Socarrat Paella Bar – Nolita

I visited Socarrat with my 4 of my male co-​workers and we had a pretty good experience. Even though we had 5 people, we were able to be seated almost immediately at around 8:30 on a Wednesday evening. We were seated at the tall communal table, and it was a pretty tight fit… but we were happy to have seats!
We decided to get sangria pitchers, and the sangria was really tasty. It definitely packed a punch, as I believe we had 2 pitchers throughout dinner and afterwards we were ‘feeling it’. lol
We ordered some Gambas al ajillo, the croquetas, and 2 orders of the dátiles. Since I was eating with 4 men, we definitely could have used about double what we ordered.
We mostly wanted seafood, so we went for the pescados y mariscos paella. The price was per person ($ 26), so we ordered for 5. The paella took an extremely long time to be delivered. I want to say we waited 45 minutes. I know paella takes time and it’s made to order… but it seemed longer than necessary.
We all loved the charred rice and the seafood was really tasty, however the portion was extremely small. If I was out with my girlfriends, we actually may have been satisfied (but we totally would have gotten dessert, or found ice cream after dinner)…but the men I was with found it to be way too small (I definitely could have eaten more). If you’re planning to get full on the paella I’d say you may want to order for more than the size of your group. We could have probably eaten a paella for 8 – 10.
Overall, I would probably return with a smaller group of girlfriends to try some of the other tapas and wine, but I’m not sure whether I’d go for the paella again.

This unique black rice paella, was very tasty, the rice has the flavor, not the fish, the seafood was blend but all together very good.
The cod croquetes were to die for.
The house wine and Sangría were good.
Nice atmosphere, cute place and the staff phenomenal.
Good choice!

I was raised in Spain, and I can say that his place has hands down the best paella that I’ve ever tried in NYC so far. I went there on a Tuesday, which was great because I could enjoy the live flamenco music, I would recommend everyone to check it out. I ate the socarrat paella, and some patatas bravas as a tapa. We also drank red sangria, which was fabulous. I’m going there again for sure, don’t hesitate trying out this place, I’m sure that it won’t disappoint you.

This is the best paella in the city! The arroz negro is my favorite followed by the lobster paella.
The tapas are also great. I love most of them, especially the octopus.
I really love the atmosphere. The space at Nolita is very cozy. I went during the flamenco dancing which is fun.
The waitresses were very nice.

It was a nice environment and the server was great. However, I was disappointed with the food. We ordered the lobster paella ($ 33) and seafood paella ($ 25) and they both were salty. The way it works with the paella is that each order has to have a minimum of 2 people. Therefore the price I posted is per person which means that I paid $ 66 for the lobster and $ 50 for the seafood. I honestly don’t think it’s worth it especially when they give you small shrimp and the scallops were thinly sliced (paper thin). Their tapas are not cheap either but it taste a lot better than the paella. I would go back just for the tapas but not the paella. Trust me, they have other restaurants that serve better paella!

So far, the best paella I’ve ever had!
So lucky we discovered this place

Socarrat was recommended by a friend whom I trust and I was excited to finally give it a try. I booked a reservation for Sunday brunch and it turns out that we were the only people in there for the entire duration of our meal. Which — you would think — would result in fantastic service with lots of attention to detail. But that was not the case. We had an in-​depth conversation with the server about the vegetable paella but what was delivered to the table was nothing like what he described.
The food was mediocre at best. The paella was greasy with very little flavor and there was absolutely no crispy rice from the paella pan. The sangria was boring: it was essentially some sweetened wine with apple — just apple — floating on top. Perhaps they’re better for dinner but what I can say definitively is that it was not an enjoyable brunch situation.

You should be so lucky if you ever run into the owner Michele (pronounced as Mi-​que-​Lee) and he is such a joy to be around — so friendly and wonderful! The paella is a must try with live music on the weekends for brunch! The best paella in town — don’t forget to stop by and say hi!

Socarrat has been on my list for a while. Me and my mom finally stopped by to try some paella on an early Sunday dinner. It was a very quiet evening with only 3 other tables. The paella can be a bit pricy (cheapest is like $ 23 per person and a minimum of 2 people order) and we settled with the arroz negro and also got the octopus tapas while we wait for the paella. The octopus tapas was cooked well and so flavorful. I literally couldn’t stop eating it. The pictures really don’t do the paella’s any justice and the seafood on it may look skimpy. However, when you start digging into the wonder paella, it’s just So. Darn. Yummy. They also serve the arroz negro with a special spiced mayo. While you don’t need a lot of the mayo, just a little bit mixed into the rice really does elevate the flavors. About the seemingly skimpy seafood, it’s actually quite a lot once we started eating. For me personally, I would just eat the rice with the mayo alone. The «socarrat» (the burnt part of the rice) was just right for us. The table next to us ordered the same paella and their rice is considerably crispier than ours and really was stuck to the pan. Our rice had just enough bite that wasn’t going to break a tooth.
Dinner at Socarrat can add up quickly since the paella itself already cost $ 50 for two people. The tapas average about $ 13 dollars depending on what you pick. However, the meal is definitely a treat and will make the lighter wallet worth it – occassionally anyway!

