Rayuela

Superb! Amazing ambience, gorgeous place, good location with easy parking and the food is tasty. Prices are moderate. I will be back here again.
P. S. The bread is absolutely delicious.

They have closed for renovations. The food here was great as was the ambiance. When they open back up, you must try the crab guac. Great place for a dinner date and for brunch. Until then try their sister eatery Maconda.

I wish I came more often. It was just one time but it was memorable!
All the food is incredible. Latin with a gourmet and modern touch.
The place is super cozy and contemporary. Very nice for a date.
The dishes are not big but if you are in the mood to have a good time and have some drinks then you don’t care so much about how much you eat. But you are going to get quality food for sure.
Next time… hope it’s soon

Starter: Cheesy bread was amazing. We were only given one piece, but I definitely could have had many more.
Appetizer: Garlic shrimp with foccacia bread. The garlic shrimp was extremely flavorful but had some specks of hot pepper so was a bit spicy. The foccacia bread was disappointing, as it seemed to be just regular bread.
Main: Salmon with butternut squash and brussel sprouts was good. The sauce was enjoyable and I liked the crispness of the salmon.
Dessert: Bread pudding with caramel sauce and bananas were okay. It wasn’t bread pudding in the traditional sense, but the pieces were still quite moist and I liked the sauce.

I wanted to love this place. I came here for brunch with two other friends on a Saturday when the restaurant was basically empty. I wasn’t a huge fan of the layout of this place. We were put in a cramped little table when there were some other available options. Okay, next up they were out of some of the food items on the menu. It wasn’t the end of the world, but it was a bit disappointing. The food was just okay, not very memorable, but the bottomless sangria (limit on time– an hour or so?) was worth the extra money! There are three flavors of sangria but the standouts for me were guava and passion fruit. When all is said and done I don’t know if I’d return.

The food was pretty good. Can’t really complain. We had all vegetarian, so I would have liked to try some seafood for comparison, but didn’t get to it.
They had a decent wine list as well, and a very cute back porch which we sat on — good for romantic dinner. The service was a little slow and lacking, it took a really long time to get our check. After our food was brought they didn’t check on us at all. The inside is also very nice and well decorated.

This place has so much potential but the service and some of the food ruined the experience. The space is beautiful and romantic with stone accents and candles everywhere. I actually really like the music music (although the volume kept fluctuating and at one point was at a deafening decibel, causing my neighboring table to complain).
We must’ve been seated for over 10 minutes with menus before I flagged down the hostess to get our waiter. We had to wait about 20minutes before the appetizers came. They forgot my sangria, so I didn’t get it for another 15minutes or so. There is about 20 – 30 minute between ordering anything and receiving it. The staff is so confused and disorganized: after my appetizers were taken away, the girl came to give me a spoon for the ceviche app and I had to tell her I had it already; a waiter that didn’t take my order came to my table to ask me how i wanted my steak. WTF?
The appetizers were okay (pork belly was a bit overcooked and ceviche was just okay). I asked for medium-​rare for my churrasco and got well-​done. I didn’t send it back because I hate doing that unless the food is inedible and mostly because I didn’t want to waste time waiting again. The yuca fries that came with it were pretty good though. The paella is okay (no crispy burnt rice on the bottom though, which makes me think they just scoop rice from a stock pan instead of cooking everything in the pan the paella was served in). Since we ordered the restaurant week menu, it came with dessert, chocolate cake was okay nothing special (I did like the ice cream it came with). The other dessert was some strawberry cake that was no good.
I cannot understand why the service was so poor and slow. There were only about 4 – 5 tables when we’re dining, the place was almost empty.
I would come back for drinks, but would really be hesitant to have a meal here again.

Always a great brunch spot. The staff is very upbeat and professional, they make it an overall enjoyable environment.
The food is phenomenal everything on the menu is great (compliments to the chef). Also you can’t beat the delicious bottomless sangria, all three flavors are great.

