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El Charro Espanol
Category: Restaurants Spanish Spanish [Edit]
4 Charles St(between Washington St & Greenwich Ave)
New York, NY 10014
Neighbourhood: West Village
(212) 242-9547
- Nearest Transit:
-
Christopher St - Sheridan Sq (1, 2)
14 St (1, 2, 3)
W 4 St (A, B, C, D, E, F, M)
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
30 reviews for El Charro Espanol
Review Highlights
-
"Then get the shrimp ajillo to start off with." In 7 reviews -
"The sangria was strong and delicious." In 16 reviews -
"The scallops within the paella were perfectly cooked." In 14 reviews
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30 reviews in English
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Review from Chris D.
Hilton Head Island, SC
4/5/2012
Now 41 years old, I've been going to El Charro since I was a child. I can say without hesitation that it is my favorite restaurant in the world. The food is always perfect. The staff is so professional, and has been there so long that we have watched each other grow up and grow old over the years. The environment is always welcoming, no matter your style or dress. They offer the best Sangria I've ever tasted, and the salsa is something unique and magnificent as well. Despite all of the exquisite traditional spanish fare, I always return to my boyhood favorite...Chicken El Charro!!! Be sure not to miss this wonderful dining experience. You can thank me later.
- Chris D. -
Review from Jennifer M.
NJ
5/4/2012
Was here last Saturday for a bachelorette dinner. This place is fantastic. The servers are professional and prompt. The food is delicious! The salsa and chips are excellent, and I'm not a big fan of chips. The paella has great flavor and the sangria was perfect. Tasted neither wine-y or fruit punch-y. Overall great! Our party did get a few 'SHhhh's from the waiters but they were very nice about it. Will definitely be back to try some more!
Tips:
1. I would definitely do reservations as this place is quite small.
2. BEWARE of the Carajillo. - Our Bachelorette had some after a few glasses of Sangria and it put her over the top! -
Review from Megan C.
7/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
While my man was out of work and searching for a job, I acted as resident Sugar Mama. He kept his eye on the prize and promised to treat me to an amazing meal with his first paycheck. He had a special little place in mind where he said my taste buds would delight in wine and paella, which I'd yet to experience.
Sure enough, that paycheck came and I was ordered to get dressed up and ready for a hot night out. El Charro Espanol is tucked away and perfect for a romantic rendezvous. As my man put it: "Any place that's underground and candlelit deserves an extra star." The service is as lovely as you'd expect it to be and you get the feeling that the servers have been there forever.
We got things started with a bottle of rioja and an order of there appetizer nachos. The nachos are fabulous - not the big, messy pile of goo you're accustomed to seeing, but delicate individual chips topped with magically creamy manchego and slivers of jalapeno.
Salads came next - nothing special here, but fine. The star of the show was the Paella a la Valenciana, sublime and loaded up with chicken, chorizo, shrimp, clams and scallops. The texture of the rice was amazing and every bite was packed with flavor and meat! The menu lists it as a portion for one (unique for paellas, as they typically come table-size pans), but we found it was perfect to split since we had an appetizer and already had our eyes on the dessert menu.
And speaking of dessert...we chose the silky delicious chocolate mousse cake - the crust on the back was definitely the best part. :) I had a yummy cappuccino and he went for the Coffee a la Charro. It's pricey, but worth it for the show alone! Order it and you'll know what I mean.
All in all, a magnificent, indulgent meal...one I'd be happy repeating over and over again. :)Listed in: Hot Date Night
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Review from Karl W.
Stanhope, NJ
2/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
The first thing I will say is the service was excellent. The food was good, not great. My girlfriend and I split the avocado salad which was great. We then split the paella which was good but a bit salty. It just didn't wow me. With all the other restaurants in the city, I'll be trying somewhere else next time I am in the mood for spanish food.
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Review from John F.
Manhattan, NY
11/10/2011
Went here with a friend last night and really enjoyed this place.
We ordered the crab stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer, she ordered the pollo ajillo as her entree and I had the chicken with rice and sausage. I DID think about going with the paella, but I have a soft spot for some chorizo.
The mushrooms were fabulous. A great amount of flavor and you could really taste some fresh garlic in there, which I personally love. She seemed to enjoy her entree. Mine was good. Chicken was cooked perfectly. I've said this before, but rice is rice. If you can't make that right as a restaurant, then you shouldn't be open. The sausage was a little disappointing, though. I like some heat with mine, and this just didn't have it. That's a personal preference, so it's hard to slam them for that.
We ordered the strawberries with whipped cream for dessert. It tasted like a homemade whipped cream, which was nice, and the berries were fresh.
