Top 10 Bars in Hell's Kitchen

Below is my list of Top 10 bars in Hell's Kitchen. Having an apartment at the corner of Hell's Kitchen I have had a chance to frequent many places and here is my list of the best with some helpful reviews.



1. Vintner Wine Market
Categories: Wine Bars, Beer, Wine & Spirits, Cheese Shops
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District


2. Birdland
Categories: Jazz & Blues, Cajun/Creole, Southern
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Theater District, Midtown West


3. The Pony Bar
Category: Bars
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West


4. Rudy's Bar & Grill
Categories: Dive Bars, Hot Dogs
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Theater District, Midtown West

5. Library Bar at Hudson
Category: Lounges
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West

6. Valhalla
Category: Pubs
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Theater District, Midtown West

7. Hourglass Tavern
Categories: Lounges, American (New)
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District

8. Mercury Bar
Category: Bars
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District


9. Riposo 46
Categories: Wine Bars, Italian
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District


10. Chelsea Grill of Hell's Kitchen
Category: American (New)
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District

Merilu Review

Merilu
4.5 star rating
20 reviews Rating Details

Categories: Restaurants Italian Restaurants Pizza Italian, Pizza [Edit]
791 9th Ave
(between 52nd St & 53rd St)
Manhattan, NY 10019
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Theater District, Midtown West

1. I come from a family of discriminating pizza lovers. My father discovered this place first and immediately began singing its praises. We went for lunch there this week and I must say that he wasn't exaggerating.

The place is run by an Italian family from Brooklyn. They are very accommodating and they treat you like you're in their home and they're cooking for you.

The pizza was perfect. We ordered a Sicilian style pie, half with tomatoes and garlic and half with pepperoni and broccoli. The toppings are fresh, high quality, and actually have taste!! The crust was medium thickness, light and crispy on the outside, and a perfect combination of doughy, crispy, and firm on the inside. The sauce is homemade and has a perfect kick to it. The cheese is REAL cheese, also fresh with a perfect consistency and the right ratio to the sauce.

Merilu is among the best pizza I've had and I highly recommend it.

2. I'm always down to try out a new pizza spot, and after seeing the reviews on Yelp, I was ready to give it a go.

The Pros: Quality toppings. Great crust. Amazing garlic bread!

The Cons: $$$$$$ Our pizza and garlic bread was about $45 with tip.

The staff was friendly and the guy behind the counter asked how I liked my crust (soft or crispy). The garlic bread was also outstanding. If I knew I was going to die tomorrow I'd come here and devour about 5 pounds of their garlic bread. It's that good.

3. This is some of the best pizza I've had in NYC. I'd call it artisanal. I know, a word that gets tossed about like legendary.
But Merilu is excellent.
I make pizza at home and this is better.
Small with perhaps a dozen choices. Don't miss this

.

Sushi of Gari 46 Review

Sushi of Gari 46
4.0 star rating
150 reviews Rating Details

Top 10 Restaurants in Hell's Kitchen List

Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
347 W 46th St
(between 8th Ave & 9th Ave)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Theater District, Midtown West
(212) 957-0046
www.sushiofgari.com/

1. *HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. I'm definitely coming back.

This is now my favorite sushi place in Manhattan. It's better than Sushi Yasuda, by far. The sashimi at Sushi Yasuda was much less flavorful in comparison to Sushi of Gari.

It's a small place located in Hells Kitchen next to a row of other restaurants. We actually walked by it the first time. The space is a bit small, but not cramped.

FOOD
Seaweed salad / black seaweed / mushrooms -- All good, but not memorable

Tofu appetizer -- Mmm, this was delicious. The outside was crisp, while the inside melted in your mouth. The sauce it came with was also delicious.

Omakase -- This means chef's choice. I think I read somewhere that the use of soy sauce + wasabi on sushi is more of an American thing. Traditionally, the chef flavors the sushi/sashimi for you so no additional flavoring in necessary. With omakase, the chef selects the fish and pairs it with the appropriate sauce. In fact, our waitress asked us not to use soy sauce with the selection. We did request certain items not to be added, though.

There were three plates with 8 pieces - 4 each, 12 total. it ranged from uni, yellowtail, tuna, salmon, etc. My favorite was the salmon topped with tomato.

