Amazing place. Since I visited Spain I have been searching for the best empanada place in America. This is the best one of the 20 I have tried. A+. Great service including a 20 minute personal conversation with the amazing owner, Ivana, who moved to the US from Argentina 26 years ago. Highly recommend!
Parking: Easy parking around the corner
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Chicken and Chorizo Empanada, Empanadas Ham & Cheese, Beef Empanada
Bianca Ritorto
As an argentinean trying this place out, I was pretty disappointed. The provoleta was badly melted and not the right cheese. The milanesas were paper thin and the crust was falling off. Empanada al Malbec was good. The panqueque de dulce de leche was completely raw except on the corners. Sadly wont come back, they don’t even have wine! Service was kind and attentive, but quality of the food was not good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
P M
Having frequented El Mate for over 6 years, as an Argentinian, I was very pleased with the familiar flavors and atmosphere. However, in November, the restaurant changed hands unbeknownst to us. During our recent visit, we noticed significant changes where to start!
The waitress was nice and attentive, she brought (hot) water to the table, and bread. By then I thought something was different, it threw us the fact they have the same cooks, but the decor was no longer the charming Argentinian style, and we discovered they no longer had an alcohol license and we were not allowed to bring our own wine. We still stayed and decided to carry on with our dinner reservation.
We order empanadas and they were absolutely disgusting! The chicken filling was so dark that we thought they were spinach, and the size was diminutive! The pancakes with dulce de leche were undercooked, and the overall lack of flavor in the food suggested also a potential change in meat providers.
To add to the disappointment, the prices had increased by at least 40%. Regrettably, we experienced upset stomachs throughout the night. Sadly, I cannot recommend El Mate anymore and won't be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
JPVFX
Long time patron since 2015. Something has changed here and it's not for the better. You can judge a Argentinean restaurant by its Empanadas and these were nothing like the Empanadas of old El Mate. Some of the other dishes retained quality but the price increase across the menu feels unjustified outside the cost of living in NYC.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Vimon Martin
Having frequented El Mate for over 6 years, as an Argentinian, I was very pleased with the familiar flavors and atmosphere. However, in November, the restaurant changed hands unbeknownst to us. During our recent visit, we noticed significant changes where to start!The waitress was nice and attentive, she brought (hot) water to the table, and bread. By then I thought something was different, it threw us the fact they have the same cooks, but the decor was no longer the charming Argentinian style, and we discovered they no longer had an alcohol license and we were not allowed to bring our own wine. We still stayed and decided to carry on with our dinner reservation.We order empanadas and they were absolutely disgusting! The chicken filling was so dark that we thought they were spinach, and the size was diminutive! The pancakes with dulce de leche were undercooked, and the overall lack of flavor in the food suggested also a potential change in meat providers.To add to the disappointment, the prices had increased by at least 40%. Regrettably, we experienced upset stomachs throughout the night. Sadly, I cannot recommend El Mate anymore and won't be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Sam I Am
Brazilian at its best.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Armando Garcia
Excellent place to eat and have a good time. The food is delicious and the service very good. They are always attentive to your
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Henry
Great food and large portions except for the empanadas. They're surprisingly small, but they taste great.The meat was cooked to perfection.
I like the food, the place is nice but definitely don’t agree with the gratitude to by charge in the bill %20 … I can understand if you go with a group but for a normal couple.
I’ll try to keep up short and simple. I came here with a high expectation of having great tasting food (ESPECIALLY after reading all of these positive reviews).To start we had the Polenta, fried calamari’s, and empanadas (ham & cheese, spinach, chorizo) we then proceeded to have the chicken Milanese, and the Seafood risotto.The polenta was good, I recommend it to those who are mushroom lovers. It was flavorful.The Calamari were simply too overcooked, and very chewy. Just terrible. (I called the server to retreat the plate and he never even asked why I wanted to return it. shows how much they care about the business)The empanadas were ok, the spinach one was bitter for some reason.The chicken Milanese was a disappointment. First of all, the presentation was awful. It looks like a 10 year old tried putting that plate together. It was missing more tomato sauce and it was a bit too dry.The seafood risotto was ok. It wasn’t flavorful, too loose with its consistency. I’m surprised the shrimp and calamari were cooked very well here!Overall, I had a bad experience with this restaurant. Oh and not to mention that their Caipirinhas was too watered down, and missing sweetness. I dont know where all these positive reviews come from. If you’re seeking for great tasting food I wouldn’t recommend this spot, instead go to Libertador if you want real Argentinian food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Julia Morales
Excellent food and service!!!
Dietary restrictions: Low calorie meals
Kid-friendliness: Children's menu
Wheelchair accessibility: Yes, easy entry
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hamburguesa del Chef
jessica ortiz
Best spicy margarita I've ever had!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mashed Yucca
Lori Carena
Pleasant dinner. Lemon chicken flavorful but a little tough. Good eggplant empanada.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Audi Guerrero
This was my second time here. And as always ...it was a great time. We had my birthday celebration on the backyard patio. It was beautiful and cozy. It's a must for a celebration! Thank you Mate!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Chicken and Chorizo Empanada, Mashed Yucca, French Fries, Skirt Steak, Chorizo and Shrimp Al Ajillo, Beef Empanada, Parrillada Mixta
Amazing place. Since I visited Spain I have been searching for the best empanada place in America. This is the best one of the 20 I have tried. A+. Great service including a 20 minute personal conversation with the amazing owner, Ivana, who moved to the US from Argentina 26 years ago. Highly recommend!
