El Fish Marisqueria — Restaurant in New York

EAT HERE IF YOU LIKE ROACHES IN YOUR FOOD AND BAD SERVICE. I posted this review a few days ago but it looks like it was deleted so I'm posting it again Last night I wound up at this restaurant on a date. We were in the area and found it on Google so we decided to give it a try. We ordered a couple of appetizers and an entree to split. We started with the tuna taquitos and the jalea, both of which were tasty. But I did notice that, despite the restaurant being mostly empty, the service was pretty slow/inattentive and although my date finished his water pretty quickly, no one refilled his water glass. When they brought out the branzino entree that we were sharing, it came with a plate of fresh tortillas. I gave one to my date and took one myself, remarking to him that they looked freshly made from scratch. As I went to serve the branzino my date looked at me with a very strange look on his face and stopped me from picking up the serving spoon. He gestured to the tortilla I had just handed him and when I looked more closely at it, I saw that there was A ROACH PRESSED INTO THE TORTILLA!!!!! A ROACH!!!!!!!!! We both froze, we looked around for the server but of course she was no where to be found. My date got up out of his seat and crossed the dining room to ask her to come over to our table. As she followed him over I saw her roll her eyes behind his back (she didn't see me watching her) which was very rude and uncalled for. When she arrived at the table and he showed her the ROACH, her reaction wasn't at all what we thought it would be. She was very slow to react and she made a big show of holding the plate next to the tiny light on our table so she could study it further. It was almost as if she didn't believe us even though she was literally holding a tortilla with a roach pressed into the center. It was so odd, I expected her to be horrified but she just slowly walked the plate to the back of the restaurant after mumbling a barely-audible "I'm sorry". I saw her take the plate to (the person I assumed was) the manager who was eating some food in the back of the restaurant. He got up, put his plate on the bar, glanced at our table and then the two of them went over to the computer. I couldn't believe that he looked at us but didn't come over to our table to apologize!!! We sat there in disbelief and disgust for a couple of minutes while they remained clustered around the pos station. After it became clear that they weren't going to come over and speak to us, we gathered our things and walked out. I've worked in food service in nyc for years so I understand that pest control is a real issue in most restaurants, but to know that the roach was on the tortilla press and still escaped notice is pretty horrifying and speaks to their overall negligence. In addition, when something like this does happen, it's customary to quickly approach the table, aplogize profusely, and offer the customers some options to help diffuse the situation. The server and the manager did neither. What a terrible place this is, if I could give it zero stars, I would. We left hungry and...

My wife and I went on a whim at around 7:45~ and sat on the bar (definitely make a reservation, it was packed). It was bustling and lively, but not too loud which is always a plus. We started with drinks which were great.

Yucatan Fish Dip - The fish dip is creamy and meaty which a great sauce. Definitely on the heavier side with the texture but I don't mind personally. Chips were warm and delicious. This is great if you wanna just sit at the bar and snack with some drinks. Would go stellar with a beer.

Tostada De Atun - Delicious. The raw tuna was perfect and so fresh. The black truffle salsa macha on top was a lot of umami and some spice and just delicious. My wife couldn't stop talking about it. Definitely a must have

Ensalada De Espinaca - This was probably my least favorite, but that isn't really even a bad thing. We felt it was pretty acidic, which im sure the pumpkin seeds, bacon, and mushroom are supposed to help with, but maybe we just didnt mix it properly. When things were more mixed, it was really good.

Grilled Octopus - Softest Octopus we ever had. Flavor was good, Takoyaki adjacent with the sauce even. The crispy sweet potato was a good contrast. This was mid range for me in terms of the whole dinner. Again, still very good.

Calabaza - This was my highlight for sure. Im not sure what they do behind the scenes, but this pumpkin was absolutely, 100%, for sure, without a doubt, the best I ever had. This is the best thing I had the whole night. It was soft, super rich flavor, perfect sauces, with the sesame seeds. I will come again just for this. Please get this.

Lava Cake - We were pretty full by now but we had a sweet tooth. I will say its a standard lava cake. The orange ice cream was nice but not astounding. If you like chocolate then I say go for it. Not a strong recommendation considering how good the other desserts sounded though.

Overall, We had a great time. We would love to come again with reservation to have a more intimate setting. The atmosphere is great and the service was good too. The bartenders were really busy and focused, but still offered some time to chat a tiny bit with us. Glad we found this on a...

El Fish is one of the few exceptional restaurants on the Upper West Side. The cuisine is Latin American inspired seafood, but there are meat, chicken and vegetarian dishes as well. There is nothing standard about the fare. Every dish is elevated, innovative, and beautifully presented. The space is elegant and modern, and the service is excellent.

We like El Fish so much that we had our wedding reception there in June. I cannot praise Ariel, the manager, and the staff highly enough for how well they executed this event. From start to finish, they made our guests feel at home, and accommodated their every need. The entire evening ran like clockwork, which included mariachis, cake cutting, speeches, and a very exuberant crowd. Amidst all the craziness of a wedding, the El Fish staff navigated the evening seamlessly, and ensured that every guest was happy and well-fed.

Our guests were blown away by the food and drinks -- notably the Yucatán fish dip, and array of desserts. Also of note: Ariel and his staff are ultra-professional but never stuffy. They create a convivial atmosphere that has everyone at ease, and know exactly how to let a party flow without missing a beat in service.

El Fish is the best choice for dinner or drinks near Lincoln Center. If you have a private event to host for 50-70 people, this restaurant is a top choice in Manhattan. Ariel will work with you to curate every aspect of your event, and when the day comes, the team will orchestrate it with perfect grace. We chose El Fish for a once-in-a-lifetime event, and cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough for a lovely dinner, or a helluva party that your guests will...