Buena Vista Restaurant & Bar

I had a really nice dining experience here. My friend and I wanted to dine somewhere close to Penn station (11 minute walk) and picked this restaurant. It is on the smaller side so definitely make a reservation. It has a nice, quaint atmosphere. The server was very friendly and attentive.To start we shared the chicken turnovers (empanadas) which came with a tasty dipping sauce. They were really juicy inside.I had the duck and my friend had the skirt steak. Note they no longer fire your plate like some of the photos indicate (not a problem!) the server said the new plates they have cannot handle the fire.The duck was perfectly medium, the fat was rendered well- just the right amount of salt and the plantains under it were delicious. Extremely filling dish, generous portion.Skirt steak isn't my favorite in general - but my friend enjoyed it and said it was a good piece of meat. Personally I thought it could have used a little more salt, but it wasn't my dish so I won't comment. He did eat the entire thing though. The yuca that came with it was ok but not as exciting as the plantain mix that came under my duck. Overall a positive experience and I would recommend

This review is based solely on the host and his awful service. I showed up on time for my reservation for two. Upon arrival he sat us right behind him at a table in front of the door on a cold night. So, of course there's a draft every time people come in and go out. I asked if we could be seated at another table to which he replied he has to check the reservations. 10 minutes later, while we're sitting behind him, no update. I'd also like to note that during most of that time he was just chatting When I finally get his attention he suddenly has an explanation and says we'll be moved to another table. I'd also like to note that during this time two couples were seated immediately at tables for two that we could've moved to, but instead we were ignored. With that, we left.

I have to admit that this place is extraordinarily special. I rarely do this with any place when I travel, but I will, after tonight, have visited the same restaurant three times in the same week. The first night my colleague and I enjoyed two amazing cocktails, and light appetizers. We were blown away by the incredible service and the really wonderful atmosphere. The staff at this restaurant is over-the-top great.Last night I went with two other colleagues, but we enjoyed the full dinner experience. Once again, the staff was incredible! Really going out of their way to make sure we had a great time and the food was fantastic.I am booked again tonight to take other people before going to the theatre. The place is just so great. The staff really does make a difference on help make everything come alive. I'm confident it will be great tonight too.Food has been so good. I thought about it all day long and the wine selection while it's very simple it's very good. I can't say enough about this place and although I'm leaving New York tomorrow, I will definitely put this on the radar to come back again.

The foods were very good. We ordered Cuban tamal, grilled octopus for appetizers, and Chilean seabass and ossobuco. All were so good! We also topped it off with the bread pudding, a must to order. The only drawback I would say is they only offer bottled water (no tap) even though we ordered a bottle of wine for 2.

We came here while visiting New York. We had reservations for 6pm on Oct 19th (Saturday). We arrived around 550pm and were informed that there was a reservation issue and there will be a wait. Richard, the host, informed us that the there was an overbooking issue (I think the manager was off and was the only one with access to turn off the reservation system when fully booked). Richard was nice and continued to have a good demeanor despite the influx of customers and needing to turn away several parties. We opted to wait - we were seated at 6:30pm. They serve bread with tapenade but we still ordered the Mexican guacamole for our appetizer - guacamole was smooth and plantains were perfectly made. For our entrees, we ordered the Pan seared duck magret which was absolutely delicious !We also ordered the Ossobuco which was tender and flavorful. Lastly, we ordered Spain Paella which had good flavor and a lot of seafood in it. A little too wet compared to the usual Spanish paellas. All entrees had good-sized portions. For dessert, we ordered the Churros which was good but nothing extraordinary. We also ordered the banana bread pudding which was really delicious!No issue with service, however, there is room for improvement. Price is reasonable. The place is small so I strongly recommend making reservations. We walked to this place so I am not able to provide any information about parking. I wanted to give a 4.5 rating, however, since that is not possible, I am giving it 4 stars due to the overbooking issue and just adequate service.

When strolling by in New York on a Sunday early afternoon Buena vista Restaurant is a great choice. Their menu is extensive with a nice variety of items. Service was fast and attentive, food was great, and location was cute and clean. Sandwich I had was awesome but the fries were cold ): aioli was delicious and nice bright salad to accompany. Solid brunch spot.

