Excellent second visit! I am so happy I gave this place another chance. We were seated at the bar this time, which is definitely the prime place to sit. Everything we ate was beyond delicious - mackerel, manchego anchovy salad and lamb burger with anchovies. read more

We came early to grab a seat and there was already a line out of the door. They sat us next to a walkway from bar into the dining area so we asked to switch seats to the end of the bar where it's cozier and no one would swipe out backs as they walked by. We were accommodated but with a slight attitude and given a time for a hard out. Which is fine! Cause we wanted to share a few plates and go on with the day. Cervo's has a special vermouth menu which we went for. I've done an amaro service before but first time for vermouth. They ranged from citrusy fruity to deep herbal. A flavor for every taste. For food, we started with oysters and wish we didn't. They're small and mainly taste like salt water. The hot sauce was interesting though. Then we ordered striped bass. On the menu it didn't say that it's crudo so when it arrived I almost said it's not ours. Surprise! But it was really tasty so I'm glad we got it. The lemon preserve was a nice touch! For main, we got Manila clams in Vinho Verde and a side of French fries with aioli. Clams were fresh and the sauce complemented nicely. Such a bummer with those fries though. The oil wasn't right and it ruined the flavor. My fav fries are few doors down so I kept dreaming about them as I was eating these. The flan de queso! Unique! If you're a cheese lover you must try it. The texture is of a flan but the flavor is a funky manchego. It was a great dessert except for the bitter olive oil..I wish it was a younger press so it wouldn't distract from the awesome cheesiness. Overall a fun culinary experience. With the lines this place gets I am not sure I'll come back. But if I ever see available seats, I'll pop in again. read more

See all

Worst restaurant ever. The food is mediocre and the waitstaff is so incompetent that they will dump an entire plate of chicken grease down your back when clearing the table and not even tell you about it, so you get to come home and see the entire back of your shirt, blazer, and leather jacket covered in crap. read more

Solid addition to this fun neighborhood. Aioli fries: 9/10, shoestring type fries + home made aioli that incorporates extra virgin olive oil, so peppery and refreshing. Soft shell crab asparagus: 8/10, great flavors and like the idea in general, but lumps of crab meat might work better with the bitterness from whole baby peppercorns. Tuna crudo: 8/10, a bit too acidic with pickled onions, very fresh yellow fin. Spicy mussels: 9/10. Sea bream: 10/10 yum same olive oil + acidic sauce with tuna, but it goes well with this lean fish, and the slightly charred green onion adds a sweet and fragrant touch. Flan: 20/10 goat cheese custard with caramel coating. Perfection. BTG whites: not as zesty/savory as expected. Overall we had a great time and would go back! read more

See all

A spot that gets it allll right. Great customer service, beautiful decor and excellent food! We had the manila clams, the head on white prawns, the fried skate wing, sourdough bread (that we used to mop up all that good sauce on the clams) and flan for dessert. I'm definitely returning in the future. This is true gem for those of us who are seafood lovers! read more

Came here on a Tuesday night and it was super busy. I ended up being late with a nightmare mta commute, but they were pretty accommodating and didn't rush out. The space is pretty crammed with tables of 2 at the front near the bar. The woman behind me kept whacking me with her bag so beware if you need space. I heard there's outdoor seating in the summer so that might be a better time to go or sit at the bar. For food, I would recommend the razor clams and the sourdough with crab! The lamb burger with anchovies was too salty for me. For drinks, the sour was fantastic. It does get kind of loud in here, but overall service was super friendly. They take your coats since there isn't space to put them with the barstools. Price wise it's a bit high, but overall left satisfied! read more

The food is five stars. Ambience is tight like most of NYC. Walk-ins get to sit outside; excellent people-watching. Host/staff were delightful. Our waiter was not so nice, though. Maybe because we had our kids ‍ or we just didn't vibe, but that was the only ick at an otherwise nice experience. read more

Amazing vibes and amazing food! I absolutely love the ambience of this place. the wait staff is amazing and I recommend sitting at the bar so you can see all the chefs work their magic. I highly recommend the crispy shrimp heads and the grilled shrimp (get some bread on the side to soak it all up!). I was able to get a seat as a walk in but you have to be sure to get there and put your name on the waitlist. read more

