Agozar

first thing's first...it's a tapas bar, people. if you're starving, this isn't the place to be. but me and my friends had a blast! our waiter was incredibly friendly, the ambience was fun, the drinks were good. the food wasn't the best tapas i've had but the experience was worth it nonetheless

Pros: friendly staff, fun atmosphere, GREAT dessert

Cons: ok food

Posted 09/04/03

I had a dinner for 18 at Agozar last night and they were absolutely fantastic! I pre-chose the menu and they kept the food coming. Service was a tiny bit slow, but he cocktails were flowing, so no one cared.

They had great live music and the entire staff and the owners were super friendly and took care of everything. I HIGHLY reccomend it!

Pros: music, great cocktails, great food

Cons: small

Posted 08/20/03

Agozar brings you alive the minute you walk in the door. The food is excellent, lots of variety and very tasty. I prefer eating tappas because you get a good variety for your money.
They have a well stacked bar. As for the drinks the bartender makes... they are the best. The vibrant colorful atmosphere gives it a friendly touch.
Go on a night when they have live music and you'll probably get up late for work the next day!

Pros: reasonably priced, great location, live music

Cons: not good for lg group

Posted 08/07/03

This place is bad for dinner. Don't go there. It's food isn't that good and if you are hungry don't go there. Go to a deli around the corner or soething the food is better that way. And definately do not go with a group. Bills add up pretty quickly, put food down 10 bucks for a dish that has EXTREMELY small portions, just for tasting...Put drinks on top of the food and you are topping something like 40 bucks. 2 dishes 3 or 4 drinks...

Cons: Small, Cramp seating, Unhelpful crew

Posted 07/27/03

The food is delicious, though porcion size is smaller than an appetizer. The place is tiny but cute, though the tables are way too small (maybe they go with the porcion size). Really good music and mojitos, but there was no AC in the bar/lounge area so we were dripping wet!!! (maybe it's a trick so that people drink more???)

Pros: Delicious food, Good mojitos

Cons: HOT, Porcion size

Posted 07/17/03

Past reviews trashed this lovely bro & sis place. The duo are welcoming as is the gracious staff. The food and the drinks are just as good. The prices are all under $17 and START at $4!! That's inexpensive. There are always drink specials and amazing Happy Hours. Please stop trashing the place and come and HAVE A GREAT TIME!

Pros: Gracious Owners, Gracious Staff, FOOD & DRINKS

Cons: NONE

Posted 06/10/03

I've been coming to this place, since it first opened in December. I thought it was quaint and charming, when it first opened and the food was just ok, but it was the staff and the atmosphere that really drew me to the place over and over. Now, no one from the original staff is there, the girl bartender that used to greet me has been replaced by rude attitude bartenders and the food is taking 4 times longer to get to the table! What's the point, if the only thing that the place had going for it was the staff?! My advice. Avoid this place like the plague, unless you want to just throw your money away.

Pros: In the Neighborhood

Cons: Staff Attitude, Cramped, Small Portions

Posted 06/05/03

Went there with some girlfriends and by the end of the night we were all saying that we would never go back.
3 out of 4 of us ordered the tapas and one person ordered a regular meal. Slowly the tapas was coming out. And more tapas was coming out. The person who ordered the mail meal just sat there while the rest of us ate. The meal finally came out (cold I should add) and everyone else was done eating. The food was not even that good to wait around for.
A bit of me babbling...but I won't be going back.

Posted 05/01/03

Maybe they're just getting their sea legs. I don't know. But here's what I thought. The margaritas were too tart. The space cramped. The service disorganized(though very nice). The shrimp ceviche excellent. The empanadas...not so special. They just weren't flavorful. The mojitos were great, so maybe the margaritas were just a one-time thing.

Pros: Style, Concept

Cons: Square footage

Posted 04/30/03

The Bartenders have atttiude! The Host is inept and unable to control the waiting area. The waitress we had seemed annoyed to be working. She never mentioned the specials, the food came all at once and then she proceeded to rush us out..They ran out of black beans and rice and said they could bring the dish to us seperately( of course they then charged us for 2 sides)... A BIG BUST !!

Posted 04/30/03

I recently had a birthday dinner at Agozar with a party of about 15 people. The dining area was too small to comfortably accommodate a large group of people. The food was great and there was a variety to choose from on the menu. The service could have been more attentive. If your looking for a romantic setting, Agozar is sure to bring you closer together.

Pros: Good Food

Cons: Cramped Seating

Posted 04/17/03

I went here on Saturday and overall, the ambience is nice, a bit small but cozy. As far as the food, I highly recommend the breaded bistec which was great! 4-5 tapas is a perfect size for two people. I don't recommend the drinks here though, I had the sangria and it was probably the weakest sangria I've ever had.

Pros: Lots of variety, good sampling size

Cons: Small size, weak drinks

Posted 04/14/03

The concept of this place is outstanding, but the execution need work. The drinks we had (margaritas) were horrible. It took the bartender ten minutes to acknowledge me and my date and another ten to actually make our drinks. It did not appear that busy and she was humorless and almost rude. The ambiance was energetic, but a bit too loud. The hostess and wait staff were extremely charming, but seemed frantic and understaffed. The food was good, but overpriced for what it was. I was left with the impression that there was no captain of this ship.

Pros: Good Vibe, Good Location, Decent Menu

Cons: Bad Drinks, Too Expensive, Disorganized

Posted 04/04/03

Discovered Agozar after a night of bad Theater at the Bowery, stopped in for a chaser and discovered great cocktails and latin music at Agozar. Food was not especially inspiring! This would make a great Salsa dancing club!