Short review: Recommend the Ossobuco, Duck Magret, Stuffed Potatoes but it was all tasty.I went to this restaurant months ago with a large group as per most of my other reviews. I was going to write a review earlier so I'd remember all the details as dishes were heavily flavored but I forgot (oops.) The food here is unique with a mix of Spain-ish, Caribbean and a few other influences. It most reminds me mostly of Tasca on the UWS though with less rum on the menu and overall much more consistent food. The location is a bit odd being a bit too close to the not so nice side of Port Authority and I think it would work better in the West Village or SoHo or something. The owner was very friendly and the service was solid.To drink, I went with the Buena Vista Style with Bullet rye, figs preserve, ginger simple syrup, and fresh lemon juice which I don't remember much of it outside of the price being reasonable ($13/$14 iirc but it might have been happy hour also) and it not being too sweet. They give crusty bread with a nice dipping sauce which reminded me a bit of a tapenade with tomato, garlic, herbs, and a nuttiness to it. Tasty.From the smaller plates, we got the Blue Peruvian Potato filled with shredded oxtail served with roasted piquillo pepper muslin. This was essentially their very tasty version of papa rellena, a croquette found across Latin America. The potato had a light crisp and the oxtail inside was tender and tasty. The sauce on the side was almost not needed as it was already well balanced but it added some extra flavor. Very tasty with a decent portion for sharing consisting of three relatively small but rich pieces.We got a bunch of mains as per usual. All of the dishes were artfully presented. My favorite of the bunch was the Pan Seared Duck Magret served over sweet plantain with spinach ratatouille in fino tinto and a 25 year aged port reduction. The duck was sliced into many thin slices and was cooked well. The sauce had a good red wine base with some sweetness from the plaintain. Very tasty dish and I would recommend heavily.My next favorite was the Roasted Iberian Pork Ossobuco served over scalloped potatoes with spinach served with green apple radish au jus was also tasty. There was also a bit of rosemary on the side which was burnt at the table which was a fun touch. The meat fell off the bone and the sauce again was rich and complex and the bit of apple on top helped with the richness though I think there able could be a bit more or perhaps it would work better on the side to have with the tender pork.Also with table burnt rosemary was the Angus Rib Eye Steak tenderized with papaya juice and served with roasted lingon potatoes. This was the plainest of the dishes but the steak was cooked perfectly medium rare as preferred. It was served with chimichurri as well as another sauce as well. Just a simple tasty Spanish style bistek.There was finally the Seared Filet of Chilean Sea Bass served over organic pumpkin quenelles with green asparagus and broken Granada pearls. This piece of fish was a bit small compared to the other main dishes but it was still perfectly cooked. The pumpkin had some texture it it and added a bit of sweetness. This was probably the weakest dish due to portion size and as I found the pumpkin a bit sweet to pair with the seabass but still pretty solid.For dessert, I had the banana bread pudding. The portion size was good and the sweetness of the dish was balanced by the pickled fruit on the side (strawberries or raspberries I believe.) Very tasty. I tried a bit of the flan which was more traditional and solid but I preferred mine heavily. I think someone at the end of the table had the Tres Leches and approved it.The location might be a bit odd and the menu might be a bit eclectic but the flavor combinations were well balanced. Just well executed Spanish/Latin Fusion food. Mid 4.

We were visiting New York and looking to have dining experiences we can't have at home. So I consulted Yelp and we found ourselves at this lovely, intimate restaurant around the corner from our hotel. The space is simple with a small assortment of tables and a bar along one side wall. We were promptly greeted with smiles and seated.We were provided menus and asked if we wanted sparkling or still water. The water was brought out along with warm bread and a dipping sauce that was so flavorful we had to have seconds of it.Our waitress was lovely and very helpful providing us with recommendations to order from appetizers, to wine, and dessert.For the appetizers we tried:Cuban Tamal: Filled with crab meat in a shrimp saffron sauce splashed with Albarino wine.Chilean Seabass Ceviche: With Peruvian rocoto and yellow pepper in a tiger milk.For the Entrees:Calamari Ink Linguini: Sautéed with scallop, shrimp, and spinach in a lemongrass creamy Alfredo, sprinkled with pecorino and micro purple basil.Lobster Raviolis: With porchine mushroom in a grey goose tomato vodka sauce, sprinkled with rayano parmesano, topped w/ organic spinach.For dessert:Tres Leche CakeFor Wine: Martin Codax Albarino.During our visit our waitress was helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. Every dish was amazing from the preparation, plating, and flavor profile.We chatted with the manager who was also very kind.I highly recommend coming here if you are not in a hurry and are not on a tight budget. it is well worth the visit!

Great Latin fusion. Five of us shared three appetizers, plus each had an entree, and we shared a dessert. Everything was outstanding. Service was a little off as the waiter was talking a lot with other staff.

Very nice service, fillet mignon is a must try. Duck is is also recommended. Drink menu is worthy trying something (Rosemary cognac is very good)