I've been here half a dozen times and will not come back. The food is fine (the pintxos are the best) but service is rude and abysmal. Just last night, after having spent ~1K on a dinner for 5 people, I asked if I could get the pintxos to go (something I've done on every visit), and our waitress very rudely and condescendingly told me that they don't do that, and that it must have been a 'new person' who 'let me' do that last time. So I just ordered another plate of pintxos to the table and asked to have it packed to go immediately, and THAT was fine. Makes zero sense.
The hostess last night was also full of attitude when telling 2 of us that we couldn't sit at the bar for 15 literal minutes while waiting for our table. Again, the message itself is fine, but the condescension was appalling. Won't be back
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Cesar Alvarez
It’s a very chic place , food is interesting and rich, martini 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joshua DeAngelis
Great date spot. We got there just before 5:30pm on a Saturday and were easily sat at the bar. Some people were standing by the bar, which appeared to be their best option around 6pm.
The service is quick. We ordered appetizers and cocktails & we were in and out in an hour.
All the reviews prior said to order the fried oysters. They were a little on the oily side but obviously tasted great.
One flag: if you’re not a Spanish wine drinker, this may not be your place. Their wine list is exclusively Spanish.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Seadon Shouse
Great food and drinks. Service was also attentive. Would come back for sure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yehia Bakour
Food is not worth it, pretty bad
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Shannon Izzo
Arrived here for our 5:30 reservation at 5:29. Staff said they weren’t opened yet and made us wait outside in this extreme cold front in -15 degree weather. Horrendous. Never ended up going back in. Not giving them a dime.
thuy diep
This place is an absolute disappointment. Its the worst service and food I’ve ever had in NYC unfortunately. The host and waitress obviously did not want to be there and it showed. It took forever to get my glass of wine. Our appetizers were out first and when I asked what was taking so long for the wine she stoffed instead of apologizing and said something under breath. In addition the food was horrible. Such a bummer since its in my neighborhood and looks like a cute place. It only does well because of the location. However for the price and the horrible service and food, its a shame. I would have never written this if it were not for the service. As an establishment in NYC service should be top tier and the staff should be trained and hired only if they like people.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
David Asatryan
Good service and wine selection
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Amber Cordeiro
Really delicious meal and drinks
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Veronika Kandaurova
At Eel Bar, that philosophy feels focused and refined. The interior alone makes a strong impression: dark-stained wood, mirrors, low lighting — restrained, European, and confident. It’s especially enjoyable to build a meal from pintxos and tapas, ideally seated at the U-shaped bar. The menu is concise, with standouts like the classic Gilda ($4) — olives, anchovies, and pickled chili on a skewer, named after the 1946 Rita Hayworth film. The spicy mussels are another highlight: breaded, fried, and returned to their shells instead of being steamed or grilled ($14). And then there’s the burger — a grass-fed beef burger with anchovies and Roquefort ($28): loud, aggressive, and unapologetically overloaded. In some bites the Roquefort overwhelms everything else; in others, it hits that perfect “too much” balance that makes it memorable. The bar offers nine vermouths, including prepared vermouths. The Marianito ($14) — red vermouth with rum, curaçao, and bitters — is particularly good. A classic picon punch is available, but the best pairing with the food turned out to be Isategi Basque cider: earthy, dry, with green apple notes and a gentle sparkle. Eel Bar delivers complex flavors and a strong sense of identity. It doesn’t try to please everyone — and that’s exactly why it’s worth coming here and taking a culinary risk.
I felt pretty uncomfortable by the experience here. We were told bar seating was only dinner orders only (sat down but several patrons had only had drinks). We let it go and ordered appetizers — bartender insisted that we could only order the entire order at once and couldn’t add on items after. We felt unwelcome by this out of place experience and rules (?) we got drinks which weren’t very good and an order of spicy mussels (they had no flavor). Also looking at other pictures, the mussels were supposed to be on a shell - ours weren’t and they were fishy, I think they were canned. Wouldn’t recommend.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Julian Benitez Mages
Delicious basque food. On the spendy side but a high quality experience for sure. Pintxos
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Claudio Sousa
My friends and I loved it. Food was good, place is calming but cool, and great service (a group came in directly from the airport and I saw a server carry all of their things to the back). Also even if the cheesecake isn’t on the menu they may have it available, and it’s great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
r
Definitely not worth the “hype.” The restaurant was half empty on a Saturday night, yet the hostess acted as if she were doing us a favor by seating us at the bar near the door, despite plenty of open seats. The bread recommended to dip with one of our dishes was rock-hard and completely flavorless. Overall, a very disappointing experience. We much preferred Cervo’s.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Skeeter Gee
The mussels weren’t the crispy cracker like bite everyone was talking about. Very musty and mushy. The fried fish was the best dish of the night. I liked the habanero hot sauce they brought out with it. The bamba rice was a very small serving. The burger with the anchovies and blue cheese was not great. The burger patty itself was dry and overcooked. The anchovies and blue cheese were hard to eat. Too funky for my taste. We were overall disappointed with the restaurant. We wanted to like it, but it just fell flat.
