Cata Restaurant
“He helped us choose some very unique gin and tonics, pointing out which were crowd faves and which were his faves.”
“I've liked the Paella with Duck confit and Foie gras, as well as the Merluzza fish plate.”
“Food: A real mix of classic tapas like pan con tomate and more innovate small plates like the fried chickpea fritters with mint.”
Cata Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Such an amazing ambience and DELICIOUS food. My friend and I came here to have a catch up and it was just the perfect place. Highly recommended for a date night. The staff were so friendly and the food was just out of this world.
I cannot pick a favourite. I'm pretty certain that anything we ordered would have been absolutely magnificent. Excited to go back again to try more new dishes! Have a look at my photos to see what we ordered! The dessert was incredible as well. Let's just say we rolled out of there with VERY full tummies!
KenScale: 7.5/10
I haven't had Spanish meal since my trip to Spain last September, and figured now is probably a good time to re-visit Cata where I had a surprisingly pleasant meal with classic Spanish dishes with modern touch. The beauty of Spanish dish always lies in its diversity, and I ordered mostly different items this time. I guess I should've stuck with what I had on my first time around as the meal was a bit more mixed on my second try.
One of the memorable dishes from my first visit was quail eggs benedict with chorizo so I definitely ordered it again. It was still a nice bite but I felt it was a little bit more salty than I remembered. The classic gambas al ajillo was a winner, with fresh Florida sun shrimp that worked together well with garlic, herbs and chili. On the other hand, Truffled ham and cheese with local raclette and jamon Serrano was also a nice bite that would start your meal on a nice note. There were some disappointments, however. As promising as it sounded, grilled cauliflower steak with broccoli jalapeno puree and aged cheddar didn't quite delivered in flavor and texture; I've definitely had more crisply cooked cauliflower at other restaurants in the city. Duck paella was also underwhelming despite the combination of duck confit and shaved foie gras that could've worked harmoniously but instead the dish was a bit too heavy without offering much redeeming quality in flavor.
The restaurant is still going strong, with a nearly packed dining space of communal tables on Friday full of young, hip crowd looking to start their weekend night out. You could always get a glass of wine or a selection of gin and tonic to wash down your food. I will probably reserve my judgment for Cata until my next visit to see if my mixed experience this time was just a blip from selecting dishes that the restaurant wasn't really strong for, or whether the kitchen is just not what it used to be.
There's nothing that I love more about going to Spain than visiting the diverse, casual tapas bars that seem to be on every street. Most nights, my wife and I hit about a half dozen or so bars. None offer the same menus.
Now, Manhattan seems to be giving Spain some competition.Tapas bars have proliferated in NYC in recent years, which is a good thing, because I prefer to eat lots of small dishes instead of a three course meal. If your a tapas fan, or are curious about what tapas bars in Spain are like,
Cata is a good place to start. The decor is a bit too Moorish for my taste–dark wood and metal hardware–but I come here for the food and drink, which has gotten better since it opened a few years ago.
When I first started coming here, the cocktails were all pretty much gin based. but their options have diversified in the past two years. The cocktails have become another reason I come here, as is their diverse list of Spanish wines.
There are two rooms. A regular dining room, and one room with high tops. Go for the high tops. It's a more energetic space, better lit and it shares the space with the open grill and bar. Most tapas bars in Spain are setup that way.
The best place to eat and drink, in my opinion, is at the bar. You can watch the cook preparing just about everything on the menu–especially the grilled seafood and mushrooms. I'm fascinated watching him at work. You also get into conversations with your neighbors.
If you come here, I suggest starting with the mixed olives, pan con tomate with olive oil and sea salt, deviled eggs, piquillo peppers, patatas bravas and griilled razor clams.
I really cannot comment on the entree size dishes since I fill up on the tapas. Anyway, you can check out their menu on line for the larger dishes, which include all kinds of meat and some fish.
Great place for Tapas – super cute wooden decor with high top tables and close seating to your neighbors almost like family style. The portions are super small but the food was AMAZING.
We tried:
– Duck Ravioli – MUST GET one of the best things on the menu
– Octopus – was told it was the restaurants favorite dish, but ours seemed underseasoned, but I would give it another chance with all of the rave reviews.
– Grilled Skirt Steak – MUST GET so delicious and cooked perfectly
– Brussel sprouts – MUST GET I would come back just for these they were that good
– Bacon wrapped dates and olives – OMG so delicious
– Lamb meatballs – pretty good but would order any of the above items before these
The service was pretty good and I would definately come back to try more items on the menu!
Entrance is on a side street so it is easy to walk past this place. As you walk in, there is a large bar area on the left with many high-tops. On the right there is a casual seating area. I will post a couple of pix. I don't recall the background music.
I stopped in for a quick G&T. Nicely made drink for $14.00. Citadelle gin and Fentimans tonic. Bartender was OK but should learn to smile if he wants a bigger tip.
Went here for dinner the other night and it was amazing!
Drinks: Cata has a wide selection of gin and tonics, something for everyone. I'm a huge ginger fan so I got the ginger gin and tonic and it was great. Perfect twist on a classic. They have other amazing cocktails, dark and stormy was highly recommended
Food: If you're a fan of tapas, this is the place for you. There is something for vegetarians, carnivores, and seafood lovers alike. We had the octopus, Brussels sprouts, quail eggs benedict, ham, steak, pan con tomate. All delicious, but my favorite was definitely the quail eggs Benedict—perfection!
Atmosphere: It was packed on Friday night. I feel like that's always a sign that it's a great place. However, it was a little too loud, and I felt like I had to yell to be heard. Oh and I was basically touching elbows with the people that next to me. Nothing that would prevent me from going back, but just be aware if you're planning on dining here on Friday night.
Delicious tapas; tiny portions; expect to order quite a few and spend a little more. Great date spot; love the atmosphere. Wine selection is also great by glass or full bottles options available.
The duck paella WAS SO GOOD. Highly recommended. The chicken wings one is a unique type of paella but it was good as well. The rice in general is just very well cooked and seasoned very well; full of flavors without being overly salty. Also be sure to try the quail eggs benedicts served over chorizo and mini hash browns.
Overall satisfied with this place, I eat a lot so I just wish the portions were bigger. But adorable ambiance and atmosphere!
Perfect for gin lovers and tapas lovers alike.
Last came here with a group of 6 for dinner. The ambiance is a bit brighter than that of its sister restaurant, Alta, although not quite as large, in my opinion. Nonetheless, the high wooden tables by the bar, and the actual seating area are more than sufficient, set to meld into the overall Catalan theme.
So, they're all about the gin and tonics here, and they've got quite a few different varieties. I obviously wasn't able to try them all, but I was a fan of pretty much everything I tried. That Fentiman's tonic doe.
Onto the food. We went crazy and got just about everything we could on the menu that sounded good, with a few favorites:
– chicken croquetas
– grilled octopus
– suckling pig
– grilled cauliflower steak
– patatas bravas
Can't really go wrong with those choices, and everything else we got was decent too, it was just those particular dishes that stood out.
Service in general was very helpful and attentive, and we got some very good recommendations. The pricing is easily on the more expensive side, so it's not really like you should go crazy like we did with the ordering, but since there's so many good things, it's not the worst place to splurge.
They have large format whole suckling pig dinners for $65 per person, complete with sides, as advertised on their website. Given that the tapas version of their suckling pig was pretty great, I wouldn't be opposed to having something like that in the future, so I'll have to give that a try soon. In all, the tapas are delicious, the gin drinks are strong and well-made, so you'll likely have a great time. This is likely on the top of my list the next time I'm looking for some good tapas.