Agozar

THEIR HAPPY HOURS ARE THE BEST ITS M-F FROM 5-8PM..... THE TAPAS ARE SO TASTY AND THEIR MOJOITOS ARE TO DIE FOR!!!!! HONESTLY, I ONLY GO FOR THE HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS SINCE THE PRICES ARE GREAT BUT WHEN THEIR HAPPY HOUR IS OVER I AM OVER, BECAUSE THEIR ACTUAL ENTREES ARENT THAT GREAT!!!!!!

Pros: HAPPY HOUR PRICES

Posted 12/16/06

Recommend el Coco for drink. The bartender there makes it really good! Buy one get one free on mixed drinks Mon-Fri; i think till 8PM. The tapas are half price (around $3-$4 after discount) during happy hour. Recommend the chorizos if you're going to order Tapas. I went with a large group and the people at the restaurant were fairly accomodating. I shared an entree (a real entree to share - its on the menu) with another girl and boy was it wayy too big for us to finish. Prices are fair. Food was average.

Pros: Happy hour - BOGO on drinks; 1/2 off on tapas

Cons: None from my experience

Posted 11/01/06

Prompt seating even though my party ran late. Freshest sangria I've ever tasted set off spicy tapas nicely. I rec the shrimp in double garlic sauce if you can handle it. The chicken "lollipops" are a great option for kids. For entrees, the strip steak and pork loin were equally lean and well seasoned. Sweet plantains were a great offset to spicy sides. I tried to pace myself but was lost. Portions were healthy without seeming over the top grotesque. Lovely presentation. Just went last Friday and returning this week for part 2.

Pros: ambience, quick seating, fresh food and drink (no canned sangria mix)

Cons: slight language barrier with waiter (could've been just mine)

Posted 09/11/06

Took my group of 8 to the restaurant for a birthday dinner and was seated promply and had a good time. The drinks are awesome and the tapas just the same. I would not recommend the dinner portions since they are mediocre. It gets busy on Friday nights but we really enjoyed the atmosphere, decoration and overall company. The service is slow and needs to be worked on. I would suggest going during happy hour for the best deal.

Pros: Great Drinks, Sultry Atmosphere

Cons: Bad Service, Entrees, Waiters

Posted 07/31/06

The best mojitos ever and if you stop by during their happy hour you get 2-4-1. I haven't had a full dinner here yet but if it's anything like thier apps I'm sure everything will be great! Try it...it's worth the trip downtown.

Pros: mojitos, music

Posted 06/29/06

I had some friends visiting from out of town and needed to make a last-minute reservation for 6 people on a Saturday night. I was surprised to find that Agozar had a table available at 4pm that Saturday... after eating there, I'm not surprised why.

Everything about the place was mediocre. Sangria was ok, food was ok, decor was ok... except maybe the service was less than OK. The waiter got my friend's order wrong, and when she flagged him down to tell him that it was not what she ordered, he looked at her like it was her fault that she didn't want to eat it. I asked for my skirt steak medium, and when it came charred and well done, I sent it back and asked for a less well done steak. Apparently, that was understood to be that I wanted it cooked even more because I got my SAME steak back, charred even more.

They have 2 for 1 drink specials during happy hour and that is probably the ONLY time I will go back to agozar.

Pros: Cheap happy hour drinks

Cons: Service, mediocre food

Posted 06/22/06

The service was so bad, it overshadowed the great food and drinks. After being seated, we waited 15 minutes before flagging down a waitress to take our drink order, and it was not even busy! After taking our order, we never saw our waitress again, not even for the check. The table next to us caught fire (no, I'm not kidding), and a waiter and busser walked by without doing anything to help. We finally threw our glasses of water on the fire, which were not refilled for the remainder of our meal. Although I am craving the yummy "El Coco" mojitos, I will not go back due to the terrible service. If this restaurant wants to remain on the "Best of" lists, I highly suggest hiring a new waitstaff and a good manager.

Pros: Good food, drinks

Cons: Terrible service

Posted 06/18/06

This place is a blast! I set up a birthday dinner for my friend here and couldn't have asked for a better time. Took advantage of the 2-4-1 Happy Hour special for a couple hours before dinner which cost us next to nothing. 8 people, 6 tapas, 4 Parilladas (mixed grill for 2), 8 desserts and LOTS of booze came out to less than $50 a head. Service was phenomenal also. Live latin music, fun atomosphere and people made such a great vibe that we ended up staying and drinking almost until closing time. Def come here if you're with a group of people that are looking to eat, drink and be merry.

