Circulo Español

SPAIN 🇪🇸

Now just two years shy of their 50th anniversary, the Centro Español de Queens has lived in its current Astoria home since 1985. Originally called the Circulo Español when formed in 1971, the organization has always had the mission of preserving the Spanish culture of its members and their children. The third major wave of Spanish immigration to the United States that took place during the 60's, 70's and 80's created strong communities here in New York City, always one of the major destinations.

Nowadays many of the members have been here for decades and multiple generations of descendants have grown up in this country, but the center acts as a hub to return to with family for celebrations and comradery. While run separately from the Centro, the restaurant is an important part of the daily operations. Walking up to the bar not only brings you a transition into Spanish culture, but also seems like a bubble away from the rapidly changing streets of Astoria.

Early on a weeknight, the men at the bar all seem like regulars, while the formal dining room is not called into action at all. For a sense of this space at capacity, coming on a weekend is ideal to watch large families at multiple tables. If you come here alone or in a small group, eating in the bar is perfectly fine and comfortable, a few tables surround the space and two Spanish beers and plenty of Spanish wines are always available.

Four flags flank the large TV in the bar along with a World Cup replica trophy that all of Spain was proud to win in 2010, but the beers are the first sense of a strong connection to Galicia, the small northwestern region that juts over Portugal. On the dinner menu, many of the items are described as Galician-style, a sense of what the meals here will focus on.

Marinated olives ($4)

The main dining room doubles as a dance hall and event space and has always been an important place within the institution. On a recent meal with six others, the menu was attacked from all angles to get a sense of what makes the place special.

As you might expect, a thorough list of tapas are available. Most of these dishes are served in bite-sized portions and perfect for sharing.

Patatas bravas ($5)

Pulpo a la Gallega ($18, Galician-style octopus)

Croquetas ($8)

Xouvas ($8, fried sardines)

Fresh anchovies in vinegar ($10)

Nothing served here in the Circulo Español is intended to knock your socks off, but it all gives a deep feeling of being homestyle. Meals seem like they are served by your aunt and uncle who farm in the countryside after you drove two hours to get to their home. The views out the window lack the vistas of rolling hills like Galicia, but as each new dish hits the table it is not hard to imagine them instead of Queens.

Unless you plan on returning many times, bring a large group so you can sample from the extensive offerings. Especially with entrees, the portion sizes are modest and allow for many dishes to be sampled.

Paella a la Valenciana ($22)

Chuleta de cordero ($20, lamb chops)

Shrimp in garlic sauce ($18)

The perfect time to come might just be weekend lunches, when the dining room is buzzing and after meals you can retire back to the bar where a busy crowd is cheering on La Liga matches.

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ASTORIA Queens
41-01 Broadway

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Café Esencia

SPAIN 🇪🇸

Before Café Esencia came to be in real life, it was a Kickstarter campaign that promised a churro café inspired by La Convivencia, or "coexistence," a time period in southern Spain where cultures and cuisines merrily mixed and produced an "awesome flourishing of flavors, aromas, and essences." It is from this that they get their name as well, with the signature pinwheel of the churro spinning underneath the logo.

Before the afternoon sun passes overhead towards the west, the mornings here are filled with sun on clear days, making the small café quite pleasant and always bright. The few tables can fill up quickly if a couple groups are around, but stragglers can usually find a bar seat at the window if need be.

In the United States, churros are often associated with Latin Americans, who have developed a love for them and especially in cities can be seen hawking them on the street or on transit platforms. Before this became true though, the churros have existed in the Iberian Peninsula forever in different forms. Those known as porras ($4.5 for a "small" wheel, above), like the ones served here, are made with a lighter sourdough batter that contains no egg or dairy and is even vegan. Since this batter is much thinner, you will not see the familiar consistent extrusion and instead each creation looks unique as the dough takes a life of its own in the fryer.

The lightness of these is a gift, snacking on them does not leave your stomach heavy. Add the available cup of $1.75 milk chocolate for dipping. In Andalucia, you would also see folks dipping theirs into their coffee, so do not feel bad doing that either.