I've been here half a dozen times and will not come back. The food is fine (the pintxos are the best) but service is rude and abysmal. Just last night, after having spent ~1K on a dinner for 5 people, I asked if I could get the pintxos to go (something I've done on every visit), and our waitress very rudely and condescendingly told me that they don't do that, and that it must have been a 'new person' who 'let me' do that last time. So I just ordered another plate of pintxos to the table and asked to have it packed to go immediately, and THAT was fine. Makes zero sense.
The hostess last night was also full of attitude when telling 2 of us that we couldn't sit at the bar for 15 literal minutes while waiting for our table. Again, the message itself is fine, but the condescension was appalling. Won't be back
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
It’s a very chic place , food is interesting and rich, martini 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great date spot. We got there just before 5:30pm on a Saturday and were easily sat at the bar. Some people were standing by the bar, which appeared to be their best option around 6pm.
The service is quick. We ordered appetizers and cocktails & we were in and out in an hour.
All the reviews prior said to order the fried oysters. They were a little on the oily side but obviously tasted great.
One flag: if you’re not a Spanish wine drinker, this may not be your place. Their wine list is exclusively Spanish.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Great food and drinks. Service was also attentive. Would come back for sure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food is not worth it, pretty bad
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Arrived here for our 5:30 reservation at 5:29. Staff said they weren’t opened yet and made us wait outside in this extreme cold front in -15 degree weather. Horrendous. Never ended up going back in. Not giving them a dime.
This place is an absolute disappointment. Its the worst service and food I’ve ever had in NYC unfortunately. The host and waitress obviously did not want to be there and it showed. It took forever to get my glass of wine. Our appetizers were out first and when I asked what was taking so long for the wine she stoffed instead of apologizing and said something under breath. In addition the food was horrible. Such a bummer since its in my neighborhood and looks like a cute place. It only does well because of the location. However for the price and the horrible service and food, its a shame. I would have never written this if it were not for the service. As an establishment in NYC service should be top tier and the staff should be trained and hired only if they like people.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Good service and wine selection
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Really delicious meal and drinks
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
At Eel Bar, that philosophy feels focused and refined. The interior alone makes a strong impression: dark-stained wood, mirrors, low lighting — restrained, European, and confident. It’s especially enjoyable to build a meal from pintxos and tapas, ideally seated at the U-shaped bar. The menu is concise, with standouts like the classic Gilda ($4) — olives, anchovies, and pickled chili on a skewer, named after the 1946 Rita Hayworth film. The spicy mussels are another highlight: breaded, fried, and returned to their shells instead of being steamed or grilled ($14).
And then there’s the burger — a grass-fed beef burger with anchovies and Roquefort ($28): loud, aggressive, and unapologetically overloaded. In some bites the Roquefort overwhelms everything else; in others, it hits that perfect “too much” balance that makes it memorable. The bar offers nine vermouths, including prepared vermouths. The Marianito ($14) — red vermouth with rum, curaçao, and bitters — is particularly good. A classic picon punch is available, but the best pairing with the food turned out to be Isategi Basque cider: earthy, dry, with green apple notes and a gentle sparkle.
Eel Bar delivers complex flavors and a strong sense of identity. It doesn’t try to please everyone — and that’s exactly why it’s worth coming here and taking a culinary risk.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I felt pretty uncomfortable by the experience here. We were told bar seating was only dinner orders only (sat down but several patrons had only had drinks). We let it go and ordered appetizers — bartender insisted that we could only order the entire order at once and couldn’t add on items after. We felt unwelcome by this out of place experience and rules (?) we got drinks which weren’t very good and an order of spicy mussels (they had no flavor). Also looking at other pictures, the mussels were supposed to be on a shell - ours weren’t and they were fishy, I think they were canned. Wouldn’t recommend.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Delicious basque food. On the spendy side but a high quality experience for sure. Pintxos
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
My friends and I loved it. Food was good, place is calming but cool, and great service (a group came in directly from the airport and I saw a server carry all of their things to the back). Also even if the cheesecake isn’t on the menu they may have it available, and it’s great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Definitely not worth the “hype.” The restaurant was half empty on a Saturday night, yet the hostess acted as if she were doing us a favor by seating us at the bar near the door, despite plenty of open seats. The bread recommended to dip with one of our dishes was rock-hard and completely flavorless. Overall, a very disappointing experience. We much preferred Cervo’s.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
The mussels weren’t the crispy cracker like bite everyone was talking about. Very musty and mushy. The fried fish was the best dish of the night. I liked the habanero hot sauce they brought out with it. The bamba rice was a very small serving. The burger with the anchovies and blue cheese was not great. The burger patty itself was dry and overcooked. The anchovies and blue cheese were hard to eat. Too funky for my taste. We were overall disappointed with the restaurant. We wanted to like it, but it just fell flat.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Loading...