Parking: Easy parking around the corner
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Chicken and Chorizo Empanada, Empanadas Ham & Cheese, Beef Empanada
As an argentinean trying this place out, I was pretty disappointed. The provoleta was badly melted and not the right cheese. The milanesas were paper thin and the crust was falling off. Empanada al Malbec was good. The panqueque de dulce de leche was completely raw except on the corners. Sadly wont come back, they don’t even have wine! Service was kind and attentive, but quality of the food was not good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Having frequented El Mate for over 6 years, as an Argentinian, I was very pleased with the familiar flavors and atmosphere. However, in November, the restaurant changed hands unbeknownst to us. During our recent visit, we noticed significant changes where to start!
The waitress was nice and attentive, she brought (hot) water to the table, and bread. By then I thought something was different, it threw us the fact they have the same cooks, but the decor was no longer the charming Argentinian style, and we discovered they no longer had an alcohol license and we were not allowed to bring our own wine. We still stayed and decided to carry on with our dinner reservation.
We order empanadas and they were absolutely disgusting! The chicken filling was so dark that we thought they were spinach, and the size was diminutive! The pancakes with dulce de leche were undercooked, and the overall lack of flavor in the food suggested also a potential change in meat providers.
To add to the disappointment, the prices had increased by at least 40%. Regrettably, we experienced upset stomachs throughout the night. Sadly, I cannot recommend El Mate anymore and won't be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Long time patron since 2015. Something has changed here and it's not for the better. You can judge a Argentinean restaurant by its Empanadas and these were nothing like the Empanadas of old El Mate. Some of the other dishes retained quality but the price increase across the menu feels unjustified outside the cost of living in NYC.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Having frequented El Mate for over 6 years, as an Argentinian, I was very pleased with the familiar flavors and atmosphere. However, in November, the restaurant changed hands unbeknownst to us. During our recent visit, we noticed significant changes where to start!The waitress was nice and attentive, she brought (hot) water to the table, and bread. By then I thought something was different, it threw us the fact they have the same cooks, but the decor was no longer the charming Argentinian style, and we discovered they no longer had an alcohol license and we were not allowed to bring our own wine. We still stayed and decided to carry on with our dinner reservation.We order empanadas and they were absolutely disgusting! The chicken filling was so dark that we thought they were spinach, and the size was diminutive! The pancakes with dulce de leche were undercooked, and the overall lack of flavor in the food suggested also a potential change in meat providers.To add to the disappointment, the prices had increased by at least 40%. Regrettably, we experienced upset stomachs throughout the night. Sadly, I cannot recommend El Mate anymore and won't be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Brazilian at its best.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent place to eat and have a good time. The food is delicious and the service very good. They are always attentive to your
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and large portions except for the empanadas. They're surprisingly small, but they taste great.The meat was cooked to perfection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mashed Yucca, Skirt Steak, Parrillada Mixta, Provoleta
Love the steak.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Skirt Steak
I like the food, the place is nice but definitely don’t agree with the gratitude to by charge in the bill %20 … I can understand if you go with a group but for a normal couple.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
I’ll try to keep up short and simple. I came here with a high expectation of having great tasting food (ESPECIALLY after reading all of these positive reviews).To start we had the Polenta, fried calamari’s, and empanadas (ham & cheese, spinach, chorizo) we then proceeded to have the chicken Milanese, and the Seafood risotto.The polenta was good, I recommend it to those who are mushroom lovers. It was flavorful.The Calamari were simply too overcooked, and very chewy. Just terrible. (I called the server to retreat the plate and he never even asked why I wanted to return it. shows how much they care about the business)The empanadas were ok, the spinach one was bitter for some reason.The chicken Milanese was a disappointment. First of all, the presentation was awful. It looks like a 10 year old tried putting that plate together. It was missing more tomato sauce and it was a bit too dry.The seafood risotto was ok. It wasn’t flavorful, too loose with its consistency. I’m surprised the shrimp and calamari were cooked very well here!Overall, I had a bad experience with this restaurant. Oh and not to mention that their Caipirinhas was too watered down, and missing sweetness. I dont know where all these positive reviews come from. If you’re seeking for great tasting food I wouldn’t recommend this spot, instead go to Libertador if you want real Argentinian food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Excellent food and service!!!
Dietary restrictions: Low calorie meals
Kid-friendliness: Children's menu
Wheelchair accessibility: Yes, easy entry
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hamburguesa del Chef
Best spicy margarita I've ever had!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mashed Yucca
Pleasant dinner. Lemon chicken flavorful but a little tough. Good eggplant empanada.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
This was my second time here. And as always ...it was a great time. We had my birthday celebration on the backyard patio. It was beautiful and cozy. It's a must for a celebration! Thank you Mate!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Chicken and Chorizo Empanada, Mashed Yucca, French Fries, Skirt Steak, Chorizo and Shrimp Al Ajillo, Beef Empanada, Parrillada Mixta
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