On certain days of the week they also make a limited amount of tortilla española (not shown), an egg dish not unlike quiche that takes the form of a cake. "Tortilla" does translate as "little cake" after all. Here they make it simply with potatoes and onions, and while it is not typically Andalucian it is definitely part of Spanish culture and cuisine and eaten everywhere in the country. On the days it is coming out of the kitchen here, come early or you will find it already sold out.

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RIDGEWOOD Queens
68-38 Forest Avenue

Map of Eat the World NYC:

2017 Champions League Finals: Real Madrid C.F. vs Juventus F.C.

FOOTBALL ⚽

The final match of Champions League takes place this Saturday in Cardiff, Wales. Juventus will be playing Real Madrid starting at 2:45pm ET. If you want to watch the game with fans of each team or country, or even certain players, here is a list of places we recommend for the best atmospheres and chances to eat and drink your culture.

ITALY 🇮🇹
Ground zero for Italian national team football and Serie A games in New York City is Ribalta Stadium, the name of Ribalta Pizzeria (48 East 12th Street, Greenwich Village) during big matches when the projector screen comes down. In Brooklyn, the unofficial meeting place for Juventus fans is Caffe Sportivo (7502 18th Avenue, Bensonhurst, Brooklyn). Check out their Facebook page for details about the pre-match BBQ they have planned. Other time-tested places for great experiences are Mulberry Street Bar (176 Mulberry Street, Little Italy) and right across the street Grotta Azzurra (177 Mulberry Street).

Juventus Club NYC meets at The Football Factory (6 West 33rd Street, Midtown).


SPAIN 🇪🇸
I have always found the best support options at smaller restaurants like La Nacional Tapas Bar (239 West 14th Street, Chelsea), which also has watch parties upstairs sometimes but appears not to for Champions League. Nearby Cafe Riazor (245 West 16th Street, Chelsea) also has a small but friendly bar, and if you happen to be in Newark, definitely head to Casa d'Paco (73 Warwick Street, Newark NJ) for perfect football atmosphere.

The official Peña Madridista group has two locations, check their Facebook page for more info.


GENERAL
Smithfield Hall (138 West 25th Street, Chelsea) is New York City's best football bar, and will have a great atmosphere as always. Woodwork (583 Vanderbilt Avenue, Prospect Heights) is great in Brooklyn.

Fans from Colombia 🇨🇴  will have their allegiances split between James Rodriguez (Madrid) and Juan Cuadrado (Juve), but expect Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights, Queens to be packed with fans in its many football bars. Good bets are Teatro Restaurante Blvd (82-24 Northern Blvd), La Pollera Colorada II (82-13 Northern Blvd), El Rumbero (82-05 Northern Blvd), and El Paisa Bar (87-05 Northern Blvd). On 37th Avenue, newcomer Barriles (83-14 37th Avenue) is a fantastic sports bar with good food.

Fans of Ronaldo 🇵🇹 will be at O Lavrador (138-40 101st Street, Jamaica, Queens) or in Newark, NJ. Try Madrid & Lisbon Bar & Restaurant (325 Lafayette Street, Ironbound) or Coimbra (637-641 Market Street, Ironbound).

Costa Rican 🇨🇷 fans will be cheering on Real Madrid and their goaltender Keylor Navas from their home bar Olga's Place (214 LT Glenn Zamorski Drive, Elizabeth, NJ). If you have the chance, this is a fantastic place to watch football.


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Casa Vasca

SPAIN 🇪🇸

Casa Vasca abides by the long-established norm for an Iberian restaurant in Newark's Ironbound: half the place is a bar full of local's who have been coming for decades, and the other half is a restaurant with white tablecloths and stiff, hurried service. We brought a group of four on this evening, so my normal choice of bar seating did not make as much sense for the meal. True to form, our chairs were still being adjusted underneath as we sat and the waiter stood at the table, pen ready, and asked what we wanted.

On his second visit maybe a minute later, a pitcher of red sangria was ordered, giving the man something to do.

The vast majority of Basque peoples from both Spanish and French regions have settled in the northwest, in northern California and Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. My mother has lived near Reno for the past 15 years, one of the Basque population centers, giving me the opportunity to visit their wonderful restaurants with family style meals.

