You can't beat the location of this place. Lots of bars and restaurants in the village. Getting in was easy, but the layout of the restaurant was strange. Upstairs is where the live music and environment is at. If it's full, you go downstairs to a dark room that feels very segregated from the rest of the restaurant. We ended up down there with two groups of people, one of which was beyond obnoxiously loud. I'm a New Yorker AND latino and I thought they were loud. This has nothing to do with them, other than we were squeezed into a tight space. If you can stay upstairs, do it.
Let me start with presentation being the best thing they do. Food looks amazing on the plate and make you want to eat until you explode. I have mixed emotions about the food though. I ordered the Ceviche and immediately was overwhelmed with the taste of cilantro. Whomever prepared it went overboard. It was prepared perfectly and had an amazing taste aside from that. We also had the shrimp stuffed platanos (first bite should be over a plate) which were ok. I had their chicken soup with yet again more cilantro. Completely not necessary for chicken soup.
Our main courses were mozzarella and shrimp stuffed chicken with mashed potatoes, ropa vieja with rice and the paella valencia. The mashed potatoes were amazing. Great flavor and consistancy. The chicken however was just ok. Usage of the cheese was a nice change but seemed a bit out of place. The ropa vieja was presented in a very cool cup made of plantain chips. Unfortunately it was bland. This is one of my favorite meals and is comfort food to me. I was looking forward to it, but found it to be just mediocre. Rice was ok as well as the beans. The paella looked beautiful. I was very anxious to eat this meal. The taste, unfortunately, was yet again bland. The mussels were gritty, the rice was grainy and chicken was dry.
Our mixed drinks were amazing. Do yourself a favor and be sure to have a few. The caipirinha I had was so on point. The other two ordered pina coladas which were both great.
Overall I would go back again but try to stay upstairs with the live music. If you're not latino, you'll find that their food is flavored just right. Being latino, I know how each of those plates should taste, having made them for years.
Pros: live music, hand rolled cigars, great drinks and appetizers
Cons: small space, inconsistant food
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