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Socarrat Paella Bar
Category: Restaurants Spanish Spanish [Edit]
259 W 19th St(between 7th Ave & 8th Ave)
New York, NY 10011
Neighbourhood: Chelsea
(212) 462-1000
- Nearest Transit:
-
18 St (1, 2)
14 St (A, C, E)
23 St (1, 2)
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12 pm - 3 pm
Mon-Thu, Sun 5 pm - 11 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 11:30 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Trendy, Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
412 reviews for Socarrat Paella Bar
Review Highlights
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"Loved the Arroz Negro and Paella Socarrat." In 46 reviews -
"I remember my first experience with squid ink anything." In 44 reviews -
"Paella bar but don't miss out on the tapas." In 162 reviews
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412 reviews in English
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Review from Journey G.
New York, NY
5/11/2012
Pro:
This place gets many things right. The tapas is as good as those you can find in Spain, according to a friend who is a frequent traveler there. A unique wine list offers a selection that overwhelmed an wine enthusiast in our group, and awed the rest of us. The waitstaff are very attentive and knowledgeable. Overall, one of the best spots before or after a show at the Joyce Theater.
Con:
Unless you have strong core muscles, or plan to exercise them during your meal, the backless chair can be a problem! -
Review from Lisa M.
5/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
M and I were looking for a Tapas place in Chelsea for a post-movie nibble - Yelp guided me to Socarrat. It was late and we were hungry so we didn't feel up to waiting the 35 minutes for the paella. I'll have to come back for that.
A couple of comments on ambience - its very, very crowded in there and we effectively shared a table with a couple on a first date. It did feel a bit like I was on their date with them. There were some funny moments - like when the guy announced that he is "in musical theatre" and "sometimes people think I'm gay, but I'm not". He also had his shirt unbuttoned almost to his navel, showing off the best waxed chest I've seen outside of a fashion magazine. I think this falls squarely in "what not to do and say on the first date".
Luckily I have the ability to keep a straight face.
Ok - now back to the food. We shared the stuffed dates (FABULOUS), the crab meat croquettas (needed more seasoning), mushroom canneloni (truffles....YUM), asparagus (meh), and the pork special (double yum).
Several of their desserts were unavailable, so we were limited to the churros and the beignets. I thought the beignets were the better choice - as you bite into them, they ooze delicious sour passionfruit syrup.
It was a pleasant meal and I'd like to try the paella. Total came to 120$ including tax and tip (including 2 glasses of wine). -
Review from Littleone P.
Duncanville, TX
5/6/2012
We came with a medium sized group-6 ladies and was seated in a lovely banquet table. Paella was wonderful!..the best parts..the crunchy parts in the bottom of the pans! We had the seafood and a vegetarian paella. Sangria was yummy!
Why 3 stars? Unfortunately because of a misunderstanding..we alerted our servers that we were going to use our desserts we brought..unfortunately, they did not inform us there was a "desert" fee..umm, why weren't we alerted before the final check? To say the least, the restaurant was able to remove the "dessert" fee.
Will i return..maybe..for the food -
Review from Sarah K.
4/27/2012 Seated via OpenTable 1 Check-in Here
I want to eat here every night.
I made a reservation through the yelp page for a friend and I since we wanted to have a splurge-y dinner (the prices here are a tad higher than my budget usually allows). When we got there, our waiter informed us that the paella takes 30-40 minutes to cook, so we should order some tapas. We were planning on just a glass of wine and one order, but then he told us all of the specials that day. We wound up getting two tapas because everything sounded so amazing. The only way to top serrano ham is more serrano ham, right? We had ordered the paella de arroz negro, even though I'm not a big fan of squid ink anything. It was delicious.
There are so many other types of paella available, and other delicious tapas to try, so I will try to get back here as often as I can. I don't like the setup at the long table, and how difficult it was for me to keep my stuff with me at my seat. That doesn't matter, though. Just keep bringing me more serrano ham. Maybe some jamon Iberico??? -
Review from Wendy L.