Pros: Atmosphere, Inexpensive, Service

Cons: none

Posted 06/03/06

I went to agozar last weekend with some friends for a low key birthday celebration... the drinks were great as usual, especially the mojitos! I've been a few times before but they must have changed the menu around... we ordered some appetizers and tapas plates and we all loved them! I highly recommend if you're in the mood for some good cuban food!

Pros: drinks, nice range of prices, fun ambiance

Posted 04/26/06

We were a party of 6 people Sat night (w/reservations). Drinks were great but once the server took our order he all but ignored our table! Never asked us if we wanted more drinks, sat with dirty dishes in front of us. I finally waved him down to ask for a dessert menu and then we had to wave him down to get the check. Unbelievable! Food was a bit bland and appetizers arrived luke warm. Unfortunately they automatically added 18% service to the check, which is probably why the waiter didn't care if we needed anything or not. Will NEVER go back!

Pros: yummy drinks

Cons: terrible service, ambience lacking, bad bad bad waiters

Posted 04/18/06

I don't understand how this restaurant was on the best Cuban food 2005 list. The ropa vieja was awful but the only good thing was the mojito.

Pros: decor

Cons: ropa vieja

Posted 03/30/06

Buy 1, get 1 free happy hours make each Mojito (the best Ive ever had) $4.50, that's a great price for a cocktail in the City. Also the early bird dinner from 5pm - 7pm was OUTSTANDING. You get a lot of food (3 courses) for the $19.95 and it can be easily shared between two people. The food, is exquisite hispanic food not just cuban. The quesadilas were better than some I've tasted in Mexican restaurants. It's a must all the way round.

Pros: great ambiance, great value

Cons: no brunch

Posted 03/02/06

I'm a big fan of Agozar. I love going there for dinner and trying lots of new things cause everything tastes so good. But i also really like going there for a drink or two. Whatever it is, I always have a good time there and I'm always treated well.

Pros: great food, lots of choices, nice staff

Posted 03/02/06

salad, had minimal black beans, advocato and corn....not worth the $9. the cuban sandwhich was made on sloppy french bread..not a pressed sandwhich which I would expect from an 'authentic' cuban restuarant

Pros: no wait - guess why?

Cons: below average food

Posted 02/10/06

Everything was alive and full of life at Agozar's on Friday night. My party orignally just came in for the great happy hour, but after smelling and seeing the fantastic food coming out of the kitchen, we couldn't leave til we had a taste.

Pros: Happy Hour, Bartender

Cons: closes at 1 am

Posted 02/05/06

Very Friendly people...Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu and was very helpful when asked for a recommendation. The Salmon was amazing and the Mojitos and the appetizers are wonderful and original! This is my husband and my favorite restaurant and we'll be back again and again!

Pros: Original Entrees, Great Mojitos, Easy to fing parking

Posted 02/05/06

We waited to be seated and spoken to by our waitress once and that was basically to order. We were both hungry and hoped the food would outweigh the lack of service. Once the food arrived we were surprised it was full of color and plated nicely. Only a few moments after that we realized the mix of colors was to over compensate for the BLANDEST cuban food we had ever tasted. The rice tasted like Uncle Ben's, the meat was not cooked thoroughly and had some pepper flake thrown on top for kick. I guess to this slacking duo, some pepper flake consitutes "flavour". We had our water glasses filled once and got the most attention from the bus boy who even got us our check. I would never go back to this place again and be weary the food is not authentic and tastes watered down.

Pros: being able to leave

Cons: food, service, price

Posted 01/21/06

We hosted a big party for about 40 people here and it turned out magnificent! The food was wonderful, the back room was perfect for 40 people, the service was great, and we even got to hire our own band! One thing that I was initially worried about was the fact that they required us to pre-purchase alot of alcohol, and I wasn't sure if we would be able to drink that much. But, their mojitos and sangria were so good that the pitchers were emptied with no problem. Finally, I was able to work closely with the two owners in planning the party. They were very flexibile to our needs and that is what really made the difference. How many owners of a hip NYC restaurant are that accessible?
Thanks Diana,Gerardo,and Agozar.

Pros: Owners, Food, Good Crowd

Posted 10/28/05

We decided to try this place the other day. It took over 20 minutes for our drinks to arrive. Food arrived quickly but we never saw the waitress between courses. Had to go up to the bar ourselves to get salt for our French fries. At the end of the meal, she brought coffee for those in our group who ordered the prix fixe dinner, but didn't offer coffee to the rest of our party. Food was pretty good, actually, but with such poor service, we'll never go near the place again.

