Casa Mono

Definitely one of my most favorite spots in the city. So many special memories here. The food is excellent and the wine selection unparalleled. Cozy feel and great, intelligent staff. We can always find enough for two vegetarian/​pescetarians to make a complete and satisfying meal! Such a wonderful spot.

More photos from my multiple visits. Food was amazing, service was ok. I’ll definitely keep coming back for the same plates if I’m in the area!

Came on a Saturday night at 8pm and shockingly, got a table for two with no reservations within 10 minutes. Amazing! The counter space also seems to turn over quickly so that is an option if you come in a pair or with a small group and didn’t make reservations.
On to the food — delicious!
1) The razor clams are salty, chewy, garlicky perfection! We ordered them to start… and again as dessert at the end. They’re covered in olive oil and garlic with the bright acidic tang of lemon.
2) The foie gras is so tender and rich but be warned this is a tiny portion, about one bite’s worth. The foie gras sits atop a small crostini, and is covered in a velvety brown sauce studded with black sesames. The flavors perfectly complement, making this dish a highlight of the night.
3) Pulpo with grapefruit and fennel — so good! The octopus are small whole octopus and are perfectly cooked and tender. The grapefruit adds a nice refreshing lightness to the dish.
4) scallops — the scallops come in three, and were smaller than I expected (not the large succulent scallops I would have expected). I thought they were a touch overcooked. The roasted apples are a unique touch, but overall the dish wasn’t that memorable.
5) patatas bravas — I wish they had done a traditional aioli potato but these are not it. They’re covered in onions and smothered in something akin to a smoky BBQ sauce. If you like BBQ potatoes, these will suit you.
Atmosphere is small, with an open kitchen, but cozy. Service was great.

If you want to take your taste buds on an adventure, add Casa Mono on your list.
You walk in and you’re immediately hit with a cozy, comforting vibe. The kind of feeling where you’re just so comfortable you don’t want to leave. Seating is a bit tight so you can easily hear your neighbor’s life story. Service was fine. Nothing memorable. They have an open kitchen which adds to the experience however its definitely a place where the food outshines the service. For a Michelin star restaurant, you’d expect something slightly above the standard.
Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty.
The infamous Razor Clams — The clams were naturally plump and juicy and so flavorful from the garlicky buttery goodness it was drenched in. It was so good that I had to order it twice. Second rounds are rarely the norm for me however if I could, I would have order this 10 more times. Back to back.
Creamy Eggs with Sea Urchin & Ancient Anchovy Oil — How and why? It doesn’t even matter. The sea urchin was beautifully laid on a bed of soft and creamy eggs with crushed walnuts and lime zest on top to give it a little bit of texture and some zing. I can imagine this is how eggs are served in heaven.
Pulpo with Fennel & Grapefruit — The puplo was flattened with a sear so charred that it created a crust. Underneath were segments of grapefruit and a fresh fennel salad. First impression, you would assume the pulpo is dried out from the char however I was delightfully deceived! The pulpo burst with flavor from the saltiness from the crust and everything melded so well with the crunchiness of the fennel salad. The grapefruit balanced it all out with the the right amount of acidity in each bite.
Duck Breast with Cranberry Soubise — If you like duck, you’ll really love duck after this. Juicy is a complete understatement. Cooked to a perfect medium with a nice finish from the pink sauce — sweet from the onions but slightly tangy from the cranberry.
Ribeye Tartare w/​Blue Cheese Chicharron — Visually unappealing (brown goo). Hands down, my least favorite part of the meal. The blue cheese was extremely overpowering and it was literally a «sprinkle» of the tartare on top. If you must, make sure you ask for extra bread to help it go down.
Fideos w/​Chorizo & Clams — Oh my god. Honestly, I was so full up until this point but this dish inspired me to eat again. The fideos was nicely toasted with a huge dollop of garlic aioli on top to help bind the spicy chorizo and fresh clams all together. Who the hell needs dessert after this.
The finesse, the flavors, and the ingenious craft of all these plates would be a mission to replicate or find anywhere else. If you truly care about yourself and your happiness, please do your taste buds a favor and experience the ride.