I’d give Rayuela 4 stars for the food and 3 stars for service. I went with a group of 6 for dinner on a Wednesday and the place was empty, we were literally the only table. We noticed the happy hour sign outside and asked the waiter about it, he didn’t really give us a clear answer and didn’t seem to know about it. I ended up going up to the bartender and confirming that it was only at the bar. There were some daily drink specials advertised in the menu which we specifically ordered because they were discounted, when the check came they were full price and again the waiter didn’t really seem aware of the details of the special. He ended up taking the check back and correcting the price after talking with someone else after we pushed it. The difference was $ 15 on a $ 400 check. The inconsistent service was really the only thing that kept me from falling in love with this place.
We had a pitcher of passion fruit sangria which was pretty decent. I also got a pisco sour which was enjoyable. For my meal I went with the carne paella which was delicious. It had a ton of meat on it and was super rich, I absolutely loved it. The one bad thing and I think this is the first time I’ve ever said these words but it could have used a bit more rice. It was a tiny thin layer of rice and I ended up having a ton of meat at the end and no rice. Otherwise the dish was great and I’ll be back for it again. Everyone else seemed to like their food as well though they all ordered the steak.
Overall a decent night and I’ll be back again. I think the server may have been new so hopefully the service is up to par next time and I can bump my review to 4 stars.

You know what sucks? When you take your girlfriend out for her birthday and the wait staff forgets to put a candle in the dessert. The worst part is I reminded them three times: first in the reservation I made online, second over the phone when they called to confirm the reservation, and third to our server when we sat down for dinner. Our server did apologize, but there really was no excuse. We were her only table and the restaurant was not in the least bit busy. You’d think after this hiccup, they would have just given us the dessert on the house, especially considering I had already spent over $ 150 here, but nope.
The other thing that annoyed me about this place was how everyone was standing around waiting for the real dinner rush (past my bedtime) and not paying attention to the few tables that were occupied in the dining room and the few customers at the bar. For example, at the bar, our drinks were empty, yet one of the bartenders was counting her drawer while the other was just staring out into the street rather than asking us if we wanted refills. Then, at the table, one of the food runners brought me my soup, yet I had to ask for a spoon even though it felt like the entire wait staff was standing over our shoulders the entire time we were eating. That said, we also felt rushed throughout the entire dining experience, but there was no need for this.
So why 3 stars? Well, I love the ambience. This is indeed a great date spot. And the food is really good. We ended up having a smörgåsbord because we couldn’t decide. Here’s what we had. In this order. Don’t judge.
Pargo Ceviche ($ 12) — Red Snapper «Tiradito Style». Jícama, Green Apple, Avocado, Orange & Lime Juice, Grapefruit Foam & Wasabi Aioli. Damn, that snapper was raw, and you can definitely taste the grapefruit, which is probably why I wasn’t in love with it. This was my least favorite among everything we had.
Max’s Oysters ($ 13) — Quinoa Crusted Oysters, Poblano Aioli & Crispy Serrano Ham. Very interesting. Comparable with many baked oysters I’ve had in New Orleans. I’m not sure who Max is, but he certainly didn’t max out on the portion size. That’s my only complaint.
Butternut squash soup with chorizo ($ 10) — This was the soup of the day so you may not find it when you go, but I love the creativity here of adding a spicy sausage to an otherwise very sweet soup. Good combo.
Conejo de Loisada ($ 12) — Slow-​cooked rabbit with Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta & Membrillo Sauce. The rabbit might have gotten away on this one. If you had blindfolded me, I would have told you this was pulled pork.
Churrasco ($ 27) — Grilled Skirt Steak, Malanga-​Bonato Fondue, Sautéed Shitake & Shrimp Chimichurri. This tops my list. Best churrasco I’ve ever had. An excellent sear and cooked rare, just as I ordered it. That’s not easy to do on such a thin steak.
Yuca Fries ($ 7) — Fried Yuca with Cilantro Mojo. Impressed that these were neither undercooked nor overcooked.
Tres Leches Banana Cake ($ 10) — I think the birthday girl liked the whipped cream more than the cake itself. Either way, this should have been free.