The staff was fabulous. They weren't too pushy with us. We were there to just catch up (they may have thought we were on a date), and they gave us our space. Outside of when we first sat down and ordered a drink, we had to motion for our server for everything else. Personally, I like that. But they were ALWAYS paying attention to us. Looking at our table waiting for when WE are ready to order, eat, order dessert, and even get the bill. We sat around for 45 minutes after dessert chatting. It was nice to not be pushed out of here.
My friend has lived in this area for six years and had never heard of this restaurant. It was a good experience for sure. -
Review from Susanna C.
Manhattan, NY
12/11/2011
The octopus here is just great -- very tender and garlicky! I also liked the avocado salad, ripe slices on top of lightly dressed greens with some onion. The paella valenciana was good and was enough to share. The service was gracious and the place has a lovely, cozy feel.
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Review from Nina S.
9/26/2011
Went here for dinner last week and had the Paella A La Valenciana and the sangria. YUMMM!!!! The scallops within the paella were perfectly cooked! The flavors melded perfectly and there was a wonderful mix of seafood, chicken, and chorizo. And the sangria was delicious - I wish the pitchers weren't so expensive because I could have drank that all night long!
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Review from Silvio D.
New York, NY
3/20/2011
If you want Spanish food, look no further. I thought everything on the menu was excellent! We were a group of five and shared a bunch of tapas. For starters, we all had the Shrimp Ajillo, which comes to your table sizzling hot along with octopus sauteed in olive oil. Then, a few people in the group wanted the boquerones, which are anchioves. Normally, I am not a fan of anchioves, but I managed to suck one down because they weren't too fishy. The last appetizer were the mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat - another solid choice.
For entrees, we all shared the Paella Valenciana, which was pretty darn close to being a paella you would get in Spain. We also shared the Pollo El Charro, which is their take on fried chicken. Really, you can't wrong with fried chicken, but this one was even better than expected.
For dessert, we managed to have some flan and rice pudding. Both were very good, but the rice pudding was favored.
How can I forget the Sangria - it is top notch with just the right amount of fruit and alochol.
This place is great, casual restaurant with excellent food and very reasonable prices. Even though there was a group waiting, the waiters never rushed us out. They brought out two tapas at a time and then the entrees, so everything came out fresh. -
Review from Tom F.
New York, NY
8/26/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Best paella in NYC. Really friendly and helpful staff. Authentic.
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Review from James S.
New York, NY
7/7/2011
El Charro Espanol is, without a doubt, my favorite restaurant of all-time. High praise, and I don't give it lightly! Part of this is nostalgia (my father started bringing me here when I was very young - I'm 26 now), but make no mistake about it: the food is fantastic. My recommendation would be that you sit down and order the following, which is more than enough for 2:
1 Pitcher of Sangria
1 Guacamole (made fresh)
1 Chalupas (beans, cheese, and peppers baked on top of individual tortilla chips)
OR
1 Nachos (beans, cheese, and hot peppers baked on top of individual tortilla chips - not a stacked mess of chips and shredded cheese)
1 Crabmeat stuffed mushrooms (like it sounds)
1 Paella Valenciana (rice, chorizo, chicken, scallops, clams, mussels, shrimp).
They bring a salad before the main course, which is included in the price of the meal.
The staff is attentive, knowledgeable, and courteous. I kid you not, the waiters there have not changed in 20 years. Pretty amazing for a tiny place like this. They're clearly passionate about their food, and it shows in their loyal base of customers. The food isn't cheap (I wouldn't call it overpriced either), but it's extremely well made and worth every penny.
Also, this is a great date spot.
I encourage you to give it a try! -
Review from Jim G.
Morris, NJ
2/3/2010
My wife and me have been going to El Charro since the late "70's" and continue to go often. The former owner Vidal, became a friend of ours and when we took company with us they were always impressed with the friendly and attentive service. Now that Vidal has retired, members of his staff now own the treasure and they continue the tradition of great food and friendly service.
My favorite dish is the "Chicken El Charro", incredible, juicy fried chicken, just be willing to wait a bit because the cooking takes a bit longer than usual, but well worth the wait. Paellas and mariscadas are superb, as are the meat dishes, Oh what the heck, I have never been disappointed by anything on the menu,
Appetizers? Try them all. My wife and I, also go every new years eve. Gosh, I am giving away my age. 30+ years of great food attentive service and quaint atmosphere! Oh and did I say Sangria and Margaritas are quite nice also? -
Review from Greg L.