2. did I go into the wrong Sushi of Gari 46 or what?! Man, it was not good. I mean everything except for the host. He was nice and friendly but everything else was just.... worse than the service at the DMV.

After reading the YELP reviews ( which I always do before going to a new spot) I was super excited for the Omakase. Even though we ( my date) made a reso, we still waited 30 minutes for seats at the bar so we can have the full experience.

Our waitress was prob the first reason why I would knock a star off. I would really like the name of the waitress because she needs to be fired. I'm sorry but been being in the service industry for many years and managing a restaurant lets me know that the kind of service she was giving last night was shit. Maybe she was having a bad day or something but she was rude and could clearly tell she didn't want to be there. She first rolled her eyes when our neighbor eater asked for a menu. She kept reaching over the bar top without any knowledge she is going to, she was always condescending when she was talking to us and on top of that, when my date and I looked at each other just cause of her behavior, she flat out said, " um, my English is not that good so sorry if you can't understand what i'm saying." but in a very sarcastic mean tone! Man, I felt like I was a little kid getting chastised!

On to the chef and the food. Worse and worser ( that's not a word but it describes the experience) . I've been to enough sushi rest and ordered Omakase to know how chefs work. They usually say hi, ask what you like, have a feel for their guests and start their work. Our sushi chef, didn't say one word. After 10 minutes, he put down a piece of sushi on our plate. I asked what it was and he replied, " se........" yep. That was what he said. i couldn't understand what he said. I felt bad but my date asked again what it was and again, " se......." I looked at my date and said, " starburst?" LOL.... We decided it on our own it was sea bass. Next few was not so good. Toro was chewy, half of the omakase was cooked with lots of toppings, no yellowtail, no uni, no specialty fish. what the FUCK?!!!! I did not just pay correction, my date did not just pay $300 for about 15 pieces of fish I could've gotten at a local sushi place!

Oh and if the guest asks if you have yellowtail and you don't reply back, what kind of service is that? Also, if your guest specifically tell you they are allergic to crab and lobster and you still serve it, what kind of service is that??Overall, very disappointed and i feel bad because it seems like others that visited the restaurant had a better experience than I did... =(

3. Oh the perks of living at hells kitchen.
Gari46 is one my very few favorite sushi around my apartment....and probably in Manhattan. Coming from Los Angeles where i can find amazing sushi...i was very disappointed when i first moved to ny three years ago, however sushi of gari changed everything. It might even be better than sushi gen in little tokyo.....
definitely go for the omakase, its worth the price. Most pieces come with a little bit of a garnish which might not sound too authentic but trust me....its no cream cheese, jalapeno, fried tempura bs. its light and refreshing and simply inhances the flavor of the fish. Everything is fresh and portions are not small! Definitely call ahead because its very small and gets crowded!

Lezzette Mediterranean Cucina Review

Lezzette Mediterranean Cucina
4.5 star rating
54 reviews Rating Details

Categories: Restaurants Sandwiches Restaurants Mediterranean Sandwiches, Mediterranean [Edit]
369 W 34th St
(between 8th Ave & 9th Ave)
New York, NY 10001
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West, Chelsea
(212) 244-8301

1. Best chicken gyro sandwich I've ever had.
Lots of crisp dark meat, lots of lettuce, good sauce, touch of spiciness, and a thin wrap about it all so you can really taste the flavors.

The gentleman running it is sharp, confident in his cooking, and very friendly. $6.95 for what I had, and there was enough that I got a to-go container. Budget-friendly, and the certainly the tastiest gyro sandwich I've ever had.

Will be back!

2. Very tasty.
Ambience: Simple deli-style place with limited seating.
Service: Friendly owner was a little on the hard-sell side but did give me exactly what I was hoping for.
Food: I got the lamb kebabs in pita bread to which they added some nice greens. Well seasoned and perfectly cooked. It was simple fare but done right.
Price: Very reasonable.

3. wow this place is over rated at 4-1/2 stars!

it's decent and good for the hood but NOT great!
i ate here when i worked in the hood. maybe once a week but only bc there want much else fresh in the hood.

is it worth going back? yes...
is it worth going out of your way for it? no...