New York, NY
5/3/2012
Love both the meat and vegetable paella - it's absolutely nothing like paella in Spain (or anywhere else, for that matter), very Americanized. But it's delicious, there's no denying it. Go with a group, that way you can order and share. Otherwise it's way too much food, and you won't get to try more than one thing.
The lighting is pretty dark, the wine is really great (some of my favorite wine in NYC), prices are somewhat steep. And last time I visited during a major rainstorm, there was rain dripping from the ceiling near our table in the back. All in all, I have recommended it to friends, and I'm sure I'll be back. -
Review from Hedan Z.
Manhattan, NY
5/2/2012
I have gone to Socorrat on 2 separate occasions and will not be returning.
The first time, the paella (I got the arroz negro) was good and appetizers mediocre. Service was slow, but otherwise okay.
The second time, right after they seated us and we were getting ready to order, they suddenly decided to move us to a completely separate room. Without even an apology, the waiter rudely informed us that a large party was coming in and we needed to move. When we finally sat down, they had run out of several of the appetizers so we ended up just not ordering any. We got the Socorrat paella, which is supposed to be quite good. However, the rice was completely burnt on the bottom! We could smell a hint of the burning rice as the platter was handed to us and skeptically dug in. As we kept eating, we realized something was seriously wrong with the rice.
We informed our waiter that our rice was burnt, and he tells us that this particular paella, the Socorrat, that been made with chicken broth, which causes it to burn the rice every time for a "higher degree of socorrat." We probably would have believed him had we not had paella at other places before. Regardless of how seared the rice should be, it should not be burnt! If the waiter had not attempted to lie to us, I don't think I would be this angry, but because he did, I now understand just how terrible they treat the customers here.
There are other places in town with paella that's just as good as this place but without the horrendous service and occasionally bad pan of paella. We will not be returning here. -
Review from Phil L.
This restaurant is odd. And what I mean by odd is their seating. It's essentially two long wide hallways, one side is bar centric the other side is the restaurant. If you're looking for a place to have a romantic dinner with your loved one, I really don't think this is the place since everyone is sitting at a large communal table. We had a few tapas and the socarrat paella. Nothing here really screams delicious and the fact that the waiter had brought out the wrong tapas for us kind of soured the experience. Didn't bother to complain however since I was hungry and it was going to be awhile before the paella came out. Nothing really special about this place other than the high prices and relatively small portions.
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Review from Magbomb W.
5/3/2012
4 Stars for the Seafood Paella and Red Wine. AMAZING.
3 Stars for seating and tapas. Where we were seated (in a packed house) was too close to the washroom. The constant stream of traffic to and from combined with the line up (there is only one toilet) made my date and I feel uncomfortable. The tapas were just so-so.
We'll certainly return but ask to be seated away from the back left corner area. -
Review from Brian P.
Manhattan, NY
4/10/2012
Worst experience I had in NYC.
Horrible services with no respect for customers.
Paella was authentic but bit salty and spicy (compare to the ones you can get from other genuine Paella places) -
Review from Sang B.
4/10/2012
Hummm... I was debating between a 3 star and a 4 star.
Got a few tapas, a bottle of wine, and the squid ink paella.
Overview...
Decor is slightly dark, deep red bricks, high tables. It isn't very comfortable. The seating arrangement. I felt a little crammed... but it does give that Spanish tavern feel. I guess that's what they were going for.
Tapas. Alright. It was solid. But I wasn't wowed. I was told that we should order our tapas first since it comes out quicker and then our paella would be ready. It wasn't that much of a difference.
Paella. Very interesting. There is a special way you are supposed to eat it. The waiter said wait a few moments but how long is a few moments? I just took a spoon to it after about 2 minutes only to find a few minutes later, our waiter returned and scrapped the top of the paella and told us to keep the bottom for the socarrat. I assumed it came fully "burnt" but I guess it wasn't. The flavor was good, the garlic aioli was good. The socarrat was good. It tasted better and better as we ate. It's unique, no doubt about that. But I think I still have to say... it didn't feel like a paella.