Head on prawns - 5/5 saw everyone order them so we had to do as well! very yummy we are these very quickly Manila clams - 3/5 standard Bread - 2/5 only lower the review as i expected some oil and butter to be paired with it mussels - 3/5 not as yummy as we were expecting it to be. feel like it might taste better as a warm dish we didn't end up ordering enough and once you order you can't add on (the waiter did warn us about this but honestly thought the amount of suggested plates were inflated like most places. if you come here actually order as many as they recommend!). left a bit hungry and unsatisfied as a result. lots of people around us were on dates and would highly recommend for that situation - order some wine and other great offerings! read more

See all

HOLY MOLY! This place is absolutely incredible and I want to go back to try everything on the menu. Seriously everything was sooooo good. The mussels were spicy & so good. The tomatoes & anchovy sauce on fried sourdough were incredible and really an amazing balance of flavors. The prawns were sooo good & the sauce was so delicious. Get a side of bread to dip in the prawn sauce- you won't regret it. At first, we didn't want to get chicken at a seafood focused place but WOW so glad we did. The piri piri chicken was 100000/10. So juicy, flavorful & absolutely perfect. Fries were great too. Service was incredible here and definitely helped us pick a few things. Vibes were so great here too, very dark & romantic space. Highlyyy recommend making a reservation here! read more

See all

Cervos is not only delicious, but approachable and the best ambiance. The food is simple, but the highest quality. The sauces on each of the dishes are drinkable. This is my favorite place to eat in NYC. read more

Cervo's - Bomba rice - Seafood Near Me - New York, New York

This is a cute little restaurant tucked in dime square. It has a bar ambiance and is cozy. The customer service was good. Our server, knew the menu really well but - and this is why I rated the restaurant 4/5 stars - he didn't explain it well enough. Cervo's menu is definitely different and needs a little more explaining that a regular restaurant. But fear not! I'll share my insights so you're more prepared than we were. The sliced beef comes by default rare, really rare. If you ask you might be able to get it medium rare or we'll done. But the server doesn't ask so you'll have to ask when ordering. The green rice is more of risotto style, delicious, but spicy when you get a Serrano pepper bite. You can't see the serrano pepper so with every bite you'll wonder if you'll get another spicy bite. The cucumbers with soft shelled crab was amazing! Hands down my favorite. The server recommended we get the sourdough bread to scoop up the sauce and it was perfect! The half chicken and fries were good as well. But beware the chicken is spicy. I don't recommend it if you don't like spiciness. The fries were also saltier than usual but good. The saltiness reminded us of kettle chips. Lastly, the server recommended 3-5 dishes for a two person party. We ordered 4 and though that was perfect. The menu is set up with the raw dishes at the top, followed by greens, cooked seafood, and meats. The server recommended we get a dish from each section and share all the dishes. That was a great recommendation and allowed us to taste many different flavors. read more

See all

First time, but unfortunately, so many hiccups! Note that we sat outside, so we got street lights for our food photos. First of all, it's the waiter/s or service we received that night (Saturday busy night we get it!) -- nothing felt intentional or that they took care of their customers. We got a bottle of orange, and it's kinda room temp. There's an ice bucket thing that they had, and I wish they filled it up with ice at least. They didn't. No one in our group has allergies, but one didn't like cilantro since it tasted like soap to her. We brought it up after tasting the clam dish, and the waiter came back and said they used cilantro as a garnish. Cilantro with clams? That's never a good combo to begin with, and they should have told us in advance. In the pic attached, the tuna with beefsteak tomatoes dish that we got served, the tomatoes were tiny and cut in halves. They were nice and sweet, but clearly, they're NOT beefsteak tomatoes. I checked other photos that other people had posted, and the tomatoes were in wedges and big. The waiter did tell us that it's near the beefsteak tomato season, so we should order them. We did. I was so disappointed because now I felt like we were forced to order more dishes to meet their 5 -7 dishes per group of 3 people. All dishes we ordered had to be eaten with some kinds of carbs, and we got 3 orders of sourdough already. Up until the last dish, the seabream dish, we ate it plain, but I thought it was lacking a carb - some crispy rice would have been an amazing addition. Lastly, lemon is good in a lot of things, but all dishes we ordered had lemon or citrusy flavor which made it more like a brunch than a dinner meal. It just felt lazy and repetitive! Not sure if I'd be coming back anytime soon. Great location, but it's a 3-star experience and food this time! read more

