both were fried very nicely. The ham was tasty but the mushroom was amazing. The asparagus was next - which I think was made for this tapas format. Then the shrimp with garlic came out with a chunk of crusty bread perfect for sopping up all the garlicky oily sauce. The octopus with fennel and mashed potatoes - tender and tasty. Lamb skewers with chimichurri - very flavorful. So far the tapas were just delight after delight. We also ordered a small paella which finally came out. Have to be honest, this was the weakest dish by far. It was dry and frankly not that flavorful. We knew we were going to skip dessert so we ended up with the broccoli with almonds and mint (fresh and savory) and the lamb meatballs (very soft and tasty in a rich tomato sauce). So overall, the food was delicious except for the paella. Or waitress was very helpful and was basically spot on in terms of ordering enough dishes for our appetite. It turned out we could have gone the route of the chefs menu for approx the same cost but I think we really got to explore the menu with exactly what we wanted to try. Overall a solid...

Rating: ⭐⭐ (2 stars)

As enthusiasts of authentic Spanish cuisine, my partner and I were excited to dine at Boqueria Flatiron. However, our experience was underwhelming in several aspects.

Food: ⭐⭐ (2 stars) Our anticipation for a culinary journey through Spain was met with disappointment. All the plates were served cold, which significantly detracted from the overall dining experience. The flavors were just okay, lacking the vibrant and rich taste we associate with true Spanish dishes. We had higher expectations for a restaurant boasting authentic Spanish cuisine.

Ambiance: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars) The ambiance of the restaurant was decent, but nothing extraordinary. The setting was comfortable, yet it missed the lively and warm vibe one would expect from a Spanish eatery. Notably, there wasn't a single Spanish song playing throughout our meal, which was quite surprising and a bit disheartening. A touch of traditional Spanish music could have significantly enhanced the dining atmosphere.

Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars) What truly saved the evening was the exceptional service. From the moment we arrived, the staff were attentive and welcoming. Bartender Boris crafted delightful drinks with a friendly demeanor, and manager Maria ensured our needs were met with utmost professionalism and warmth. Their dedication and kindness made a lasting positive impression.

Overall Experience: While the service was impeccable, the food and ambiance did not meet our expectations for a Spanish restaurant. We hope that Boqueria Flatiron can improve on these fronts to provide a more authentic and enjoyable dining experience. For now, it remains a place we would not rush back to for the food, but would certainly commend for its...