Brooklyn, NY
5/30/2010 1 Check-in Here
Authentic Spanish cuisine is hard to find. El Charros is definitely a hidden Spanish gem. This quaint, low-lit, basement locale is a great place to go out with a group of friends or better yet, to take your significant other.
The menu can be a bit imposing for someone who isn't familiar with Spanish cuisine as it varies greatly from Mexican cuisine (which is much more popular in the city).
For beginners, the best dishes are:
Appetizers- shrimp ajillo and the crabmeat salad. The shrimp ajillo is basically, shrimp in a great garlic sauce. While that sounds great, a personal favorite of mine is the crabmeat salad. It's real crabmeat prepared with white vinegar, diced onions, Sweet peppers, and mashed pieces of hard boiled eggs. Odd sounding? Yea. Delicious? You bet.
Entrees- the enchiladas (cheese, chicken or beef selections) are some of the tastiest and best in the city.
If you want something a bit lighter, try the shrimp in green sauce. It is served in a hot pot with the sauce and shrimp within. The waiter serves you enough to fit on your plate, which is filled with a bed of rice. They leave the pot on the table for second helpings.
I couldn't tell you much about the desserts, on account of my not being able to move after the meal.
If you are feeling adventurous, the entire menu is great. However, you must absolutely order one thing: a pitcher of sangria. Is or the best ever made? Probably not. But it is consistently very good, ice cold and fresh, which is the best you could ask for.
The only CON with this restaurant is the price. It's a bit steep (about $45 per person) But, the quality of the food makes it well worth it. -
Review from Anthony C.
New York, NY
12/13/2010
A Unique Spanish Experience!
The first time I went here I was kind of meh on the whole experience but then I got a little adventurous with the items. I have easily been back here ten times since it is popular with a circle that I roll with. El Charro has been run by the same group of Spanish individuals for at least 25 years and the place probably looked the same back then. The problem with El Charro is not if you should go but what you should get and how you should do it. As long as you are not looking for loud, trendy, and young, this place is great because it is more local and intimate. Also, if you can't handle a few stairs then you can't get in or use the rest facilities which are up a tight flight.
These aren't your girlfriend's margaritas; if there was ever a men's margarita, this would be it. I recommend having no more than 3 or 4; I have seen professionals get knocked out while the sun is still out with 6. They are small in volume but very potent. You might want to complement a margarita while also drinking water or my personal favorite beer of theirs, Estrella Galicia.
If you go with a group of 4-8 then I feel the experience is best-enjoyed by ordered a plethora of appetizers and a couple of main courses to split such as the Chicken Villaroy and the Lamb Chops (warning: a little fatty). The steak is decent but there are better options. Some of my mainstay appetizers include: the guacamole, Shrimp Ajillo (personal favorite that I always get too many of), quesadilla with chorizo but try some others tapas too for adventure. Cap your meal off with an El Charro coffee which is similar to an Irish coffee but this one gets lit by the staff! -
Review from lysa p.
3/17/2010
Loved loved loved. Went with 7 friends Saturday night and loved this little gem. The sangria was strong and delicious. The tapas were fresh and impressive, portions were nice - Tortilla Espanola spanish omelet,
Croquetas and Calamares A La Plancha. All of our entrees were delish - from the filet to the paella. Highly recommended! -
Review from Jennifer N.
New York, NY
6/17/2008
On a night when you just want to go to a low key place and chat with a dinner companion, or two or three or four, this is your best bet.
You can just walk in and sit down with no hassle.
We go so often that they know what I order. (The pulpo on wood plank with paprika and the boneless Pollo Ajillo) I don't even need to speak. I just smile and my dinner (and Sangria) are brought to me at an unbelievable speed.
Strawberries and Cream complete a wonderful, local, easy-going meal. And the nicest, kindest servers in town take good care of each and every customer. -
Review from Mindy C.
Brooklyn, NY
11/23/2010
We arrived at the place and took a look at the menu. Overall the prices are in line with the ambiance: Fancy and high. So, naturally, my expectations were high as well.
First, they were snippy with us. We were a large group and, as such, not everyone arrived on time. They didn't have to be so smug about it. It may have also been that no one in the group was above 27 years old in a restaurant full of old gray hairs.
But we ordered like the rest (entrees, not just appetizers) and got drinks and eventually the staff lightened up a bit. But it took them a long time to take our orders and the food took a while as well.
I think what bummed me out the most about this place was the quality for the cost. The salad that they gave us for our $35 entrees were iceburg lettuce. The kind that comes in a premixed bag with strips of carrot and purple cabbage. Not impressed. The bread was mediocre too. The sangria was cheap wine with fruit and sugar tossed in.