I was never a huge fan of tapas bar and Casa Mono didn’t change my opinion. The best dish of the night was the razor clams, although they were a bit on the oily and salty side. The rest of the tapas (pork meatballs, foie gras, octopus with fennel and grapefruit) were okay, but too small in portion and generally not worth the price tag. For drinks, I got the grapefruit vermut spitz, which was tasty but not as strong as I hoped it would be. In sum, their food is alright but too pricey for the quality and portion. The noise level is pretty high, as expected from a tapas bar, and the ambiance isn’t the best either. I probably won’t return.

Really good modern tapas. Service was a bit sterile. Great Spanish wine selection.
Highlights included: fried sardines, foie, rib eye tartare and goat confit.

If there was one restaurant that I can eat at every week it would be the Casa Mono. It’s a jewel box of a dining room with an open kitchen. Chefs behind the grill work like a well oiled machine so if you want to experience it get a seat at the counter. There is also seating at the rear mini-​bar if you can’t get a table. Because of its size any group more than four might have issues getting a table.
Menu offers selection of small dishes to share as well as larger entrée portion dishes. We normally go for the small dishes so we can can sample as much as different options we can.
Wine list has a large number of bottles from Spain. Can’t decide on one, not a problem. They have very friendly sommeliers at hand to help out with picking the best bottle for your preference in taste and budget.
Bar Jamon, sister tapas bar, next door is a great place to get a drink or a tapas or two while you wait for your table at the Casa Mono.

Cute little tapas bar with amazing food! We ordered for a bunch of tapas and I won’t go into the details of each, but if you like fish then you must have the dorada! It was so so good! Unfortunate they ran out of the razor clams today but I intend to go back and have them the next time.
The staff is very welcoming and courteous, highly recommend a visit for good Spanish food!

The best tapas bar in the city !!!
Awesome tapas bar with great service. The staff is friendly and atmosphere is welcoming. Food was reasonably priced and delicious.
highly recommended for people who understand quality

Hands down a must to visit. I’ve visited a few times when I lived in NYC. Some highlights:
Jamón Iberico with Pan con Tomate– expensive but worth it. Trust me you won’t want one without the other
Skirt Steak with Romesco and Onion Mermelada– really tasty
Grilled Quail, Chicken Wing Salad, Sprouts and Cranberries– one of the best quails I’ve ever had

Wow the food was delicious. Ordered the foie gras, duck breast, scallops, lamb belly, tempura hen and creamy eggs w/​uni. I enjoyed everything except for the tempura hen.
The only problem with this meal was that the place is tiny, and we were basically touching the two tables next to us. Luckily the people next to us were great and we ended up talking to them for a while.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this place for the food alone, but beware, its a little cramped.

Food was great but I was so appalled by the blatantly bad service. I think the server dude we had was so not responsive. To at least my table and the table next to me. He didn’t come to check up on us even once. Then we had to save him down for the check. He was busy talking to another server. This is at 5:30pm when it wasn’t even that busy!!! So sad that after over a decade, this place was a disappointment. Most dishes were on the mark. The clams in the Fideo dish didn’t taste fresh at all.
They need to can the male server there. This is a Michelin rated place. We don’t come here to drop over $ 150 for a date night (&babysitter) to be disappointed!!!

Just made my 4^th and hopefully final trip to Casa Mono. I had forgotten, or I certainly would not have returned. But since I did, I have to reduce their rating to one star, because this is definitely a «I think not» place.
I would chalk this up as a restaurant week fail, but the service was similar to my previous visit, which probably stood out as the most egregious issue. The back waiter expressed visual frustration as I had the final bite on my dish while he hovered around me to clear plate… he had already taken Ali’s though I was clearly still eating. I was so exacerbated that I literally said, «go ahead and take it.»
I was similarly frustrated with the waitress when ordering. I asked one question about the menu, and I got a figurative shoulder shrug as she leaned on the bar like it was a major inconvenience to take our order.
Finally, I am posting a picture to show the pathetic size of my entrée, beets, carrots, and a sunchoke. It would have been on the small side for an appetizer. I get it is restaurant week, but if you can’t serve people a reasonable amount of food for the resataurant week prices, then you shouldn’t participate. Period, full stop.
Just like my meal, I’ll end with the churro, which was greasy.

