El Carnaval
Company Details
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 4-10PM
Thursday: 4-10PM
Friday: 4-11PM
Saturday: 12-11PM
Sunday: 12-9PM
Contact Information
New York, New York, 10009
United States
El Carnaval Reviews
Submitted by Chris S-Rodriguez on 05/30/2022
Chris S-Rodriguez 5 stars rating.
Got a Groupon gift certificate to go there for dinner. They had salsa dancing class there when we went. It was great entertainment while we ate.
Submitted by J Bahr on 05/20/2022
J Bahr 5 stars rating.
Amazing local bar with the best staff and owner you could ask for. Chef is fantastic and produces authentic Panamanian food to the top level. I recommend going for any meal but they have salsa nights that are so much fun to keep a look out for.
My recommendation is the salmon and the calamari both are to die for
Submitted by Lisa Torres Cardenas on 05/15/2022
Lisa Torres Cardenas 5 stars rating.
The staff is super sweet n fun! The vibes are good... Thursday karaoke and Sunday is salsa nights. Great spot
Submitted by Alivia Ashenfarb on 04/12/2022
Alivia Ashenfarb 5 stars rating.
Fresh and flavorful! We had the salmon, steak, and calamari. All had amazing sauces. Great service and atmosphere too
Submitted by William on 03/21/2022
William 5 stars rating.
nice restaurant, food was super good. especailly the ny chicken wowww. The rice and chicken and fried rice was also good. I come here for sunday salsa dancing. The food is very chinese fusion (chino latino are everywhere like la caridad in cuba) or fusion influence taste. For a pure latin taste I dont know if you will get it. Maybe the latinphiles like that. As a asian the food here is delicious
Submitted by Sandra Hernandez on 01/25/2022
Sandra Hernandez 3 stars rating.
Honest review. I’m Latina and I’ve dined in many restaurants in NYC and all over. I also know authentic Latin cooking, so here goes my honest opinion.
Food: It seemed the restaurant had good food reviews but since it’s only been open for 6 months we decided to try a couple of items before “going all in”, the prices are very reasonable. We ordered the beef empanadas which were very good and had an authentic taste, the way I would expect if they were home made. We ordered the potato salad which was also very tasty. The tostones were also ok but didn’t come with its own dipping sauce. Finally we ordered the “Arroz Con Pollo” a very well known rice and chicken dish in many Latin American countries. Unfortunately it was undercooked (peas, carrots and chicken) which I mentioned to the waitress and she said she would tell the chef) to my surprise they did not make any additional comments or adjustments to the final bill (which I would expect if a meal is not prepared correctly).
Vibe: it was about 27 degrees out last night, and it was very cold inside the restaurant , we kept our heavy winter coats on the whole time. So maybe better to go on a warmer day if they can’t raise the temperature (which I commented to the waitress and she acknowledged as it being cold inside). We moved from a table in the front (close to the windows where we felt too cold, to a table in the jrear which was a little warmer)
Lighting: I think they were going for dim lighting, but the decor/lighting felt like it could use some attention. Definitely more
of a restaurant vibe than a lounge type.
Music: in the front area they were playing slow older Latin salsa/bachata/ballads music.
In the rear they have a couple of tables and a small stage area (above that is a tv display, where they played more modern Latin music videos, reggeaton etc)
Overall: we think the restaurant has a lot of potential but also think they can make some adjustments to ensure the food is at its best so that customers keep coming back. We enjoy the type of food they serve and will give it another try. Hopefully we will have a better experience next time.
One last comment on Drinks: we only tried the rum punch and can say it was defiantly on the stronger side - so that’s a plus if you like a heavy hand
Hope this review helped, if so give it a ????????
Submitted by Eléa Roussotte on 01/05/2022
Eléa Roussotte 1 stars rating.
Despite an interesting voucher from an app (pulsd) and a nice service, the food was absolutely awful. I believe that this restaurant had potential but that Covid hit really hard, and that they now are struggling (we were the only customers for dinner) and therefore don't have the money to serve decent food.
The place has nice Latino music and seems like a family restaurant, but the reality is that we had an atrocious experience: we received uncooked rice (and by uncooked I mean that it was impossible to chew as the grains were hard), defrosted steak, dried-up plantains, and everything was flavourless. We did not manage to eat anything. Please do something about the food to get some customers back !
Submitted by Jennifer Michel on 10/10/2021
Jennifer Michel 5 stars rating.
Chef KC was a delight from the very moment we entered the colorful and vibrant establishment. He is charismatic and full of life which is important when it comes to picking up the vibe of a restaurant. Newly opened and sticking to the roots of Panamanian food, he gave us a quick breakdown on where Panamanian food derives from and is influenced by. He also gave us his background and he is clearly trained by culinarian excellence.
If liquor is your only concern then you are not giving this restaurant a true chance as they were very transparent on their availability of spirits and although not a vast choice - you, as an eater, need to ask yourself in a neighborhood full of bars, why come to a restaurant to drink? It's the FOOD you should be enticed by and enticed I was! For the quality of the food, it was underpriced as I really enjoyed my meal.
Submitted by Camila Falquez on 06/25/2021
camila falquez 5 stars rating.
This is the best food i have had in NYC!! Tasting like the sabrosura of the caribbean and the class of NYC! So chic and spectacular! Best vibe and music and all the staff is lovely and beautiful!
Submitted by Halle Orr on 05/13/2021
Halle Orr 5 stars rating.
Such amazing food and service! Would highly recommend! Food was very reasonably priced and delicious, and the owner even came out and said hello. Great vibe, both indoor and outdoor seating.