The entrees were pretty good, but small. Overall, for what I paid to eat there, I was not very satisfied. If you're going to charge $22.00 for fajitas (made with chicken, onion and bell peppers), then deliver quality all around... Don't give me iceburg lettuce. -
Review from Ann B.
New York, NY
1/17/2009
I have to admit that I was a little let down by this restaurant.
I made reservations for a group of 10, and sort of expected the atmosphere to be a little more upbeat. It definitely was al low-key kind of place. It wasn't even busy on the night that we were there, so I wondered a little bit if Yelp (yikes!) had led me astray.
Atmosphere aside, the camarones ajillo were very fresh, sauteed to a perfect plumpness and were delicious. The croquetas were crisp and lovely - with incredibly creamy potatoes and ham (and possibly onions) on the inside. The tortilla espanola was top-notch, and the sangria was a wee-bit sweet, but just right for me. : ) The paella valenciana was wonderful. We split 3 between the table, and everyone loved it. Perfectly moist and the seafood was freshly cooked - no warmed over, dried out rice here.
I have a slight complaint, thought: we ordered manchego for one of our tapas order, and it was too thickly sliced. I like relatively thin slices, so that you can savor the taste of it a little bit more. It was served about a 1/2" thick and I couldn't help but associate it with block cheese. Manchego's my favorite cheese, so this definitely harshed my food buzz a bit.
I will likely be back - if only for the reason that it is a lot more low-key than other places that you can get tapas in the neighborhood. This is really because it's more of a Spanish restaurant than a tapas bar. -
Review from Joy B.
Fair Lawn, NJ
6/23/2009
I've been going here for years. I live in NJ so I, unfortunately, don't go often enough. The staff is so nice and welcoming. The food is AMAZING. What I usually do is start out with a great margarita (on the rocks, no salt, with grand marnier) and some chips and salsa. Then get the shrimp ajillo to start off with. And I LOVE dipping my bread in the leftover oil. My two favorite dishes are the lobster tails and chicken villaroy. For dessert you can get a coffee el charro with some great flan. Usually I'm a little too full at the end though. Another good finish is liquor 43.
Now that I've reviewed it, I'm craving it!! Will have to make a stop this weekend :-) -
Review from Alex L.
New York, NY
7/29/2011 3 Check-ins Here
A cozy, intimate restaurant that runs flawlessly, a friendly staff and some of the best paella and sangria you'll ever have. If you've never had white sangria, give it a try - and don't forget the shrimp ajillo. Amazing.
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Review from greg b.
Brooklyn, NY
1/19/2011
Try their Paella Valencia. It has a perefct flavor and they give plenty of seafood and nice variety. The tapas looks good as well - th shrimp can be spicey. Service is a professionally high standard and the atmosphere cozy. A good place to meet friends or have a date.
Its a winner. -
Review from Minda M.
San Diego, CA
3/29/2011
This was one of the most delicious and memorable dining experiences I've ever had in NY. The staff were all wonderful and helpful in picking the perfect dish, and the sangria was well-worth the hangover! Can't wait to make it back here one day!
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Review from Jeff S.
New City, NY
12/8/2011
I've been going to El Charro's for 40 years. It's been my favorite restaurant since the first day I went. Never had a bad meal or sub par service. Favorite dishes are chicken villaroy, veal in almond sauce, anything in green sauce or white sauce, gespacho and their salsa sauce is nothing like anything else you've ever tasted. Great sangria, authentic Spanish cuisine doesn't get any better.
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Review from Peter D.
Brooklyn, NY
11/11/2007
I was here previously and sort of liked the ambience of the tucked away location. The entrance is cramped; you need to open the front door while you're on the bottom step to get in. It's a bit small inside but sets a good mood. Very good lighting, clean, organized and a friendly host.
The broiled pork chops were well seasoned and perfectly cooked, not dry at all. The mixed seafood was generously portioned. Beef fajitas (a safe dish for the non-adventurous) were big chunks of grilled meat with a dark rich sauce. The guacamole is actually 'light', with fresh chopped veggies (strong red onion and garlic) but not much chunkiness, which I don't mind at all.