Portions are really tiny, service is good but could be better. The Ambiance and the place overall are pretty amazing. Prices are reasonable. Would definitely go back again.

Always walked by them since is close to work and gave it a try for Restaurant week. Had a great experience, great food and service! Definitely will be back.

I think this is a sentiment that has been voiced over and over again on Unilocal but Casa Mono doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it. Service is SO POOR. I expected way more for a restaurant with one michelin star. Just because people like your food, it does not mean that service can just be whatever (aka nonexistent).
Host was probably the worst of them all. I don’t know what his problem was, but he seemed super nonchalant and did not seem welcoming at all. We went in on time for a reservation at 2pm on Sunday ¹⁄₃₁. The table wasn’t ready yet, but okay whatever, we will wait outside. He then never comes out to come find us to help get us seated. We had to go back in after 15 minutes to ask if the table was ready. He then proceeded to warn us that he needed the table back at 4pm and he wasn’t even nice about it (I’ve only gotten these time limits if we arrived extremely late and it ate into our dining time). If I arrived on-​time for my reservation, there is no reason you should be giving us a time limit… RIDICULOUS. Servers were always busy doing nothing in the back and ignoring our table, which was smack dab in the center of the room mind you (which means they could see us trying to look for a waiter half the time but ignored us anyways), not hidden in some corner.
Anyways, food was just OK; Some I have to admit were pretty amazing, but only some. With one michelin star, food should be consistently good across the board. I’ve been wanting to come here for a while, but I probably won’t be back anytime soon. Very small restaurant with limited seats; gets pretty cramped during peak dining hours.
I would recommend the creamy egg with uni (delicious texture and the uni was fresh! Great combo — eat it with the complimentary bread they give you at the beginning of the meal), the lamb belly (sooooooooo tender and flavorful), and the burrata (loved the sunchokes that came with it),
Their croquetas were so weird — tasted more like the flavors from a pizza and was not creamy at all inside (it was more like a mozzarella stick). Razor clams were a bit too chewy for me. Bone marrow was WAY too oily — the bread was covered in either oil/​butter + garlic, which usually sounds pretty amazing, but if you add bone marrow to that, it’s totally overkill. I would have preferred those two things separately, or just plain toasted bread for the bone marrow.

We were looking for dinner in the Union Square area and picked this place because it has one Michelin star. The place is small and was already full when we got there. Luckily for us, it only took a few minutes before a table emptied and the four of us were able to sit down. We ended up ordering 10 dishes, a bottle of wine, and finished everything.
Favorites we would order again:
1. Razor clams – the other reviews are true, razor clams are really good here
2. Bone marrow – these were big and full of marrow, and did not disappoint
3. Uni and egg – if you like Uni
4. Pork meatballs in New England crab broth – can’t beat chowder on a cold night
Things to note:
–Good for groups of two
–You can watch the chefs cook at the kitchen bar

Came here for Winter 2016 Restaurant Week lunch. Food was yummy, but the place is very small and intimate. Good for couples, max four per party with reservations. This place can’t accommodate large parties, but the quality of the food and quantity of selection is good. Probably the best tapas restaurant I’ve been to. I’d go back to try other dishes.

If you find what you like in the menu then this place can be delicious. However some days it can also be disappointing (food too salty at times).
The place has one Michelin star which should command more consistency.
Also the dishes are not for everybody so I’d recommend you look at the menu prior to reserving a table.
The place is cozy (although I should say not very comfortable) and fun and you can sit at the bar and watch the chefs prepare the food.
I may have been 8 times and I’d say 50% of the time I was really happy with the food and then the other 50% I was like «seriously?».

Came in for $ 25 Restaurant Week lunch and ordered both from the RW and regular menus.
This place is TINY.
The RW week menu was really fantastic. For the price of a single regular entrée, the RW menu was a great deal.
NICE sized portions on everything (almost as big as ordering the dishes off the regular menu), nice fancy presentation, and good taste with some unique flavors.
Off the RW menu, I HIGHLY recommend the Pork Belly entrée aka the deconstructed cuban sandwich. It tastes exactly like the real deal and its so good.
The kitchen is part of the dining area and you can just watch the two chefs making stuff in front of other people eating at the counter.
Only gripe was that waiter forgot to put in our order for dessert so we were just waiting around a while before he noticed it was never put in.

