Spencer Nord

We sat at the Chef’s Counter overlooking the back kitchen and had one of our better meals in recent memory. Super friendly, attentive staff with good knowledge of the menu. We started with cocktails, which were a step above the usual manhattan fare and designed to fit within the food menu. We started with the jamon croquettes that had a light, crispy batter and enjoyed the crab tarts as a compliment from the kitchen — a must get when we return. The Bikini Hemingway is simple yet refined with a perfect balance of sweet and savory and hits you with a perfect balance of textures. The Galician octopus is reminiscent of a classic pulperia in basque. The sauce work on the cannelloni was sublime, but the pasta was a bit under for my liking — only critique on an otherwise amazing meal. Nice dessert selection too!

+3

Peter Guagenti

Ernesto's is a hidden gem in the Lower East Side. The menu is made up of exceptionally well executed Basque favorites complimented by a surprisingly well curated wine list and creative cocktails. Prices are quite reasonable for the quality of the kitchen, and the service is impeccable. Bonus: pick Chef's counter (an entirely separate space) for a more intimate, behind the scenes experience.

+1

Side notes- Prices aren't online, and the menu changes frequently. In general, as of a few months ago, the pintxos/bites are $14 to $16, the entradas/appetizers are mostly in the low or mid-$20s, and the platos/entrees are mostly in the $30s and $40s. Anyway, I was at this dimly lit Basque restaurant a while back with a small group. The place got pretty loud eventually, and the service was friendly. As we were waiting, I had some time to kill and ordered a tasty vermut. In this case, it was the Lustao Blanco for $16 on the rocks with an olive. In terms of small bites/Pintxos, someone ordered the Gildas for $14 while waiting, and another person enjoyed the similarly tiny Croquetas de Jamón for the same price point. Speaking of prices, I am unsure exactly how much everything cost, and I can't find descriptions of everything I ate, so I'm approximating, which is why you'll see the "~" before each price point. My entrada, or appetizer, was the Salmorejo de Atún for ~$25. Salmorejo is essentially a much thicker version of gazpacho, with olive oil, tomato, bread, and a few other ingredients. In this case, it was topped with plenty of raw tuna, cucumbers, and other greens. The cold soup worked surprisingly well with the high-quality fatty tuna, and I would order this again if I came back here. Another person ordered one of the appetizers as their entree, the Bikini Hemingway, which is a type of sandwich. In this case, it was ~$25 and was filled with txistorra, queso, shrimp, and pan de cristal. They seemed to like it but not love it. My main dish/plato was, unfortunately, the Magret de Pato for ~$40, with grilled magret duck breast, port and foie sauce, and pomme purée. Unfortunately, a few pieces of the duck were a little chewy, especially the ones with more fat. The sauce was alright, tasting like a slightly above-average red wine demi-glace with a touch more richness and sweetness than usual. The pomme purée was good, being rich with a nice texture. Overall, I think a bit of acid would have helped as well. This was alright, and I would have appreciated some bread to mop up the remaining sauce. Another person thought the Bacalao for ~$35, which was topped with two shrimp in this presentation, was pretty good. This place reminded me of Txikito in many ways. Both are a bit too pricey for the quality, with comparable food. For spending around $100, there are many other spots I would prefer, such as Casa Mono, El Pote, or a few others. If I were to go back, I'd probably just order appetizers. I'll leave the same score as the other restaurant, a bare 4/upper 3, and I would give a 3.5 if available.

Maria Yu

Sat at the Chef’s counter in the smaller dining room. Very large and interesting wine menu with lots of Spanish wines! Love the smaller bites, I think the traditional options to start such as the tortilla, croquetas, and jamón are the best options over the mains. I would definitely come back to sit outside and enjoy some wine and smaller bites!

+2

Ooni J

What a great dining experience, it was our first time trying Basque cuisine! Quite pricey, but the food was so filling! The seafood dishes were especially excellent, as were the desserts and sweets (the ice cream sold from the cart outside the restaurant was SO good). The interior is beautiful and the place has really cool vibes, much more hip and young than I thought it would be (it’s also pretty loud inside, like bar loud). Had an excellent time here!

