Alcala in New York

Delightful tappas dishes loaded with flavor and delicious Sangria

Alcalás food is... one of the best Spanish restaurants I have tried in the US so far. Their fish soup had the perfect balance of different flavors, their tapas were fantastic and the pork tenderloin was tender, juicy and flavourful.

Getting my coffee here and occasionally food. The people are friendly and the prices are even friendlier. The food is good but not outstanding.

Enjoyed the tapas. Especially meatballs, lamb chops and canneloni. Espresso just outstanding. Iberico ham just not the same as Spain.

Food and selection were outstanding- as it always is as well as the service

If you haven’t been to Spain this is the place to go to , and If your been to Spain then you can agree with me and say you feel as though you are there . The exceptional customer service from the owner Jesus who attended and cooked for us,to his son Samuel and their amazing staff Miguel . The food was amazing which is always the plus for me . Thank you will definitely be coming back to Spain in New York

Excellent food. Lots of seafood choices. We inhaled the shiitake mushroom appetizer, so good. Their wine was very good as well.

Great food, service seemed overwhelmed with the crowd

Average price, average to good taste, portion size varied.Dined in, think we tried the charcuterie, sardines, squid ink pasta, steak. Liked the squid ink pasta; the steak was a large size. Liked the sardines as well, though the taste was strong but simple.

Outstanding food and excellent service-very kind people. Love their Tres leche dessert

The best Spanish food weve had in NYC so far. We had 6 different tapas and all were delicious: definitely cant go wrong with the tapas. Everyone was very friendly. We will definitely be back!

The only thing authentic about this place was the blase attitude of the waiter. Paella was undercooked, the cheese plate included Edam, the calamares en su tinto were so small and sad and few, the chorizo was actually a poor Portuguese substitute, the ham was cut too thick and was not the greatest quality, and finally the tortilla was dry. The salad was good though and the bravas were excellent. Still didnt make up for all bad food and the sad atmosphere. Highly not recommended.

My favorite Spanish restaurants in NY. Excellent food with wonderful staff of brothers. I love them. What I love even more is the best bread I have had: one round perfect warm bread baked to perfection taken straight out of the oven and brought straight to your plate. Warm and inviting ambiance with smiling staff who always make you feel so welcome. I have stuffed my face and tried probably everything on the menu multiple times and I will stuff my face again, again and again...

Went here for a special occasion and it was amazing! Everything we ordered was delicious (croquetas, Plato de queso, gambos al ajillo, sangria, lamb, cannelloni, paella, dessert sampler). Service was lovely. The ambience is very cozy and nicely decorated. Left feeling full and satisfied. Will definitely go again soon!

The best Spanish restaurant in town. Best meet you ever had. Perfect ambiance you’ll feel like home. Amazing Spanish wine selection. Live flamenco music once a month.

Had the lamb chop with scalloped potatoes and veggies, wife had the black rice paella. We were not disappointed Good food, wine service, and company made this place a winner.

This is one of my go to restaurants in NYC. Excellent + friendly staff and high quality food. I love their sangria. All of the tapas are great. The vibe is also great, very clean restaurant. I recently ate in one of the igloos they set up for the winter and it was great. They have a Bluetooth speaker in each igloo and you can connect your own music via Bluetooth. They also have a cute fire pit heater that heated up the igloo well. It was warm and toasty inside. Highly recommend this restaurant!

The food was AMAZING. The chef is very personable and makes you feel more than welcomed. Definitely worth coming and will visit again.

The food was way too salty and did not taste fresh. The service was very slow even though there were no people in the restaurant and the water would repeatedly not make eye contact. The food is way too overpriced and everything has garlic in it.

most of the items look more delicious than they taste. the service is really good though! not all the lamb chops were tender so that was disappointing. and the squid ink dish wasnt tasty.

Sardines salad and tapas with salmon were good. We also tried paella and it wasn’t satisfied, I wouldn’t have paella again at this place.

Great food. Delicious sangria. Very personable service. One of my favourite restaurants in NYC.

Tapas portions small and service slow. Meatballs was just 5 sub teaspoon sized meat balls . A joke?