One thing was that everything tasted rich. The wine was no longer an accompanying drink but a necessity.
The bummer of the night? It's that our waiter was a little snobby. If he has spent the time to explain how we can fully appreciate our meal (it was pretty empty on a monday night around 6PM) I might have enjoyed it more. But I felt more like a fish out of water in this place then actually enjoying the food. Next time I go, I'll know what to do and how to appreciate the paella fully. But... I don't think I'll be making the trip any time soon. -
Review from Nina S.
5/6/2012
I came here for my brithday dinner and everything was delicious! We ordered several tapas dishes and a couple paella dishes to share. I had the spicy chorizo, stuffed dates, and octopus. The paellas we tried were the negro, the meat, and the vegetarian. The meat one was our favorite by far (it was the first to be finished.) And of course we washed all the food down with excellent sangria.
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Review from Nancy S.
New York, NY
4/9/2012
Sorry. Not a fan. Okay, so soccarat IS technically the burnt part that gets stuck to the paella dish. I like crunchy... I do! But the soccarat on the squid ink paella we had that night was a little too much. The rice on top also lacked moisture and didn't really absorb any of the flavors. In fact, when they brought out the paella, it looked like someone just sprinkled some random pieces of seafood on top right before it was served. I mean I knew I wasn't going to get the same type of squid ink rice I got back in Barcelona but Socarrat Paella Bar really missed the mark.
And that poor waitress who has to scrape and scrape so many cast iron plates a day..... -
Review from strwberi n.
Manhattan, NY
5/21/2012
yummy yuummy yummy
got the soccarat and arroz negro. for me, i think the soccarat one was more flavorful...
appetizers - GET THE DATES! and we got the daily special - suckling pig
really great with reservations, and good for group dates!
will be going back! -
Review from A E.
New York, NY
5/9/2012
A good reception at a Restaurant is almost like a great pre-appetizer.
The pre-appetizer here (I think her name was Sh..by?), was terrible.
Big - Arrogant - Attitude.
Now, into more important things...
-The BEST PAELLA in Town & great Tapas.
-All the guys: busboy, bartender & waiter were really nice and professional (made us forget about the pre-appetizer). -
Review from Ian W.
New York, NY
4/13/2012
Food was okay (not great), but the service was absolutely terrible. I had a reservation for 9:00. My friend showed up on time, checked in, and was told that he has to wait for all parties to be there. No problem there.
I ended up showing up at 9:15. We went up to get seated and were then told that there's a 15 minute hold policy, our table had been given up. It was literally 9:15, no exaggeration. That's a little militant, and maybe it would be a little understandable if *no one* had been there at all. But my many years of eating at Manhattan restaurants, I have never had someone check in (even with an incomplete party) and THEN lose the table after 15 minutes.
Anyway, we were then told that a table would come up in the next 10 minutes. So we waited. And waited. Every 5-10 minutes we'd ask about our table, and we were told each time that someone was paying and about to leave. After 50 minutes of this, they sat us at the bar and told us this was our table. Are you kidding me? We could have sat at the bar 50 minutes earlier if we wanted that!
As far as food, keep in mind, there is a two-person minimum for the Paella. So if you want Paella, you'd better hope one other person with you wants the exact dish you want.
If not for the terrible service, complete with being lied to and strung along (and treated like an annoyance the entire time), I would probably have given three stars for the food. One thing is for sure, I will never, ever go there again, and will never send anyone there. -
Review from Tiffany D.
New York, NY
4/5/2012
I thought this place was just fabulous. The restaurant is long and narrow, with a long communal table in the middle, so best to come here with a date. In warm weather, there's a 4 top right near the entrance that you can score for a double date if you come at the right time.
I'm a meatlover, so the carne paella rocked my world. If you like your paella consistently moist throughout, this may not be the place for you. But give it a shot! They do a great job of creating a perfectly toasted socarrat that is just delicious. Great tapas menu as well. The potatas bravas was pretty memorable. -
Review from Gracie G.
