El Parador Cafe — Restaurant in New York

My favorite Mexican in NYC! My second time at El Parador and it was just as wonderful as the first visit. I just don't understand how anyone can complain about the service? Our waiter Manuel was extremely attentive without being overbearing!! Thank you Manuel. The dirty dishes and utensils were removed quickly. Water and drinks never went without being refilled. For appetizers we got the nachos which was a combo of the Nachos Normales and the Vestido Nachos. Normales was simply beans, cheese and tomatoes and Vesitdos were beans, cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, and a slice of jalepeno pepper. We couldn't decide so our server suggested combining them. We ordered the red wine sangria (they offer red or white) and it was delicious. Eating the apples in the Sangria was like taking a shot! Haha! Chips were warm and refilled for us without asking. The salsa is very unusual, in a good way. It has chicken broth in it with a hint of cinnamon and is nice and spicy. Delicious! We also had the vegetarian pico de gallo salsa. Awesome and refreshing! For main entrees, I had the Carne Fajitas with flour tortillas, my friend had the small Taco Tray which has grilled chicken, beef picadillo, chunks of chorizo, refried beans, guacamole, crema, tomatoes, cilantro, onions and cheese. At first he wanted the medium but our server said that would be way too large. Good thing my friend got the small. He was offered hard or soft flour tortillas and chose the soft tortillas. My niece got the special which was a chili relleno, echilada suiza and a beef picadillo soft shell taco. We all loved our meals! You get a choice of how you would like your beef sirloin done for the fajitas. Everything came with sour cream, guacamole, beans and we asked extra cheese. I asked for medium rare and it came out perfectly. We were way too full for dessert. Even though we got the "standard" fare, they offer a lot of gourmet Mexican dishes. Many other upscale Mexican places in the city have gourmet dishes but don't offer what American's consider traditional dishes. This is what I love about El Parador. They have the best of both. Can't wait...

We have a tradition now where when a particular group of friends come for a visit, we try a new Mexican restaurant. El Parador was next on the list. This far flung restaurant on 34th Street claims to be one of the oldest running Mexican restaurant in the city.

The dimly lit quite interior full of artwork adorning the walls. Seating was comfortable enough. We didn't feel squeezed in and quality of noise was good, at a nice level. Our dour waiter greeted us to get our drinks. Margaritas of course!

The menu is a bit more than the usual Mexican staples. Yeah, it has the enchiladas and quesadilla but it offers some interesting appetizers like stuffed jalapeno with peanut butter. I found the guacamole to be slightly chunky and a bit of heat. The staff constantly refilled the chips and our water was topped off. Portions are plenty for the price I thought. The taco tray is a fun way to make your own taco with a group. The fajitas was presented on a sizzling hot plate but wasn't sizzling when it came out. The others decided upon the special that evening of Chef's combo. It looked good and our friend clean his plate so it wasn't so bad right? My go to is the shrimp/steak combo. I thought it was pretty good coming with a large side of beans/rice and usual fixings for it. Still, didn't beat my favorite place for fajitas but did a good job compared to others I've tried. The tres leches cake was moist and so good as well as the flan. (We shared) The margaritas were just right. It wasn't some over sweet pre-mix concoctions that some place use.

I can see why El Parador has lasted on the ever changing landscape of NYC restaurants. Pleasant if not a bit dour service. Food, while on the pricier side was good in a relaxed dining experience. My only quibble? Can they get a new interior exit door next to the coat closet? It looks like a non-descriptive brown bathroom door a subtle reminder that you are about to go back the...

I was blown away by the beautiful interior that looks like something out of a Mexican castle with the wrought iron chandeliers, red mixed with dark wood and the beautiful hardwood floors. The quality of service exceeded my expectations and highlighted the old world charm of this place.

We started with a pitcher of sangria and then went on to margaritas. The sangria was not too sweet and the margaritas were strong. Say yes to both of these cocktails!

The appetizers we ordered were guacamole and the pico de gallo. The guacamole was perfect and the pico was more of a unique salsa with a great spice to it. I ordered the Pollo Parador and I don't know what is in that marinade but, it's unlike anything I have ever tasted; salty, sweet, savory and all things delightful rolled in one. The chicken was breaded well (not overly doughy) and crisped with flecks of burnt. I don't often get to try a dish that is executed perfectly on all accounts. The onion in the middle was a nice touch and stood on it's own flavors. My guy was nice enough to let me try his Paella dish and I can say if you order either of these dishes as your entree you can't go wrong.

The price tag may seems a little higher but, it's really worth it. They also offer private event dining and I could see that going well in this romantic and intimate space.

The bathrooms are located downstairs and the steps are quite steep so, be careful if you have small children or elderly people in your party. Also, there is definitely not any street parking during peak times as is normal...