You can’t be on Park Ave and have terrible slow service!!!
The wait staff was friendly but on sleeping pills. Either that or their ratio of busboys to wait staff is completely off.
We went early 530. The first ones in to dine. Literally 10 ppl (I counted) walking the floors or standing around. Took 15 minutes to get two drinks.
Food came out insanely late and timing between dishes horrible.
Water glasses filled only after you drank the last drop and shot a look over to the ten ppl standing by the water pitcher to wave them over to help.
The thing is we were clearly annoyed and they seemed oblivious. Or they didn’t care.
One of the tapas which typically come out first… Came out last. The paella which we ordered for two came out charged for three.
The Ice cream we ordered took 15 mins to come out at the end (it’s ice cream… How long does it take to scoop a spoon of ice cream??)
Two stars because the food was actually delicious. If it wasn’t for the poor, slow, non attentive service and incorrect bill… I would have given this place strong ratings. But we will never be back…
If you want to have a really long slow dinner and aren’t that hungry and don’t care about service then I guess… Go here.

So I’ve always heard about Casa mono and obviously I’m late to the party. After they were written up in the times (again) I finally got my shit together and phoned a friend.
Friday afternoon, 12:30. Not that busy, only a few other people there. We opted to sit at the bar anyways because we are the downtrodden restaurant slops that like to just have our food and drink and be left alone. We also got to watch the grill and chat about the setup on the line (open kitchen here). Sadly we were both not drinking this particular week to give the livers and kidneys a good trip to whatever is the human body’s equivalent to a Sandals vacation, so I can’t really talk to you about beverage here.
The food is really stellar. Each consecutive dish that we ordered was better than the last. The plates are small (it is tapas after all) but large enough that we had about 3 or 4 bites each. I really enjoy this style of eating because the entire problem of you wolfing your food down and then painfully watching/​waiting your partner eat like normal human being vanishes (I am a sloppy, yet endearing, slob). We had the setas, marcona almonds, fideos, skirt steak, pork belly and lamb.
The stuffed lamb is the probably the best thing I’ve put in my mouth in a long time. (Sidenote: I put a lot of things in my mouth). Stuffed with mint and kohlrabi and there’s a bit of manchengo if I can remember correctly. You’d think mint would totally mess with the gaminess of the lamb but actually it did nothing but intensify it. Really savory with a loooong, satisfying linger after the last bite. Please order.
The skirt steak is another good dish. Skirt is a truly awesome cut as its just a tad chewy with knockout meat flavor. The romesco really complemented the fat and salt and the onion marmalade intensified the smoke from the grill.
Fideos were cooked properly and the tiny bits of clams and chorizo (a cured meat I grew up on) in the broth gave off great flavor, most of which ends up being absorbed by the fideos. A good and safe interpretation of the classic clam/​chorizo combo.
Left extremely pleased, can’t wait to come back and do some proper boozing!

This place is a very small and intimate setting. Perfect for a date night! They have a wide range of wines to start of your night. Then they have amazing tapas and a cery unique selection. It’s definitely very delicious and one of my new favorite places if I want to splurge on food. The pricing is very expensive for a small plate, but definitely expect high quality food. So if you looking to treat your date to a nice place, definitely come here

hearing this place just received 3 stars from new york times, some of my friends are I decided to pay a visit. It was a very small place with rustic interior. Still a very cozy atmosphere.
We, party of 4, ordered a variety of food including pork, lamb, rabbit and some vegetable dishes. We thought they were all very tasty. Especially lamb dish was great. I would definitely visit this place again in the future.

I don’t understand how Casa Mono is Michelin rated. I’ve been twice and both times have been very disappointed by the food.
The patatas bravas are non-​traditional (no garlic aioli on top) and way, way too salty. The pork charcuterie plate just isn’t that appetizing — it resembles pâté which is not what I expect when I order charcuterie. The mussels are good but nothing incredible. And the pan con tomate is, again, way too salty. My lips curled when I bit into it and I can generally tolerate salty food!
It’s a shame because I really wanted to like this place. But in a city full of delicious Spanish tapas bars, I can’t say I’ll be returning a third time.

