O Lavrador — Restaurant in New York

Came here with a group of 9 people. They were very accommodating as we originally told them we had 6 people and they were able to add an extra table so that all of us could fit comfortably. There were also a huge party that night that took up half their dining space. Good thing we came earlier because we all got our foods at the same time.

For appetizers we tried the Lulas Fritas (fried calamari) and Ameijoas Recheadas com Toucinho (baked clams with bacon).

For main courses: I had the paelha marinheira (lobster, clams, mussels, shrimp, calamari, and scallops) and got the opportunity to try Lagosta Recheada (lobster) and Polvo Grelhado (grilled octopus). I did not try the rest.

For desserts: I tried the Pudim flan and creme brulee.

Onto the appetizers. We had 2 orders of lulas fritas and I would not get them again. They gave too little for one order and definitely overpriced for the amount that they give you. It wasn't that crispy and the calamari was rubbery. The sauce was standard, they didn't modify it or attempt to change it.

The baked clams was much better. It was seasoned well and had some spices in it. I wouldn't say it had an amazing wow factor to it, but at least it was much better than the calamari.

The paelha was pretty good. You can easily share one order with 2 people without having to order the larger size. They do include lots of seafood. I practically didn't have a bite of rice without seafood. Only thing I wish they included was 2 lobster tails instead of half a lobster tail with its feet (which doesn't have any meat at all). A few issues with it though. Too salty and rice was too soggy. All the seafood were overcooked because I'm sure it's the way it was prepared. If I had to be okay with something, I would rather have overcooked seafood than soggy rice.

The lagosta recheada was good. Just your basic full lobster with their sauce of shrimp and crab meat stuffing. Only issue with it was the saltiness. The side of vegetables were boiled and they sprinkled salt on it. I just think that the chef is heavy handed.

The grilled octopus was okay. A little too soggy for me. It was seasoned well, just not cooked properly.

The flan wasn't to my liking. It was very thick and very eggy. It wasn't too sweet which was good.

The creme brulee was different. It taste a little different. At first bite, I didn't like it but it kind of grew on me as I tried more of it. It has an almond aftertaste. The texture of the brulee was too soft for me. It was decent.

Service was good, not great. I had to ask many times to have my water re-filled. However, they did come often to give us new plates and take away the old ones.

Overall, I think this place is a solid 3-3.5 stars. It does miss a lot of marks to even reach a 4 star but I wouldn't mind coming here again. I would give this play a try again and see if another dish does...

Service: The waiter/host Caesar speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese. This is good for people who are traveling. However, the bartender Andy is much friendlier. Unfriendly waiter, friendly bartender, that's NYC for you. It took too long to get our drinks. I would give service three out of five because it got better after I mentioned that I was doing Google review but it should have been good in the first place. This place is expensive.

Food: the food is kind of interesting. All of the descriptions are in English but the name of the dishes seems to be in Portuguese. Yet they're serving Italian food, the ultimate twist. All in all the calamari was unseasoned. My friend had the Frae-Diablo and gave it 7 out of 10. It was a generous portion of seafood but could have had more flavor. I had the Salmon, it was very bland, vegetables were unbuttered and unseasoned, potatoes unseasoned, just a boiled potato no salt or pepper, no butter. This restaurant has a lot of potential but the food just isn't that good. I want to introduce them to my spice rack. Maybe trying it on a different day with a different cook would be better, so I'm giving it two stars for the benefit of the doubt.

PRO TIP: definitely not worth the price but if you want fresh and bland ingredients, this...

There are few restaurants in my neighborhood. OLavrador is hidden between small streets and you are not going to pass it by accidentally since there are just private houses nearby. So I am happy that I found this place through Groupon. Our waiter was very nice and kept on making jokes. (Oh the face of my 16 year old daughter when she asked the waiter which non alcoholic beverages they have and he aswered “lemon juice, straight, no sugar”!) Portions are big, but what stands out is the amount of seafood/meat you get. Amount of rice or pasta is small in comparison which really makes their delicious dishes a great deal. Grilled octopus and house made sausage flame broiled in brandy were our appetizers. (Also big portions). For main dishes we ordered pasta with seafood and paella (super moist, better than other paella I tried previoudly). Sangria comes in cute clay glasses and is very tasty. Flan was a bit different from the kinds I’ve tried in the past: not very sweet, very little caramel sauce and a bit too gelatinous. However creme brulee was amazing! We will definitely be back to taste other things. We’ll try to go back Mon-Wed since apparently there is live Spanish music. Oh and the place actually has a parking lot. Overall - definitely a place to...