On Houston near Mulberry, in other words on border line of South Village and Soho
Estela
Category:
Tapas/Small Plates
47 E Houston St(between Greene St & Mulberry St)
New York, NY 10012
Neighborhood: Nolita
(212) 219-7693
- Nearest Transit Station:
-
Bleecker St. (4, 6, 6X)Broadway - Lafayette St. (B, D, F, M)Prince St. (N, R)
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
- $$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
28 reviews for Estela
Review Highlights What's this?
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"For larger dishes, I tried ricotta dumplings and steak." In 8 reviews -
"I'm normally not a fan of panna cotta, but this one was amazing - I..." In 6 reviews -
"Cured tuna with gigante beans and egg." In 4 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
28 reviews in English
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Review from Jen M.
Manhattan, NYThere's nothing negative I could say about my experience at Estela. From start to finish, the food and service were perfect.
We started with the salami, beef tartare and burrata - all great. For me, the standout was the tartare. The crispy sunchokes throughout were a great crunchy element to balance the raw meat and it had an underlying spicy flavor. Burrata was also great - served on really crispy bread.
Main courses we shared the ricotta dumplings and steak. Steak was one of the best pieces of meat I can recall eating. Dumplings were like little fluffy baskets of heaven.
LOVED it here and highly recommend going. -
Review from Parisa S.
Great vibe. OK food.
Definitely order the beef tartare. This was the standout dish of the night. Skip the calamari. Everything else is sort of, well, forgotten. My husband had the steak, which the chef recommends medium rare. It was not the best steak I've had. I think I had the cod. It was unremarkable.
What was remarkable were the desserts. The panna cotta was fantastic.
Given I was here less than 1 week ago, the fact that I can't remember much beyond the tartare does not bode well for Estela. Glad we checked it out, but def a once and done sort of place. -
Review from J D.
West Village, Manhattan, NYWe were shocked at the treatment that we received from the maitre d', Quinn. First of all, upon our arrival 15 minutes prior to the reservation, there were four empty 2-tops. After waiting 30 minutes at the bar, the same tables were still open and we were told we had to wait for a table near the bar to be cleared. The table we were seated at was incredibly uncomfortable and very small.
While sitting at the table, a group of very loud and obnoxious women stood right behind us making it nearly impossible to talk. My boyfriend stood up and kindly ask the maitre d' if we could move to one of the (still) open tables in the back. Quinn responded, "it's a crowded downtown restaurant, deal with it." We were shocked, not only was she incredibly rude, but for two people who eat at "downtown restaurants" 5 to 6 times a week, it was just plain dumb.
The food, however, was good. But not good enough to deal with their horrible service. -
Review from Cutie Patroller ..
Manhattan, NYMy new favorite tapas bar in my neighborhood. I highly recommend you to go. My favorite dishes are Raw Scallop with daikon radish & Beef tartare with sunckoke. Grilled squid is wonderful too. Two dishes I don't recommend you to order ( Lamb chop & Chocolate mousse from dessert. )-
Lamb chop *\(^o^)/* -
Calamari à la plancha with charred onion and romesco $14 *\… -
Raw scallop with radish, avocado, and Yuzu. $16 *\(^o^)/*
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Review from Tiff T.
Cambridge, MAI enjoyed my meal at Estela; while none of the flavor combinations were particularly new, the dishes I had were for the most part delicious.
The beef tartare with crispy sunchoke was a solid dish; the sunchoke added great texture, and the beef was clearly very good quality. I did find the dish to be a bit salty the more I ate it. I especially enjoyed the burrata served on pieces of charred bread; the cheese was light and dressed in a great-tasting olive oil. The mussels escabeche was less memorable; while the mussels were good, the accompanying sauce was highly seasoned, and it didn't help that the small pieces of bread soaked up much of the sauce. The quail with concord grapes was also a good dish but finicky to eat. I had never had grapes paired with quail, and the combination worked well.
The ricotta dumplings were served underneath thinly shaved white mushrooms and pecorino cheese. This dish was rich but had good flavor nonetheless. The steak was odd to me; on the outside, some pieces seemed overcooked but, inside, they were rare and very chewy. The accompanying eggplant was very salty and difficult to eat, and I found the char on the leeks left an unpleasant bitter aftertaste.