See all

I love this place! Reservations are hard to come by, but if you can snag one, I would say take it.....it is amazing! The staff is so nice and kind, in the winter this place feels so warm and intimate. The food is delicious and very seafood forward, so if you have a vegetarian or Pescatarian in town. This is the place to take them to and have them be impressed! We got a few items and shared them, but I would definitely leave room for dessert and am still dreaming about the shrimp now. I Havnt been back in a while, but I'm excited to go! read more

See all

A friend I visited this establishment tonight. All I can say is good things, the food was good, they had a bar but I got a mock tail, I watch the bartender who was very polite mix up some amazing looking drinks. We only had to wait 15 minutes and the person who sat us was extremely pleasant! Ambiance was smoothing, they had tea candles on the table and bar, very calming! I will definitely go back! read more

Cervo's - Louisiana white prawns! - Seafood Near Me - New York, New York

Most definitely one of the best restaurants I have been to in a long while. Excellent attentive service. Fabulous star sightings. Beautifully lit room and great ambience. And the food is exquisitely prepared. Massive applause to this chef and the kitchen team. Every dish was fantastic. Flavors that jumped off the plate and exploded in your mouth. Get the shrimp. Get the salads. Omg incredible dishes. Get the chicken. Superb. Order the skate. The tomato salad. The clams. It's all so so good!!! Cervo's could have just become my favorite restaurant in nyc. One tiny thing I had a problem with. The cheesecake was made with goat cheese which is my least preferred cheese. But still it was def original and perfectly made. I'm sure goat cheese lovers will love it. Congratulations Cervo's !!!! You win !!! read more

The Manila clams were amazing! 5/5 The oysters were also great. My partner and I also had the prawns and we loved them! As for the entrees, we decided that the appetizers were the selling point imo. Service was great, our waitress was very nice and attentive. As for the ambiance it was a little cramped in terms of space. But everything else was nice! Definitely check this place out! read more

Cervo's - Oysters - Seafood Near Me - New York, New York

See all

The food is delicious (although fairly small portions for the price - so order more than you think you'll need and be prepared to spend more also), and the drinks were great! However, our server honestly had a snooty attitude and we just didn't feel welcomed - maybe because we were a group of 4? I also thought it was strange that we had to order all dishes at once, even though the food is more of a tapas selection. It left us with a not so great impression of the restaurant. Overall, would recommend for dinner/drinks for 2 people, but this isn't the best place to go for a fun night with a group of friends. read more

Cervo's is an amazing seafood restaurant! I've been wanting to go because they serve really unique dishes. Their most iconic dish is the shrimp heads and they are fantastic. Yes, you are supposed to eat the entire shrimp head!! The clams and tortilla española are great dishes as well. But the sea bream was the best thing I ate because the skin was crispy and the fish was juicy. The herby sauce went well with it. * shrimp heads 10/10 (yes you eat the entire shrimp) * tortilla española with mussels 9/10 * Manila clams 10/10 (the broth is so delicious) * Seabream a la plancha 10/10 (my FAVE) I loved that they have a vermouth service because they have really unique vermouths to try. Will definitely come back to try more. Food - 10/10 Ambiance - 10/10 Service - 10/10 read more