Despite having small groups in Brooklyn and Newark's Ironbound, the presence here on the east coast is very small, and the restaurants reflect this with their portioning. Entrees are large, but the family size atmosphere never translates. Four top tables make up the dining room, while out west any Basque restaurant will be made up of cafeteria-type tables and groups can fill them up. It is standard practice for any couples to sit at two free seats and share bread and soup with large groups that have already been served. You end up making friends quite quickly.

After ordering, everyone is served the soup of the day

If there was a mistake made in the selection process, it may have been not steering more towards the seafood portions of the menu. Our best dish was the bacalao a la Flamenca ($19, below), a grilled salt cod with garlic sauce. A full section of the menu is dedicated to fish and seafood, with different types of whole fish preparations and seafood paellas available.

The pollo al ajillo ($14, below) is truly a Basque taste, with the excellent garlic sauce dressed over small on the bone chunks of chicken. Unfortunately even with all the sauce, the chicken was extra dry and did not allow for much enjoyment. Tried again with tender chicken, this dish could be divine.

Casa Vasca does not stick strictly to a Basque menu, offering a wide array of Spanish dishes from around the country. Don't feel shy to come here on your own and sit at the bar, linger for a few drinks, and have a dish solo.

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NEWARK New Jersey

141 Elm Street

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Casa d'Paco

SPAIN

Casa d'Paco is the type of Spanish restaurant that New York City dearly needs more. Like La Nacional Tapas Bar before their ongoing renovation, the place caters to Spanish people, has authenticity through and through, and is not a factory. For the people in the Ironbound section of Newark, a truly special restaurant is easily available. For the rest of us, get a group together and make your way over for an outstanding meal.

Warwick Street and this section of the Ironbound District are far removed from the hustle of Ferry Street and its multiple bars and restaurants on every block. It seems to be created in a building that was a residential property like all the rest on the street, but opening the doors is like a change of worlds. On a late Sunday afternoon when we visited, the place was almost at capacity and seems to be a local favorite enjoyed for decades. It is surprise to learn it is barely over a year old.

Tapas start arriving at the bar free when you order drinks.

Our group of four decided to stay at the bar and eat, taken care of by a very good bartender in a Spanish football jersey. They have Estrella Galicia on tap and from the remarks online make some mean sangria. We saw multiple tables ordering their paella and decided early on to follow form, complementing our feast with the following tapas:

Dátiles rellenos de almendra y bacon ($8)

Patatas bravas ($6)

Pinchos morunos ($6)

Croquetas de jamón ibérico ($6)

Pulpo a galega ($10)

The menu is long, without line spacing, and somewhat overwhelming at first. Double this for regular customers because they constantly change the list of tapas, so many of the orders you see above might not be available when you visit. I recommend taking your time to read through everything and having a conversation with the people who work here, as they all seem to be very comfortable with the menu and will point you in the right direction.

Recommended most from the five items above are the dates, full of almonds and bacon and the sweetness and bacon-y-ness that this entails, and the octopus which is served Galician-style.

The paella Casa d'Paco ($30, below) is in a world of its own with half a lobster, a gigantic shrimp and large mussels, as well as scallops, clams, squid, chicken and chorizo.

A pair of lobster crackers are brought with the dish, as the shell is still intact and does require a bit of work. Our group of four had no feeling of not getting enough, and this dish would definitely be sufficient for a couple dining alone. I am uncertain how any meal here could go without an order of paella after trying this one, but there are other choices for mains.

There are televisions with football and I saw a few patrons with jerseys as well. I cannot wait to return here in June for the Euro Cup, a championship the Spanish will be keen on capturing for the third straight time.

NEWARK New Jersey

73 Warwick Street

[CLOSED] La Pealla

SPAIN 🇪🇸

[UPDATE: CLOSED]

Interesting the paella ($17-19.50 per person) here is just so-so, so definitely stick to the tapas, which border on amazing most of the time. I find that the best way to go is getting the combination plates (tapas mixtas) that run from $15-17.50 per person.

I also like the sangría enough to boast it as the best I have found in the city. Excellent flan ($8.50). It is often crowded, and its biggest drawback is that it can get insanely loud in here when full. They play great music, but far too high, and everyone is forced to shout over it.

Flan is always a winner.

I have yet to try either of the lunch set ($12.99) or early bird menu ($16.99, 5pm-7pm), but both seem like good value.

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EAST VILLAGE Manhattan

214 East 9th Street