Such a tiny little place in flatiron and I almost walked past it until I realized the light. As small as it can possible get, Casa Mono has been ranked among Michelin-​star list for a series of years, which itself proved its popularity and authenticity.
In terms of food, our waiter suggested to share 4 – 5 plates so we went with four — all from suggestions from previous Unilocalers. Skirt steak, small squid, grilled quail and bone marrow, to be specific. Our favorite was for sure the steak, which had caramelized onion on top. The bone marrow was a bit overwhelming nevertheless.
Really crowded inside so no privacy at all; however food explained everything perfectly.
P. S. Love their open kitchen.

Since I can’t reservation for dinner so I came for late lunch. My experienced was not too pleasant. Hen I walked in last Friday, it was too stuffy. Felt like in the sauna. The greeter was not too pleasant with the respond when I told him that it was really stuffy.
He replied, «well, it is an open kitchen here «. Which mean that the ventilation is not good so there should fix the problem. Absolutely unpleasant to eat in a sauna room with food smell.
The portion was generous. Not pricey at all.
Ordered:
–Foei Gras was cooked into perfection but the sour sides does not match the taste of it. Too sour & kill the richness of foie Gras.
–Rabbit meat was sweet and tasted like chinese charsiu (roast pork).
–Pork meatball was way too salty. As if that i ate a tablespoon of salt from the half bite!
–Uni on creamy egg was a disgrace. No presentation and totally no unicity of this exotic creature from the sea.
Good selection of wine.
Good service– she replaced pork meat ball with uni. Attentive and well trained with menu.
Overall: 1 star for good service

Came here to celebrate Sunday. We didn’t have a reservation but were able to pick a spot and wait comfortably next door at Bar Jamon. There, I ordered a fantastic 2013 white called Cellar Credit from Penedès, a historical region of Catalonia. Very light and easily enjoyable – added well to our conversation.
We received a text message stating our spot at the bar was ready. It’s an open kitchen, so you get to watch the cooks work their magic.
Our courses:
Seared Scallops with Black Radish and Mono Crema — Scallops should be sweet, tender, and mild – all of which this dish was. The cream was delectable and the scallops themselves had a lovely char on top. Only thing that threw me off was the texture of the crisp radish garnish… Didn’t fit in with the rest of the dish.
Creamy Eggs with Sea Urchin, Walnuts, Lime and Ancient Anchovy Oil — I’m undergoing an uni obsession phase so I’m a little biased towards this dish. The uni was so fresh and sweet that I couldn’t even focus on the eggs, but all I can say is everything flowed together perfectly like I would never expect eggs and raw fish to.
Fideos with Chorizo, Sea Beans and Clams — These noodles took me by surprise out of nowhere. Al dente, fresh fish taste, overall coated with a tint of chorizo spice. So skillfully done but hidden by its unassuming form.
Foie Gras with Cinco Cebollas — Again, I’m biased towards foie and will like any liver dish. This was the first time I’ve had it with such sweet sauce juxtaposed with the onion taste, and it worked really well. There was a huge onion lump that hadn’t really been cut swimming around – not sure if that was meant to be there. Nevertheless, great texture, great char for the bite, and wonderful mix of flavors.
Skirt Steak with Romesco and Onion Mermelada — Really loved the mix of flavors and textures in this dish. Romesco is usually used with fish, but it mixed really well with the tender steak. Onions served as a sort of playful dessert-​like topping to an otherwise serious plate. This one in particular really made me feel like I was in a Catalonian restaurant. Love love love.
Rabbit with Habanero Cuajada and Mono Kimchee — You get to taste various parts of a rabbit, cooked in various ways and laid on top of a bed of kimchee. It’s an interesting and creative concept, but the tastes weren’t as robust as the other dishes’. Perhaps it was because the chefs ran out of the mono kimchee and had to use a substitute for my entrée in particular.
Crema Catalana con Buñuelos
Burnt vanilla Custard with Deep Fried Bay Leaves — Love the effect that bay leaves have on any dish when cooked right, but taste overall was OK. The sugar on top of our custard was also burnt to black.
Stayed here laughing, clearing our plates, and enjoying the ambience until the rest of the patrons cleared the restaurant. Loved this place.