See all

I would love to come here again for drinks (especially the vermouth!). My dinner experience was good, but could have been better. We thought the cute wooden deck set up with fake candles and big umbrellas would be fun for an outdoor dinner. After we asked for a table, the host began moving lots of tables around and ended up placing some tables out on the street. The tables were spaced out for social distancing but we felt quite exposed sitting there. The four of us started with vermouth. I can't remember which ones we ordered but all of them had different flavor profiles. It was super fun trying them! For dinner, we ended up getting: Louisiana white prawns a la plancha $18 Yellowfin tuna with pickled habanada peppers $18 Tomato rice with marinated scallops $21 Manila clams with vinho verde $18 Fried skate with spring onion and cilantro salsa $27 Sourdough $4 Everything was shareable and the dishes we ordered had different flavor profiles. Everything tasted good but the food was on the greasier side. We didn't eat much since the portions were tapas style but I still felt pretty heavy after the meal due to all the oil. My favorite dish was the fried skate. The batter was super crispy and seasoned well. The skate was very tender. The greens and salsa that came with the skate added a refreshing brightness to the dish! One order of sourdough came with 4 tiny pieces. It was fun to use the bread to soak up the various sauces. read more

See all

I feel a little bad writing this, but this was one of the most unimpressive and unenjoyable meals I've ever had in NY. Unfortunately the dishes I had caused a physical reaction of shaking my head 'no' after each dish. The bubbly available by the glass was the first no -- I didn't have the heart to tell our sweet waitress that it was plain bad, so I just went along with it (I don't think I actually finished the glass). This was on me, since I didn't oppose after the original tasting. We had the asparagus starter with crab I think - it was just...alright. Lacking something, and was drowned in olive oil. The crudo on the menu was way too salty because of the many large granules of sea salt atop each fish piece. It was way too salty for consumption, and I could only eat one piece. The shrimp in the shell was the only redeeming thing, and it was a mission to get the shrimp out of its shell, which after the previous dishes made for an experience that left little to be desired. That said, our server was an angel. Likely would only return for a simple cocktail and outdoor seating. read more

Lives up to the hype. Couldn't say that it is inexpensive, but it's honestly really good value. Love the fortified wine list, rare to find in the states. Pretty much can't go wrong. Focused for adventurous eaters. Service great. Fast. Attentive. Not a ton of elbow room, but that's because everyone wants to be here. read more

Everything was delicious here. None of us could agree which dish was our favorite because they were all so good. My personal favorite was the mussels. The surprise favorite was the deep fried sourdough with tuna. Josh made us amazing drinks (loved my old fashion and still on the hunt for my own amaro bottle - Essex was sold out). What a fantastic evening! read more

Cervo's - Lovely dot at the corner of the bar. - Seafood Near Me - New York, New York

Incredible food and ambience! It was my second time there and it was just perfect. I went with a large group and had family style! It was so worth it and the staff is super efficient being a really busy restaurant. read more

I've ate all over the world. Cervo's is right up there in food, quality, and service. Don't stop doing what you do. read more