For dessert, we had the concord grape sorbet, which was served with creme fraiche, dried blueberries, and a granola mixture. It tasted like a delicious breakfast, and I enjoyed the textural contrast from the granola. The sorbet, though, did have a very concentrated flavor that was a bit reminiscent of Welch's grape juice. The honey panna cotta was, unfortunately, too sweet; while the honey was obviously very good quality, it overpowered the lightness of the panna cotta.
Service was friendly but a little bit awkward at times, particularly when the server started to switch out our utensils and plates while we were still finishing up a previous course. The dining room is friendly and warm. -
Review from Stephanie Q.
New York, NYWalk up a small flight of stairs, open the door, and you are welcomed into a cozy restaurant in the middle of Nolita.
This place is not huge, so reservations are recommended. The menu is small, but every dish is delicious. The dishes are listed according to size, those on top are the smallest, those at the bottom are the largest.
We started off with some burrata with salsa verde and charred bread. This was DELICIOUS. It was like burrata cooked in some kind of cheesey sauce on top of bread. We also tried the calamari a la plancha- I wish there was more calamari though. We had the cod with cabbage as well, the cod was delicious.
I would have given it 4 stars but since the dishes were so small, I'm taking away one star. All the dishes are meant to be shared but its kinda hard to share when all you can get is... one bite of food. -
Review from Melissa M.
Manhattan, NYGreat new restaurant! I've been three times now and have had a good experience each time.
I love the way the chef mixes ingredients you would never think to pair together and his use of spices is great. I recommend highly the cod and the endive salad with roasted anchovies. They have a good wine list (the sommelier is very knowledgeable and helpful), the prices are reasonable, the waiters are friendly and informed and there is a great vibe.
It's also fun to go with a large group and try the different tapas. -
Review from Ken S.
Manhattan, NYKenScale: 8.0/10
Estela is a new bar-restaurant featuring globally influenced, mostly small dishes from chef Ignacio Mattos. I liked most of the dishes from the restaurant, with a couple of them that I would love to come back again for.
I sampled various small dishes and a couple of larger dishes. Heirloom tomatoes with melon and basil, mussels escabeche on toast, and egg with gigante beans, cured tuna, and harissa were all pretty solid. Calamari was somewhat less successful. The best of the bunch, however, was beef tartare. It was perfectly seasoned to give that rich texture of the tartare that worked so harmoniously with sunchoke sprinkled in between. I would definitely come back to the restaurant just to get another bite of this dish. For larger dishes, I tried ricotta dumplings and steak. Steak was a little underwhelming, but I absolutely loved the ricotta dumplings, which were so tender and flavorful. For desserts, panna cotta was pretty solid.
The restaurant has a full bar, with a very solid selection of cocktails (my favorite was rum-based Valuable Lesson). Its atmosphere is casual and lively. The restaurant has quickly become a hot spot for young people with active bar scene, so I suggest making a reservation in advance.-
Mussels Escabeche on Toast -
Beef Tartare and Sunchoke -
Heirloom Tomatoes with Melon and Basil
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Review from Kristi B.
New York, NYPros:
- Some excellent dishes
- Nicely decorated space
- Friendly wait staff
Cons:
- A lot of the plates aren't shareable
- Horrible acoustics, loud and hard to hear each other
- Some of the dishes were bland
I really wanted to like Estela - it sounded like a great place and a lot of the dishes on the menu were interesting. i went here on a Monday night with 5 friends and we were told by the waiter that for our group size we should order 7 or 8 of the medium plates and 3 entrees to share. We took his adivce and found a few standouts (burrata, calamari, mussels and beef tartare) and some dishes that were definite passes [spigarello (very bitter), quail (bland, no figs in sight and impossible to share), riccotta dumplings (nothing special) and egg with beans (how do you share a poached egg between 6 people?)]. I will mention that the portions are SMALL. After that many dishes we all agreed we would need to pick up a slice on the way home to actually feel full.
Overall, the food was pretty good but the few bland dishes, the unshareable plates (which is odd for a restaurant that is designed for people to share), the small portions and the horrible acoustics lead to my rating. This would be a terrible place for a first date because you would not really be able to hear each other and, unless you know the person well, it is uncomfortable sharing some of these dishes since your used forks get everywhere in there and you need to use your hands. -
Review from Arieh S.
Chinatown, Manhattan, NYStellar food. Light and simple but fresh and perfectly executed. I had the kohlrabi -- wonderful combination of that delicious vegetable and fragrant hazelnuts. The cod was similarly excellent, extremely simple but marvelously springy and tender. Very few additional flavors, making it suitable for true cod lovers.