Hoboken, NJ
3/9/2012
Came here last Saturday for supper.
+ Sexy ambiance, perfect date spot with good music, and glossy crowd.
+ Food is overall good and fresh
+ Abundance of fresh seafood and meat in their paellas - paellas are hands down the reason to come/eat here.
+ The actual socarrat was very good - perfectly toasted and not burnt. A speciality that is very difficult to achieve.
+ Waiter service was great - our waiter was attentive, polite and genuinely charming.
+ Were not rushed to leave
- Our table took FOREVER - over 30 minutes probably. It was 1015 and people were clearing out but I think staff was just waiting to seat us at a particular table and those patrons did not get up, they finally had to seat us at the very end of the front room (which was an awful table)
- Other than paella, all the tapas are standard and nothing special. It's overpriced to Sala and Boqueria and on par with Pipa, and gives you much smaller tapas.
- Had to ask for bread repeatedly, despite this being a staple of Spanish cuisine.
- Awkward layout and all the dining tables are bar tables, so if you plan to have a true Spanish meal (aka 2+hours, you will be very uncomfortable... maybe that's the point?)
- Rude bartender and low quality cava by the glass.
- Very limited wine and drinks menu aka no drinks, just Spanish wine and beer. No white sangria by the glass, but have red sangria.
Might come again after I've done another round of the Spanish restaurants on 19th street first. -
Review from Holly C.
2/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
We were late for our 5:30 reservation on a Friday night. We arrived at 6:00 PM, but they still kindly squeezed us in. She did forewarn us that they needed the table by 7:00 PM, however, which was perfect since we had to catch a game.
The restaurant is dimly lit. Gives you a nice Spanish tavern feel. The seating was a little odd - they seated 3 different two-person reservations on one table. It was a new experience to say the least.
We started off with some kind of appetizer that had prociutto on a bread as recommended by our waiter. It did not disappoint!
We ordered the soccarat paella . It was like no other paella I ever had. It comes in a decent size pan, and it appeared rather dry but wait - it was delicious! I'm used to paella rice being a little moist, but this new type of cooking was great. You eat the top; meanwhile, the bottom layer of rice gets a little crunchy. Our waiter scraped our pan as we were nearing the bottom - again, the crunchiness caught me by pleasant surprise.
Overall a different, but great experience. I would recommend it to others.Listed in: Restaurants (NY)
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Review from Marc R.
New York, NY
5/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Best paella in the city! Only negative is be prepared to eat next to strangers at the large community table if you are party of two (this can be a positive as well, depending on the strangers!).
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Review from Taylor M.
4/22/2012
The paella, arroz negro, was outstanding with generous portions of seafood and was tasty. The squid ink cooking liquid really lent itself to a nicely cooked rice and is supposed to add to the crispiness of the socarrat bits. I'd come back for more paella. The staff was nice too and tried to do the right thing when there was an issue. Resolution was painless and expedient.
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Review from Bill H.
2/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
Socarrat's the best tapas and paella place I've visited in recent memory. My friend and I split the Black Rice paella, which was generously portioned (even for a paella dish; not only was there boatloads of rice, there were also healthy chunks of fish everywhere). The service was friendly and the wine list was decent.
We also split a few appetizer dishes -- the one that sticks out in my mind was the stuffed date dish. It was absolutely delicious, and would have made a reasonable dessert dish as well.
Just be prepared to pay, this is definitely an upscale place. I visited on President's Day, and I was able to be seated immediately. My understanding though, is that this is not normally the case. -
Review from Mona N.
New York, NY
3/3/2012
Socarrat, goes down as the worst service I've received in NYC. The lady bartender was rude. Our server, snooty. Even the busser had a stick up his butt. If the food were superb, I'd be somewhat forgiving but it wasn't even all that memorable.
