Al-Andalus

Absolutely loved the place & the concept! Got to try a lot of the dishes like the fried olives, shakshuka, eggplant, butter bean, leeks, paella, all the 3 breads, rice pudding, papa’s bravas, raspberry tart The breads are amazing, the traditional foods are a must try, the dessert could be a little better Overall a v good experience would highly recommend. Will be back to try the other stuff !

A very stylish but reasonably priced tapas place to grab a clean & healthy dinner with drink. The portion of the dish seems small but we were so full after having 6 dishes🤣

This place is a VIBE! If someone brought me here on a date I would be so excited. Wow!! Beautiful. Intimate. Welcoming staff. Incredible food. Don’t skip the sesame feta bread or the eggplant. The eggplant- I’ve never had anything like it. Blew my mind. 11/10!

While strolling through the East Village last evening, I happened upon Al-Andalus, an exotically beautiful and sweet new Andalusian tapas bar. From the moment I walked in, the staff was warm and welcoming, like the atmosphere, and I had some wonderful conversations with these kind folks. Claudia, Drew, Georgia, and Jada took turns keeping me company while I sat alone, waiting for a friend I'd just texted to come meet me there. The decor is as "delicious" as the food turned out to be. The entire space is adorned with elegant details. There's lots of clear glass with gold embellishments – from the hanging globe ceiling lamps to daintily curved wine glasses. Everywhere you look (yes, even in the bathroom), there's carved wood, punched tin, hand-painted tiles, and wicker. The color palette is simple and tasteful, with earth tones, and muted blues and greens, mixed in with the predominant pomegranate red and cream. Behind the marble bar with velvet upholstered stools, the wall features handsome, bold built-in arched shelving units, with ceramic planters, driftwood and cookbooks standing beside the neatly arranged bottles and glasses. Did I mention that I love this place?! The food arrived quickly, on gorgeous ceramic plates, and interrupted my gawking at all the visual goodies along the walls and ceiling. Now I must confess that my culinary tastes are generally rather unsophisticated, especially when it comes to mixing savory and sweet. However, the staff highly recommended the Roasted Eggplant, so I gave it a try. WOW! What an explosion of different-yet-melodious flavors! The eggplant was dressed with coconut yogurt, sesame tahini, pomegranates, shallots, mint, raisins, and apple honey, and I had fun guessing all the ingredients before asking. The Pan Con Tomate Tostata was incredible, with its juicy ripe tomato drizzled with olive oil and chives. Both were well-complemented by my glass of rosé (Paşaeli Çalkarasi / Karasakiz 'Seahorse Rosé' Aegean Coast, Turkey 2023). Well, my friend finally arrived right before closing, and the staff still offered to serve her. But I told them we'll just come back again another time. After all, I need to try the paella with smoked sofrito, summer vegetables, saffron broth, along with the much raved-about simit bread (nicknamed "the unconventional bagel") with feta dip.

It’s rare to find a restaurant that makes you feel both at home and transported out of NYC. Feels like you're at your friend’s family home. Instantly comfortable, surrounded by beautiful details and the smell of fresh bread. My favorites were the simit and barbari bread, papas brava, and gem salad. But tbh everything was delicious, you can tell the menu was crafted with real care and deep love. Can't wait to come back!

I’d never had tapas before, and I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious and unique each individual dish was and how they complemented each other. I also very much enjoyed the wine and beer selection, specifically one of the sour beers, “Sumac Gose”, I could drink a case of those. The place was cozy and warm. 10/10 definitely would bring the wife back again!

Exceptional food, ambiance and service! The place was crowded but not loud. Love the decor and intimate seating option. The paella, fire roasted mushrooms, oversized falafels and potatoes were all amazing! Portion sizes were perfect! We walked out full and with a to-go-bag. Wish the sangria was in a bigger glass, only because it was so delicious.

A perfect place to celebrate an anniversary. The food was so so good, especially the Arabic tortilla and shawarma mushrooms. The drinks are teeny but very refreshing. So glad we came here!

I had an exquisite evening at Al-Andalus. When I received the email from Overthrow Hospitality that this restaurant was opening I immediately made a reservation because I've been a fan of all of their spots I've tried. It's an intimate and charming restaurant inspired by Arabic and Andalusian cuisine. I love the tapas concept, especially given that the vast majority of items on the menu are $10 and under (including the cocktails!). My friend and I tried nine offerings on the menu and one was better than the next. Ordered: Al-Andalus sangria ($10)- a $10 cocktail is great! This was a nice sangria made with date syrup, rioja and botanical syrup. It came with two dried apricots, a nice touch! Na'na mint iced tea ($10)- our server explained that this was margarita adjacent but it was definitely different, but not in a bad way. Yes, this drink was on the smaller side but it packed a punch. Simit bread ($9)- this was crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The outside was covered with white and black sesame seeds and it was accompanied by vegan feta and a very tasty harissa crisp. It wasn't spicy but had nice flavor. We sopped over every drop. Pan con tomate ($8)- this was my least favorite item that we ordered. I've had plenty of pan con tomate dishes and although the ingredients were high quality, this felt boring compared to the other offerings on the menu. Butter bean crostini ($7)- this was flavorful and interesting! It had butter beans, a generous amount of sautéed cavolo nero kale and vegan nduja. It was a little on the salty side but I really enjoyed it! Fava falafel ($10)- this dish came with two generously sized balls that were crunchy on the outside and herby and delicious on the inside. The accompaniments were fine but weren't super memorable, but I enjoyed this dish. Gem lettuce salad ($19)- this was fresh and the perfect accompaniment for the other items we ordered. The salad was a generous size and had delicious radishes and a zippy dressing. I'd definitely order this again. Roasted eggplant ($9)- the flavors in this dish really stood out! It was sweet from the pomegranate seeds, smoky from the eggplant, creamy from the tahini and fresh from the mint. Cabbage rolls ($9)- these were fine but nothing to write home about. Two rolls were stuffed with rice and served with a vegan yogurt sauce. Regrettably we didn't have room for dessert. I really enjoyed my evening at Al-Andalus!

TL;DR: pricey, but great food and service and worth paying for if you're vegan or vegetarian. The building aesthetic is so cool. From the entry doorway to the interior with "flying carpets" over your heads, to the nice music and spacious tables. This place is not cheap despite the $10 / tapas average. The portion sizes are small so you'll still need about 5 per person so it ends up being about a $50 dinner per person. My advice is to overindex on the vegetable forward dishes: mushrooms, leeks, falafel, and olives. The bread can be skipped. We didn't have space to try the paella and desserts but the rest of the food was good enough that i'd go back for it! That said, it's worth the experience! I'm vegetarian but my date was not and she can be picky with all veg places, but she still loved the food.

Friendly, welcoming staff who were able to squeeze us in despite not having a reservation. Delicious food -- leeks, mushrooms, tomato salad, all tasty and interesting. Lovely atmosphere.