Complimentary bread was superb. As were the desserts, which reflecting the style of the place were not overly decadent but rather light and sophisticated. The panna cotta, with a lovely shock of salt, was the standout here.
Service -- Nori (?), I believe -- was wonderful. All in all a fantastic experience. -
Review from Sara w.
Manhattan, NYCute place, good vibe, tiny portions. Food is very good but you will leave hungry unless you want to spend a fortune ordering everything on the menu. -
Review from EJ P.
Manhattan, NYWas excited to try it. We grabbed two seats at the bar. The bartender and bar back were AWFUL. Whether waiting for a table or eating at the bar, the bar is often the first impression of a place.
The butch bar lady never smiled once, rolled here eyes when I finally requested a drink menu, after waiting in vain for an offer of one which never came. The bar back walked away while we were asking him a question...and these two morons giggled and talked about us, because we asked for less cane syrup in the "daisy" cocktail.
Apps were inventive and nice, but I won't detail, as the bar staff was so bad we thought we were on a prank TV show. They must be kidding and we will not be back, and I highly reccommend people do not try this place.
This bar experience, coupled with all the reviews that mention the quick plate clearing...indicative of a place that is sloppily aggressive about turning tables, makes this place "all hype".
Despite all the restaurant choices in NYC, the culinary landscape can get boring at times, and new spots are still the most exciting remedy...but this place is a miss. -
Review from Courtney P.
New York, NYI know how much it costs to order 90% of the menu here.
At once.
A lot.
And oddly, I don't feel that morning-after-I-just bruised my credit card sadness that I have experienced in the past.
Oh sure, my baggy dress is tighter and my wallet... well lighter.
But I would go back (Truth be told, I already have plans to).
So without further adieu:
A gracious elegant/organic/slightly industrial redo of the Nolita House space with Former Isa mega-talent Ignacio Mattos in the chef toque has landed on Houston. When I walked in, it was packed. I was seated on an oddly comfortable window seat, teeny tiny glass of white wine at my side waiting for my friends. As they trickled in we grabbed a super tiny table in a tinier corner and eye balled the menu.
Pickle plate. Yes please. Beef tartar. Yes. Cured tuna with gigante beans and egg. Olli's Ham plate. Lettuce with Tahini. Burrata with lovage. Trout with Fava and horseradish. Raw scallops with bronze fennel. Calamari with romesco. Pork with Carrots.
Yes, yes and yes. (okay Meg Ryan... I'll shut up).
I have two words for you: AMAZE BALLS.
The best beef tartar of all time. Sunchokes? Pickled Elderberry? Really.
The pork was perfectly cooked. The Lettuce (with tahini and sunflower seeds)... as my friend said, "Even their sunflower seeds are REALLY good", could make me a salad eater. I could have eaten 10 plates of Olli's ham which was magic pork surrounded by melt in your mouth lardo. The calamari was unadulterated brilliance. The service, attentive. My only sadness was that white wines came in a super tiny glass... I like a larger glass. But really? If that's is my only criticism, as my mother would say, "Stop your whining."
I can't say enough about this place. And so I will stop. (But hope to be a regular there). Just save me a seat, okay? -
Review from Jaime A.
New York, NYI really REALLY wanted to love this place. I've heard and read raving reviews so my foodie gf and I had to check it out. We went on a Friday night around 8pm which was crowded but not over the top.
We had some cocktails at the bar area which was lovely then seated for a dinner service. I had the de la lousiana, which was like a manhattan for all you whiskey drinkers out there. We enjoyed the drinks then had 3 appetizers and a main course to share.
Raw scallops- one big scallop sliced into 4 thin slices. Mind you, I LOVE raw scallops. I often order it from other restaurants so I've had high expectations. When the plate arrived, there were thin slices of raw scallops with tangerines and dill on top. Honestly it wasn't worth the money and I didn't see any wow factor in this dish. The sweet tangerines with raw scallops didn't compliment each other and I didn't think it was anything special. I would've enjoyed it more if it was with something more acidy.
Burrata cheese - A big chunk of burrata cheese with sliced radishes on top. Again, no wow factor here. It was just mediocre.
Beef tartare - Probably the best dish we've had through the evening (Yes, it was yummy but wasn't the best beef tartare I've ever had before). The crispy sun chokes added a lot of texture which I appreciated but again, wasn't the best tartare I've had in NYC.
Ricotta dumplings - A huge disappointment. Don't except actual dumplings. It was more like a bite sized cut up ricotta cheese smothered in butter, fava beans and edamame. For $22, I would've expected more.
