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    Eel Bar

    4.1 (42 reviews)
    Closed • 5:30 pm - 11:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

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    EEL BAR ATMOSPHERE

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    Recommended Reviews - Eel Bar

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    Sucheta B.

    Our favorite bites of the night were probably all the appetizers - croquettes, pinxtos, and the citrus and goat cheese. We also did the lamb steak as our main with the potato salad as a side - also enjoyable but not as much as the apps. They also have lots of fun wines on their bottle list!

    Bread with olive oil
    Shawn H.

    Another amazing visit. The pintxos were probably our favorite bite of the night, with the bomba rice and fried mussels following closely behind. I'd probably get fish rather than pork for a man next time.

    Menu
    Nick N.

    A very hip spot. We were seated outside in front of the restaurant itself and it was a lovely vibe. The interior was very trendy and upscale. Our server was ok, could've been a little warmer in my opinion. Otherwise, the food was pretty good. The highlights were the scallops and trout. You can skip the burger, fries were fine, mussels were good, shrimp and rice was great.

    Fried mussels
    Jason W.

    Fun spot that gives dive bar energy, but serves great Spanish-inspired food. It's a great restaurant that gets quite loud, but it's great for a good meal before a fun night out in the LES. Service was great, our server did a good job breaking down the menu and provided helpful descriptions. On the food, overall I thought it was great, if a bit pricier side. The fried mussels on the half shell are delicious. The burger with anchovies and Roquefort somehow works. Overall I don't think I had a bad bite all night.

    peashoots
    Nicole N.

    Caught up with some friends at Eel Bar and had a pretty good time overall! Apps were tasty but mains could have been better. Started off with the pipping hot fried mussels which were pretty fresh. The cantaloupe with serrano ham is a classic pairing. Cantaloupe pieces were super sweet! Im usually not a potato salad girlie but I actually liked their version with octopus pieces. It was very creamy and had a nice texture - smooth and potato-y without being too heavy. The fried black bass featured fresh fish but flavors were similar to your typical fish and chips so it didn't stand out. The bomba rice was tasty! The rice itself had a tangy flavor that went well with the sweet marinated montauk red shrimp. For mains, the half chicken was decent! I enjoyed my tender chicken leg piece but it definitely on the saltier side. Sauce with olives and garlic was tasty for sure, but again too salty. The peashoots came out in a salad form but with minimal dressing and I didn't taste any of the salted cod. On the otherhand, the basque cheesecake with olive oil was delicious! It was very airy and creamy at the same time! The olive oil added another textural component and conferred a savoriness as well. Good amount of seating inside with an intimate vibe - perfect for happy hour or any meet ups. Our server was polite and food came out quick.

    Tarta San Marcos
    Iyanla M.

    Ambience is laidback, great to grab a drink solo or with friends Drinks: Sidecar & old fashion, well made and strong! Dessert: Tarta San Marcos & Caneles w poached pears Tarta = very sweet, the chocolate filling is a bit overpowering Caneles = typical canele, I was not a fan of the poached pears.. very particular taste

    Basque cheesecake

    The food and drinks were UNBELIEVABLE!!! My only wish is that they add octopus to the menu. Genuinely such unique cooking and everything was hot

    Rainbow trout
    Molly T.