Excellent Excellent Tapas! Nice dining on the street or inside. Kind service that is a little bit European (AKA slowbut friendly, always smiling, no need to be in a rush, right? Still give them 5 stars for the delicious food and kind people. Ive visited a lot of Spanish restaurants, the food here is as good as anywhere!

Alcala is a hidden gem. I LOVED this restaurant. The waiters were awesome, its a very nice setting and the food was perfect. We had Iberico ham, shrimp in garlic , the pork dish and it was all delicious. I will definitely eat there again.

Great Food & Amazing atmosphere! Feels like real Europe inside the restaurant. Filet mignon with the fried potatoes was the best. Food and service was delicious, don’t forget to try the dessert sampler!

Found this place randomly on a walk and happy it happened. They make their own wine that Id buy at home if I could. Really kind and welcoming staff, cozy environment. I wasnt able to try as many dishes as I wanted (my faultbut what I had was solid.

The food is good, very friendly staffs. I love the bubble dome that they put on, so magical ☺️. We had such a great time there. The only thing that not very happy about it tho. My husband ordered double shots drink with soda, so simple, it cost 32$ each glass. That’s kinda ruing the perfect experience. Pretty much over priced. He always ordered this drink and the price everywhere in the world as we experienced 😂 are never over 25$ per glass and that’s already 5 stars restaurant.

Our local favorite spot! Perfect in any season. Food is delicious and is perfectly shareable as it’s tapas. Get the red sangria (a pitcher preferablyyou won’t regret it!

Both the white and red sangria was delicious and the paella was full of flavor. The atmosphere in the small outdoor igloos was fun!

One of the best restaurants in Midtown. We arrived for a very late dinner but Jesus was still accommodating. If you’re looking for authentic Spanish cuisine I recommend this place. Everything tasted really well!Oh and the tiki lights are Bluetooth speakers too, so you can connect and play 🎶

Alcala is our favorite restaurant in NYC. Jesus, the owner, has created the most authentic Spanish experience in the heart of the city. During COVID, he built a beautiful socially-distant outdoor space that feels like an oasis filled with lots of great sangria, delicious tapas, and 5-star cuisine. Alcala is the best kept-secret in New York.

I had the best paella in Spain and was craving it in NYC. So I ordered the paella de mariscos 15 mins before closing on Uber eats. The food arrived fairly quick but I was very disappointed with the paella. It didnt have the carmelly rich flavor that the one I had in Spain had. Not sure if I just had a really really good one in Spain now

Open for outdoor dining with spaced out seating under a gazebo. Portions were on the smaller side but food was good and service was quick and friendly. Come by for a socially distanced al fresco dining experience!

A fantastic restaurant next to United Nations, a place to have an amazing lunch and better diner, MR. Jesus Chef/ owner is one of the best Chefs in the City,the Staff always take care of you , the Wine list is big and fantástica vintages like The Great Serna Imperial GR. 2004 , unique, food will keep you happy.

Our favorite place for tapas in Midtown east.Nice quiet crowd both and lunch and dinner.The staff is really nice and will make you feel like in Spain.

Excellent and delicious food!! Coming back really soon!!

$18 for a vodka and soda and $9 for a beer? Thats the main reason for a 1 star rating. The food was very good although the paella was a bit greasy. The menu prices were reasonable for the food but they dont show their prices for liquor or beer. And thats the problem.........they can and do overcharge because no one ever would think to ask the price of a vodka and soda before ordering. Shame on Alcala!

The food had the authentic Spanish flavors I remembered from my trips to Spain. The lamb cutlets are sooo good as were the rest of the tapas we had - gambas, chipirones, then the paella!!!

We had the best experience. We came at 6 and were the only patrons, but it steadily filled and by 8, it was standing room only. We had shrimp in sizzling garlic sauce, littleneck clams in garlic and parsley, red peppers stuffed with mink fish and cannelloni with spinach, tomato and bechrmel sauce. We drank a toast of dry Cava to start, switched to the white wine Casa Vega and ended the night with a beautiful port and poached pears. Food heavenly. Service was attentive but not obsequious. Lively and lovely!

