Casa Tuya — Restaurant in New York

I called to make a reservation for mother’s day (also made one through resy just in case) and double confirmed just in case. The guy who helped me over the phone said I was confirmed and that he’d send his manager a picture of our reservation. When the day came the restaurant was packed and we didn’t realize how tight the space is. The lady at the front was sweet at least but I was really upset when It turned out they never didn’t write down our reservation and it was never saved. It was an embarrassing moment for my mom to feel like nothing was planned and for us to have to wait until a table was cleared up just to be sat at a table that had to squish in an extra chair for my sister. The chairs felt too low for the table, and the space was so tight that when people had to use the restroom we had to let the party behind us get up & pass through every single time. The food took sooo long and our server came to us twice saying that our food was about to be out yet, another 20 minutes passed and we received nothing, not even our appetizer. The $40 churrasco was cold when it came out and as much as i wanted to respectfully complain my boyfriend was so hungry he ate the cold steak and we were ready to leave. My mom’s mofongo was too salty and bleh. All of the food was bleh minus the seafood pasta, that came out pretty good. The piña colada was bleh but the mojito was good. Overall, a nightmare experience for mother’s day. The photographer did a great job at making the restaurant look nice and presentable. The vibe is less classy and more of a lit brunch type of vibe. The food felt like bar food and the music was so loud we couldn’t hear each other. Felt like a club atmosphere and not so much like a nice restaurant to enjoy some cocktails and talk with family & friends. People were twerking in the hallway waiting for restrooms (no judgement) but just to bring some perspective to what the vibe of the restaurant is. Overall, it felt like the restaurant stuffed as many people as they could and as if they weren’t prepared or organized for the amount of people that were in the restaurant. Gratuity was already added which, as someone who has served in the industry before - I felt was unfair since everything was a bummer and the service...

We were in the neighborhood and starving - so we decided to give this place a try based on all the photos and positive reviews. The place is very small but super cute. We loved the decor, and attention to small details. We had hoped all the effort that went into the aesthetics would also go into the food. The food was extremely bland (trying to be polite). When I walk into a Latin restaurant I expect an explosion of flavor. The Lomo Saltado was mostly overly ripe tomatoes, and onions with a few strips of steak. The “Dominican marinate” (as written on menu) was basically soy sauce. I make the dish at home and know how to infuse it with flavor. Almost $30 for a small portion of overcooked rice (no salt), tomatoes, onions and basically steak as garnish. No thanks! My fiancé ordered the red snapper, the yuca fries were served without salt or dipping sauce. The snapper had no seasoning at all, the inside of the fish was “wet.” It was served with a cute set of glass droppers but that cute set contained what tasted like artificial lemon juice and some spicy sauce. We asked for garlic oil and salt to add flavor to the fish and we were brought something like a watered down tartar sauce. Fish is one of the easiest foods to prepare and season. We also had the beef empanadas. They were the only item that had flavor. But they were literally bite size for $15. Money isn’t an issue when it comes to quality food. But when the food is sub par it’s painful to pay for it because you feel robbed. My fiancé ordered a drink, the bartender was on her phone and chit chatting as we waited for the drink. The place is too small and it wasn’t busy for her to have dropped the ball like that. The Waiter Ariel was an absolute sweetheart. He was professional and attentive. He was the only only pleasant experience aside from the decor. The owner made our poor experience right but we would have preferred happy bellies. It really makes me wonder where these positive reviews came from. Are they real? Do people not know what good food is? We definitely won’t be returning or recommending. Casa Tuya may look IG worthy aesthetically but the food is definitely not worthy. Put the same effort into the...

This is seriously one of the best meals I've had in recent memory. The quality of the service, food, and food presentation ranked right up with some of the finest dining places I've eaten at in Manhattan and the fact that it's located on one of Washington Heights' least gentrified and more lively blocks makes for a great juxtaposition. Some people who aren't accustomed to the culture of the area may find the atmosphere on the street too loud or "colorful" for their tastes (in which case you can just dine inside) but I absolutely love it.

So first, the food.

Being a guy who never met a fried cheese appetizer I didn't like, I started with the Carroza de Queso, three pieces of fried cheese served with some delicious pink sauce on a plate covered in a glass dome that reminded me of the one the rose floated around inside of in Beauty and the Beast. Delicious and great presentation.

For my main course I had the Churrasco strip steak which couldn't have been more tender and was marinated in Dominican spices. It was honestly the best skirt steak I've ever tasted.

For desert I had the Flan de Queso. Having grown up in Mexico I have had a lot of flan in my life and so I was hesitant to get this and was originally planning to try something else instead but my waiter Mateo (I hope I got the name right) said it was his favorite desert and was made with their own special touch. Since I enjoyed so much all of the "special touches" I had tasted so far I decided to go with his recommendation and am so glad I did. Seriously the best flan I've ever had in my life.

Speaking of Mateo, I honestly don't think I have ever had a waiter that was attentive as he was. Always checking on me, making sure my water was full, making sure there wasn't anything I needed, he was the best. (There was another waiter than also checked in on me a few times who was very attentive as well but I didn't get his name.)

I'm so happy to have tried this place out on a whim and look forward to many...