Overall, great cocktails but disappointed in the food section. Would I come back again? Maybe, maybe not. I hope to come back to try other things! -
Review from Sherry J.
Manhattan, NYStumbling upon a chance dinner at newly opened restaurant Estela was a little like falling into the arms of Don Draper. The unmarked doorway and dark, chic surroundings were mysterious and intriguing, much like the tall, dark and handsome stranger himself.
Engaging with Estela through its food further perpetuated the mystery, as the flavors revealed little about its culinary origins. Blood sausage croquettes pointed to Spanish, yet Virginia ham was undeniably American. And there were times when I even tasted some Asian flavors. My takeaway was that Estela has no definitive roots and has instead embraced the culinary influences of the multiple cultures it has come into contact with. This absence of a definitive past shouldn't matter, because, like Don's work, the food speaks for itself.
The food is served tapas style to encourage sharing of many dishes, with sizes increasing further down the menu. We decided to order several small plates, including the raw scallops with citrus and bronze fennel, the trout with fava, yuzu, and horseradish, and the egg with gigante beans and cured tuna, as well as a larger dish of the pork with carrots, Marcona almonds, and dandelion greens.
This was one of those rare dinner moments where every single dish that came out was truly well-executed. There were no hit-or-miss inconsistencies here. The ingredients used in each dish were minimal but to the point. I did notice that there was a common thread of utilizing citrus flavors to bring some lightness to the food.
For instance, the raw scallops were reminiscent of the sashimi yuzu appetizers that are staples at Japanese restaurants, yet the fennel and red pepper accents threw you for a loop so that the dish couldn't completely claim Asian origins.
The trout similarly had that Asian quality with its yuzu seasoning, but the fresh and seasonal fava beans and peas seemed very American farmers' market to me. I thought the wispy ribbons of horseradish were a pretty brilliant and unique way of imparting some spice to a dish.
The egg with gigante beans and cured tuna was my favorite out of the small plates. I loved the warm and savory broth, and the combination of eggs, chunky beans and tuna was a highly satisfying and hearty one.
I normally don't seek out pork at a restaurant, because I find that it usually ends up occupying two extreme ends of the spectrum--dry, tasteless pork chop loins or extremely fatty, heavy belly pieces. The pork at Estela occupies a happy medium between the two. The meat was lovely and tender and rimmed with just a touch of fattiness to provide rich, juicy flavor.
Desserts can be an afterthought at many places, but that wasn't the case here. I thought the chocolate sherbet thoughtfully showcased its main ingredient in all sorts of lovely ways. The icy sherbet scoop and the crunchiness of the hazelnuts and coffee beans were extremely fun to eat.
Estela currently enjoys a somewhat anonymous existence in its unmarked address on E. Houston, but this won't last for long. It'll be in your best interest to drop by for a walk-in during its low-key phase before favorable word-of-mouth makes it impossible to score a table. I'm hoping to sneak in another order of the pork as well as the ricotta dumplings and anchovies on my next visit, hopefully before the onslaught of diners crowd me out because they want a piece of Estela's globetrotting cuisine for themselves. -
Review from Lou Y.
East Brunswick, NJIf you can find this place you will enjoy the dining experience. On the 2nd floor of a nondescript apt. bldg in a seedy looking part of Houston this is 't the place to bring mom and dad. Small and a little cramped, the service is lacking but the food was terrific. The menu is divided into small plates and not-so-small plates with a few "larger" entrees so order several and enjoy. . The ricotta gnocchi were extremely light and flavorful and the salad was flavorful. The sea bass was moist and delicious while the lamb was also delicious. So for an out of the way dining experience definitely give it a try. -
Review from Nomad M.
New York, NYIt is dark and nicely decorated but people next table were way too loud......
Came here after long day at work, by myself. Around 9pm on a Thur, this place was packed. Snagged the last table in the corner. Lucky me! Promptly, I was handed a menu with wine list at the back. All small plates with four bigger plates options. Great! Ordered a glass of German reisling, grilled calamari and mussels a la pancha. Just sat and chilled. While i was sipping my wine, I could not help but drawing attention to the middle age female bankers sitting at the table next to me. They just talked way too loud. I was really annoyed. Literally, I was forced to listen to all their whining....Please, I don't need live Bloomberg TV while I am trying to relax. Quiet!. In between all those money talk, my food arrived. The mussels escabeche on toast were four cute little pieces creatures - juicy and tender mussels lied on top of a creamy sauce and crisp toast. Perfect snack to go with my reisling. The grilled calamari with caramelized onion and romesco. Oh the calamari was perfectly charred and not chewy at all. The romesco was blended in cashews and it serve sort of palate cleaner in between my bites of calamari. it was so good.