A longtime standby in the Lower East Side, Rayuela is a competent Latin restaurant that makes for a reliably good meal. This is a very attractive space, and despite the frequent mentions, I can’t resist pointing out the olive tree growing in the center of the restaurant and extending right into the upper level; it isn’t just a gimmick, it both blends into and highlights the décor, and is very much a part of the ambience.
The pan-​Latin food is very well done but don’t expect surprises. The food is mostly delicious but not necessarily memorable. Chunky guacamole needed some zip; the added crabmeat and shrimp disappeared into it. Ceviches are a highlight; the trio sampled were universally well-​made, balanced in sweet, sour, and salty flavors as well as textures, but without excitement. Pulpo a la Diabla is unworthy of its name, lacking any sort of fire, but featured tender octopus and tasty accompaniments. The special paella dish was a comforting, the rice smooth and savory, the seafood cooked right, yet too cleanly presented to seem properly like paella.
While the food at Rayuela does not always work and rarely excites, it is mostly very good and very reasonable, housed in a truly lovely space, and is seldom as crowded as nearby, trendier spots.

Went on a weeknight for drinks. The place was pretty empty but the bartender was awesome. There was maybe 4 people in the entire place so he gave all of us a free shot.
I ordered their sangria which was pretty good, and my friend ordered a spicy margarita, which was not as spicy as they would of preferred but still good.
The atmosphere of this place is intimate, great date spot.

The unlimited sangria brunch here will get you fucked up. The sangria is super delicious and fruity and you feel like you’re lounging on the beach, and then all of a sudden you’re super drunk. Definitely good times to be had by all.
The food was also not to be missed. Really loved the pastry basket, french toast (it’s REALLY rich and creamy, beware), guacamole, and omelette mexicana.
The atmosphere is fun and trendy. This is probably the only place I’ve been to on the Lower East Side that’s not grimy AND not too stuck up. A+.

3.5 stars!
Came here last Friday for my girlfriend’s belated birthday dinner. What a cute little spot! Very modern, dimly-​lit, rather intimate. and it never got too loud. Our reservation was for 6:30pm. There were 6 of us so we were seated in a large booth next to the bar. BTW, they didn’t seat us until we had all arrived which I totally understand, but, the restaurant was totally empty. I had also been standing next to the host and saw that they had no reservations until 7:30! Anyway.
We started off with –
guava sangria for the table — yum! wasn’t too strong and a tad on the sweet side but mighty fruity and delicious;
yuca bread — cheesy, and toasty. wish they gave more than one piece each!
We ordered –
cocoa de setas (wild mushrooms spanish flat bread) — This was okay. Loaded with mushrooms and cheese but could have definitely used more seasoning.
albondigas (brazilian style meatballs) — No one was a fan of this except me! I found them super juicy and delicious, esp with the sweet membrillo sauce.
croquetas de jamon (serrano ham croquettes) — Perfectly fried! There wasn’t too much ham in them, though.
jalea peruana (crispy seafood of shrimp, scallops, calamari, octopus and yuca fries) — This was the table favorite! I could have finished this off by myself. Every bite was so crispy and flavorful, with a mild kick from the aji amarillo. The calamari was the best.
tuna rellena (shrimp and crabmeat wrapped in tuna) — This was fantastic but seemed more like something you’d order at a japanese restaurant? It was a fistful of crabmeat encircled with a sheet of fresh tuna. So refreshing and paired nicely with the avocado, cucumbers and soy citrus sauce!
vieras con manzanas (seared scallops) — Delicious! Perfectly seared. The passionfruit reduction complimented them well.
churrasco (grilled skirt steak) — Another table favorite — The steak was so tender! So good with the mushrooms and chimichurri sauce!
cerdo gratinado (grilled pork chop, sweet potato gratin) — The pork chop was gigantic but sadly not very good. Super dry and tough. Didn’t finish.
Paella Verde and Paella Carne — These were decent paellas — huge portions and loaded with various meats and seafood but I’ve definitely had better (Yerba Buena!). Of the two, I preferred the paella verde. The cilantro and parsley infused rice was a very mild flavor but something different for me. The meats on the paella carne, esp the steak, were a bit dry and didn’t have much flavor whereas the rice on this one was rather salty.
Banana Tres Leches — Pretty good. Super moist and spongey. yum.
Xocolates? I can’t remember the correct spelling. Dense chocolate cake paired with white chocolate ice cream. Decent.
Service was kind of spotty. I had to flag my waiter down several times. Anyways, the bill came out to $ 323 with tax and gratuity for the 6 of us. Overall, decent spot. Hope to come for brunch sometime!