See all

I don't get the hype. I've been to Spain, I've eaten Tapas all over the world & this place is okay at best and overpriced for the food delivered. Maybe we went on a bad day? Maybe the fact that two of the people I was with are restaurant owners and two are chefs made this a very lackluster experience for us? Regardless, I haven't returned and with so many restaurants in this city offering amazing food at reasonable prices without having to give them a second chance ...my return won't be anytime soon. The space is pretty and small, intimate and perfect for a romantic evening. We opted to sit outside as there were 6 of us. The server was nice but the service was slower than maple on a cold day! They were busy but she barely checked on us. At least once, but I think twice, we had to get up and go inside to order more. The upside of the meal was the drinks. Their Watermelon Margarita $18.00 was delicious & refreshing. Perfect combo of sweet and citrus. The Madeira Sour $16.00 was also fantastic. We got a few of those. It's made with madeira (Portuguese port wine), rye whiskey and lemon & had what seems like a luxardo cherry. Yum! The spicy mussels escabeche $13.00 looked promising but they were very small & nothing spicy other than they were over "spiced" with paprika. The paprika was so strong you received zero mussel flavor which was unfortunate. The radicchio with anchovies, hazelnuts and vidiago cheese $14.00 was honestly one of the top 10 worst salads I've had. Overpriced, if there was anchovies they must have been hidden or ground in the dressing but even then, we didn't taste them. The plating was also weird but that was the least of the issues. The fried squid salad with cucumbers, arugula and basil $16.00 was literally 3-4 small pieces of fried calamari with 4 thin cucumber wedges and a toss of arugula. The flavors were nice but the plating and the cost for what we got was not worth it. The manila clams with vinho verde $18.00 were okay. They were a tad oily and lacking flavor. Maybe they needed a bit of salt? Sourdough bread $4.00 it was whatever not with the cost. Tortilla with herbs and smoked cheese $17.00 was NOT a Spanish tortilla but a lovely scramble that, as with much of the meal, lacked any umami or flavor that would make me think about it past this moment. Outside of the drinks being home runs, the winner winner was the half chicken dinner with piri piri and french fries $31.00 it was a steep price for what you got but at least the flavors were on point and everything was nicely cooked. Even the french fries were crispy and YES salted! We also tried a glass of the Acha Rojo $10.00 which was great and a bottle of the Azimut Blanc $48.00 which has notes of citrus and fruit (apples maybe?), but most importantly was fairly priced for a restaurant. I try not to be too harsh with places but also give a fair and reasonable review (good, bad or indifferent) but considering all of the fabulous things I had heard about Cervo's ...I left annoyed that we spent so much on such mediocre food. To only have one dish out of all be great was just not okay. To the reader, try if you like but I think there are so many places that are far more worth your time. To the owners, like I said, maybe it was an off night? With so many meh dishes I'm just not willing to run back & try you again anytime soon. I hope when I do, it's as magical as everyone seems to post about. MY STAR RATING 0-5 Service: 2 Food: 2 Space/Ambiance: 3 Price/Value: 2 Just so we're clear on my rating. I rate as 3 stars being average and we go up and down from there based on the whole experience, not just the food. If I'm giving a 5 star review it's because the experience was exceptionally above average from start to end and everything in between. read more

See all

Gluten free safe. I have celiac and the staff always takes care of me. This is another place where you see the menu and might have hesitations...but it will be the best you ever had. I LOVE the food here and wish I could be here all the time. read more

Came here one day. Passing by and can't believe I missed it so many times. From the appetizer to the entree. Everything was delicious. The chicken is moist and seasoned well. The fish I had surprisingly was great. The best app I can say I had was the one with tomato's and tuna. It looks so plain but the flavor was great! Definitely best part of the dinner. Small restaurant need to come on off hours or book a reservation ahead of time. read more

See all

Went here on a date and it fulfilled my fried shrimp head dreams. I love the crunchy fried heads you get at Japanese restaurants and always wanted just a giant bowl of the crispy crustaceans and Cervo's does it well. We tried a little of all the small plates and they were all yummy. read more

Great cozy ambiance! The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. They gave us great recommendations. The prawns and piri piri chicken are always my go to. The 50/50 martini is refreshing read more

See all

Food and ambiance was 10/10. I will say it's pricey for the portion size but not too pricey that you can't have an affordable meal. Really liked the food and will def come back read more

Cervo's - Mussels and fries - Seafood Near Me - New York, New York

See all

The vibes and the seafood are immaculate. Cervo's does a really good job of pairing seafood with different sauces and flavors in each of their dishes. I have a hard time describing exactly what flavors I tasted, but they were all good. Golden rice with lobster: We ended up ordering two of this dish because it was so good and one portion was not enough for 5 people. Clams: pretty good, but prob my least favorite dish that we ordered (which doesn't mean that it wasn't good) Fried skate wing: fried tender fish with some tomatoes, very good Crispy shrimp heads: Definitely intimidating if you aren't accustomed to eating shells/shrimp heads but I enjoyed it Louisiana white prawns: Super tender and you can eat the shells but I prefer not to French fries: solid I would recommend ordering some bread to dip in the sauces in each dish. It is definitely more difficult to get a reservation here, and while they do have first come first serve outdoor seating, the wait tends to be pretty long. However, I think it's absolutely worth it! read more

