Nai Tapas Bar
“I've been to many flamenco shows in Spain and these dancers were top notch and so passionate.”
“Within those, the must-tries were definitely the Churrsasco, Shrimp, and Patatas Bravas.”
“Gambas al ajillo are to die for, sangria de Mango it's a most.”
Nai Tapas Bar
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I have mix feelings about this place. We got there and had rsvp through open table for their only available slot. After we ordered, the manager said he needed our table at 8 bc we never confirmed the rsvp. He claimed someone left us a voicemail but no one did. Minus a star.
The food was good. I liked everything but their pulpo a la gallega. It was very slimy. We had to send it back. We had the following:
Very good dishes: pinxo de chistorra con huevo de codorniz, churrasco arriero, meijillones avoa, caravoles
Average: coles de bruselas con lacon, gambas al ajillo
Just ok: croquetas de pollo and croquetas de jamon, filloas de coca rellas de mariscos, tabla de jamon queso.
The virgin sangria was good. The mango sangria was very good. Their tropical sangria was a miss.
At 8 they have flamingo dancers. You have to rsvp at least 2 weeks in advance if you want a table to see the show.
Got the 4 table seater outside n really enjoyed my night.. 5 different types of sangria to choose, reasonably priced. Service impeccable. Ordered a whole bunch of tapas which were not cheap, but provided very good finger food for snacking n chatting. Would def recommend crab stuffed avocado, chorizo with quail egg and the crusted sea bass. The meat tapas turned up a bit dry n overcooked esp the steak. But overall a nice experience.
Decent service, decent food – nothing more.
The shrimp in garlic and olive oil was delicious, just like it is at every tapas restaurant in the world. The chorizo and quail egg on toast was also very good, and something I haven't seen before!
The churrasco was ok, but the avocado and crab went un-eaten. Sangria is nothing to write home about.
Came here with a group of my girlfriends to celebrate my birthday and loved it!
The service was amazing – very nice, attentive, and offered great recommendations.
We ordered
– pitcher of red sangria (4/5). Great deal for a group! Tasty and refreshing. We got about 5 full glasses per pitcher.
– gambas al ajillo (4/5). Fresh shrimp in a flavorful zesty garlic sauce. Great take on a traditional dish.
– pelotillas de queso de cabra (5/5). One of my favorites dishes of the night. It was a fried goat cheese ball wrapped in ham served with toast.
– coles de bruselas con lacon (5/5). I'm a huge fan of Brussel sprouts and this was such a great way to serve it. The sprouts were nice and crispy. The pork belly added a nice saltiness to the dish. The spicy mustard aioli complemented the tangy apply and zesty orange emulsion. A must order!
– patatas bravas (3/5). Compared to all the other dishes, this one was more bland to me. It was fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce. Nothing special in my opinion. There are way to many other great dishes to try!
– tortilla espanola (3.5/5). A traditional omelettes with onions and potatoes. A very traditional dish done well but overshadowed by the flavors of all the other great items.
– churrasco arriero (4/5). Cooked perfectly medium. Marinated well and served with chimichurri sauce.
– albondiguillas estofadas (4/5). Pork and beef meatballs. Amazing flavor! We were so full at this point I don't think I could fully appreciate it but it was delicious!
There were 6 of us and this was more than enough food! Would definitely recommend this place!
Came here finally because it was just down the street. To be completely honest, I was pleasantly surprised. The garlic shrimp was delicious, definitely get a large size for that one. I also recommend the steak and the brussel sprouts that's mixed with some sort of bacon. The bravas wasn't bad either but it was nothing special. Overstuffed myself. Our server wasn't bad and the ambience was nice. Probably much nicer later in the night. They had really tasty Sangria as well and a happy hour for that. Come here and try it at least once. One of my favorite place to try tapas!
Came here on a double date and just the fact that my boo's friends picked this place spoke so highly of my partner (dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres, as the old Puerto Rican saying goes. Tell me who you're with and I'll tell you who you are).
You get your familiar tapas favorites like sangria and bacon wrapped dates. But then you're intrigued and you order tempura fried short rib, and you're blown away. You decide to try the zucchini stuffed with goat cheese and you're euphoric (and it's not just the sangria talking).
