Estela

I was a bit disappointed with the experience at Estela - a place I had heard great things about. The cuisine is not cohesive in any way, from what I could tell… a bit too “New American” perhaps. The dishes are meant to be shared; however, each small dish costs anywhere from approximately $20-$40. They recommend you order around 7 items for a group of four. Granted there are only about 12 items on this particular brunch/lunch menu, so it almost seemed as if we needed to order one of each dish to be full. I do not recommend the crab dish, I forgot to take a photograph of it because I was deterred by the sight of it. It was very very fishy to taste, you could even smell it. The best dish was the mushroom dumplings and the arroz with squid. However, for the tiny portion sizes and the cost, I am not sure if the flavor was that impressive. The chicken entree was so strange. Two small pieces of chicken that tasted so regular. Some orange type of purée and squash. The restaurant itself was cute- small and quaint. The service was good, normal - not above and beyond or anything memorable. Perhaps the dinner would be a better option for people who have booked reservations far in advance and are looking forward to the meal because unfortunately I was not very satisfied with the brunch / lunch experience.

Food was really really good, and I love how it’s so unassuming, but intimate. Only have positives to say, but my one negative is I felt the service was just a little slow. One of those experiences where your drinks sit empty for four or five minutes too long and you start to wonder where your food is. Nothing too crazy or unbearable, but I think a slightly quicker service would be beneficial!

Estela has all that downtown New York charm you’d expect of a dim, cozy and loud first floor restaurant. The endive salad is iconic and worth the visit alone. We also enjoyed the jamon, ricotta dumplings and duck we ordered. But the endives were on a different level! Four dishes were enough for two. Drinks aren’t cheap, but they sure are strong! That’s a compliment.

Amazing food experience. Tuna and beef tartare are a must. The ricotta dumplings was mind blowing and the duck was so rich in flavors that we didn't want it to end. Skip the pork and try not to eat too much bread hard, given the bread is perfect. Service at the bar was 5 stars; at the table was a bit pretentious poor attention, didn't helped much

Came here with a few friends and we sat at the bat. It was recommended that we share what we ordered. My favorite dish was the black rice. It doesn't look like much, but the flavors were fantastic. I really enjoyed the flavor combinations of every dish. It's very overpriced, but worth trying at least once.

I only have wonderful things to say about Estela. Although it is a place for sharing meals I went alone and had the best meal EVER. The oysters were from the east coast and were absolutely delightful. The highlight of my meal was the “Endive, walnuts, anchovy, and Ubriaco Rosso” which I ordered based on the suggestion of the server. He was absolutely correct. The walnuts and anchovies paired with the cheese is a complex and delicious meal. It def is packed full of flavor and texture. I wish I could eat it again. The duck, which is aged for two days, was also great. the fat adds to the flavor. I enjoyed dessert which was the panna cotta with honey and vinegar! The perfect amount of richness and sweetness with a little bit of bite! I’m definitely looking forward to bringing my friends here in the near future.

Ricotta dumplings & the foie gras. That is all you need to know. This place was insane, I actually cried over my meal. I was originally looking for a Michelin star restaurant last minute and a chef recommended this place. Said this was the last time he was impressed with a meal from start to finish. Tables are a bit small, but very cute atmosphere. Perfect for a date night or a small group. Do yourself a favor and try this outstanding restaurant

Despite the Michelin star the Sunday day menu is now WOW. Don’t take the sea plate - it’s very small and not exciting at all. We liked the fish with very fishy smell but absolutely no fish taste, the sandwich with pork, and the mushroom ravioli. Each plate had a super smell of the thing it was made of, that’s cool. However the overall opinion is 4*

Had a leisurely brunch at the bar on a Saturday. All the seafood ingredients were fresh and high quality, from the fluke and sea urchin which was unexpectedly spicy! to the steelhead trout cooked perfectly tender. The market greens were braised and had a pleasingly salty-sour broth thanks to the orange and ponzu reminiscent of tom yum soup. We were deciding between the paella negra and ricotta dumpling for our main carb, and the bartender recommended the dumplings since the paella was more of a dinner dish. They were very rich and filling, in a nice savory broth, and a great way to end the main courses. I wanted to write a full paragraph about the panna cotta, which was simply phenomenal. It was the right balance of light and creamy, with the vinegar and honey mix being a surprisingly nice topping that shouldn't work but does.

Great food and atmosphere. Unpretentious plating, consistently high quality and well balanced dishes plus attentive staff.