Top 10 Restaurants in Hell's Kitchen

1. Per Se
Category: French
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West


2. Guelaguetza
Category: Mexican
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West



3. Capizzi
Category: Pizza
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District



4. Lali Restaurant
Category: Latin American
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West


5. Masa
Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West


6. Sullivan Street Bakery
Categories: Bakeries, Cooking Schools, Pizza
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West


7. Casellula
Categories: Wine Bars, American (New)
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West


8. Lezzette Mediterranean Cucina
Categories: Sandwiches, Mediterranean
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea, Midtown West


9. Sushi of Gari 46
Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District


10. Merilu
Categories: Italian, Pizza
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District

Casellula Review

Casellula
4.0 star rating
320 reviews Rating Details

Categories: Nightlife Bars Wine Bars Restaurants American (New) Wine Bars, American (New) [Edit]
401 W 52nd St
(between 9th Ave & 10th Ave)
New York, NY 10019
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West
(212) 247-8137
www.casellula.com

1. Casellula is an excellent choice for a nice wine bar to bring a date. I wouldn't necessarily call it romantic, but I mean this in a good way. It's a small place that can get tight when busy; no quiet corner to sit down with someone. The front is dominated by a large glass window that lets in lots of natural light. Since they're on a side street and not an avenue you actually get some sunlight. 9th Avenue can get a little busy so it's nice to have the place off the main street.

The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. There's an extensive wine list and an even more extensive cheese list. My server would stop by often to make sure we were doing ok. There's some other delicious food on the menu, and the desserts are great. They really . The prices are about what you would expect for a wine bar.

Keep in mind that as of this review, they do not accept reservations so it's first come first served. I'll be coming back.

2. Tiny cute little place, very packed on a Thursday night. We got seated by the window while we waited for a table and perused the wine list and food. We got seated at a table within 5/10 minutes but got told that we may be asked to move as the table was meant for 4 people not 2.

It was a tough choice for food, especially looking through the numerous cheeses they had but we eventually settled on 3 meats: Chorizo, Salami and the Goose breast. I have never had goose breast before and it was delicious! Defintely give this a try, the chorizo was very good too.

We chose a cheese each, the Haberno which I was disappointed with (I'm very particular about cheese!) and another cheddar like cheese was was delicious (near the bottom of the pressed cheeses, no idea of the name!). Love that the menu gives you apt descriptions of the cheeses though, it was informative and helps you find a cheese you'd like. We also ordered the Bastilla (tomato toast) which came with a huuuuuge lump of mozarella, we were in cheese heaven!

We shared a main, getting the mac and cheese which had a caramalised onion taste to it, something I'm not so keen on. It was nice, my friend really enjoyed it. Warning: it's amazingly cheesy too.

We had two glasses of white wine each, the choice of wines to buy by the glass are limited and I would have liked a slightly larger choice.

Loved the atmosphere, very casual, cosy and bustling. Would be good for either a date or small group drinks. It's small in there but I would definately go back!

3. I don't drink so I cant review the wine, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere at this out of the way Hells Kitchen find, and I loved the food. I love that its a little bit off the main 9th Avenue drag. I love the look and feel. And I love that its casual and comfortable, and yet its a step above the rest of the area.

The cheeses and cheese selection are really terrific, and you wont find another bar or restaurant in the area with even decent cheese. Ditto for the wide variety of really yummy appetizers and small plates. The Pigs Ass Sandwich and the Macaroni and Cheese were exceptionally good.

Its the only place in this part of town where you can sit down with friends and order a bunch of really great plates to taste and snack on together and just hang out. Well there are other places, but they would involve fried things and menus with the words 'fingers' 'skins' 'poppers' and such. Cant wait to go back and try some more.

Sullivan Street Bakery Review

Sullivan Street Bakery
4.5 star rating
137 reviews Rating Details

Categories: Food Bakeries Education Specialty Schools Cooking Schools Restaurants Pizza Bakeries, Cooking Schools, Pizza [Edit]
533 W 47th St
(at 11th Ave)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West
(212) 265-5580
www.sullivanstreetbakery.com

1. There wasn't much of a line, but I was able to save two seats while waiting. Don't come here expecting to sit; we got lucky. Not knowing what to order, I hoped the guy behind the counter would recommend something. He kept repeating everything was good and I hid my frustration at this answer, even though it was probably true. We got a slice of the mushroom, another of cauliflower, and one Panini PMB ($6).

