Tablao
“My boyfriend and I shared a paella and hes been to spain and said that was the closet and best paella hes had.”
“Fellas the ladies will love the flamenco show great way to impress a date !!!”
“As a resident of Tribeca for over 30 years, I've seen my share of restaurants come and go, and Tablao is a fabulous and perfect addition.”
Tablao
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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OMG! They have flamenco dancers….I'm so bummed! Aside from our tapas being the best I've had in some time, our server adorable server made it all the better!
The CAMARONES AJILLO – are heavenly!
Clams and chorizo are – *#*#^ DAMN delish! The white sangria is refreshing! Between 4 people, we definitely were full with only 2 dishes. Maybe we drank more than we ate, but I have to say the dressing left from our meals needed to be soaked up with bread – couldn't get enough – great stuff!
Tapas in Tribeca with a side of outdoor seating. I like.
Would order again: Manchego with Serrano Ham platter, Chicken Croquettes.
Would not order again: Chargrilled Octopus in a red sauce, Paella, and the Magarita that had strawberries in it.
Good for: Groups, Summer
Came here for a quick happy hour session (5-7pm) and will definitely say that if one is in the area, it is definitely worth a try. The drinks are super yummy and the happy hour prices are very affordable. For $6 for sangria and $8 Caipirinha (Brazil's national cocktail and super delicious), it was worth every dollar. The red sangria had plenty of sweet flavor from the fruit and the fruit was nice and soaked with alcohol. The alcohol taste itself was not strong which was great but it definitely did its job. The caipirinha was equally delicious.
I had a very good experience here. Service was excellent and decor stood out. We had a few tapas- loved the Chicken Villaroy and Meatballs. Very good empanadas too. Mains were Arroz con Pollo and Ropa Vieja. Both were flavorful. We were 4 and I will say that one member of our group did not like the meal. Go figure?
Came here for happy hour on Thurs @5:30pm and it was still pretty empty up till 8:30pm. The wine pours are generous and the tapas are okay and small in portion. Overall, it was a good after work happy hour option without the crowds and having to stand around cramped with pricey drinks.
I visited this restaurant on a Tuesday night. I wanted to order their lobster in white wine and butter sauce (a photo I saw on Yelp), but they no longer serve this dish; they no longer use large lobsters. So, with the server's recommendation, I tried something similar – a creamy shrimp dish with black rice, which was NOT a disappointment.
The server was exceptional and he made sure to come by to check in on how we liked our food, our water glass was also always filled with water. I would recommend their tomato + ham slices for an appetizer. The ham is freshly cut and the tomato sauce wasn't too strong, it was very good. Four slices of bread topped with ham and blended tomato, enough for two. I had a wonderful experience at Tablao and I would definitely dine again.
A properly "meh" experience.
This might be the most disappointing Spanish food I've had in NYC. Each dish was just a bit off. Missing something. What? I honestly couldn't tell you. The cliche of "falling short" comes to mind. Between trying too hard and not trying hard enough, I'd probably go with the former. Something just wasn't "right". And considering the bill was, well, a tapas bill, it made the taste that much more unsettling.
Came here on a Sunday evening around 7:30. The place was eerily empty, though much of this neighborhood felt like a ghost town at this time. The upside to this, other than getting our choice of seating, was being encouraged to push two tables together to make room for all of our – hopefully yummy, sadly not – tapas. Yes please!
The main redeeming factor of our experience here was the SANGRIA. Oh lawd. I'm no sangria aficionado, but I know enough to confidently state that this is absolutely how it should be done. And you MUST order a pitcher, otherwise you'll miss the majestic wine-pour display. Moments after you order, your server will emerge from the back with a gorgeous pitcher generously filled with triple sec-soaked fruit. That's just in one hand. In the other, a whole bottle of wine primed to be poured. Then, you'll get to watch as the ENTIRE bottle of wine is delightfully poured into that gorgeous pitcher. So you're seriously getting your money's worth. I will warn you though: between the soaked fruit and the full bottle of wine, this stuff can knock you out. I took it very very slow for that reason. Depending on how inebriated you'd like to get, anywhere from 2-4 people warrants a pitcher.
A few general notes about the food:
1. While the plates here are on the expensive side (especially considering the flavor or lack thereof), portions are generous. We ordered five dishes but it was a bit overzealous. Relative to other tapas spots, these plates are on the "very large" side of the spectrum (obviously this varies depending on what you get)
2. Just skip the "platos principales". We didn't order any, but given our experience with the small plates, the bigger ones aren't worth your money
3. Disappointing. You probably just shouldn't come here.
Mushrooms stuffed with lump crab meat: B-
Man, this could have been so good. I wish I knew what went wrong. Lack of flavor, perhaps. I love mushrooms and I love crab. So how could this be bad? This was my very short, clearly misinformed thought process. To reiterate, it just fell short. The lump crab meat was a bit mushy and didn't taste particularly fresh. The mushrooms were just….there.
Fried Calamari served with a Spanish creole sauce: A-
Despite the fact that I virtually never eat fried food, this was my favorite dish of the night. The calamari were flavorful and perfectly fried – delightfully crispy but not overdone. The creole sauce was a nice complement, though I would have been content with just an extra lemon squeeze.
Grilled imported Spanish octopus drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, sprinkle of
imported Spanish paprika: B-
"Grilled imported Spanish octopus" – overcompensate much? Words don't do you any good if the execution falls flat. The flavor was yawn-worthy and there was no notable texture to speak of. Good octopus is tender with a subtly crispy exterior. While I've never cooked octopus myself (nor do I know *how* to cook it), I've eaten enough of it to know when it's not cooked right. This was perhaps the biggest flop of the night – I take my octopus very seriously and this plate was a pretty sad excuse for one of my favorite foods.
Fresh mussels sautéed with Spanish sausage and garlic in a white wine saffron broth: B
These mussels were juicing. Calling it right now. Suspend them for 50 days. These babies were MASSIVE. Probably the biggest mussels I've ever had. If I had like the flavors, this dish would've been a dream come true. But again, I wasn't loving the preparation. That said, I loved the Spanish sausage. Though it's not a great sign when what's meant to be a small contributor becomes the main draw.
Quick seared ahi tuna topped with caramelized onions, capers, and sherry vinaigrette; drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest: C+
Yet another example of a dish's description suspiciously trying to cover up how mediocre the actual dish is. By the time I tried the tuna, everything had started tasting the same to me. This was fine. Just fine. Like, you passed, but try harder next time. This dish is the student who shows up for a test thinking that paying attention in lecture was an adequate study method. Maybe try making flashcards the night before instead of going out drinking, ahi tuna. In any case, this dish was texturally interesting but was a total throw-away, taste-wise. I know overseasoning is bad, but underseasoning ain't too great either.
Upon realizing Tablao is on the same block as Tribeca Tap House, I had a feeling I would be repeating history and having a great time while imbibing quite a bit. This time, I was not there for boy's night out+Caroline B. This Friday night was a proper girls' night out with Dana F. and Shara. Tapas, flamenco dancers, delicious white sangria, and girl talk with two great ladies were exactly what I needed.
Tablao was large and deep, and I took a picture of the gecko wallpaper which was uniquely whimsical. I haven't been to Spain in months–yes, life is hard–and I don't know when I'll be back, so it's always good to know of a place like this.