Empanada Loca Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in New York

Food was amazing, stopped by here on a Monday about two / three weeks ago at around mid day and had the pleasure of Lucas as our server. He was very friendly and attentive with us. We sat outside as we had just come from the vet with our dog. Fast forward to this Monday, my husband and I decided to have dinner here. Unfortunately the service was bad this time around. Not sure of the name of our server but she was very rude and argued with us when we told her she brought the wrong drinks. As a server you should not be arguing with customers. We ordered the steak and fries for my husband - medium well & I ordered the cheese empanadas. We also ordered two frozen margaritas. The drinks came out first and they were wrong. As soon as she placed the first cup down I said “I’m sorry but we ordered the frozen margaritas and these are not frozen.” She stopped and looked at me before saying “no you did not, you ordered these.” I was taken aback honestly. This is not the way you speak to customers even if they were wrong which we weren’t. There was no apology, she simply walked away with the wrong drinks. A few minutes later she came with the right drinks. Another few mins later the food arrived… however it was the wrong food. It was two orders of empanadas and one elote. I start telling her hey this is not what we ordered, but as soon as I finished the table two seats down raised their hand and said that was their order. They also were visibly annoyed, and I could tell this was not the first issue they had throughout their dinner. She apologized to us and said she hadn’t even looked at the ticket (Which is honestly a mystery to me because that should be the first thing you should check & also we had just placed the order a few minutes ago with her so our food wouldn’t be ready especially for steak .) I would understand if the restaurant was full but we were 1 of 4 tables there. 2 of which had already gotten their food. At this point I already knew this is just the service she gives. When we finally got the right food the steak was cooked incorrectly. We ordered the steak medium but it was rare. At the end of our dinner it seems like the manager caught on and came to ask how everything was. My husband responded saying the food was good but the service was not good. Manager said nothing and just took the feedback while taking the plates back. A few minutes later the waitress we had came back and offered us a free dessert but we said no thank you that we wanted our bill so we could pay and head out. The manager then steps in with the bill and a dessert that we had already declined to apologize but at this point it was too little too late. Would come back another time in hopes of having a...

I have been ordering from this restaurant for years now. They were recently under renovations. I wanted to come and dine in and see how the renovations turned out. Came in on a Monday evening. We were immediately greeted by friendly staff. I was taken aback by how beautiful the restaurant renovations came out. As soon as you walk in, there is a neon sign that says Tequila made me do it. Great photo prop. The restaurant looks airy and more spacious. I loved all the beautiful decor, including the beautiful spacious bar. Niko and Allen were super friendly and attentive. They explained the menu to us and answered any questions we might have had. For drinks, we ordered a Corona and a cocktail called infused. I was unsure how I would like the infused cocktail, so Niko had the bartender make me a little sample for me to try first. It was delicious. The tajin gives it a nice kick. Our bartender was super nice and sweet. Niko brought us complimentary plantain chips dipped in a salsa, which was delicious. We ordered nachos with ground beef. The portions on these nachos were massive, super flavorful, and filling. Of course, we ordered the delicious empanadas. We ordered beef, cheese, and cheeseburger. I love how each empanada is paired off with a sauce. My favorite is the salsa verde sauce. We got to meet the amazing chef. The chef, along with Niko, brought out Gambas Al Ajillo, which is shrimp in a lemon butter garlic sauce with sweet plantain puree for us to try. The shrimp was cooked to perfection. This was a delicious meal. For dessert, the chef brought out the Guava Heaven Empanada with a side of vanilla ice cream in a chocolate cover cup. OMG, I now understand why they call this dessert Guava Heaven. It is absolutely delicious. The taste of the guava and cheese is so yummy. If you're looking for great quality, delicious food, then this is your to go to spot. Can't wait to come back and try the Cuban sandwich and some other foods on the menu. Thank you, Niko, for your incredible hospitality and amazing staff. Me and Ray look forward to...

Happen to stop by over the weekend with some family members who have been in the restaurant in the past. It was my first time at E.L and I was looking forward to a nice brunch type of day. Looking at the menu my family instantly noticed ot has changed. As a first timer it was new to me, yet I couldn’t helped noticing how poorly was executed . The food option were so Random. From Spanish omelette to the Andes empanadas. I ordered a Spanish omelette due to the fact that nothing else attracted me (Wish a had a picture, but anyway) never had such a simple dish that a restaurant can missed he opportunity to make an impression. unfortunately E.L managed to completely destroy the illusion. Just an omelette with peppers and onions, No salad, no toasts but on top it had a white sauce. For god sakes, the sauce was the hope for a tasty dish. Unfortunately as soon as I had it reminded me of pancake batter made with water.

The empanadas were actually ok, presentation wise poor, E.L made them look like a $1.50 Caribbean empanadas, sauce needs more exploration, it’s taste it’s definitely not there yet. The joke cost $70 for 6 empanadas and one omelette. Not expensive for brunch but undoubtedly not worth it for this low caliber of meal.

E.L Love the intension and level of curiosity ,unfortunately completely dislike the lack of thought put into keeping a name of a restaurant and opening in such a FAST time with a concept that is not up to standard. You can hire as many influencers for your marketing extravaganza, but if the many looks messy, presentation is not curated and food doesn’t have the smallest oz of umami , there a...