All in all, I like my dinner here - service was decent, food was good and light, nice wine selection also. The only complaint is the noise level. I may think twice before I come here next time when I just want some peacefulness and relax with a glass of good wine.-
Mussels is juicy and tender. Lightly seasoned. Perfect to g… -
Mussels a la pancha with caramelized onion on toast. Good -
Grilled calamari, amazing!
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Review from Jyoti H.
I had read about this place opening up this past week, so I took my sister here (she is visiting from out of town). When we got there, I was expecting something like an hour wait, but we got really lucky and were seated right away.
This is no exaggeration - everything we ordered was amazing. We started with the blood sausage croquettes, beef tartare, and raw scallops, and shared the ricotta dumplings for dinner.
There are only two desserts on the menu, so sis and I each ordered one. I'm normally not a fan of panna cotta, but this one was amazing - I wanted to lick the jar clean!
Not to mention - very attentive staff, and a nice ambiance - as in - easy to hear your dinner mate over the table.
Bravo, Estela! Along with Pearl & Ash, I think this is one of my fave new spots! -
Review from Erin B.
Manhattan, NYI had an awesome time here the other night-- we nabbed seats at the bar and had an amazing evening. The cool bartenders know their stuff about the food, cocktails, and wine and led us through a great experience.
We tried about 40% of the menu, and everything was stellar. The food is satisfying, simple in a good way (really pure flavors), and delicious. We ordered a plate of charcuterie that was just slices of salami with a little olive oil. Sounds simple, right? Except it was the best salami I have ever tasted! We also tried the burrata, the blood sausage croquettes, the dumplings-- all incredibly satisfying.
The wine list was well thought through and full of interesting and cool selections. I wanted to try it all! We sampled cocktails, beers, and a bottle of funky white wine from France (funky in a good way!). When my friend ordered tea, it came in a beautiful glass teapot.
We ordered all of the desserts- my favorite was a plain custard with a dollop of sauce on top.
This is a cozy tapas place and I cannot wait to return again and again. -
Review from Leslie S.
I had been wanting to try Estela for a while and then after I read the review in the Times I decided that I must go! I couldn't get a reservation last minute of course so I decided to just go early and sit at the bar. I walked in on a Wednesday night at around 6 and I was the first person there, score! The restaurant is up a few stairs and you almost feel like you're walking into someones apartment building. Once inside the decor is very cool, my only complaint being that the bar stools are TRES uncomfortable! Not only are they too short for the height of the bar but there really is nowhere to rest your feet so they kinda just dangle there as your butt bones get sore from the hard wood on top. While I was waiting for my friend I ordered the Tompkins Square cocktail: Rye, kirschwasser, Maurin Quina, Benedictine, and allspice dram. This was the equivalent of a very bitter Manhattan, meh. By 7:30 the place was jammed and LOUD. We decided to order a few things off the menu and were really having a hard time deciding as everything sounded good. For wine we ordered the 2010 Fronton de Oro Tintilla from the Canary Islands and for $60, feel free to skip it. It was very light and did open up a bit but wasn't worth the price in my estimation. For food we ordered the kholrabi with hazelnuts, mint, and fossa cheese and if you only order one dish, make this be it. This was fabulous and all the flavors together were perfect. I had never heard of fossa cheese and it reminded me a bit of grated parmesan. Next up the burrata with salsa verde and charred bread. The burrata was creamy goodness but the salsa verde lacked much flavor. For our third and final dish we ordered the egg with gigante beans, cured tuna, and harissa. I could definitely smell the dish coming which was a bit off putting but once we dug in there was no reason for concern. The harissa was SPICY! This dish definitely had some kick which I love but was a bit too much for my friend. The amount of food we ordered was just right for us. I thought the place was great, a solid 4 stars and worth a drop-in. -
Review from Robert L.
Manhattan, NYI went back to Estella to see if I would get the same amazing service and food. It was even better. Every dish is so different in a way that you want it all. The squid with ink was tender and so tasteful . All the main dishes are a symphony of flavors exploding in your mouth. No joke!! They have 3 desserts that you lose by picking any one of them. Love this place, man
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