Manolo Tapas
“We were attending Adele's concert all the way in Washington Heights, and absolutely accidentally came across this place.”
“As for our server Juan Carlos, and all the other staff..”
“I also love the fact that he's Gallego, which is the same province of Spain I'm from.”
Manolo Tapas
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I went here with two friends, on the recommendation of two super-foodies, and was very happy that a nice place like Manolo is in this neighborhood. It's the real deal, right here in Washington Heights.
We had copious amounts of bread with herbed/anchovied butter, and then the tapas… first a hearty soup to start, then yummy sauteed wild mushrooms, piquillo peppers stuffed with lamb (yummmm), pulpo a feira, patatas bravas, pan catalan, and chorizo al jerez.
There were great desserts, beautifully presented: an almond tart, and a chocolate truffle thing that was nice.
We had a nice, reasonably priced bottle of rioja, and I finished with a glass of amontillado. Am looking forward to coming back here with friends sometime!
This is a surprisingly authentic Spanish restaurant with a very cool, wine cellar-esque vibe and big open bar. We were seated quickly and the service was super speedy and friendly and I was inwardly, like, "WOW!! THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE PLACE WHY HAVE I NEVER COME HERE BEFORE!?"
But then, our food was just a bit meh. We split a bottle of house red, which was served in an unmarked decanter, so I guess genuinely the "house" red. It was OK, nothing special. The bread was served with a greenish butter which I initially mistook for herbed butter — nope, it was sardines. Eek. As an aside, I've noticed a weird fish smell both in this restaurant and in the grocery store owned by the same folks next door. Maybe too many sardines?
A couple highlights: The lentil soup was very tasty and well-seasoned, and the plate of ham and cheese tasted like it fell straight out of Madrid.
We got a few other tapas that were pretty good, but small portions and quite expensive. I think it ended up being $80 for 2 of us and we were by no means stuffed. I would stop by this place to try the sangria and maybe grab another ham/cheese plate, but don't try to make a meal of the tapas.
We were transported back to Spain in Washington Heights the other night. Manolo was absolutely fresh and the flavors were pockets of memories of our trip to Spain not so long ago. It's a hidden little gem that I would never have found, had it not been for my friends and I am so excited we found it. They have a beautiful wine list, reminiscent of my trip to Seville and Toledo – amazing tapas and desserts that made my friends very happy (I'm not much for dessert). The bacon-wrapped dates were a repeat dish and do not leave without trying their croquettes. Garlic shrimp and fresh meats and cheeses were my favorites. I miss Spain, but Manolo allowed me to tame the desire for a bit longer 🙂
Nestled in the heart of a pretty shitty neighborhood is this goldmine of authentic Spanish food. Having lived in Madrid, Spain for 6 months this restaurant brought back a wave of nostalgia in the best way possible.
Service here is amazingly speedy and courteous, and the waiters speak both English and Spanish (in case you want a truly authentic experience). The restaurant is fairly dark and has decor akin to a wine cellar. The drink list is impressive and expansive in regards to wine, spirits, and beer.
You would be remiss not to order the potaje de lentejas (lentil soup), tortilla española, and churrasco a la parilla. I've had better croquetas elsewhere in the neighborhood, but beyond that everything was absolutely incredible and could have been cooked in a home kitchen in Spain.
Legitimately the best Spanish food spot I've encountered in Manhattan. Definitely worth a trip if you're in the neighborhood (and maybe even if you're not).
I was very excited to try this place out based on my friend's recommendation. My friend works around here and is a frequent customers who absolutely loves this place! Perhaps I was expecting too much but sadly based on my experience I was extremely underwhelmed. I'll start with the positive, the atmosphere is very warm and inviting, this seems like a great place for a date! We sat at the bar and the bartender was very friendly and the service was good. I was not very hungry so we just got a couple tapas to try out. I absolutely love mussels so when I saw it on the menu I was excited, and of course I wanted the standard meat and cheese plate. When the meat and cheese plate arrived I was immediately put of by the lack of creativity. Perhaps again my expectations are too high but I was expecting more effort, the ham tasted like one I get in the deli section at the supermarket and it came with 2 sad little pickles. I usually love bread but since this plate did not come with a tiny side of jam or fruit the entire combination was very dry and unappealing. The mussels were just okay, the sauce could have used more flavor. I also tried the spicy potatoes and they were just meh. Others seem to love this place so perhaps this was an off night. I would probably return if in the area but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there based on my experience.
This is such a cute place. I am so glad my friend (a regular of this spot) showed me this gorgeous restaurant!
CASH ONLY.
FOOD:
-my friend ordered tapas: the crispy potato, the grilled octopus, and the mushrooms. The mushrooms were surprisingly flavorful. The potatoes were good but not amazing. The octopus was very fresh. My favorite might be the mushrooms out of the trio.
-I ordered the lobster paella. Holy moly was this a GIANT portion! I think it was meant to serve two but I will neither confirm nor deny that I ate most of it, took the rest to go, then ate it around 1 am that night. Yes it's that good. The lobster was a bit measly but the other seafood in it was generously portioned. Giant scallops, fresh mussels, etc.
MUSIC/ATMOSPHERE: there's usually live music but we went on a Friday and there was just a really cool playlist. Good for date night, tons of string lights, sangrias, rustic wooden dining tables, and cute wooden bar tables for more casual diners.
SERVICE: we stayed from 7:40 to midnight and didn't keep ordering drinks after the first set and they never tried to oust us! Instead they refilled our water glass numerous times. This pushed the place from a 4 star to a 5 star!
Went there on a Monday evening.
Ambience: The place has a rustic look and field to it; the place was pretty empty, but with the exception of one family with kids, everyone else were adults, 30s and up. The ambience was intimate, and I would recommend this for smaller groups or couples.
Service: We were seated promptly but our waiter took a bit long to take our order. Even further, he did not bring us bread until we had half our dishes on the table.
Food: We had the seafood soup, croquetas, mussels and chorizos. The seafood soup was extra delicious, definitely order it. The croquetas were quite yummy and so was the sauce that came with it. Mussels were of a good size although there wasn't much seasoning to them. The chorizo came in a red sauce which is great for bread dipping.
This is a tapas place, so the portions are small and cost about $9-12 a dish. We weren't that hungry and our bill came out to $42 (we did not order any drinks). If you are starving, be prepared to spend at least $60 for two people.
I enjoyed my night here. Servers were friendly and the food was very good. We ordered two tapas:
Atún sobre Pisto manchengo- this was a Montadito, large sizes of tuna for a tapa; very good
Filoa Rellena de Marisco- this was a crepe filled with shrimp. Also good. Enjoyed the tuna more though.
Red sangria was great, and strong–just the way I like it.
Creme bruleé also very good, served with what I thing was a cinnamon raisin compote
Would like to come back to try the paellas