Esperanto
“For brunch purists, the bloody mary is strong and spicy and the egg benedict with crabcakes is my favorite in the city.”
“For dinner, 4 of us shared a big pot of Moqueca Bahiana, a stew with seafood, coconut milk, and vegetables.”
“the food was delish – the moqueca bahiana (a fish & shrimp stew) was particularly heavenly.”
Esperanto
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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" Yo amo this place"
This review is a drinking/beverage review.
This restaurant/bar is one of my favorite spots in the ever changing east village area. The drinks, especially the caipirinhas, are made to perfection and they are pretty strong. The staff is wonderful and engaging. Josiah, a bartender, is great on the weekends. He even made a special nonalcoholic drink for my teetotaler friend.
If you want a chill scene, i would recommend going after the sunday brunch rush (around 4ish). Just note that many items may not be on the menu since that is near the shift change. Plus, who needs calories from food anyway?!!! However it is the perfect time to try out the many drinks that are available.
Perhaps, one of these days, I will try the food.
I had a couple guests visiting me, and needed a brunch spot where I could make last minute reservations. I went with Esperanto because I had a $10 off Dining Deck card, and didn't really know what to expect. We were all very impressed! I love the feel of the place– both inside and out. The outside is bright green, and the inside is full of color as well. Everything feels light and cheery, and everyone inside is having fun.
We all did the amazing brunch deal: an entree, coffee, and cocktail for $15 (looks like they recently raised the price from $12, but it's still a great deal). For cocktails, you can choose from a bloody mary, mimosa, or screwdriver, and then choose which juice to use. They make their own fresh juices in0house, and change the flavors all the time. I got a mimosa with citrus-rosemary juice, and it was really delicious and refreshing. For my meal I got the vegetable omelet: a hearty omelet with vegetables (obviously) and goat cheese (score!). It came with salad and these incredible, spicy breakfast potatoes. Some damn good potatoes. It was quite a lot of food, and I was able to have half of it the next day.
Our waitress was really friendly and helpful. I highly recommend Esperanto – great place to go for a fun, casual brunch!
Came here for some drinks with friends before a night out. For a Friday night it was pretty vacant but we didn't care.
The bartender was great because he hooked it up with the drinks and made them pretty strong. Shots of tequila? More like half a cup! It took me a while to finish one shot but hey, not complaining. My friend had the sangria and said it was pretty good.
It's a cute little place. I probably wouldn't go there again when you have a hundred other alphabet city bars that are half the price.
Deep in Alphabet City, you'll find this little gem of a Brazilian resto. Digged the dark dining atmosphere. We got a big table for our group of 6.
Definitely get their house caprinha pitcher! A bit of spice to it, and pretty strong as well. All about it. Their chips and guac were pretty standard, could go without it. The burger was surprisingly decadent! I wasn't expecting a Brazilian place to offer such a delicious burger (maybe my expectations should have been higher), but it was so juicy and tender, and I want it again right now!
Wait staff was friendly. The atmosphere was pretty vibrant and by the time we left, was pretty packed with people. Definitely recommend for a night out and solid dinner on the east side.
Muy, muy promedio. I am not sure how this place has been open since 1999, given its barely adequate menu. I had the Esperanto Burger (onions, spicy mayo) and my friend had the Vegan Plate. My burger was just bland as could be. Not offensive, not lacking in taste, but I had this burger two days ago and I already forgot everything about it. My friend's Vegan Plate (rice cakes with arugula, grilled asparagus, and guac) was actually pretty decent from what I sampled, but again, not very memorable. However, I will say that the service was incredibly friendly, Esperanto definitely has some sound hiring policies. All in all, I would not come again. There are just too many awesome differentiated establishments in this city to justify a return visit.
Really fun atmosphere! Came here for dinner last night. Got seated without a wait. We ordered the shrimp empanadas, the hearts of palm salad and a fish flounder special with cilantro rice. My favorite dish was actually the empanadas.
I tried a michelada which was pretty good too.
The service was really slow, I think there was only one waitress attending to the entire outdoor section so every time we ordered something we'd have to make sure that we asked for everything all at once.
With that being said, my date ordered a hot coffee and it came out cold.
We got the chocolate lava cake with gelato which was awesome.
Overall, this restaurant was really fun with live music and adorable decor but don't expect fast service.
I first came here ages ago for after work drinks. Now it's one of my lunch spots. They make delicious sandwiches, particularly the fish sandwich. The juice bar at back is another draw.
From beginning to end, I enjoyed everything about this place. The staff was amazing, the food was delicious, the decor was beautiful, the price range was decent and the live music was brilliant. Put all this together and it makes for one wonderful night out with my babes.