Of the pizza slices, I wasn't too crazy about the cauliflower. It tasted too strong for me to notice the bread. The mushroom was better, but it wasn't the best option for someone interested in testing SSB's bread. The Panini PMB (pancetta/italian bacon, mango, red chile powder, basil leaves) was fantastic. The mango slices and bacon rolls were a brilliant mix of two very different textures and flavors between two perfect pieces of bread.

I walk into SSB on a Saturday afternoon hoping for an amazing gastronomic experience, which I know is a bad thing to do. Fortunately, my high expectations were met. I'll come back and try other things since "everything is good."

2. Having some time to kill before going to see a play, my girlfriend suggested a visit to Sullivan Street Bakery. If you prowl around NYC enough (as I do), you'll eventually see the truck from this bakery delivering bread to restaurants everywhere. with that in mind, it took no time at all to convince me to go.

Sullivan Street Bakery is not on Sullivan Street, it's nowhere near it and it's tucked away in a largely residential area. It looks rather small from the outside, and indeed the seating area could accommodate eight people tops before it gets uncomfortable. Most of the shop is actually the area where the goods are made and baked, with only a small glass display case in the front and a register even showing that this is a retail establishment.

On this visit, we ordered two items that contrasted quite heavily:

Savory Canotto
This brioche bread based item can best be described as a savory dessert. It's not really a "main" meal item like their pizzas or bread loaves. It's a rectangular brioche with ingredients that include gruyere cheese, fennel seeds and chunks of cured meat baked inside. The result is a set of awesome flavors that all work together well. The savory elements are balanced by the bread, which in turn is given some kick by the fennel seed. A really nice combination - though I think they would be much better right out of the oven.

Olanda
In contrast to the savory awesomeness of the Canotto, the Olanda is like a bread pudding. The texture is very moist and soft, but not delicate. This thing head together nicely as I picked at it with my fingers. The ingredients included chocolate and some coffee flavor. The taste was fantastic, and its sweetness offered a formidable contrast to the savory Canotto.

The staff at Sullivan Street Bakery was very friendly and worked quick to get each customer taken care of properly. The facility was clean and friendly. Add to that some scrumptious baked goods and you have an awesome recipe for success.

3. FRESH & TASTY!

Located next to a car dealership, you'd never guess there's a place like this. I'd come here everyday for lunch if I worked nearby, seriously. Cute little bakery/cafe with limited seating, but I overheard the employee saying they're renovating the upstairs area for additional seating. Not really sure when that will take place, but most of the folks we encountered took theirs to-go.

My roommate and I shared the pizza patate, prosciutto & mozzarella sandwich, bomboloni (vanilla, not the jam-filling), and brought home a loaf of brioche. The pizza had generous amounts of sliced tomatoes and onions, but what I really liked was the thin, crisp crust. My favorite was the prosciutto & mozzarella sandwich. FRESH MOZZARELLA. The bomboloni was a bit on the sweet side for me (nevertheless, the vanilla creme filling is still pretty awesome), but I'd like to try the seasonal jam-filled one next time.

It was my first time trying brioche bread, and it was sweet but not overpowering. Reminded me a LOT of King's Hawaiian bread, just fresher since our loaf was literally straight out of the oven and HOT. I think it'd be excellent with a glass of milk or tea.

Masa Restaurant Review

Masa Dining
4.0 star rating
85 reviews Rating Details

Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
Time Warner Ctr
10 Columbus Cir
Ste 4F
New York, NY 10019
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West
(212) 823-9800
www.masanyc.com

1. Masa is a meal that is pretty unforgettable, wait let me rephrase - completely unforgettable.

Definitely ask to sit at the bar when they confirm your reservation, so you can watch te masters prepare your food!

From the blowfish, to the very creative shabu shabu, to the sushi - everything is perfectly delicious.

I would highly suggest not getting any wine/sake, and just enjoy the meal with water and the tea that they will serve you.

Oh P.S. i have never had such delicious strawberries which are apparently fresh from Japan.

2. I must admit I've been on a sushi kick for the last week or so. I've been reading, possibly obsessing over the most authentic ways to prepare sushi. When I love a restaurant, or a specific dish, I tend to gather various recipes in hopes of recreating a lovely dinner for myself. So yes, I've been eating at New York's best Japanese restaurants this past week, attempting to understand the secret behind the perfect piece of sushi. To a fault, I've always assumed Sushi was an easy thing to recreate... Buy a slab of fish, cut it, lay it over a mound of rice, and you're done. But I was mistaken, especially upon walking into Masa. Yes, the reviews below me speak the truth: It's best to eat here with a completely clean and clear palette. Why? Because you're eating some of the most incredible, delectable, mouthwatering, luscious (shall I continue?) food you may ever put into your mouth.