Pros: Music, Cocktails, Ambiance

Posted 03/24/03

Had a b-day dinner there on Saturday - great atmosphere, great drinks, service was actually very friendly, helpful, and prompt. The food was decent but nothing to write home about. Would go there for drinks/date/b-day celebrations again definitely, but not for the culinary experience.

Posted 03/17/03

The food was terribly overpriced for the portions and taste. "REAL" Cuban plantains are not dry and bland like they were at Agozar, the pork was tough and dry, the mussels and shrimp were the only descent thing there. The mojitos were terrible, as the mint was just thrown on top and not crushed with the sugar and ice. I left there feeling robbed. Agozar better agozar the unwarranted hype for now, because all of the "awesome" reviews here are simply, NOT TRUE.

Pros: atmosphere, service

Cons: Overpriced, Not authentic, smal portions

Posted 03/16/03

There is no dish that is $7.50. The shrimp dish is $12, it is served with top quality chorizo...and 7 shrimp are served. The accompanying sauce is a white wine and butter reduction with holland peppers and Florida Key limes. Platanos are normally 2-3 for $1 in stores and 1 1/2 are used for the tostones dish. As for portions being small--the below reviewer is bogus and has not had the pleasure of experiencing Agozar! Restaurant and Lounge.

Pros: Honest Staff, Dedicated Staff, Sincere Staff

Posted 03/14/03

I was curious to know what a Cuban Tapas was. Since they don't have them in Cuba nor any Cuban I know has ever heard of such thing. Well, I regret finding out. The portions are so little these arent tapas theyre samples. Very expensive samples. 4 small shrimps $7.50? 6 tostones for $3? (Platanos in the supermarket are 8 for $1. They use half of one.) My friends had trouble on deciding what was had less taste the food or the Mojitos. Please save your time and money. We were 3 people, spent $100 and went home hungry and sober. Helena's why did you leave us?????????????

Pros: Nice staff, Nice Decor

Cons: Overpriced, Bland food, Bad Drinks

Posted 03/13/03

The dishes themselves were very tasty, but the service was incredibly disjointed. they forgot one of our orders of ceviche, and it arrived with the check! The tables were small, cramped and the chairs uncomfortable. Also, don't sit near the back door when its cold!

Pros: ceviches, cuban sandwich, cocktails

Cons: tables/chairs, service

Posted 03/12/03

The food is excellent and the atmosphere is a lot of fun. However, the bar/drinks service is extremely slow because they haven't figured out the right staffing mix yet. I guess they didn't know they'd be this popular! Great drinks too!

Pros: Food, Drinks

Cons: Slow drink service

Posted 03/08/03

By all means you need to go to AGOZAR everything about this place made my friends and I very happy. Not able to find 1 thing to complain about. Go To AGOZAR...............

Posted 03/06/03

Went to agozar with a couple friends the other night looking to get out of the cold... and were treated to delicious drinks (especially the caprihinias!) and tasty authentic Cuban food served tapas style. The place looked great and everyone was grooving to the sounds of live Cuban music.

Service was friendly and the drinks kept coming... almost fast enough to forget about the cold! Agozar is just what the Bowery needed! I recommend to one and all...

Pros: Inexpensive, Good for Groups

Posted 02/20/03

I was interested to check this place out because I love Cuban food and was excited to try a new place on the Bowery.
The decor put me off to begin with-it looked dated at around 1987, didn't look finished and the colors while trying, I imagine, to be "hot hot hot" left me cold cold cold.
We were told the food was basically tapas and so my friend and I tried a variety of dishes most of which I found bland and overpriced. We also ordered a round of mojitos, which took forever to arrive but were fine, although for 10 buck a pop they should be.
Overall it was a dissapointing meal in a tacky setting.

Pros: Decent drinks

Cons: Bland food, Overpriced, Tacky decor

Posted 02/17/03

checked it out wanting to explore some new spots....this place has awesome mojitos and you gotta try the ceviche......i didnt even know what it was but damn its tasty!.....

a cool munch and hang spot with class but not the snootiness that you get from some similar places

Posted 01/15/03

I was very impressed with Agozar! The food is great and the service is very good. Everyone that works there makes you feel very comfortable. I've been there twice and the music was better the second time. It had more newer dance songs and 80's hits than the first time. I hope the owners decide to go with that format more than the traditional Cuban music. I would recommend this place to all my friends and family.

Posted 01/14/03

Great for groups & sharing, tons of Cuban tapas to choose from. Lounge is comfy for after you meal, great atmosphere to kick back and have some margaritas and martinis, tons of flavors to choose from.

Pros: Great atmosphere, Inexpensive

Posted 01/13/03

The dishes are excellent at great prices. The atmosphere is comfortable and fun.

Posted 01/10/03

I am so excited to be the first to rate this excellent establishment. I was just passing by, and decided to go inside, and found a comfortable and relaxing bar/restaurant environment. The food was incredible, and the people were very pleasant - I had a great time, and would recommend it to anyone.

Pros: Food, People, Ambience

Posted 01/10/03

FOOD EXCELLLENT...DRINKS EXCELLENT...THE STAFF EXCELLENT!!! WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SAY.

Posted 01/10/03

Checked out Agozar last week -the food and drinks were fantastic (must try the croquettes and empenadas!). The was service was friendly and attentive, which like the warm decor (and great separate bar/restaurant setup), and authentic Cuban music creates a chill, inviting vibe. Definitely a great new addition to the neighborhood.

Pros: inexpensive, great drinks

Posted 01/10/03

Amazing and inexpensive food, pleasant waiting staff and a number of great drinks - a great place to eat, party or relax in the back of the bar. Try it out and you will be hooked.

Pros: inexpensive food, great drinks, good hostess

Posted 01/10/03