Service was very professional and I also enjoyed the interior; you feel like you're at a tapas bar in Spain. Our waiter made sure we ordered just the right amount of food.
Bar none my favorite tapas place in NYC: it strikes the right combination of old vs new while staying in the right price bracket.
Food here is excellent! Tapas are top notch. The Gambas al ajillo were garlicky, but not too oily. The patatas bravas were super crispy. The Spanish tortilla was huge and delicious. My friend ordered a steak tapas (can't remember the name) and the meat was so tender. All very yummy! Definitely my favorite tapas place in the city so far.
Got to do a little reunion with some old friends here and had a nice little treat with some great food:
Albondigas (meatballs)
PROS
-great flavor: the sauce is not quite barbecue but it's similar
-good sized meatballs: not so small where you can squish two in your mouth to equal one bite
-not overcooked: the meatball was nice and soft, not hard – it denotes a good combination of meat, stuffing, and binder.
CONS
-not much to it other than meatballs and sauce.
——–
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
PROS
-fantastic quantity for sharing. It took us awhile to finish this dish actually.
-good flavors, well seasoned and not over seasoned
-not burnt brussels sprouts
CONS
-I had a couple soggy pieces but it wasn't too bad overall
——–
Crab Crepe Dumplings: I wasn't expecting this to be in dumpling form because it said "crepes" on the menu but this was ridiculously tasty.
PROS
-great flavors: good amount of crab but not overwhelmingly all-crab
-not too salty
CONS
-too good for such few pieces, wish they had more but I understand this is hard with crab
——–
Duck Breast wrapped in (what I think is) Iberico Ham in balsalmic glaze and roasted pecans
PROS
-amazing flavor, the sweetness of the pecans and the drizzle with the saltiness of the ham went really well with the savory duck breast
-fantastic quantity to share
-not overcooked: duck was really tender
CONS
-can be slightly salty (but there is bread served with olive oil for the table which goes well with this dish)
——–
Gambas/Shrimp in Garlic Oil
PROS
-really easy to share.
-addicting: there is something about bite-size shrimp that got us eating this really quickly, we actually ordered two orders of this.
-shrimp was fresh: it had that crisp bite to it when your teeth sink into it and not the freezer-burned mush texture that sometimes come with frozen shrimp.
-not overwhelming in spice even though it does have some heat
CONS
-too oily: but the garlic oil is great with the bread
-a bit too salty for me.
——–
Oysters in Lemon Foam: this was new for me. I've never had lemon foam but going to assume that it's to replace the lemon wedges that we squeeze on top. Also, the Spanish have this with a special type of champagne wine. I don't particularly care for the wine, but the foam was quite awesome.
PROS
-sweet oysters, not briny. This is totally subjective to what kind of oysters you like though. I can't stand briny oysters and so this really worked for me.
-the lemon foam was really cool as it reduced the amount of liquids in the oyster shell that could dribble all over your chin
CONS
-a selection of oysters would be great
——–
Patatas Bravas: the standard Spanish homestyle potato "fries" that come in special aioli. I've had multiple versions of this with different kinds of aioli. While I can't say I loved this dish, it wasn't bad at all. I'm just not a potatoes kind of girl.
PROS
-great quantity to share: I don't even think we finished this dish (but we did order quite a bit)
-good flavors: not overly salty or over-seasoned
-crispy potatoes and not soaked in oil
CONS
-if you don't eat this fast enough, the aioli will make the potatoes soggy as it is drizzled on top.
——–
Seared Pork Belly: THIS was ridiculously good.
PROS
-very hefty portion, good to share between two to three people, but it's good enough where you'd want to get two orders
-crispy exterior but soft and tender overall
-saltiness of the meat went well with the poached/seared apples and the sweetness of the glazed pecans
CONS
-none
——–
Quail Eggs on Toast
PROS
-shareable for a party of three, otherwise, get a second order
-cute and well plated
CONS
-it's like a mini egg done over-easy over toast. Nothing really to write home about except I could probably make a bigger version of it at home for breakfast.
This is a really nice place to grab a few bites if not many bites and try different plates. The one thing I don't really like too much is how dark it was on the inside, and we actually had a seat by the window. It's hard to see what I'm eating and while it may be a personal preference, I do like SOME kind of light when it gets dark outside. Definitely will be back though!