While I didn't learn much about the secrets behind the preparation of the perfect piece of Sushi, I did come to understand that freshness is essential. However, this is why my rating dips a bit lower than the others. Masa has their fresh fish delivered to NYC from Japan daily. Yes, so that 20% service charge is not for their employees, it's to have their fish flown to New York. Not only does that leave a huge carbon footprint, it's also appalling that beyond the exorbitant prices you're already paying, the included service charge is NOT the tip. If Masa wasn't so tasty, my rating would've dipped much lower than three stars for this reason. Hmph.

3. How much does it cost to eat like royalty in New York City? In the case of Masa, about $400 per person, plus beverages (in our case booze), tip, and sales tax. You do the math. If this sounds enticing, then you must come to Masa.

I've been dying to try Masa, but knew I could never afford it on my own merit. When my boss told me to pick one of New York's finest restaurants to host our visiting London partners, I knew Masa was the place.

Masa seems simple, but the simplicity makes it beautiful. The wood from the counter is made from hinoki and was specially brought in from Japan, who knew would could be so pretty?

The menu changes daily, so each experience is truly unique and your own. Of all the items on the menu we tried, none were short of spectacular.

Fish is flown in daily from Japan and from certain parts of the US, so you'll never have to worry if you are eating yesterday's fish because you can simply taste freshness in every course.

The toro tartare with caviar is TO DIE FOR. The Unagi (eel) was prepared behind the sushi chef where there was a little grill; a sous chef helped grill the eel and presented it to the chef with such concentration that it felt like they were performing open heart surgery on it. The preparation hyped our anticipation and rightfully so. It was perfect.

The servers bring by bowls of warm lemon water so you can clean your hands because the chef wants you to eat the sushi with your fingers. An experience in itself.

Masa is like an outer body experience. You quickly forget you are in the midst of the busy Time Warner Center and apart of something you'd never imagine you'd ever know.

Once all the amazing courses are finished, after the warm towels are delivered to clean your hands- you're brought down to earth when you get a glimpse of the bill. 3 hours of amazing food ended up being half as much as my rent on my UWS apartment.

Luckily, this life changing food experience was on company's dime. Although my boss told me I'm never allowed to pick where we eat for work dinners again, Masa was definitely worth it.

Lali Restaurant Reviews

Lali Restaurant
4.5 star rating
24 reviews Rating Details

Category: Restaurants Latin American Latin American [Edit]
630 10th Ave
(between 44th St & 45th St)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West

1. I've considered eating here everyday. A true gem. Just the rice and beans is enough. You can't get more authentic with the dishes.

2. Great homestyle Latin food. You can tell because I was the only person in the whole place speaking English.

Not a whole lot on the menu but everything looked good. I got the beef stew over rice with a sliced avocado on the side.

I'd definitely go again. Great lunch spot. Only open until 4:00 PM.

3. Seven dollar baked chicken over yellow rice and beans was delectable.
Not a lot to say here besides, if you're in the neighborhood and want a solid serving of simply nutritious and fulfilling food, Lali is the place.

Capizzi Reviews

Capizzi
4.5 star rating
53 reviews Rating Details

Category: Restaurants Pizza Pizza [Edit]
547 9 th ave
Manhattan, NY 10018
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Theater District, Midtown West
(212) 695-6900

1. This place is PERFECT just exactly what you want from a New York Pizza place. Family owned and run, small and cozy, fantastic warm service and most important of all the food was AMAZING.

Everything we tried was better than I could hope. The Pizza Crust was perfect New York pizza. Thin crispy crust, and the crust on the edges was just perfectly blackened from the wood in the oven. The Crust easily cracks and pops when you bite it and the flavor is fantastic.

According to the waitress (who's father was behind the counter hand tossing our pizza) everything is fresh and either comes from local farmers or is imported directly from Italy.

The walls are all decorated with pictures of the family and they had a solid selection of wines on display.

If you are visiting from out of town it is just a couple blocks from Times Square and worth the walk.

