La Zarza

I was searching for a restaurant and lounge in the East Village on Citysearch and found La Zarza. We decided to go a couple weeks back and had a great time. Very nice ambiance, delicious food, great drinks and an attentive waitstaff made La Zarza a very nice experience. Highly recommended!

Great place for you if you are college aged, loud and have a lot of extra cash, which you'll need here. we were seated next to some bleep in the city wannabees, that were so loud, we asked to sit next to the DJ instead...and still could not hear the "world" music. Tavern does best describe this place, but it is one overpriced tavern. The "entrees" are portioned like tapas, but are priced like entrees. The sangria "made at your table" is a great concept...for guacamole. Flavors in Sangria are supposed to have ample time to marinade. In this case, you'll be ruining a perfectly good bottle of wine. The presentation on the cheese plate, along with the size of the duck entree truly made me chuckle. The cheeses were (actually cheese crumbles...and I mean small crumbles) sprinkled with seeds and dried berries. I am not kidding, it was funny. Delicious, but funny. The ceviche was the shining star, and larger than everything else. Do not visit unless you have already eaten. If the food had been labled "tapas" and priced accordingly, I would have nothing to complain about except for the loud atmosphere and sophomoric trendiness. Overall, dissapointing.

Unique flavors and amazing presentation made me have a great experience in my first visit to this place.To mention , the lobster ceviche was soooo goooood !!!!!! The lamb ribs, the melted cheese and the crab plate are dream dishes..As entrees we had the salmon with carrots, the skirt steak and the paella, perfectly cooked all of them. And a special mention for the sangria, great concept!!!!! never seen that idea before, it's fresh and fun. For customer service,everyone was very friendly, very nice guys.
I couldn't have a better night, i'll be back very soon. Almost forgot, try the panquetes dessert !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been to this restaurant twice and each time I had a great experience. The atmosphere was very romantic and located in a trendy area of the lower east side of NYC. My husband and I sat in the window and had a wonderful dinner by candlelight while being serenaded by music that was edgy with a Latin flare. The waitress was very sweet, and helpful when we asked her what she would recommend for drinks and appetizers. I tried the pineapple mojito, which was refreshing and delicious while my husband tried the spicy margarita which turned out to be a little too hot for my taste (I loved the pansy garnish!!!). The sangria which I saw on a few other tables also looked good and I hope to try next time I am there. The food was also delicious...try the stuffed dates and the rib eye steak, for dessert we had the crepes filled with dulce de leche.amazing! Overall this place was great.

I went to this restaurant by recommendation of a friend. The first thing i noticed was the beatiful crowd, pretty guys and girls all around : ) !!!!! I recognized a lot of people of the nightlife industry wich made me feel like i already was having a drink in a hot spot of the west side. Good thing i made a reservation 'cause the place was packed!!! Once at the table, the server was attentive and gentle.He suggested the sangria as the best option and omg, he was right!! The best sangria i ever tried in NYC!!!! The food got in the table just in time, let me tell..you must try the dates and the crocanitos, amazing...and for entrees we had the rib eye and the bacalao, super fresh.No complaints about the food, but the music was a little too loud and another important thing, i had to wait in line for the bathroom too long!!!!!Overall, we had a wondeful time and i think this is my favorite new spot.
Pros: fresh food, amazing sangria, best scene in the east village
Cons: music too loud, line for bathrooms, hard to find because the sign in the front is too small.