I came here in mid afternoon for snacks and ordered Foie Gras with Cinco Cebollas as well as the Duck Egg with Mojama & Black Truffles.
I love the food here even though they were a little too salty for my taste.

Such a beautiful intimate place in the west village to sip on wine/​champagne and share good conversation.
We absolutely had an amazing evening here and tasted the most delicious appetizers.
The tuna appetizer was tasty, well sautéed with onions, spices, and fresh slices of tomato.
Not too filling, but the portion was just right and complimented our wine.
Yes, it was my first time trying goat cheese and I absolutely loved it.
We didn’t have to ask for extra bread, it’s like our waiter calculated when our next round was approaching.
If you have a desire to be seated in a small enclosed place and enjoy good wine/​champagne and tasty appetizers, this is the place for you.
Not too pricey, but the services and environment is beautiful.

Casa Mono, I tried to come in with an open mind and not too high of an expectation since it was awarded with 1 Michelin Star.
I have to say, the experience here blew my mind.
My boyfriend and I sat by the bar, with a perfect view of the open kitchen. Watching the chefs work behind the counter makes you appreciate the food that’s being served to you more. They have an array of different dishes, tapas style. Allowing you to try various types of meats and vegetables, mingling and infusing ingredients together to create something extraordinaire.
The service was nice, food was served in a timely manner. Once you were done with a couple of dishes, the next few were ready. They serve wine in quartinos which is about a glass and a half, makes you feel like you got more than what you paid for.
A lot of the dishes were incredible, some stood out more than others but as a whole, everything was delicious. High lights of the night were Razor Clams, Sweetbreads, Durado, Burrata, and Rabbit. The medley of flavors made me wanted to order seconds but our stomachs couldn’t handle it. Razor clams held a lot of meat and the vibrant herb sauce brought out the seafood dish. Sweetbreads had always been a favorite of ours and especially when you fry them, it can only get better from there. Durado was a big surprise, a filet of fish topped with chopped shrimp and pickled tomatoes. The burrata was simple, served on a piece of toast with a mixture of pepper sambal. Lastly, the rabbit was an unusual spin on a traditional dish. A reconstruction, each part of the rabbit from the heart, liver, kidney to the haunch was prepared differently then reassembled as a complementary whole.
The experience at Casa Mono was worth the trip, and to mention, our waiter was very helpful in helping us decide our dessert (which we chose to be the Foie Gras). Casa Mono definitely didn’t disappoint as one of the Michelin restaurants.

This is by far one of my favorite tapas restaurants in NYC. It’s a bit pricier than most of its competitors but you really get what you pay for in terms of quantity and quality.
If you’re dining with 3+ guests, stick to a classic table, but if you’re on a date, I recommend getting seated by the counter to watch the amazing chefs at work. It’ll make great conversation I promise.
The Jamon Iberico was a must have after hearing so much about the quality of the famous black boar. It didn’t disappoint. Rich in color, lean with the right amount of fat and deliciously salty.
The seared scallops with yogurt and pickled radishes were really good. Well balanced from the yogurt and citrus from the lime.
The foie gras was probably the best plate of the night. Cooked perfectly. The toasted bread with the tamarind like flavors were great.
Creamy egg with sea urchin was good. Cooked really well and the egg combination with uni blended well together.
The least favorite surprisingly was the hanger steak and the bone marrow. The hanger steak was cooked beautifully but the bed of red pepper concoction wasn’t really good. Sour, salty and with a bit of spice. Wasn’t the best flavor.
The bone marrow was surprisingly disappointing. It lacked flavor and tasted a little bland. I think some garlic and parsley of some sort would have done some good. But who knows, I’m just critical.
The churros and chocolate mousse was good. Light and refreshing but wasn’t amazed.
Overall, great experience and hats off to the incredible chefs preparing all the food while we were annoyingly just staring at them. Will return.