    Like many folks who rushed to Eel Bar upon its opening, I too am a big fan of Cervo's and was thrilled to hear the team opened a new spot. I happen to also love all types of Spanish food including Basque, so that added another element of excitement for me. Overall, the experience was a solid, four-star one, with great drinks, good food, and fun vibes. I wouldn't say it was as memorable as my meal at Cervo's but we still thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Came here at around 9pm on a Saturday night. As others have mentioned, the space is pretty loud, so keep that in mind anytime you are trying to communicate with the restaurant staff -- and your dining companions, for that matter. I'm sure part of it is the acoustics, but the space was also just buzzing with energy the entire time which contributed to the ambiance in a positive way. The exterior windows at Eel Bar are made of opaque glass, so that also creates a sort of enclosed/hidden vibe, one in which sound could easily be expected to bounce around in a sort of frenetic way. Honestly, it works, so I'm not really complaining. To start, we each got a cocktail. I got the Filthy Martini (gin, manzanilla sherry, dolin dry vermouth, brine, olives) and my partner got the Picon Punch (picon amaro, armagnac, pomegranate, sparkling wine). Though it took a strangely long time for them to arrive (the only issue we had with the service during our meal), the drinks were worth the wait. My drink was one of the better dirty martinis I've had, properly filthy but clearly unique to the specs created by the mixologists here. The Picon Punch was super interesting and unique, and my partner enjoyed it a lot. We also each got a glass of wine -- I got an orange and my partner got a white -- and we absolutely loved both of them. They both complemented the food beautifully but were just as delicious on their own. Food-wise, we tried quite a lot, as everything is marketed as shared/small(er) plates. In hindsight we probably could've lost one dish as we weren't able to finish everything, but we made a good effort and were glad we got to sample what we did. We decided to stick to seafood for our proteins which I do not regret, but the table next to us got the burger and it did look pretty mouthwatering (though I also overheard them discussing their shared envy of our order, so the grass is always greener). Eats, below: Pickled cucumber and anchovy gilda: A- This was a nice way to start the meal -- not quite an amuse bouche because it was mostly salt/fat dominant, but enjoyable just the same. Heirloom tomato pintxo: A This was really yummy, though if you are oil-averse I would suggest skipping it because it was drenched. Other than that, a super satisfying bite you likely won't regret. Charred cabbage with smoked cheese: A- Some reviews did not speak highly of this but I didn't have any issues with it. Very simple but good. I loved charred cabbage, especially as the weather gets colder, so it hit the spot. Ironically, I expected this one to be an oily dish (more so than the first two) but it was pretty clean. White shrimp in fresh tomato sauce: A- I seem to have not gotten a picture of this which is fitting I suppose because it wasn't super memorable. Solid dish though, and certainly try it if you like shrimp Rainbow trout pil pil: A- Another dish drenched in oil, which is the only reason I'm giving it an A- instead of an A-. Didn't seem totally necessary in this case. Still, the fish itself was delicious, pretty simple in preparation, just high-quality fish executed very well. Served with some roasted tomatoes on the side which were excellent and I could've used a few more of them. Black rice with tuna and sungold potatoes: A I wish we weren't so fully by the time we got this because the raves are all true. I'm not a big fan of rice but black rice is often the exception, as it was in this case. I'd never tried anything like this and I honestly didn't quite know what to expect, but it was definitely one of the standouts of the night.

    Tony Y.

    We've always loved Cervo's so when Eel Bar opened, we knew we had to try it. You can definitely see the parallel in some of the dishes but Eel Bar is basque. The restaurant is easily missed from the outside. I'm fact, we've walked past it several times while looking for it. But the inside is super spacious and gives off a modern diner vibe. Service was decent. They forgot my beer order at one point and took awhile to get it reordered. Also the timing between the appetizers and the entree was very slow. There definitely needs to be some work there. Overall, the place is good and will probably go into our rotation of neighborhood restaurants.

    Danielle S.

    The interior is stunning, really ambient lighting, amazing food.. I think this was a top Aperol Spritz for me, it was perfect. The staff was super sweet and accommodating, definitely want to go back!

    interior and bar
    Andrew W.

    Eel Bar is a new LES spot from the same team behind Cervo's and several other restaurants - this place's influence is primarily Basque and the offerings are centered on seafood, pintxos, and Spanish wines and beverages in general - I'm here for it. Haven't tried gildas before so that was a nice start with the classic ones, but overall all the pintxos were satisfying, especially the snail pintxo - like a very flavorful escargot with the meat already taken out of the shell and served on bread. Overall a great new place for drinks and light bites just in time for summer.

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    3 months ago

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    5 days ago

    The service excellent and food delicious, you won't be disappointed, try the yellow tail tuna skewers.

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    7 months ago

    best meal i've had in nyc in a while. the cheesecake, the seafood, the waiter Pedro. phenomenal

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    Ask the Community - Eel Bar

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    Eel Bar - basque - Updated September 2026

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