El Parador Cafe

My favorite Mexican in NYC!
My second time at El Parador and it was just as wonderful as the first visit. I just don't understand how anyone can complain about the service? Our waiter Manuel was extremely attentive without being overbearing!! Thank you Manuel. The dirty dishes and utensils were removed quickly. Water and drinks never went without being refilled. For appetizers we got the nachos which was a combo of the Nachos Normales and the Vestido Nachos. Normales was simply beans, cheese and tomatoes and Vesitdos were beans, cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, and a slice of jalepeno pepper. We couldn't decide so our server suggested combining them. We ordered the red wine sangria (they offer red or white) and it was delicious. Eating the apples in the Sangria was like taking a shot! Haha! Chips were warm and refilled for us without asking. The salsa is very unusual, in a good way. It has chicken broth in it with a hint of cinnamon and is nice and spicy. Delicious! We also had the vegetarian pico de gallo salsa. Awesome and refreshing! For main entrees, I had the Carne Fajitas with flour tortillas, my friend had the small Taco Tray which has grilled chicken, beef picadillo, chunks of chorizo, refried beans, guacamole, crema, tomatoes, cilantro, onions and cheese. At first he wanted the medium but our server said that would be way too large. Good thing my friend got the small. He was offered hard or soft flour tortillas and chose the soft tortillas. My niece got the special which was a chili relleno, echilada suiza and a beef picadillo soft shell taco. We all loved our meals! You get a choice of how you would like your beef sirloin done for the fajitas. Everything came with sour cream, guacamole, beans and we asked extra cheese. I asked for medium rare and it came out perfectly. We were way too full for dessert. Even though we got the "standard" fare, they offer a lot of gourmet Mexican dishes. Many other upscale Mexican places in the city have gourmet dishes but don't offer what American's consider traditional dishes. This is what I love about El Parador. They have the best of both. Can't wait to go back!!!!

Minus one star your bartenders and staff IS CARELESS. they are slow and inefficient. I went in for lunch yesterday, there were 4 PEOPLE in the entire restaurant. They either need help or need to work faster.

The burritto had taco bell ground meat in it. It was a glorified $12 chimichanga. dont get me wrong, I love mexican, but not for $12. It was NOT BAD, but nothing worth $12 bucks.

The chips were hot. Salsa tasted TERRIBLE, even tasted bad. I had to ask for habanero.

overall food was OK nothing great, not worth the $12 bucks. wont be back for the supposed lunch specials.

Was here as part of the Mad Men restaurant week. Food was very tasty, but service was a little slow even though it was not busy. We went for a late lunch to enjoy the cocktail list as well so perhaps that is why. The bathroom ceiling is a little low so be mindful. Had the shrimp ceviche, was delicious and the cocktails were nice and strong.

Came across this restaurant on OpenTable and booked it since it was near the neighborhood, not realizing it was so popular. Tables were filled the entire night, definitely a good sign! Our group was running very late, but the host was very understanding and accommodating. We asked the waiter for recommendations and how many dishes to order and they gave very helpful suggestions. We first ordered guac, which came out quickly, but then our other dishes took a bit of time to come out. As the restaurant was very busy, it was understandable, but it was on the late side and we were hungry. However, our server came to check up on us a few times so they were considerate. Food was delicious and portions were reasonable for the price. Great spot to check out if you're in the neighborhood!

My friend and I went to El Parador for lunch and the service was horrible. I’m assuming that they were understaffed. It took us forever to place our order and to get refills on our drinks. Other than the service, El Parador is pretty good. The frozen margaritas were good and the food was decent. We had the shrimp ceviche and the Chimichangas. I personally wouldn’t run to go back there.