MyWorldReviews.com

Boqueria

New York, New York, United States

Boqueria is a great Spanish tapas restaurant with a couple of locations in NYC. They have a couple of really spectacular dishes (Patatas Bravas and Pintxos Morunos) that make this one of my favorite restaurants in NYC.

The food consists of many small dishes which all come out at somewhat random intervals.

Dress

Boqueria is a slightly upscale place, so "smart casual" clothes (nice jeans and a shirt) are appropriate.

Cost

Most tapas items range from $5 -> $15 each. Expect to order around 2 per person. It's not the cheapest restaurant around, but it's not bad for a nice soho experience either.

Service

Boqueria usually gets pretty rushed in the evening, but the wait staff deal with this well by being brisk and efficient.

Reservations

Reservations are recommended if you plan on arriving during peak times (6-8pm)

Items Ordered

Pimientos de Padrón

Blistered Shishito peppers, coarse sea salt

When these came out, a couple people thought they were really spicy peppers while other members of our table thought they were sweet peppers. After a few more bites, we realized there were a mix of peppers in the dish and there was no way to tell what you were getting into before trying it. The peppers were fun to eat and made for some good conversation.

Patatas Bravas

Crispy potatoes, “salsa brava,” roasted garlic all i oli

The Patatas Bravas at Boqueria are spectacular. I have started cooking my own patatas bravas at home now, inspired by Boqueria. They are a delicious potato coated in a slightly sweet and spicy red sauce with a little bit of a garlic white sauce on top. The combination is divine.

Cheese & Meats

Pan con Tomate ($5)
Grilled bread rubbed with tomato, garlic and olive oil

Aged Mahón ($5)
Tangy and intense, hard, slightly sharp, notes of citrus

Rosemary Manchego ($5)
Aged sheep’s milk cheese in a rosemary rind

Chorizo Cantimpalo ($5)
Mildly spicy pork sausage cured in pimentón

It wouldn't be proper tapas without some cheeses and meats. We ordered a small selection this time, but I find most of the cheeses/meats taste the same anyway. There wasn't anything special about any of them.

Cojonudo & Pintxos Morunos

Cojonudo ($6)
Fried quail eggs and chorizo on toast

Pintxos Morunos ($8)
Seared lamb marinated in lemon and cumin, salsa verde

These two items came out on the same plate. I quite enjoy the fried quail egg and chorizo - it's like a lightly spiced bacon & egg breakfast meal, but extra small. The lamb skewers are another one of the excellent dishes at Boqueria. They are always excellent - tender, juicy, and lightly spiced.

Gambas al Ajillo

Shrimp, garlic, and Guindilla pepper in olive oil

The shrimp at Boqueria are also quite good. They are floating in hot garlic oil, which is good for dipping bread into later.

Ensalada de Cana de Cabra

Seared Spanish Goat Cheese, Mesclun Greens, Pine Nut Vinaigrette, Cherry Tomatoes, Bloomed Raisins

This salad was one of the daily special items. It was a big sweet salad with a sweet dressing.

Espárragos y Romesco

Grilled green asparagus, almond romesco sauce

There isn't much to say about the asparagas - it was grilled and served hot with a sauce that went with it reasonably well.

Churros con Chocolate

Traditional fried dough, thick hot chocolate

The dessert churros were mini churros and fun to dip in the hot chocolate sauce. Everybody was pretty full after our meal so this was a good small dessert that was easy to share amongst five people.