Annabelle Li

Disclaimer: this review is based on the general Spanish food scene in New York City, NOT THAT IN SPAIN!!! TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STANDARDS!!!! I would say that Ernesto’s is definitely the best Spanish restaurant so far in NYC, along with the improved food quality in Mercado Little Spain. The price is definitely at the higher end, so please keep that in mind if you decide to go. What I like: 1. croquetas (you know it’s gonna be good when the bechamel inside is moist and oozy, the outside is crunchy and crispy) 2. tortilla de patatas!!!! (This one is a must. The best tortilla so far in nyc I’ve ever had. The inside is oozing out when you cut it. Hella good. Gotta give this 12/10) 3. Callos madrileños (no explanation needed) 4. Milhojas (riquísimo!!!) 5. Pork collar (ibérico pork, no need to explain) 6. Gildas (this one is good, but needs more olive oil 7/10) 7. Patatas con paleta de jamón (chips are crispy, reminds me of Spanish aperitivo) What I don’t like: 1. Txistorra - outer needs to be CHARRED more, por favor 2. Ensalada de tomate - Where is the salt? Where is the olive oil??? 3. Escabeche - we were expecting the classic escabeche (like the one prepared with perdiz) We didn’t order pan con tomate but gotta say that it looks good. Service was ok, could be better and more efficient. We definitely did not appreciate the 20% gratuity added to our bill.

+1

Grabbed an early dinner table on Resy after someone canceled. Nice room, lighting and music. Service was professional and nice. Everything was well prepared and tasty, fresh high-quality ingredients. Prices are pretty eye-popping $$$ for what you get. Small plate of rice with 2 clams & 4 bite sized pieces of cod, $34; small dish of pasta carbonara, $34; 4 tablespoons of roasted mushrooms with an egg yolk, $35…and so on. The food was delicious but at $265 all in for a small dinner for 2, I have to say I felt kinda ripped off. The place was packed so I guess people are fine with the prices. I wasn’t. It was good but not “forget what you’re paying” good. Sorry.

Sintra Martins

Fine if you’re looking to burn good money on underwhelming food. For the price, I was disappointed. The sommelier was nice but a bit too casual, called me a few pet names which was sweet but also inappropriate. The waitress also kept trying to upsell us, and was similarly casual in her demeanor. We were a party of three and the waitress offered to add a 3rd serving, which added an additional 50% to the price of the dish we found out when we got the bill. Nearly everything had way too much salt in it. We got the ham croquettes, which were the highlight of the meal for me, were so salty I had to take breaks eating. The iberico ham steak was good but the dish doesn’t come with batatas bravas as promised, but instead french fries topped with roasted bell pepper. Unclear whether the chefs have actually been to Spain. The salt cod was drowning in an overly starchy, herby yet flavorless roux and came with 3 sandy clams and seemed like it hadn’t been soaked for long enough to osmosis enough salt out. I asked for bread and they never brought it. The octopus salad was mushy and the onion and bell pepper in it were completely raw. It tasted like liquid smoke to me, and the sherry vinaigrette was very strong. The octopus was cold, too. I also told staff that I was celebrating my birthday and they didn’t offer any kind of celebratory gesture - usually restaurants will give a comped dessert or a small amuse bouche but after our meal, the waitress came to tell us that they were sold out of all their desserts except for their grape sorbet. Not complaining that I didn’t get something free, but for $90 a head, I think it would have been a nice gesture. I don’t know if this is customary for this restaurant but I’ve dined at some decently nice establishments and comparatively, this one did not meet my expectations.

Heather Furr

The staff and atmosphere were lovely, kind and attentive. The food was good but like others have stated, just not as memorable as I had hoped for the price point. It was well presented but just lacked the flavor I had read so much about. Still wish this place the best and would recommend others give it a try. I’ve only ever been here once - it could have just been an off night.