Note: they have beer wine cider and some non alcoholic drinks. I don’t believe they have a full bar.
FOOD:
Tapas and paella are good.
Another note is that the lobster paella is on the shell. Do not get on a first or second date (lol).
Still absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to try the other paellas !!
DESSERT:
I would suggest just skipping dessert altogether. Their dessert tastes pre bought and reassembled. Churros were stale and the flan was really stiff. Not that soft creamy flan I’m used to.
SERVICE AND AMBIANCE:
Service is awkward and I can see why this place has lower than 4 star reviews.
Casual.
Small restaurant in Soho/​Nolita

This paella bar just off the busy Houston really brings you away from the hustle and bustle that is New York City. Its layout is well appointed and the dim lighting offers privacy and comfort.
We ordered he calamari tapas to start with. The squid was fresh with just the right amount of olive oil. The outside was crispy with just the right amount of flavor while the flesh was tender and appealing.
Our server was professional without being cold and friendly without being too campy.
The paella was flavorful and delicious, but the rice was too salty. It overpowered the seafood and vegetables that came layered on top. It as however, saved by the socarrat that was crisp and full of flavor.
Overall satisfactory, would recommend to a friend.

Restaurant week winter 2016 review
If you say your paella is what you’re known for, do it well and not mediocre.
Opentable res for 6 at 615 and the place was empty but was full shortly after. This location doesn’t have a full bar, just wine and beer. We weren’t automatically given RW menus, had to ask for them.
The waiter made sure to explain to us that each paella order serves a minimum of 2 which is in fine print on the menus. As a part of RW each diner gets appetizer, shared paella and dessert.
Now for the food– gambas al ajilo (shrimp) had good flavor, dip your bread in it! Others got kale salad, didn’t try it but didn’t hear any complaints. Aps came out very quickly after ordering.
Arroz negro is squid ink rice topped with shrimp, scallops, squid, fish and fava beans. The first several bites are good but the dish takes a dive in flavor and complexity soon after. We also got the vegetable paella which had great flavor but the vegetables were lack luster.
Flan was inconsistent in texture-​too stiff mostly and passion fruit cream was inedible. Churros were served in a cup, pre-​dunked which made them soggy.
Wouldn’t go back or rec.

Stopped by for dinner with friends — ten of us. We were seated easily at the long table, though tight, was a good close, thin long table to let us chat comfortably with about half the table. Dark dark restaurant, so sometimes hard to tell what you were eating, especially if your candle went out.
We tried a bunch of things. Dates w/​bacon — delicious. The bread was dry, but try it with some of the garlic oil shrimp (Gambas al ajillo, sizzling shrimp, olive oil, garlic, guindilla pepper). Who doesn’t love garlic aioli and potatoes? (Patatas bravas). Calamares a la plancha was squid with garlic in olive oil — tasty, though little squid. Pulpo a la gallega (octopus) was tasty, but again, had more garnish and less octopus to share… We also shared 3-​person servings of two paellas — the squid ink was better (Arroz negro) and the Socarrat was so-​so (mix of meats and veggies). Overall ambiance was good, and lends itself to the slow speed of tapas. Drinks like sangria in large servings with fresh fruit, and could have used something to cleanse the palate at the end — fresh fruit, perhaps?
Overall a good experience, will come back with a big group to try some more. Not too full at the end with about 1.5 shared plates for all and the paella (a third 3-​person serving would have been too much, they were pushing the lobster though). Ended up being about $ 53/​person, which was reasonable for a place like this.

Nice enough wine bar with excellent happy hour prices. A good sized pour of a house red wine was $ 6.00. The pan con tomate was excellent. Four pieces of bruschetta were only $ 3.00. Datiles (dates wrapped in bacon) were OK, only $ 5.50 at Happy Hour.
I sat at the bar; bartender was nice enough. Room looks comfortable. I don’t recall the background music. Early on a Saturday evening (5:30 PM) the place was almost empty. I will go back.