Maybe it was the rain. Or perhaps the staff needed naps. But for mediocre food and horrid service, I'll stick to hole in the wall Chinese restaurants where our plates are thrown on tables by shouting servers.
Oh. The second star is for the manager, who came to our table towards the end of our meal and thanked us for coming in. That was... peculiar, given our overall experience. Thank you for the gesture but never again. -
Review from Jacqueline C.
Leonia, NJ
2/23/2012
Their paella is indeed, very yummy. We were so in love with our paella that we just ate away and forgot to let some of the rice burn at the bottom. Oops. The portions are huge, so do come with an appetite.
The only reason why Soccarat gets four stars instead of five is that we were told our paella would come out in thirty minutes, but we waited nearly an hour. Then again, it was Valentine's Day and the place was paaaaacked, so perhaps that was an unusual occurrence. Fortunately, we were doing just fine with our croquettes and wine, so I wasn't terribly bothered. And when our paella did come out, it was well worth the wait.
Overall, it's a great date place and I would definitely come back! However, it's communal seating and space is really tight, so do not come here if you are attempting to have a private conversation. -
Review from Deepti N.
New York, NY
4/25/2012
My husband and I decided to celebrate my promotion and reserved a table here for dinner. We made a reservation for 9:00 and got in a little early. We had to wait a while to get our table which is alright. We were then seated on a table which was occupied by another group when there were other empty tables around. There was hardly any place and I did not want a constrained celebration between a brick wall and strangers. They did eventually give us another table with rocking stools.
The food itself was alright. There is a mandatory order of two plates of the same kind of Paella. My husband is a vegetarian and had just one option which I was not too keen on. I did not want to pass Paella in a Paella bar .That's like going to Paris and not visiting the Eiffel. Well you can see it from anywhere in the city and I could smell the fragrant rice all around me but I had to make do with that.
The Tapas menu was alright. The spicy Chorizo was great. The house special for the day( Cant remember the name.. That reminds me the music is a little loud for conversation) was just a big lump of goat cheese on vegetables and I could not take in more than a bite. Pan Tomaca was alright too.
I would give it only a 2 star but the third star in for our waiter Rafiel who was extremely nice and friendly. He was genuinely sorry when he could not offer us another option for a vegetarian Paella. -
Review from Johnny K.
New York, NY
4/16/2012
Very very good food. You will feel like you are at Puerta De Sol or Pza De Santa Ana in Madrid. Awesome selection of Spanish wine and good service too. My only complaint - Pricey $$$. Yikes. If you get the paella and some wine and a couple of tapas expect a $160-170 total for two people. I wish the paella came in a slightly smaller size because even for two people it's just too big. The food and the service were great though.
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Review from Jackie M.
Brooklyn, NY
4/23/2012
Paella-focused menu with several varieties to choose from. I went for the seafood paella - it's quite good but not ethereal. It's been awhile, look forward to going back and trying more.
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Review from tony d.
Brooklyn, NY
2/26/2012
This is for the Socarrat located in Chelseas
Went out to Socarrat for some paella. I love me a good paella and have not had to pleasure of consuming one since I went to El Quijote a few months back. To me El Quijote has one of the best paellas in the city. Had a pitcher of sangria and ordered a few tapas before eating the main event. The tapas were nothing to write home about. Chorizo, dates stuff with blue cheese. They all seemed mediocore. Finall the star attraction was presented to the table. A huge skillet full of the "Carne" paella (chorizo, pork, chicken, and duck). Oh My Word Sir! I did not understand how perfect a paella can be. It has the perfect balance of absorbing the full flavors of each meat while having a creamy al dente texture for the rice. I have dreamed about it several times since then.. Is that bad?
Anywho, do not waste your time. Go to Socarrat now to place yourself in paella heaven.
P.S. we ran into Alec Baldwin at the bar. Nice highlight for the night. Also, although i have focused on the paella their bunuelos dessert was off the hook. For little balls of donuts filled with a warm chocolate filling. It was like a pillow of chocolate explosion in my mouth. Sorry I am drooling on my keyboard as I finish this sentence. -
Review from Katrina S.
