Pamplona

go try the braised rabbit, the mariscada & the butternut squash soup
these'll warm you up.

but the chestnut soup, if it's on the menu, is my favorite.

Posted 12/29/08

This restaurant is one of my favorite places to take a group of friends. The dcor and the ambiance are well balanced for the area it is in, not over the top and not to basic. The food is great as well. The group I had gone with had a variety of dishes, all of which were greatly enjoyed. The only negative I could give, would be that the cocktails were not so great.I would recomend to anyone.

Pros: food,staff,ambiance

Cons: cocktails

Posted 10/06/08

I remember reading these reviews and reading their menu, and looking forward to a cool time. Other than the little fried cheeseballs (bunuelos), all I remember is that they brought us the squid-ink pseudo-paella dish, when we had ordered something different. They didn't comp us a drink or dessert for the mistake, and didn't apologize - just asked if it was okay (the error, not the dish). Neither - and perhaps we should've given them the opportunity to rectify, but I'd have expected the manager to come by, apologize, pull the plate, and get us what we ordered stat.
We ordered three tapas plates before the inky rice. I forget the two that weren't fried cheeseballs. Tells me something, I think.

Posted 09/17/08

We'd been meaning to try Pamplona, this new neighborhood Spanish/Tapas restaurant for quite some time and were looking forward to our first visit. Oy. Let me put it this way: It wasn't our worst restaurant experience ever, but it was very, very close. The service wasn't as bad as advertised, but it was perfunctory and impersonal; except for our wait person....she was very nice, but had only been there "two weeks", so give her some time to get with the impersonal program. We walked in to find a very loud Flamenco floor show going on; it was so loud we couldn't hear each other speaking. Now: the food. I can't begin to tell you how truly awful it was. I ordered their Mariscada, which turned out to be seafood garbage in a watery broth. The mussels smelled and tasted funky, the two shrimp were rubbery, and the clams were "long gone". It was topped off with Octopus, and Squid, neither of which are mentioned in the description. One of the worst entrees I can ever remember. I would have sent it back, but at this point we were fearing for our lives, and we didn't want to take a chance of ordering anything else. Also, beware of the Sangria, as they don't tell you in the menu that it's spiked with "brandy and schnaps"; we asked why it tasted so strong, and after the explanation, we traded our pitcher in for a normal pitcher of Sangria, thanks to our nice waitress. So, I figured I'd cut my losses, pay up, and get out with our lives intact. My wife had the same reaction. The owner/chef must make up his mind whether he's running a serious restaurant with a bar scene, or a noisy bar with Tapas food; albeit bad. But, they've been there for 6-8 months, and if they haven't "gotten it" yet, they're not going to. By the way, I felt queasy all night. I'd give this place zero stars, but your rating system doesn't permit it. Buyer beware. Go to El Faro or Urena.
M. Mislove
NYC

Pros: Our waitress

Cons: Eveyrthing else. And I mean everthing

Posted 09/13/08

Loved it! Not your typical Spanish place...This one is exceptional. Food, Wine and Service were Awesome!

Pros: Food, Service, Wine

Cons: None!

Posted 07/21/08

We went there last night and really enjoyed it. They were very accomodating with the table especially because we were a party of two. We simply called ahead and they told us when to come in. Upon arrival we were seated almost immediately and not left at the bar like many restaurants. We ordered a nice bottle of the Mano a Mano wine. It was reasonably priced, medium body, not too dry, and delicious without the bite that some wines give on the first sip or two. We ordered 6 different tapas for the two of us and that was plenty of food. Specifically, chickpea fries (excellent), pattatas bravas (a staple and well portioned), Bocadillo de Jamon (a little panini), beer battered cheese fritters (yum), meatballs (great with the parsnip puree), and the chorizo/shrimp skewers over goat cheese toast. Unfortunately they were 86'ed on the tuna or we would have tried that as well. All in all, a great meal with good service. We will definitely go again.

Posted 02/02/08

I enjoyed Pamplona a lot. The maitre d', hostess and waiters were very nice. The new decor makes it easier to feel more relaxed. This is a great place to go for Tapas after work as well as a date. The "chuleton" was amazing. The seasoning makes it, possibly, one of the best steaks out there.

Pros: tapas, main courses

Cons: -

Posted 12/24/07

My boyfriend and I were great fans of Urena, but agreed with some of the criticism that was said. We decided to check out Pamplona. We loved it; it has such a more relaxed vibe. The food is great weather you want serious grub or just some tapas at the bar. Definetly check it out, its a great spot with a good happy hour and delicious rose sangria!

Pros: amazing presentation, awesome food, good drinks

Posted 10/23/07

Pamplona is a complete waste of time and money. The food is average. The chef claims to have worked in Spain but it doesn?t show up in the food. Service was terrible . The Jamon was low-grade sliced ham. The wine list is super short ... maybe 20 bottles on the entire list to choose from. A joke when there's so much great spanish wine out there. All in all, the place is a joke. The wait staff had little knowledge about the menu, or for that matter spanish food in general. If you're looking for subpar spanish food, served by people that know close to nothing about the menu, paired with meager wine selections, then this is the place for you. Maybe they will close again and re-open a third time as a Taco Bell.

Pros: None

Cons: Majortiy of restaurant

Posted 10/12/07