Spanish fare & flamenco dancing are the draws at this festive, no-frills tapas bar.
At a glance
#9 of 19 Small plates restaurants in New York #5 of 13 Tapas bars in New YorkLocalGuideWorld score: 4.50
Rating breakdown
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5 ★68%
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4 ★20%
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3 ★6%
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2 ★3%
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1 ★2%
Quick facts
- What is the rating of Nai?
- Nai is rated 4.5 out of 5 based on 739 reviews.
- How does Nai rank in New York?
- Nai is #9 of 19 Small plates restaurants in New York by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
- Where is Nai located?
- 84 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003 — 2.0 km from the center of New York.
- How can I contact Nai?
- Phone: (212) 677-1030 · Website: nairestaurant.com
The service is professional and the atmosphere of the indoor seating is perfect. The food portion is small and a little bit overpriced. Some foods like scallops or octopus have some weird texture. But others like steak katsu tastes really good
We went as a big group and they were out of a lot of things. It was extremely loud when I went there. We were seating downstairs and there were people playing live music and dancing upstairs. They also gave us like 4 menus for our whole party of 12.
Not a fan of the cured sardines or mussel toast. The Fideua was quite interesting. Very salty and we were expecting rice but it was actually crushed up pasta. The beef tartare was pretty bland. Everything was pretty unique, but on the pricey side.
Not a fan of the cured sardines or mussel toast. The Fideua was quite interesting. Very salty and we were expecting rice but it was actually crushed up pasta. The beef tartare was pretty bland. Everything was pretty unique, but on the pricey side.
This restaurant is simply magical! The food was not only superb but also amazed us with its variety of flavors and quality ingredients. The service from PJ and Annie was top-notch - they created a cozy and welcoming atmosphere that made us feel right at home. We must also mention the friendliness of the hostess who greeted us with a smile and warmth. Our visit to this restaurant left an incredibly pleasant impression, and we will gladly return here again! A big thank you to the entire staff for a wonderful evening!
Nai is run by really good people and they make quality food. Though we originally did have a Valentine’s Day hiccup with Nai, the Nai team went above and beyond to make it right for me and my girlfriend and it was fantastic. All the food we had a chance to try on the tasting menu was delicious and the non-alcoholic cocktails/wine that we were offered were delicious…There wasn’t an item that we didn’t enjoy. We left beyond full and very satisfied.
Food 7/10
Honestly everything was just relatively fine. We ordered four tapas, and only the cod toast really impressed me. Everyone was raving about the steak katsu sandwich, but ours just was not tender enough, even though it was a medium rare. Lacked seasoning too. The squash lacked flavor too. The cod toast was great because the fish itself was super tender, but the toast was very crispy. The roe on top also added to the combination of textures. Fideua was a paella thing except with really short noodles and not rice, a very unique dish that was fun to try but flavors were pretty much just salt.
Atmosphere 9/10
Lovely minimalist interior design. It was empty for brunch on Sunday except for us though.
Service 9/10
Sweet server.
Honestly everything was just relatively fine. We ordered four tapas, and only the cod toast really impressed me. Everyone was raving about the steak katsu sandwich, but ours just was not tender enough, even though it was a medium rare. Lacked seasoning too. The squash lacked flavor too. The cod toast was great because the fish itself was super tender, but the toast was very crispy. The roe on top also added to the combination of textures. Fideua was a paella thing except with really short noodles and not rice, a very unique dish that was fun to try but flavors were pretty much just salt.
Atmosphere 9/10
Lovely minimalist interior design. It was empty for brunch on Sunday except for us though.
Service 9/10
Sweet server.
Delicious food along with live flamenco music and flamenco dancers 💃 olé!
The sardines were ok and so was the sangria... I would likely avoid them next time to try other menu items I didn't try this go-around.
The chick peas were nicely spicy and I would order again.
The braised lamb and the ham croquettes were delicious, definitely each worthy of a repeat.
Hubby was very happy with his rib eye as were those that ordered the grilled octopus.
And the dessert was sweet but light.
The sardines were ok and so was the sangria... I would likely avoid them next time to try other menu items I didn't try this go-around.
The chick peas were nicely spicy and I would order again.
The braised lamb and the ham croquettes were delicious, definitely each worthy of a repeat.
Hubby was very happy with his rib eye as were those that ordered the grilled octopus.
And the dessert was sweet but light.
We had an amazing experience here. We did the chefs tasting menu with the wine pairing. All of that for $150! I haven't had a wine and food pairing for this price that was this amazing as I did here at Nai. The food was delicious and the pairings were incredible. A variety of wines and spirits. Raul made our experience even more memorable with his amazing detail about the food and wine and Spanish origins.
Had my rehearsal dinner at Nai and we all had a wonderful time! They have private space for us (party of 20), it was spacious and perfect for the occasion. Food was delicious (Paella and the scallops were my favorite) and the servers were attentive, kept our sangria glasses full the whole night🍷 Nai was the perfect choice for my party 🥳
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