Walked in with great service by the staffs! Chilled at the bar before dinner and had a guava sangria which was to die for! The food were all delicious and made very unique and tasteful! No doubt I am returning back!

A freestyle Latino cuisine, which redefines traditional Latin American & Spanish dishes. I went during NYC Winter Restaurant Week which had a completely different menu & everything was delicious. I was disappointed they didn’t serve these dishes regularly, which I recommend they do. The décor is relaxed & I LOVE that they kept the original tree inside the space & built around it, gives it a homey/​outdoorsy feel. The wait staff is very knowledgable about the menu. Will defintely return.

Four stars is for the food, drinks, and décor/ambiance…not the customer service. Came here for brunch with 9 friends yesterday, and logistically, it was a nightmare. But, they have a tree in the middle of the restaurant, which is pretty cool.
I made reservations for 2:30, but by the time we all got seated, it was around 3:15. Their brunch special runs until 4, but when I made the reservation, the hostess said she’d extend it to 4:30 for us since the bottomless is supposed to be for two hours. We were all waiting at the bar for about 45minutes to be seated, and the only bartender left the bar for about 20-​minutes. Since we had a limited time for drinks, we wanted to order our sangria’s. When he finally came back, he ignored us for about 10minutes until he finally walked over and asked what we wanted. Terrible customer service by him and the hostess for not getting us our drinks when we asked for them. You can’t afford to piss off a party of 10 people. By the time he was ready to take our drink order, our table was ready.
We finally got seated and our waiter asked if we still wanted to do the bottomless, but it would only last for 45minutes, until 4pm. I explained to him that we’ve been waiting for 45minutes and didn’t get a single drink that we tried to order downstairs and the hostess on the phone told me we could extend it to 4:30. He went to ask the manager and the latest he said they could do is 4:20. At this point, we were just fed up with it and wanted to order our food and drinks.
The sangria started flowing and our waiter knew we were upset with the situation, so he constantly filled our glasses when he would see that they weren’t filled to the brim. We drank A LOT of sangria between the 10 of us. We ordered guac for appetizer and when our food came out, it was delicious. It’s not an over-​filling brunch, which is nice, and the omelette mexicana was awesome.
Overall, it was a good experience, although day-​drinking, especially with wine, can be dangerous. I’ll most likely go back, but with a smaller crowd and an earlier reservation so this doesn’t happen again.

Loved the brunch! Food was great. Rancheros was delicious and arepa was amazing! Stick with the brunch entrees. They were great.
Don’t get the guacamole or agave biscuits. Overpriced and disappointing!
Guava and passion fruit sangria were good. Red sangria, not much.
Service was excellent. We had a party of 11 and Our glasses were never empty. Our waiter was attentive.
The décor is naturally earthy, lots of light, very chill. Great place to come with friends!

Came here for a private event recently. I thought for sure it must be a new restaurant, given the service — the hostess seemed confused about who we were and where we were going; the bartender took our orders but then wandered off, then came back and said «I’m all yours» and proceeded to lose track of what he was supposed to be making; the meal service was slow and disorganized. The hundreds of Unilocal reviews would suggest otherwise…
The food was pretty meh. The churrasco (skirt steak) was well-​cooked but drowned in sauce. The shrimp & corn and panna cotta were flavorless. Other people seemed to like the chicken and chorizo dish, so maybe I just chose poorly.
Drinks were interesting but very sugary, especially the sangria. If you’re into spicy margaritas, though, get one – more jalapeño in mine than I’ve ever had, wow.
Décor was really cool though (there’s a tree in there, it sounds kitschy but it’s actually kinda neat), and maybe the service was having an off night. Very loud inside, even without a full house. Three stars, but a weak three stars.

I’m giving this place full stars based on the excellent service I received by a very attentive, no pressure approach of a waiter by the name of Miguel. There was also another guy there who appeared like a magician in a very gay (happy) voice, would deliver the courses. Food tasted great!
Try the octopus or the rabbit!