Brooklyn, NY
5/14/2012
This place is terrible. We ordered a classic seafood paella and a less-traditional meat paella. They were both wildly overcooked. The meat was tough, the seafood was tough. The bottom was burned, and there wasn't even a sense of abundance in the pan. Paella should have a lot of juicy flavor, and the shrimp should have shells, eyes, antennas and FLAVOR. This place was so incredibly disappointing and expensive for freaking costco peeled shrimp paella that I joined yelp to give you a warning to avoid it unless there is a famine. Save your money, eat real paella elsewhere. Huge disappointment.
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Review from Ivana K.
Girls, wear a chastity belt when you come here. My friend described this as the place where guys come on dates to "seal the deal". He was pretty much on the mark. The sangrias were delicious, and the paella was to-die-for (I'll be honest, I don't remember which one we ordered). I was tempted to ask the bartender how he made the sangria. I downed it down like a child eating candy. The atmosphere was romantic and intimate with flickering lights. Somehow my friend and I managed to eat the entire paella, it was that good.
Expensive but worth it. -
Review from Myra P.
Seattle, WA
1/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
What I had at Socarrat last September was my favorite meal during my New York trip. I met up with an old friend who I hadn't seen since summer 2008 when we met as fashion interns in Milan. She had lived in Spain before and Socarrat is her go-to spot whenever she has paella cravings. She claims that the paella here is even better than the ones she had in Barcelona!
When we arrived on a Thursday night, the wait was about 20 minutes with reservations. The place was chattery, but not in the inconveniently loud kind of way. We shared a counter table with other patrons and it felt like having dinner with a Spanish family - the conversation could flow as long as the food stayed warm and the wine glasses kept refilling.
Anyway, we ordered the croquettes, the stuffed dates and a meat paella. Oh my dear god, the stuffed dates. Everything we ordered was perfectly superb, but the stuffed dates have remained engraved in my memory forever. The dates were stuffed in cheese and wrapped in bacon. Oh my, excuse me! I'm drooling at the thought. If you go to Socarrat, you must try these dates, for the sake of your taste buds!
Keep in mind that the food here is pricey, but it is absolutely worth every cent. I cannot wait to return to NYC and try the rest of what they have to offer. -
Review from Christine L.
Manhattan, NY
3/29/2012
Other yelpers were right- the arroz negro was delicious. We started with the bacon wrapped dates, the octopus and the seasonal veggies- all very good. The only thing that struck me as odd was the octopus dish. There was a photo I saw on yelp of an octopus dish I was expecting but it was not the same. Still good but be warned. 4 stars because although I thought it was good, it was pretty pricey.
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Review from Clara F.
Brooklyn, NY
2/28/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Lovely atmosphere. Good sangria and wine. Thought both Paellas we ordered were good... would have liked them more if they were a bit less dry, and they could have had deeper flavors.
Was expecting better, given the other reviews. -
Review from Laura G.
Long Island, NY
2/7/2012
I really really loved the food here. Me and my boyfriend have been wanting to come here for so long and it definitely did not dissapoint. To start, we split the grilled quid, the steamed asparagus, and the garlic shrimp. all tapas were delicious, especially the octopus.
we decided on the paella carne, when it had come out we were expecting a little more for the price, but after finishing it and realizing it really was perfectly enough for the two of us, and loaded with meat, we understood. it was phenomenal.
the crema catalana was the best creme brulee i've ever had in my life. i actually felt bad for my boyfriend because i only let him get two bites in.
1 thing i can say was that we were really hoping for a mixed seafood paella with chorizo and some other meat but there wasn't!
oh well, still good enough to be 5 stars if you ask me. -
Review from Tiffany Y.
New York, NY
1/2/2012
We came here for dinner last Friday night. I think our party of 4 was maybe 15ish minutes late and we were seated right away on a small high round table with bar stools. There were also little hooks under the table to hang coats/bags/etc.
