Socarrat Paella Bar - Midtown East — Restaurant in New York

TLDR: Food wasn’t bad, ambient decor, basic service.

We were seated upstairs on the second floor. It didn’t appear that the first floor was full but maybe they wanted to even out service. Whatever the reason, we found the upstairs atmosphere very nice and cozy, though keeping its classy European style.

For the tapas, we ordered the Gambas al Ajillo (sizzling shrimp), Chorizo (sausage), and Dátiles (bacon-wrapped dates). For our main courses we opted for the Socarrat Paella for two and the Lamb Chops. We also did two flans and an order of churros for desert. All of this was part of the Restaurant Week menu (45 dollars for three courses).

The tapas were good. The shrimp was extremely hot, given it was sizzling and served in a tub of garlic oil, but tender. The chorizo was not too rich yet satisfyingly soft and meaty. I wasn’t a huge fan of the “fava bean pesto” puree that came ontop because it lacked flavor. The dates were delicious, and the sweetness paired well with the smoky, charred nature of the bacon and the sourness of the apple puree. We ended up asking for double bread because the garlic oil from the shrimp was asking to be soaked up.

The lamb chops were surprisingly small and came with some roasted vegetables. There were three pieces. The meat was juicy and tender, but I wish there was more. The paella was decent, but because it was such a big serving, it quickly turned monotone and boring. There was a weird smokiness to it that I couldn’t place my hand on, but otherwise there was an abundant amount of seafood and tender chicken. I’d also mention that a majority of the “crispy” rice stuck to the skillet was in fact not crispy but rather hard and chewy, so that wasn’t great, but I guess you’d expect as much.

The flan was light and not too sweet; delicious. The churros came out piping hot and served with a decadent cup of chocolate sauce. Those were amazing too.

Our server was Juan A. He was courteous but did not come around that often and wasn’t particularly warm and friendly. The service in general was quite slow. The time it took for our tapas to come out was about 15 minutes, and then after we were done another 15 until entrees.

Overall, was the food good? Sure. It wasn’t outstanding, and I wouldn’t consider it a great deal, given the relatively small portions (yes we are in Manhattan but still). Though, if you’re looking for a paella fix, this is definitely the...

Beth and I came here for a quick dinner to catch up. We were super excited to come and try the famous paella and tapas. We made reservations and I got a call the day before confirming but when we showed up they had no history of our reservation. I showed the hostess the call log and the confirmation from Opentable and she was like “Oh okay, sure” and seated us. The restaurant was probably 60% full but the service was slow and the place was really loud. Several people who came after us got up and left because how loud the place was. A couple near us started yelling and then eventually just starting texting (each other I assume?)

Beth ordered a cocktail twice and they took more than 45 minutes before they bought it over. When we asked the waitress what drink the restaurant was known for, she said “I dunno, I guess...sangria?” We were going to order paella but we couldn’t find a combination that we liked and they were a bit pricey per a serving and you had to order for a minimum of 2.

We settled on ordering tapas since we could have more variety. We got two orders of Gambas al ajillo ($12), the shrimp was delicious and the sauce was delicious for dunking bread in. Beth ordered the Calamares a la plancha ($13) and the grilled squid came out super burnt and rubbery. After two bites, Beth deemed it a lost cause and pushed it to the side of the table. We also got an order of Pan con tomate ($6), which tasted like tomato sauce with a hint of garlic and olive oil on top of bread. Needless to say, that was a waste of $6. Beth ordered the Brochetas de vieiras ($15), which were okay. She said the scallops were a bit rubbery but the shrimp were good. We decided to split an order of Tarta de queso y peras ($8). The cheesecake was lackluster at the very least. It was topped with pears in red wine and caramelized walnuts. The red wine cannibalized all the other ingredients and it was the only thing we could taste. The few small slivers we had were okay but it was thoroughly soaked in red wine. It was almost like someone just pour an entire 8oz glass of cheap red wine on top of the cheesecake. It was so bad that after 4 bites, neither of us wanted it. Oh how it pained my heart to stop eating desserts, but this...should not be called a dessert...

Worst experience of my life. Do not waste your time going to this restaurant. I am not sure how you can enjoy tasteless food. We had ordered the Valentines Special menu, the Lobster Seafood Paella had no flavor, the lobster tasted as though it was boiled and frozen, the scallops had no seasoning. That too at the end of the night I had asked the server to kindly pack my food to go which was not returned to me as is a standard practice. I paid my bill and left a 20% tip on top of everything that was wrong with the night for me. I got up from the small table I was sitting at with my Wife to walk in and asked for my food that was to be packed to take home. I had requested the hostess to confirm that the bag I had was my food, she said yes it was. Today February 15 2021 I opened up the container and the food inside was definitely not mine. It had a sausage paella of some sort with half a Shrimp head and a whole Shrimp. Today when I called the restaurant, the manager Name Paolo (so he says) first refused stating he did not need to give me his name. Then he started accusing me that I left the restaurant and returned half a hour later. Non of this was true. Finally didn't even bother apologizing, then asked what would you like me to do? I openly stated you tell me what you think you should do. Finally Paolo(Manager) said the paella is a minimum of two people what do you want to do? I told him I had half a Paella left with a Lobster and Claw so make me what is missing. His Attitude has definitely made me write this review more so now. Do not waste your time going here, even during Covid times you think people would be more appreciative to the business instead of the attitude. I am not a frugal person and could care less about the leftovers, it is now more of how the manager handled himself on the phone....