This is a nice spanish tapas place. We ordered the Calamares a la plancha,
Brochetas de vieiras (Scallops and shrimp skewers, romescu sauce),
Milhohas de cordero (Lamb terrine, spinach, potato, red peppers), and the Arroz negro (squid ink) Paellas.
The food was very good.
The manager was kind enough to sit us while 1 person from our party was late. He did come back and was pushy to ask us to order more while we waited for our late guest. The wait staff could have been more attentive and our glasses were not refilled with water throughout the evening unless was tracked someone down.
Overall, food was good, but staff could be more attentive and manager less pushy while we waited for our late guest member.

Paella bar, indeed! There are so many kinds of paella to choose from, and plates definitely is large enough for sharing. Our server suggested between the three of us to order one serving of paella and get a few dishes of tapas. He was right, and it was just the right amount of food. everything tasted delicious. Service was quick and polite. I enjoyed my visit, but was not thrilled with the dripping from the condensation of a vent, and wished they could do more about it – but all they could do was mop up the condensation every few minutes.
Make reservations ahead of time, they get busy!

Absolutely love this place. The nice woman who seated me recommended the eggs with French fries and sausage. It was super delicious and a steal. Had that and perhaps the best sangria if my life for $ 12. That’s because I came for happy hour, which has half priced tapas. Would love to come back again!

Came here on a Tuesday night and they had free flamenco and troubador musical performance which was a surprise. The paella is definitely what you come here for. We had some issues with service though as we ordered the squid ink paella but they came out with the seafood vallencia instead. We were never offered a correction for this as we noted it was the wrong one and if we wanted the correct one it would be another 30 min. We went with the incorrect one instead but were never offered any comps for the mistake as this entails some bad service. If not for the service i would of given 3 stars. As the paella was cooked nicely and the appetizer of jamon iberico was also quite tasty with the authentic bread rubbed with tomato. At this price point and the mistakes that took place i probably won’t be back as this is NYC and there are other spanish paella shops that can fit the bill.

Incredible paella! I couldn’t stop eating it and the best part is the Socarrat, that burned bottom that makes the rice crispy and with a lot of flavor.
We came here for a brunch in restaurant week and it was amazing! Plenty of food and everything delicious. Even the bread! We order the gambas al ajillo to start and then the paella of the day that was for two. It was the black rice seafood one on the main menu (Arroz negro) How lucky were we?! Every ingredient and specially the rice which was super crunchy was to die for. I think is the best paella I had in the city. And the size… it was for two but for two very hungry people, three could have eaten for sure.
The flan was good and the churros with chocolate. Great chocolate by the way.
It’s a great deal if you come on Restaurant week since the price is so much cheaper and you get a lot of food.
Definitely a come back place for paella.

Restaurant Week ’15.
First RW spot for the year! Chose this place not only because we were in the area, but mainly cause my husband is a huge fan of paellas. Given that they have the word paella in their name, they must make them really well.
What bitterly cold weather we had in the city today! As soon as we walked in, the smell of spices immediately warmed us up. Cozy little restaurant right next door to La Churreria. Boy do I regret not getting the Paella De Dia, should I translate, paella of the day. I mean, we did come for a delicious pan of paella, but when our server mentioned that it’s for two, I got greedy and went for two different entrees instead.
For appetizers, my two daughters basically killed the Gameous Al Jillo, shrimps cooked in garlic oil (my girls loves shrimp). The plate was still bubbling as it got to our table, some pieces were butterflied and a couple of them weren’t which I really didn’t mind as the sweetness of the shrimps and flavors of the garlic came out pretty good, in fact it was not even a bit heavy thinking that it was cooked in oil. Crispy and creamy little croquettes served in a escargot plate, how smart. The filling was light and fluffy, and only needed a dab of sauce with each ball.
Next up, let’s talk about the mains. Firstly, a bowl of their Arroz Caldoso de Verduras, a rice and soup version of a paella? Made with assorted veggies including brussels sprouts, chickpeas, cauliflower, and carrots, this is definitely a vegetarian dish. Knew we should have went for the regular paella instead because this was far different than what we craved, this is very much similar to risotto, the soup was a bit too salty as well. As for the Zarzuela, various seafood including mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, and monkfish cooked in a saffron broth. The broth was my favorite part of the dish, my kids sopped up all the sauce with the bread at the table.
There were two choices for the dessert course, obviously we got one each. The kids really enjoyed the Churros Sunday Funday, they definitely had fun dunking the churros in a cup of chocolate cream sauce, warm sauce topped with sweetened whipped cream. My husband and I liked the flan better, though we did not have a choice since we gotta save every bit of the good stuff the kids liked. The milky custard sits in a bed of passion fruit sauce and sprinkled with pistachio bits, flan wasn’t too sweet, sauce wasn’t too tart, just perfect to end our late lunch after a long morning filled with errands.