Tapas y mas

Originally uploaded by lools.

If you're looking for the best sangria in town, look no further than Pipa, Manhattan's best tapas joint located in the Flatiron/Gramercy Park neighbourhood. Pipa serves different types of red wine, white wine and even champagne sangria. It's the perfect spot to catch up with your mate after work and let the fruits soaked in brandy destress you.

Pipa is Spanish slang for "to have a good time" and it's pretty much guaranteed that you're in for a great experience at this restaurant. How nice that the restaurant actually lives up to the promise of its name!

Pipa is good for dining out with a large group of friends as well as for a romantic night out. Somehow this warehouse turned fine dining establishment manages to appeal to both ocasions. The ambience is dark, musty and wonderfully romantic. You wade through thick, velvety curtains before entering. The antique wood tables and larger than life sized chandeliers create somewhat of an opulent and mysterious atmosphere.

The menu is pretty inventive for a typically Spanish tapas rstaurant. I guess the Spaniards are now overtaking the French and are the masters of noveau cuisine. Indulge in Pipesque dishes like Cocas (a kind of pizza-tortilla hybrid laden with delicacies like porcini mushrooms, Serrano ham, garlicky clams and smoky bacon) and Piggy Back Dates (dates stuffed with almonds and wrapped in bacon & Cabrales vinaigrette).

Actually, the very basic combo plate of roasted peppers, goat cheese, grilled onions and black olive tapenade with plenty of fresh bread is my favourite. That and a few glasses of sangria equals bliss for me every time.

38 E. 19th St.
Broadway & Park Ave. S.
New York, NY 10003
212-677-2233