La Pulpería 44th HK — Restaurant in New York

Hell's Kitchen isn't what it used to be, and honestly, that's probably for the best. What was once a gritty maze of old tenements and street-corner drama has transformed into something much more interesting. It's vibrant now, buzzing with energy. You can still spot traces of the old character wedged between shiny new developments and craft cocktail spots, but these days it pulses with voices from every corner of the world. Artists rubbing shoulders with dishwashers, tech workers passing Broadway performers, corner store regulars crossing paths with newcomers. No pretense, no manufactured vibe. Just New York being New York in all its messy, beautiful glory.

Right in the heart of all this sits La Pulperia, a spot that doesn't need to shout to get your attention. It earns it through quiet confidence and flavors that actually mean something. Step inside and you're hit with genuine warmth, the kind that's become increasingly rare. The service feels real here. People who actually see you when you walk in, no rehearsed pleasantries or hollow hospitality. Just folks who know their craft and give enough of a damn to execute it properly.

Now, about the food.

That skirt steak came out exactly as I ordered it. No hedging, no "chef's interpretation." Beautifully charred exterior giving way to a perfectly pink center, striking that sweet spot between rustic charm and technical skill. It didn't need any flourishes or fancy plating tricks. It simply was what it was supposed to be, which is rarer than you'd think.

The mezcal negroni deserves its own moment. Smoky and bitter with just enough mystery to keep you coming back for another sip. Like hearing a familiar song with an unexpected twist that somehow makes it better than the original. It honored the classic while pulling it somewhere entirely new, and frankly, I couldn't put the glass down.

La Pulperia doesn't overreach. It doesn't need to. The food does the talking, the staff actually listens, and the whole experience reminds you exactly why this neighborhood, this city, gets under your skin and stays there.

This place understands what it's doing. You should probably understand it...

What a major disappointment! My husband is from Argentina and passing by this place we were tempted to try Argentinian Parrillada. The place had a cool ambiance and looked inviting. The price tag of the parrillada was a whooping $95 for 2 so we were expecting to enjoy a quality plate. Let me start by saying that we received 3 small pieces of sirloin steak, a 3 inch skirt steak, 1 chorizo and a sad tiny piece of chicken drumstick. It was served with potatoes provençal and a mixed salad. The salad, by the way, was just mixed greens with few pieces of shaved carrots that by definition is hard to call a salad. The plate hardly looked like a $50 plate let along $95. The sirloin steak was okay but still chewy but I can't even describe the taste of the skirt steak! It was impossible to eat. The flavor and smell were funky and we didn't dare to eat it. I doubt that the spices can make it taste like that (not to mention that argentians do not use spices on steak) it was more like the quality of the cut was the cheapest one can find or it really went bad before it made to our table. Terrible! The staff was friendly and the server tried to salvaged the situation by bringing a dessert. The churros we got were okay, but didn't seem so fresh either. All the restaurants get a fee for using a credit card machine, but this one found a perfect solution by putting the charge back on their customers. A 3.99% is added to the total when paying by credit card. So unless you carry a bunch of cash with you--and who does these days?!--prepare to pay extra. We were very disappointed. My husband had been in another Pulpería when it was in the Little Brasil with the Argentine owner/manager. He had an amazing experience and we were looking forward to a great dinner. Even if divided by 2, this plate was the most expensive on the menu and the restaurant should be ashamed of the quality it had. And lastly, it should be called a Mixed Grill plate, at best, because it definitely does not deserve to be called Argentinian. We tried Parrillada in many places but by far this was the worst. Needless to say, we...

So as you may have noticed, when we depart on each new road adventure we try and keep our followers in the loop. We want to avoid any confusion related to the location of the posts that immediately follow, and we also want to hear if you have any great suggestions for us to experience and then share with others.

It is for that second reason that we are most grateful to @alan_howe because when he read that we were headed to NYC he enthusiastically submitted several recommendations including “La Pulperia.”

Their menu features rustic Latin cuisine and we found it immediately intriguing.

We began our journey with the “King Crab Guacamole” and “Beef Empanadas” before transitioning to the “Roasted Chicken” and the “Moqueca Mixta.” The latter was so unbelievably delicious that our server brought over what we spontaneously referred to as “the mercy spoon” because he simply could no longer bear to watch me futilely attempt to extract the remnants of the sauce with my fork. (Sorry, not sorry.)

Just when we thought our meals couldn’t possibly get any better Alan insisted that we try a “Pisco Sour” (which may just be the best cocktail that we’ve ever enjoyed). You won’t find it on the menu, so you’ll need to drop Alan’s name in order to be granted access to it. That might feel initially unnatural, but you’ll get used to it. Heck, I’ve been riding Alan’s coattails for years!

Some would tell you that I have a way with words (and by that they’d mean that I use way too many of them). It’s with that backdrop that I report that my meal was so incredible that…I was speechless for a period of time (fact). When I did regain my ability to speak I found myself suddenly able to speak in foreign languages (slight exaggeration).

While I’ve always held Alan in high esteem, I’m now feeling even more grateful for the ability to benefit from the exceptional cuisine standards of such a good friend.

And that’s…Henry’s...