Went here for a weekday dinner. Food was reasonably good but nowhere worth the cost. Mid-rare steak I had was not the most tender nor flavorful, sides were good but nothing out of ordinary, and much of the appetizers were also in the same boat. There may have been a couple of good items here/there such as paella nonetheless.Staff was generally nice, but again nothing stellar.

Found this on a quick search for Spanish Tapas not far from our hotel in midtown and was beyond impressed! What a pleasant surprise and end to our evening! Had 3 tapas and one appetizer and ALL 4 were exceptional!

My boyfriend and I went to Alcala for lunch after spending a day in the city, I found the restaurant online, it seemed like good food and my boyfriend and I are big foodies so why not try something new. As we entered the restaurant the gentleman that I suppose is the host wasnt pleasant at all. He rushed us to table #4 (as it reads on my receiptand referred to us as "Friend" as oppose to sir or maam. The waiter was not attentive and we literally had to call him to finally come take our order. I never play the racist card but it was very hard to ignore. I am Hispanic and my boyfriend is Black American. My boyfriend is also a NYPD Detective and the fact that he serves the community and we were treated so unwelcoming was a disgrace. I felt we were not wanted at all and I am so displeased with the service and mannerism of this restaurant. Only upside is my Garlic chicken was good, Nonetheless very overpriced for the tiny portion of food. I will never dine at Alcala again. Dont waste your money.

Authentic Spanish cuisine, great food, attentive service. Chef-owner Jesus tended to me. I had a great house red (Riojabut the highlight of the evening was an off menu octopus appetizer....ask for it. Best octopus I ever had. Even after three trips to Spain. Enjoy.

Made a quick pit stop here on our way to Valentines day rock climbing. Came here at 4 so there was nobody else in the restaurant, which allowed for a relatively romantic ambiance. We had tapas since we didnt want to load up before our Boulder adventures, but being hungry and overzealous, we ordered four plates: the chorizo, the lamb chops, the croquettes, and sauteed veggies to share. I also ordered the crab filled crepes in crab bisque appetizer because it sounded very appealing. I havent had tapas in a while, but I felt the tapas seemed quite expensive, averaging $15 a plate. I also felt that way because the food was average. The chorizo was very simple, and somewhat reminisicent of small pepperoni slices, but without the kick you usually get from chorizo. The croquettes were ok, good flavor but nothing to write home about. The sauteed veggies were fair, but had a strange taste to them that neither my boyfriend nor I could pinpoint; not too off-putting, but not too contributive to the dish either. The lamb chops were the best of the bunch by far, well cooked and super flavorful. Then came the crepes. The crepes took the longest to cook, but disappointed as the final dish I partook in. The crepes were soggy and so felt spongy and disintegrated in your mouth, and not in the good way. The crab filling inside the crepes was quite pungent and didnt taste really fresh. And finally, the crab bisque that engulfed the crepes was just very salty and honestly kind of tasted like it came out of a can. I really wished I could go back to the lamb chops after tasting this dish, but I settled for the weird sauteed veggies.Overall, not a bad experience, but not a great one either.

Food is excellent, and although the restaurant decor is a bit dated, it makes you feel like you are in Spain at a small tavern. So why not 5 stars? Well, the service is not very friendly or helpful, although it is fast. The waiters for the most part appear to be in a hurry and uninterested in making you feel welcome or making your time there enjoyable. I think the whole staff needs to be retrained, because they are oblivious to the problem. Now granted, you many times get this same type of "service" in Spain, so it is authentic in that respect, but a more friendly and welcoming environment would earn them 5 stars.

The service was a bit hit or miss but the asparagus soup, fish trio and sangria were delicious.

I was craving some Iberico jamon so I came here. The squid ink squid was surprisingly good. I did feel somewhat neglected though.

We ordered a bunch of tapas and shared as a big table, which was fun. Their meatballs and sangria were phenomenal. Id also recommend the clams. Its a small and intimate setting, and you can feel comfortable there in casual or dessy attire. Very authentic, and most of the staff seemed to speak Spanish. I switched back and forth throughout the night.

Had a great experience here. The food was great, the sangria was great and the staff was very attentive. They have an extensive Tapas menu as well as main dishes. The menu on the outside does not show everything that is on the menu on the inside, but they will volunteer the larger menu if they see you by the door.