Cons: poor service

Posted 10/13/05

I had a small birthday celebration here tonight with three of my friends and it was amazing!!!! We arrived right on time to take advantage of their "earlybird" 3 course prefix menu ($20) and two for one priced happy hour drinks. My prefix dinner was composed of garlic shrimp appetizer followed by a yummy skirt steak complete with handcut fries. For dessert there was flan and flourless chocolate cake. I went to college in Miami and never thought I could find Cuban food this good in New York but I now have a new favorite place on The Bowery. Have a few Mojitos and you will be singing your own birthday song. Did I mention the Drinks were two for one??

Pros: Excellent Food, Good Value, Amazing Drinks

Posted 09/05/05

Party of 4 (two couples) went to Agozar for dinner on a Tuesday night. There were approximately 3 other couples in the entire restaurant. Hence, it was slow and the service should've been phenomenal. Negative. Service was awful. The waiter never came by to check on us after the bus boy brought us our food. We saw him again when he delivered the check. Food and alcoholic drinks were simply ok. Absolutely, nothing to brag about. No sodas were available as the machine was "out of service". They offered us Cranberry juice that tasted sour and tart.

Pros: Ambience

Cons: Service, Drinks

Posted 08/16/05

A bunch of us got together for a bachelorette dinner and boy was it great. Agozar brings you alive the minute you walk in the door. The service is great and the music was upbeat the entire time and not overwhelmingly loud either (I hate that). The mojitos were FAB and they even sold them in pitchers which was great for our big group. We ordered almost every flavor and shared them all. As for the food, we allowed the waitress to handle a lot of the ordering since we were such a big group, and she did great. The empanadas and shrimp in garlic sauce appies were great. And the entrees were even better, I had the steak and it was to dye for. I highly recommend agozar to all!

Pros: drinks were great, Fairly priced

Posted 07/28/05

Who is that man by the door with that grimace on his face? I think he's the co-owner! Our dinner at Agozar was a terrible experience. The hostess told me she could accomodate my group without a reservation but we ended up waiting nearly an hour and were seated in the smallest cramped area. But then, the whole restaurant is a small, cramped area. The menu is pricey and the food was not tasty - except for the tostones with garlic and oil. They were good. I don't know why they boast the best mojitos in NYC because they were terrible. The staff was rude. The portions were ridiculously small. Do not get the steak dish. The shrimp appetizer was tasty but the quesadilla was a joke. There was only half of a quesadilla on the plate! You can definitely eat better elsewhere and for much less!

Pros: Good tostones, Happy Hour until 8pm

Cons: Too small & expensive, Food is not very good, Bad Service

Posted 07/26/05

The tasty but wimpy $30 pitcher of mojitos fed the four of us one tiny low-ball glass each. It was more of a half-pitcher; what a rip-off. Service was slow and inattentive, our salad was missing ingredients, and the pork-chop was more dry and tasteless than their pathetic decor. It looked like a high-school cafeteria!

Cons: Overpriced drinks, Boring food

Posted 07/10/05

I had a large dinner people & Agozar was accomodating (but it did take awhile for us to be seated). The food was excellent. Wasnt too impressed with my main dish but that didn't matter since I had filled up on tapas. The tapas were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Everything from tostones & the highly addictive maduros to the shrimp ceviche & empanadas (order the platter of all 3 so you can get a bit of each flavor) were mouth-wateringly good. Their mojitos are absolutely awesome as well. My personal favorite was the coconut mojito. Order the pitcher & save yourself a few bucks in the process. The only bad thing is that the place is kind of small but all the other great things about this place more than makeup for that one little drawback. Its certainly not a cheap eats place but its averagely-priced for a NYC restaurant.

Pros: tapas & desserts, mojitos, friendly staff

Cons: not cheap, small dining area

Posted 06/05/05

The restaurant is cozy and inviting, and the live music on certain nights adds more vibrance. For a party of 20, the staff was friendly but had a little bit of difficulty keeping the orders straight. The menu has some flavorful alternatives, but those dining with vegetarians beware - there's not much to offer. The El Tropical salad is a light and different start, and the empanadas have some great combinations as well. The camarones y arroz amarillo got a thumbs up, as did the salmon varadero, but don't forget to add some maduros (sweet plantains) to any meal. No matter what you have, be prepared with something minty for your breath, as garlic is a staple in most dishes!

Pros: Atmosphere

Cons: Garlic overload

Posted 05/07/05

Great food, comfortable atmosphere. Have been here a few times w/ friends, they did a total redesign and now offer more seating and it great for afterwork for Tapa's and cocktails! Highly recommened! Enjoyed great food and service.