+1

Carlos Simon

Pretty good food the croquetas were definitely the highlight. Unfortunately overshadowed by poor service and very long waits time in between ordering drinks (sommelier never showed up), getting appetizers, and finally getting our mains. Would not return even for the croquetas…

Sun Pal

All style, no substance" describes this place best. The service has some great aspects—attentive water refills, napkin folding, smiling food delivery—but the true Basque hospitality is missing. You have to flag down the indifferent waitress, and their policy of ordering everything at once for immediate coursing screams "get 'em in and out." Some dishes were rushed, like the crab tarts that went soggy quickly. The standout dishes were the incredible octopus with crispy peppers and tender meat, and the simple yet elevated artichokes with almond sauce (highly recommend getting bread to mop it up). The bland morcilla was disappointing, but they did graciously take it off the bill. Overall, a "meh" experience in a city with far better options.

+1

Lily Yang (#99)

Great service, good ambience, okay food that did not justify the price tag. Tables were too small for the size of the plates they like to use, I felt like I was playing a maze minigame every time I wanted to pick up my wine glass for a sip. Food doesn't really match up to some other fine dining experiences in the same price range, some things could be improved, or maybe I just have a palate that is ill-suited to Basque style eating. The option to order some bland crusty bread or crackers as a side to accompany certain dishes would be nice but at what they're charging, they should have figured out all the fine details of balancing the flavors. I think the chefs need to try eating their own dishes as a whole meal sometimes to figure out if it stands alone or needs something else. >Tartaletas de Txangurro. Tart dish crumbled too easily and didn't really hold up, but the flavor of the minced crab was good. >Txistorra Sausage. Was good, but I felt like it needed something bland to accompany its saltiness. >Salpicon de pulpo. Octopus. Was a nice dish. Very flavorful. >cinco jotas iberico con patatas chips. Good dish. Bland house-made chips that go well with the salted ham that melts in your mouth. The chips felt a bit too greasey though, could've been drained a bit better since the ham is already very fatty. >Bacalao en Salsa verde. Generous serving of salt cod fish in a well seasoned sauce, but I wish there was something bland to balance the saltiness of it. >bistec a la brasa. Steak with some flakey salt on it. Accompanying fries and roasted piquillos were nice. Good for people who really just want the pure taste of beef, but unlike the other dishes, this was actually too bland for me. >concord grape sorbet. Delicious, very sweet. For a place charging premium prices for food, I think it can afford to hire someone to pour water for all the tables and keep everyone topped up. I don't mind pouring my own water, but the problem here is the tables barely have space for the enormous plates, and the big glass bottle of water does not help.

Ian Morrison

A pleasant room and friendly staff but the food was up and down and the experience did not merit the bill. The highs were the croquettes (but $14 for an order of 2!) and the morceilla (but $20 for 4 pieces each 1" long and topped with a quarter of a piquillo), the low a rabbit rice (this time a generous portion) that had a single loin instead of small pieces bone in rabbit—I was in Murcia where this is a regional specialty in May— and that instead of being "meloso" was overcooked and soggy. Very interesting but also very overpriced wine list: I looked up pricing on the bottle we drank and, on the list , it's close to 5 times wholesale.

s

- Suckling pig meat is a little dry tbh. - Tapas is ok but overpriced compared to same level of Spanish restaurant in town. - Many bugs if you eat at the outdoor patio. I have to wave the whole night to keep the bugs away. - Waiters seem unhappy or tired from the face looking.

Niki

Found the manager or host rude. Decided to leave after my cocktail. I was disappointed as I've been wanting to try this restaurant for awhile. I will never go back. 1. I didn't have to wait outside in the cold, so while that may have been meant as a kind gesture it wasn't needed. 2. While I didn't need a place to get out of the cold, I did need a place to grab a bite while I caught up on work while I dined alone. You all were unwilling to be that establishment. No need for me to ever return.