2. Find it behind the port authority bus terminal. It's such a weird location that I almost didn't go in, but after dining there I'm glad I stuck with it.

I had the Pizza Bianca, made with simple but good quality olive oil and cheese. My husband had a pie with prosciutto and arugula. It had freshly grated Parmesan lovingly dusted on top. The pizza crust is nice. It's rustic with little burned spots from being in the brick oven. In general, I do like it a bit more chewy, but this crust is definitely good. We finished our meal with the tiramisu. It was light and lovely.

I drank the house Chianti, which was fine. There are plenty of wines by the bottle to choose from if you want something nice with your pie.

Service was attentive and sincere. There are really sweet guys working there.

The decor had some great, homey details. They use little paper doilies with embossed flowers as coasters. The bathroom is charming. I felt like I was using a bathroom in someone's home.

3. The pizza is good but definitely not the best. I never trust the review of someone that doesn't have a profile picture. And I rarely trust a review of someone that doesn't have a profile picture of themselves. If you scroll down all of the reviews, you'll notice that a lot of the reviewers are newbies or have signed on to Yelp just to give this place a 5-star review.

I get it. You're selling pizza in the heart of NYC's tourist district and you want to attract as much business as possible. But how about doing it on merit?

What separates you from 2 Bros Pizza? At least at 2 Bros. you know what you're getting...cheap pizza at a cheap price ($1). Most people could care less about Yelp. And most people think that 2 Bros. is a great example of NYC-style pizza (which it definitely IS NOT!).

Yelpers are a different breed of consumer. If you burn them, you burn yourself. Let your pizza speak for itself.

It's ok, not great. Stop telling friends/employees to pump your star rating up with bogus reviews. You're not in the upper echelon of the NYC pizza strata. Do you really think you're in the same class as say a Totonno's?

You're not even as good as some of the "Famous Ray's Pizza" places...

Guelaguetza Reviews

Guelaguetza
4.5 star rating
43 reviews Rating Details

Category: Restaurants Mexican Mexican [Edit]
526 W 47th St
(at 11th Ave)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West

1. Most important: The picture with the red awning that says "La Rosita Gro.." is not this place. I thought that someone was trying to trick me when I saw the actual place. (See my picture.) The place actually looks like a tiny bodega / mini-mart.

The food was absolutely amazing. It all seems to be made by this one lady in this tiny little kitchen area. The tacos are soft tacos on corn tortillas, kind of in the same style as Chipotle, except that your food is made fresh when you order it instead of... When does Chipotle make the meat in the metal bins? La Rosita also puts a ton more meat in the tacos.

Their quesadillas were outstanding, too. I also loved the touch of authenticity in that even their bottles of Coca-Cola seemed to be imported from Mexico. They also had a "tamarindo" flavored soda, which I tried. I assume that tastes like tamarind, but I don't know what a tamarind is. It was pretty good, though.

Things you'll want to know: They have three tables that seat two people each. One of the tables will most likely be taken by one of the owners' kids. So either plan on getting take-out, or hope that a table opens up while you're waiting for the lady to make your food. They also don't appear to have a public restroom (although I didn't actually ask). Since soft tacos are a little messy, you'll want to remember that you can clean your hands with lime juice from the limes that come with the tacos.

I highly recommend La Rosita. If you don't come here, you're probably stupid and a terrible person. (Either that, or HK just isn't convenient to where you live / work. I'm not going to pretend to know all about your life.)

2. I just moved to New York from LA and Ive been experiencing some serious taco withdrawal. Tacos used to be a major staple of my diet, and have been thoroughly disappointed by what Ive found here on the east coast. NYC tacos are some of the worst messican eats Ive ever experienced. Theyre big, theyre disgusting, and theyre packed with lettuce (wtf?).

Enter La Rosita. Wow, shit isnt *the best*, but its the best Ive had in New York thus far. I had 1 chorizo taco and 1 spicy pork ($2.50 each), and my oh my were they delicious. The family that runs the joint is quite friendly, aside from their daughter who upon my arrival to their restaurant, walked straight up to me and punched me in the leg. Unfortunately beating on other people's children seems to be frowned upon by society, so I restrained myself from kicking her across the room.

I'll be back.

3. My friend introduced me to this hole in the wall Mexican place a few days ago, and I ended up thinking about tacos all night. The next morning, I had the craving for more tacos, and made the trek from Central Park South to Hell's Kitchen once again in order to satisfy my deepest taco urges.

