Sevilla — Restaurant in New York

I ended up writing a novel so here's a summary for you:

Food: 3/5. Some of our orders were wrong so we didn't even get to try them and the ones that we did get, half of them were basically inedible.

Service: 1/5. If I had my own scale, it'd be a get-the-heck-out-of-there/5. The service was simply horrendous that unfortunately came from the manager (of all people!)

Atmosphere: 1/5. Toxic and despite the cute decor, was completely overshadowed by the horrible service we got.

I was so excited to try this place but ended up being extremely disappointed. When we got in, servers and who I assumed was the manager, walked passed us without even any greeting or acknowledgement that we're waiting to get seated.

Then when we finally got seated, they placed 4 of us into a tiny booth where a column made one of the benches shift over so that our 4th person would be hanging out past the edge of our table. I understand that NYC restaurants can be tight but in this case, the 4th person in our group wouldn't even have a proper space to eat in front of them. (Btw this booth was later given to a group of 2 who sat comfortably in it but I can't imagine shoving 4 people in there and expecting one person to eat over the edge of the table).

We sat there for a good 10 minutes, during which we contemplated leaving (which I now wish we did), before the manager tried to finally place our table settings and gave us the menu. Fortunately, upon our request, they allowed us to switch to another table that actually accommodated all 4 of us comfortably.

I wish I could say that all problems were fixed after that but it only really got worse. The manager rudely took our orders without even so much as showing us any form of hospitality.

Now to the food (at least the ones that they got our orders right on). The bread they served as was cold and tasteless. I hope you like your butter solid in your bread since that thing has no hope of melting or remotely spreading in that cold bread. They then served us our salads which they got half right since half of us requested to have their Garlic and Caldo Gallego soups instead, which, surprise surprise, we never received. For our apps, we also got the Clam Casino which were very good. The spicy tomato sauce was tastefully seasoned and the clams were cooked well.

Now to our entrees. The Beef Sauted was delicious and I thought the beef plated inside a little pot was charming. The Chicken Extremeña was also delicious, the chicken was cooked well and the sauce was tasty with a slight kick to it. Then let's talk about the Bar-B-Q in Almond Sauce. The sauce was tasty and that's the only good thing about it. The pork was dry, charred and absolutely cooked to oblivion. it was practically inedible with how tough the meat was. Last, and absolutely the last place in the food list is the Pork Chops. It was dry and unfortunately doesn't have any sauce to aid in its tastelessness.

I was so disappointed by the service, half our food being practically inedible and the toxic atmosphere of this place that by the end of our meal, I was drained by the horrible experience we had. (I guess that's what I get for setting a high expectation for this place).

When the manager came to collect our payment, before I could even say anything, he immediately asked me to enter the tip into his POS and watched me closely as I selected one of the options. The best experience out of this restaurant is the freedom I got when we finally left the place. I've never wanted to walk out of a restaurant out of displeasure more...

"Do you want rice with that?"

Came here for my eldest daughter's birthday (having had a previous reservation cancelled at the last minute). Arriving without a booking on a Saturday we were pleasantly surprised to be told there would only be a 10 minute wait and were welcomed to sit at the bar.

The man tending the bar was rude. I asked to see the wine list and was told there wasn't one. Given it being a Spanish restaurant, I ordered a Rioja without knowing what it would cost me as that was obviously of no concern to the inattentive bartender. My youngest daughter, 10, politely asked what sodas they had and was abruptly told: "all of them". They ordered Sprites and were unapologetically served the smallest cans imaginable of something that was similar to, but definitely not, Sprite. My wife's Prosecco was delivered so swiftly that the inattentive, rude, incompetent bartender did not even pause to see the bubbles overflow on to the bar.

The hard working and polite waiters sat us at a table after about 10 minutes. We ordered mains - the adults' with rice and salad, the children's with fries. As we waited for the food the place had a chaotic feel amongst the staff as they bumped into each other, dropped pieces of paper, and worked hard to meet every customers need with no leadership. The inattentive, rude, incompetent, bartender barely looked on. The chaos induced anxiety and didn't raise my confidence.

Our mains arrived and tasted great, but the fries were not served. Two whole plates of rice, but no fries. Repeated asking of the waiters was greeted apologetically and enthusiastically, but ultimately incompetently; as we all finished our mains, convinced the birthday girl to settle for rice and sought the cheque.

Then, 40 minutes after we ordered them and 25 minutes after the mains were served, the fries appeared. As this point we were preparing to go. We wanted the cheque and wanted some acknowledgment that the service hadn't been its best. The waiters offered that we could stay for free cake or perhaps another glass of wine but we were trying to go home. At this point the door to the kitchen hit the birthday girl in the face as she queued for the toilet. I was offered more cake. I asked to see the manager or owner.

I don't know whether he was the manager or the owner but the person presented to me next was the rude, incompetent, uncaring, inattentive, bartender. Who again offered cake and tried to explain why he hadn't given me a price for the Rioja, when my daughter had just been hit in the face by one of his staff using a door.

Remarkably the rude, incompetent, uncaring, inattentive, bartender shifted from offering more cake and wine to offering the whole meal for free. In complaining I was never after a free meal - just an apology, which was never forthcoming - We left money on the table which I hope went to the waiting staff, as they tried their best but were let down by a over stretched kitchen and a rude, incompetent, uncaring, inattentive manager - who clearly needs to rediscover the very basics of...

Fabulous Spanish food, excellent old world service, delicious desserts and a relaxed, unhurried experience all around. It was like walking back in time to the village as it once was, an calm oasis of unpretensious charm in an otherwise over-amped city. Most of our fellow diners were obvious locals, friendly and courteous. I offer two recommendations: First, go early. This is the kind of food you will want to take time linger over, to savor, to embrace. It is blissfully peaceful before younger patrons arrive, as they tend to raise the volume and blood-alcohol-level in the room. Second, if you enjoy good seafood, do yourself a favor, and steer toward that part of the menu. Sevilla's traditional-style seafood dishes are always fresh, deftly prepared, and served in generous portions. I heartily recommend the Mariscada (mixed seafood) in green sauce (parsley, garlic, white wine) or white sauce (w garlic and sherry in an impossibly light cream sauce). I chose the variant with shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops and lobster - I had the green sauce, and my dining companion had the white. After sharing tastes, I want to go back next time for the white sauce, and she wants the green! I ate my fill, and took home enough for another full meal. (We were there for a special occasion, and ordered three appiteizers, both had the priciest dishes on the menu, and both had desserts with coffee. If we were not celebrating, I would guess we could have eaten for around $30-$50 per person.) If seafood is not for you (or someone in your party), fear not! The variety, quality and careful preparation of their food is consistent throughout the myriad options on their extensive menu. There is something here for every taste, for every palate. Other honorable mentions go to: Scallops Aiijo, Mushrooms stuffed with (REAL) Crabmeat, always-fresh Littleneck Clams on the Half-Shell, and an amazing Chocolate Mousse Cake that is bigger than a Manhattan studio apartment, and made up of WAY more mousse than cake! Go, and enjoy a trip back to a time when being a good waiter was a calling, and considered noble work - not just a side-hustle. This staff are not waiting for their big breaks in showbiz, but simply want to make sure that your dinimg experience is a memorable one. After losing such venerable downtown Spanish restaurants as El Faro, El Charro, and the ill-advised "updating" of the once-grand El Quijote, it is a blessing that Sevilla survives. LONG LIVE...