See all

If you like spanish/portoguese seafood a lot (and I really do) this place is great. A good mix of interesting fishy dishes and some dry cider is my idea of a good time. But If that's not your steez exactly, I think your mileage will really vary. For instance, I liked their clams in wine dish but I think the stronger wine flavor could be a bit of a turnoff for a lot of people. Similarly, we got this tardivo salad, which a kind of quite bitter cabbage, with anchovies and breadcrumbs. I thought it was interesting and bracing but I think a lot of folks might just not like it. So I think if you come with the right expectations or already have a love of this kind of food you'll really like it. But I don't know if this is going to be universally pleasing. read more

What makes Cervo's so great is how conceptually simplistic the food is. It's straightforward, rustic-leaning and perfect for casually picking at while sipping on some orange wine. Or you could order a lot of apps and a enormous piri piri chicken entree to share, and leave feeling completely stuffed and satisfied -- you're choice. Whichever path you choose, you'll be happy. Standouts this time included the aforementioned chicken, as well as the fried string beans and white prawns. read more

See all

We loved Cervo's especially when you can seat outside, food is great, vermouth are great, everything is fresh and tasty. read more

See all

Lots to love and not love about Cervo's. We were here on Friday evening with family and friends to celebrate several special occasions. To love: intimate, vibey LES space; our table for six in the back room was tight, but cozy. Lighting and volume were just right. The cocktails are lovely and thank you for not giving them idiotic in-house cutesy names. Not to love: we started with the "crab croquetaS" because our kiddo was starving--and no that's not a typo with the capitalized S, it's what's on the menu. And while one of us does indeed have a PhD in literature, you don't need much past grade school to know that the "s" means PLURAL. So what comes out on the plate?? A SINGLE croquet. LOLzzzzz. Listen, we don't mind paying $7 for ONE but just keep it freaking singular on the menu. Anyway, we ordered two more and while the flavor inside was nice, the filling was a bit too mushy. The olives are good. The crispy shrimp heads were fantastic (it was our six-year-old's first shrimp head experience!). The sliced beef was delicious. Both salads--the watercress and another one we're forgetting--were bright, acidic, unique, and well-balanced. Our remaining dishes were all lovely as well, but there were temperature issues. All three were barely lukewarm. The bomba rice with razor clams would have been our favorite dish of the night, but nobody appreciates a mouthful of almost cold mollusk and rice. Same issue with the fried skate--it was so nicely fried and we loved it with the escabeche but the fish was not hot (great dish tho). Broken record again, but the seabream, which was so goddam tasty, suffered from the temperature issues. Overall, great food, but something was going awry in the BOH for so many of our dishes to suffer from poor timing/plating. Anyway, we skipped dessert. Service was slightly snooty but mostly efficacious. We had a lovely meal and were happy to be there with our peoples, but we didn't walk out with stars in our eyes. Rounding down to three stars because, for the price, the main fish entrees should come out the right temperatures. read more

Super cute place for dinner and drinks. The music was amazing. The open kitchen is fantastic and the servers and cooks are so nice. The shrimp heads are to die for good read more

I had been trying to go to Cervos for over a year before I finally was able to snag a table. As a huge fan of Portuguese food and wine, I couldn't have been more excited. Cervos definitely lived up to those expectations! The wine selection and food menu were both superb. Our personal favorites were the shrimp heads (my new absolute favorite appetizer) and peri peri chicken. I would definitely recommend this place to everyone and will be coming back as soon as I can manage to get another reservation! read more

See all

To me, this is the perfect restaurant. The menu is the right size, not overly expansive, everything serves a purpose and is perfectly executed. The ambiance is intimate and relaxed. The wine list is different in the best of ways. For those who enjoy traveling through taste and good vibes, this is a must. Last but certainly not least, the service is spot on. Attentive without being in your face. Don't be afraid to try the shrimp heads, I've never had better! read more

Cervo's - Shrimp Head-On White Prawns - Seafood Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Louisiana White Prawn - indeed their popular item, so goood! Fresh and delicious seasoning. Enjoyed every bite. Mushroom + Blue Cheese - not so worth of a dish considered it's the same price with their seafood dish.... Chicken Empanada - it's more like a slice of pie form, interesting but tasted okay. Also tried all 4 cocktails on the menu they were just okay for me nothing sparks. read more

See all