Posted 05/03/05

Have been to Agozar several times now and have been meaning to write a review. The place has really hit its stride with excellent food, accomodating servers and very gracious owners. My personal favorites are the empanadas, ceviche and ropa vieja - oh and I can't forget the specialty drinks - especially the caparinhis. It was also nice to see that they have opened up even more space for dining by reconfiguring the bar area. I'm looking foward to going back soon for another great meal.

Pros: excellent food, great service, very accomodating

Posted 05/02/05

the tapas are great....the drinks are on the money....try the mojitos....great atmosphere....took my fiance for Valentines Day....very romantic...the bar's cool.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!

Posted 05/02/05

I came here for drinks with my friends and had a great time. It was very accomodating for large groups and the drinks were fantastic. Especially the white sangria special, YUM. The food was great and just the right amount for their reasonable prices. I'm definitely looking forward to going back and next time with even more friends.

Posted 05/01/05

I dont know where that last poster ate, but it wasnt this place.
A group of us got together and thought we were stopping into a little place we could take over. Wrong!
Guess we were there before the crowds arrived, because the place exploded about an hour into our meal. We allowed the waitress to handle a lot of the ordering since we were such a big group, and she did great. The ham croquetes, empanada trio and marinated shrimp appies went over big. So did the paella and pork loin. But everything was excellent, including the drinks; and the bartender, when we migrated up to the bar after dinner. We had several Latins in our group, who were all enjoying the food, so it wasn't just us gringos. We were stuffed and laughed all night.

Pros: Fun for groups, Interesting variety, Great staff

Cons: small

Posted 05/01/05

I took my best friend out for her birthday dinner and thank goodness she enjoyed her entree because the rest of the "food" was disgusting. The sangrias were water downed, the Yuca Frites was dry, and very dry, shrimp appetizer was not fresh, the croquetas was -- WHAT was it?? The pollo con rizo was bland and dry, the special of the day (shrimp paella) was soooooo hot that I could not eat it after 2 bites and I love spicy foods. Chocolate dessert was crummy (pun intended-- how can a brownie be dry and crumbles???). Sigh. And above all the place had no ventiliation and extremely, extremely loud. Good thing this is not the first time I had cuban food beause this experience would have ruined it for me. I would not go back there again. The only thing good about this place is the service was very accomdating.

Pros: Service

Cons: Food, Ambience (LOUD), Drinks

Posted 04/29/05

I came here for a few birthday drinks with my friends and had an awesome time. It is quite a cozy place so I wouldn't suggest it for large groups, but the drinks were fantastic, especially the apple-martini. The food was great, could've been bigger portions, but it was just the right size if you're out drinking. Looking forward to going back for another apple-martini!!

Pros: Cocktails, Ambience, Staff

Cons: Quite small

Posted 04/20/05

I chose Agozar on a whim from this site, and it really exceeded my expectations. The atmosphere was great - low lighting, a live band with a female singer crooning smooth bossanova music, and seating that was cozy but didn't have you plastered up against your neighbor.

And the food!! The chorizo was the best I've had - and having lived in Argentina, Spain, and Mexico, that's saying a lot. And the Ropa Vieja was delicious. My boyfriend had the Picadillo Empanada and the grilled pork and he was equally satisfied. And the drink menu is great - we tried all four flavors of the Mojito, as well as the Caipirinha, and all were delicious.

I highly recommend this place, both for dates and for groups. I can't wait to go back!

Pros: Excellent Food, Friendly Service, Great Atmosphere

Posted 04/03/05

2 for 1 drinks make each Corona $2.50, that's a great price for a great beer in the City. Also the happy hour early bird dinner from 5pm - 7pm was OUTSTANDING. You get a lot of food (3 courses) for the $12.50 and it can be easily shared between two people. The food, is exquisite hispanic food not just cuban. The Ceviche was tasty and the quesaddilas were better than some I've tasted in Mexican restaurants. It's pricey so I would recommend it during the happy hour! However, the food is definitly worth the price any other time.

Pros: 2 for 1 drinks, Early bird dinner, Great latin music

Cons: Tight quarters

Posted 02/17/05

Came for drinks after work to enjoy the Mojitos and took advantage of the Happy Hour specials and Cuban Cuisine. The rellenos and salmon were especially tasty. This place was lively and fun and the staff was extremely helpful. I would definitely recommend this place to my friends.

Pros: food, drinks, service

Posted 11/29/04

Sorry, this place is definitely not a crowd pleaser. It's too small for large groups and no elbow room. Drinks are not tasty and food is not original. The prices are poorly reflected and the value is just plain bad. Only thing I can say is that it's dark enough place to take a date that's an eyesore because you can't even read the menu cause it's so dark!!!