Now, I've lived in the southwest for quite some time. I've had amazing tacos in my day, and these tacos are simply one of the best I've had in the city. At La Rosita, I haven't had anything else other than the chorizo and carnitas tacos and the breakfast burrito, but all I can say is that the tacos are absolutely fantastic. On top of the double layered corn tortilla they use for the tacos ($2.50 each), the chorizo is just super awesome. My friend ordered the tex-mex quesadilla ($5.00 each), and said it was amazing as well. The breakfast burrito is meh.

All the food is freshly made, and you can tell based on the texture and taste. I would come here every day if I could, but alas, the one hour round trip trek takes a toll on my weak legs.

Per Se Reviews

Category: French Restaurants
10 Columbus Cir
(between Broadway & W Central Park)
New York, NY 10019
Neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West
(212) 823-9335
www.perseny.com

1. My second favorite meal, EVER! The Inn at little Washington is still my number 1. This place is truly fantastic and worth it. I was a little worried walking into the Time Warner center, kind of felt like we were dining in a shopping mall, I was a little concerned that our table might overlook the Armani store across the way, it did not. From the second the open up,m promptly at 11:30 (for lunch), not a minute sooner, you are welcomed into the inner circle, or so it seems. The space is clean, elegant and luxurious, everything about it makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. This is what fine dining should be, amazing, fresh and exciting food, prepared in a playful yet traditional style that makes you feel at home while experiencing something new. I noticed a lot of pleasant contradictions here, everything was perfect, the staff is so attentive and friendly, yet you feel like you are alone in the world while dining here. We indulged on the full tasting and although they don;t necessarily have a true "wine pairing" the sommelier and our server worked perfectly to provide us a wonderful cross section of wines that truly made our meal exceptional. A real nice touch is when the meal ends, not only do they give you a copy of your menu, but they include the wines you had as well. This is huge, I generally find that after oh 5 to 10 glasses of wine, that it is a little hard to remember my name, never mind the wine names.

2. I must preface my review by stating, it's not actually a two star experience. It is, almost undoubtedly, in my top fifteen restaurant experiences replete with very expected high class cuisine and service. But given what I believe to know about Yelp members and the quality of city/worldwide dining, the bang isn't worth the buck.

Sure, I'm a struggling college student who has her first job and who tries to expense her dinner every night at a price point of under $25. But lucky me, my father is not and thus, since I was a petite connoisseur, I've been introduced to dually rich and exotic flavors. Within the bracket of haute cuisine, Per Se misses the mark. It is delicious, but uses flavors that are anticipated to be delicious (butter, saffron, truffle) rather than those with challenge traditional culinary technique. Its wine list is broad, but the labels/vintages are not rare and can be found at many different restaurants at a pleasant fifteen percent off the markup. An automatic $295 for the anticipated tasting menu? It is absurdly priced from a standpoint of what the food evokes. Luxurious ingredients and atmosphere? Sure. But neither is composed in a breathtaking nor distinct manner. The average customer is either pretentiously loaded or so excited to be at the restaurant that every bite is punctuated by a camera flash. Plus TWC is always a depressing venue for its sterile and convoluted style.

In short, Thomas Keller is a magnificent chef and restauranteur, but his ego is bloated. Even if you don't think you care about the money, you will walk out fearing you wasted it--which for any wealthy man or woman, is almost worst than losing it. The food//service are very, very good but no better than EMP or Bernadin or Daniel. The latter three lack the supreme pretentiousness of Per Se and thus manage to provide a much better elite experience at a slightly lower cost point.

If someone wants to take me there for any reason, I won't say no. But as long as I'm buying, I want more for less. And that's not hard to find.

3. I wanted to give this place 3 stars, but I couldn't do it. Service was too good.

We took our friend here for her birthday. Caviar dish was the best dish of the night. I could've done without all the other dishes and I didn't think they were that good. Duck was not exciting. Fish was okay. Lamb was gamey (this really surprised me; I'd never expect it at a place like Per Se). Dessert was okay.

Company was great. Plus, we got a quick kitchen tour. Per Se's kitchen has a live feed into French Laundry, and vice versa. Pretty awesome. Also, all of us kind of wanted to marry our waiter.

But he had a ring.