The Lower East Side is better and grittier than ever. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of neighborhood opinion, there’s no doubt that it’s a destination for the restaurant and cocktail scene. Eel Bar is a new arrival, but not by a team new to the neighborhood. The sister restaurant to Cervo’s right around the corner, Eel Bar is the Basque-focused rendition. This is our first look review at Galavante.

Atmosphere

Eel Bar is cool. Very cool. As you walk up to the restaurant, you pass an open air bar next door and may think it’s Eel Bar. It’s not. Instead, Eel Bar is the industrial-looking metal and opaque glass spot next to it. We were immediately intrigued to see what was inside.

First impressions were strong. Set on the Lower East Side, Eel Bar is every reason you come to this part of NYC. It’s elevated enough to stand out among the sea of bars around it, but stays true to the neighborhood environs. They are bringing in the kind of crowd that’s in-the-know New Yorkers. The music is fun and loud, but not so loud that you can’t have a conversation. The chic design, people-watching, music playlist, and good bar scene are its superpower. I would come back here in a heartbeat for a drink in the neighborhood. Of all the components of this Eel Bar review, the atmosphere carries the experience.

Food + Beverage

Eel Bar in NYC is new, but it is by a seasoned team that runs the consistently good Cervo’s down the street. For me Cervo’s is where I know I can get a good, above-average meal in the neighborhood. So I had similar expectations that Eel Bar would have solidly good food. For now, I would say the jury is still out.

I love Basque food and we don’t have many San Sebastian level restaurants in New York. I was ready to order one of everything on the menu. So, we started out with the white shrimp in tomato sauce and some French fries with a homemade mayo. Both were way over-salted. I love my Maldon sea salt, so this isn’t subject to personal perspective. The seasoning was totally off. The shrimp was beautifully poached, but they were in a tomato sauce that was so garlicky that the dish was almost bitter. The French fries were perfectly at least double if not triple fried, but once again, so salty I think I ate 3 fries.

The Gilda (Sort Of) Saves the Day

I felt like I needed to give another dish a try, so I went for the shrimp and egg Gilda. The traditional Gilda is a toothpick with an anchovy and pepper, and is classically Basque. They have this version at Eel Bar, but also the unique version that we ordered. It was a nice fresh bite. We were told that the egg was a jammy egg. In actuality, it was just more basic hard-boiled, but we still enjoyed it. The women next to us ordered the butter lettuce salad, which was huge in portion and also looked fresh. However, after the shrimp and French fries, although I was still hungry, I didn’t have palate to eat anything else. I will return for more dishes and update this Eel review — but the first impression was right at ‘average’ in the food department.

Good Cocktails, Decent Wine

I had a Champs-Élysées cocktail, which I enjoyed. The drink had armagnac, a European liquor and lemon. It also had a little simple syrup, but wasn’t overly sweet. I am not a big cocktail person, but I would order this again. They also had a chilled red, which is appropriate for the season, and a decent French and Rioja. All are a solidly good choices if you’re popping by for a casual drink. It’s the bar scene and atmosphere that would bring me back to Eel Bar. I hope the food is better on the next visit.

Service

The service runs the gamut of decent and just doing the job, to passionate about making Eel Bar work. Much of the team are long-time alums of Cervo’s or the other sister restaurants who are in it for a new career opportunity. As of the date of my visit, Eel Bar was barely a month old. I would say from my experience, it’s all running “smooth-ish.”

First, the hosts are friendly enough and bartenders do their very best when there’s a crowd. I think the part that may need some work is the kitchen, or perhaps it was just not quite in top shape on my visit. The food takes a beat to come out; nothing terribly offensive, but not as quick as you would expect for simple dishes. When I mentioned we may order more food later, we got just a little hint of attitude that the kitchen prefers full orders. I get it for overly complicated operations, but for a skewer of anchovy, not so much.

The biggest disparity in experience was at the bar. You are taken care of on drinks if you sit at the bar, but the personalities are all over the map. One guy was just dialing it in and never asked us how our food was. On the flip side, was another bartender who wanted to make us feel welcome enough to become regulars. Quite honestly though, my expectations are not of Michelin-level at a cool bar on the Lower East Side. Regardless of whether or not everyone gave me the warm and fuzzies, I would return for a drink. The scene is that good at Eel Bar and the service was decent enough.

Overall: 7.4/10

A go-to spot for a drink on the Lower East Side.

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FAQs

Q: Where is Eel Bar located?

A: Eel Bar is located at 252 Broome St, New York, NY 10002 on the Lower East Side.

Q: What are Eel Bar’s hours of operation?

A: Eel Bar’s hours of operation are as follows:

Q: What kind of food does Eel Bar serve?

A: Eel Bar serves Basque-inspired cuisine.