Doing good so far, BUT last night I felt like paella. And this being a Spanish place, well it's a signature. Maybe I have some sort of romantic vision of the chefs being schooled in paella, holding it to the highest standards, as though the reputation of Spanish cooking depends on it. Like if they serve it sucky then they get stripped their chefs hat or have their coat impaled on a hook by Gordon Ramsey. I guess they don't! The paella was barely tolerable. On one hand the clams were meaty and fresh, and you could tell the chicken was cooked separately to ensure it was seasoned ...ok good. There was plenty of shrimp, BUT unlike every other shrimp entre they described, it was not 'tail on' and was likely frozen. While in that frozen foods aisle, they must have picked up the store brand mixed vegetables to stir in; it was painfully obvious. The rice was undercooked, clumpy and Goya from the box all the way, with no added seasoning at all. No tomatoes, green olives or peppers in it. The menu states that they picked one specific regional version for their ingredients (just in case anyone complains about what's not in there) It looked and tasted more to me like they just picked one supermarket aisle to shop. I mean really, the more I write, the worse I feel about it. So I'll stop.
I decided to pass on the flan; didn't want to count on them getting that right, or it being Jell-O brand.
The bad heavily outweighed the good, and when it counted, they fell way short. File this under "Coulda Made it My G-dDam Self, and Better." If this is a signature, then don't take a check.
Service was ok, too many waiters taking on the order and service, which caused inconsistency. One is fine, really. No, really. -
Review from Christopher C.
Long Beach, NY
1/19/2010
Walking into El Charro is like walking back into 1976(Like I was even alive then! ), it's dimly lit, tiny inside and very warm atmosphere wise. A friend of mine turned me onto this place about 2 years ago and I loved it. It's a no frill place with classic Spaniard food done well. The grilled octopus with Spanish paprika is light, cooked perfectly, not chewy at all and just a light starter. For me Paella is aces and anything with shrimp here is great. The crowd can be loud and there is very little room to move around at the tiny bar in the front. Prices are decent and service is friendly, a keeper.
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Review from Pam Z.
10/10/2010
This place is SO GOOD! We ordered a few tapas, but wanted to try something new so we went with the lobster stuffed w/ king crab meat. It was delicious! And the sangria is fantastic, too. Highly recommend this place. Tiny but full of character.
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Review from Kelly S.
Beverly Hills, CA
6/29/2010
I finished a fab makeup application across the street at Sparkle and met friends at E Charro. We started with a pitcher of Red & White Sangria - which was so delicious: Why eat? Well. let me tell you why. Paella so scrumptious that I had to scrape the paella pan!! Shrimp Ajillo that has one little perfect red chile pepper that blows the roof off the joint! I dream of very few things but El Charro keeps me dreaming of my next visit.
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Review from Chantal D.
New York, NY
6/23/2011
Cute place with good authentic Spanish food!
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Review from Flavia C.
Los Angeles, CA
6/11/2011
I adore this place. I have been going there once every 2 years for 10 years:) The best margharitas ever. Lovely spanish wine and strong sangria. I love getting champagne as well. The bar with 4 seats is lovely and the people so nice. YOu feel like you have been dropped off in another time and the pace is like that as well so if you are in a rush not the spot. The Octopus, prawns (both ways) are my favorite. I think the avocado salad as well as the tomato one is light and flavorful. It is romantic, but also a private good place to go for a meeting, has perhaps 15 tables at most and is in a basement which is great in terms of feeling like you are getting away from the hustle bustle of NYC. The prices for what it is is very fair and the food is so fresh and yummy, I don't want too many folks knowing about it though since I like it just the way it is. Oh I suppose i should not have written this then. Well, I just can't stand folks not knowing about this gem that has survived and thrived for decades.
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Review from Valerie S.
New York, NY
12/10/2007
This place is small, but we made reservations for 12 to go there. I got the chicken enchiladas, which weren't anything special. Other people in my party got the braised lamb and the paella, and thought it was good. I think the best thing was their sangria, I don't know how many pitchers we had gone through.
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Review from N K.
Silver Spring, MD
4/11/2010
Went there for dinner last night with a group of friends. It is definitely a good idea to make reservations as the place is not very large, and it fills up quickly. For 6 people, we orderd 4 tapas and 4 entrees, which was perfect because we had room for dessert.
Getting to the point here... the food was fantastic!!
For TAPAS, we ordered the shrimp ajillo (which means in garlic) which was awesome, the guacamole, the octopus, and the anchovies. We just kept exclaiming how great everything was.
Then the ENTREES showed up... the paella valenciana was great! We had 2 orders because they're not especially large, so we each had a reasonable serving. The chicken ajillo was amazing. The meat was tender and just good! We also had the seafood in green sauce - that's not the name of the dish, but I can't remember what it was called.
The dessert was probably the least impressive, not because they weren't delicious, but because the food itself was just so good. We had flan, spanish creme brulee, and the chocolate mousse cake. All were great choices.
The sangria was really good. Overall, it was about $50/person, which isn't too bad.
Definitely go. I would go back!