Cons: , Too cramped, Bland food/drinks

Posted 11/19/04

Food is excellent. Mojitos are one of the best i've had. small bar area has big friendly attitude and attentive service. Dishes were all tasty. Some a bit small but worth it. All dishes added up to a bigger bill than expected but worth the treat.

Pros: Good cocktails, Great staff, minimal decor

Posted 10/18/04

i was really sad reading any negative reviews of this place. my friend and I went here last friday and we loved everything about it. the bartender was great; the sangria was terrific. They played great spanish music all night. Our waitress was super sweet and the food was amazing. The rice and beans were really tasty, and the chicken skewers were delicious. Our waitress recommended the coffee flan for dessert, and we didn't regret it. We left happily stuffed and somewhat tipsy, and anxious for our next visit. I'd come back here every week if i could!

Pros: great food, nice service, fun music

Posted 05/19/04

Though they were slammed with a crowd from the Tribeca Film Festival and our food took forever to arrive, it was so delicious and the servers were incredibly apologetic and nice. They comped our entire meal! The garlic shrimp, shrimp and chorizo with white wine, lemon and butter sauce and saffron rice, churrasco steak, avocado salad and coconut crusted grouper were all amazing. Even though we started out a little mad, we left all smiles - and a huge tip for the servers!

Pros: A little disorganized, loud DJ music

Cons: , amazing food, supernice staff

Posted 05/05/04

My friends and I met up for a few drinks and what was suppose to be a short night ended up being all night. This place was great....their mojitos were the best I'd ever had and the food was delicious! especially their empanadas.. They also had a live band that was amazing..I highly recommend it to everyone!

Pros: mojitos, food, live music

Posted 04/26/04

My friends and I arranged for a bachelorette party here. After they tried to change the contract last-minute, we were crammed into this tiny corner amidst the kitchen traffic. The food was so-so but the service was awful. It took 20 minutes to get a drink, if they remembered at all.

Posted 02/22/04

Having been to almost every Cuban restaurant in New York city; I found Agozar to be the most expensive and least authentic in the City. The mojito pitchers were a poor excuse for this classic rum based drink and the food was grossly overpriced. Think twice before you go here.

Pros: Location

Posted 02/08/04

I would definately recomend this spot! The food has a contemporary take on classic cuban recipe's.
prepared just like abuelita would! Trust me I should know...I am cuban. Check this place out, its da bomb!!

Pros: good drinks, good service, friendlystaff

Posted 12/02/03

We were so impressed with Agozar. Great food, right-sized appetizer and large portion entrees. The entree was unbelievable, pork chop was cooked to perfection and the best Fufu I've ever had.
The mojitoes are out of this world and worth the $9.
Service was wonderful, friendly and attentive. Chef stopped by the table too, which was a surprise and also impressive.
Live music was a nice touch too, very festive.
Highly recommend!

Pros: Food, Drinks, Service!

Cons: None

Posted 11/18/03

The "tapas" (since when did this word become bastardized to mean "tiny expensive food", rather than Spanish bar snacks?) are just as others on this site have said- overpriced, unexceptional, and teeny tiny. The decor is tacky, mid-80's looking, and loud. We were lured in by the happy hour special, but even that's not enough to make us go back. This place just seems oddly mismatched with the neighborhood.

Pros: happy hour

Cons: bland food, tacky decor

Posted 11/03/03

Good mojitos...and good live music but the tapas were not very good and over priced...it's a good place to go for drinks and they have happy hour

Posted 10/20/03

If you like tapas, I suggest you try Xunta. This place was overpriced, not tapa fare at all. Gross salads that aren't easily shared (& at $15 a pop, give me something to rave about), pitiful empanadas and a ceviche that almost made me try, should have been called shrimp cocktail in mayo dressing. Mojitos are ok, but not worth the visit. Oh yea, the desserts were pathetic as well. They need to rework the menu, desperately.

Posted 10/18/03

Good Eats. Good Peeps. Good Prices. What more can one want. Oh, yeah, Good Mojitos!!

Pros: Food, Drinks, Service

Cons: NA, NA, NA

Posted 10/12/03

Cool idea, but they trick you with the tapas...you think it's cheap? forget it. With the tiny protions you need at least 3 plates....and this is not real Latin food...so, stay at the bar area and enjoy the music and flavored drinks...they're worth it.

Pros: Atmosphere, Latin Concet , Location

Cons: Small Plates

Posted 09/10/03