We ordered 2 paellas: the Arroz Negro (chunks of fish, shrimp, calamari, scallops) per Yelp reviews and our waiter suggested the Carne (pork, duck, chicken, chorizo) to balance it out. We also ordered 2 tapas and a pitcher of sangria for the table.
Yelpers were right, the Arroz Negro (black rice) paella is very good. It comes with some kind of garlic sauce that my friends liked a lot. The Carne (meat) paella was ok--it was a little too burnt at the bottom, but maybe that was the point.
Our waiter was very nice--poured our drinks from the pitcher for us and scraped the bottom of the paellas instead of having to do it ourselves.
Note that the paellas are $20+ per person, tapas are ~$10, and the sangria was $30+. -
Review from Jennifer L.
New York, NY
2/17/2012
I've been a fan of Soccarat since they opened their original Chelsea location. I was pleasantly surprised by the spaciousness of the Nolita location. The fact there are tables for 4 as well as a couple of banquettes (where my party was seated) makes this a great addition to my list of group-friendly restaurants.
The tapas and the food was, as always, delicious and not stinting on the ingredients. The four of us had ordered the bacon-wrapped dates, but did not realize there was only 3 an order. When we got the three, we opted to get another order so we could all have at least one. Our server went into the kitchen, and came out with a single plated bacon-date to even the count, and did not charge for the extra one! That's great service! -
Review from Lauren K.
1/17/2012
To round down or not to round down... that is the eternal question.
This place is a solid 3.5, but I had to round down because of the service. I came here with some girlfriends one night and I was not as impressed as I hoped to be. The seafood paella (paella negro) was indeed very good. We also got appetizers -- a meat and cheese plate, and olives. The service was the definition of mediocre. Our waiters were standoffish and negligent. Not once were we asked how the food was, despite the 45 minute wait for our paella.
On a sidenote, I think this might be better if I had gone on a date, but I definitely did not like it as a place to go with a few girlfriends. Decor is nice, but sadly did not live up to the price. -
Review from Christine H.
San Jose, CA
12/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
The paella here was good, very unique. It may have been a bit pricey for what you get.. but the seafood is pretty fresh.
Unfortunately, we did not try any tapas :( Probably next time!
Service was decent. The place looks nice, cozy, and romantic. -
Review from Tiff W.
3/20/2012
Happy hour here is great...decent sangria, cheap bar snacks (get the manchego, skip the jamon iberico sandwich thinger - not enough jamon but what do you really expect for $6?) , and uhh...more sangria yum. I definitely want to come back to try their paella!
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Review from Yelp T.
New York, NY
3/26/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Must try braised pork belly tapas.
The food at this place was great. The waiters kept on bumping into me because the place was so tiny. After being brushed upon hard 5 times and feeling comfortable, I knew this place could not be 5 stars.
Also, the Paella Bar food price is per person. -
Review from Anne H.
Manhattan, NY
1/20/2012
Really amazing Paella. The Carne as the other reviewers have mentioned is like nothing I have ever had. A shallow pool of crispy rice laced with perfectly seasoned duck, chicken, pork and chorizo (some of the best chorizo I've ever tasted) sprinkled with fresh snow peas. Sublime. We literally scraped every grain from the pan it was so amazing. As for the Tapas, the bacon wrapped dates with almond and blue cheese is sweet and salty heaven. Also a must try are the amazing little donuts: Four bite-sized (don't pop a whole one in your mouth because they are HOT), featherlight dough balls filled with thick, delicious, semisweet, European chocolate. Great with coffee or the last of your sangria and just the right amount to share with a friend.
Socarrat loses one star for the fried artichoke tapas which were really salty and in desperate need of a dipping sauce and also for the lack of alternative seating to a bar stool. While the waiter was kind enough to bring us a seat with a back, it would not be the best place to bring mom for dinner but hey, maybe that's the idea. Crowd was mixed, some chic, some sloppy, some just relaxing after a long day work.
Great place....go!
