Estela

A NY institution at this point. The regular dishes still hit every time. Endive salad, steak tartare, both the best I have ever had. Black rice is perfect. Doesn’t miss a beat. Great wine list.

During our Anniversary trip last month we picked Estela as the restaurant to celebrate our anniversary due to the many wonderful reviews. Also based on the videos that we saw the atmosphere was more laid back than other Michelin restaurants that we have visited in Italy and France. We arrived on time and had to wait 35 minutes to get seated, while we waited they encouraged us to purchase drinks, we had been at a wine bar before going to the restaurant so we were unsure if we wanted to order or not because we didn't know how long the wait was. Apparently the man who initially came to get our orders had a little bit of an attitude and seemed annoyed at our indecision. After 15 min we decided to order some mocktails to pace ourselves and order alcohol with our dinner. I should say that the second person that took our order was fantastic. I am not sure if she was a floor manager or a waitress but I must say that if it wasn't because of her and our actual waitress, I would have given this restaurant a 2 or 3 stars review. We finally got seated and we ordered our food. The 3rd bad experience happened when the sommelier came to ask if we wanted to order wine, unfortunately the restaurant is small and loud so I couldn't hear him well and I politely asked if he was french because I could hear a slight accent and then he replied in a snarky way that he was faking his accent, he left and never came back to check whether we wanted a bottle or not. The food came and we delighted with all the dishes that we ordered and they were nice to bring our desert with a candle to celebrate the anniversary. I am also grateful that they placed us in that little separate areas with less tables. Our server was also fantastic and that lady that helped us at the beginning came to check on us and said good bye when we were leaving. Overall we had Michelin star quality food as it was excellent but the service was inconsistent and there is room for improvement.

Do not seat a solo female diner in the front most corner of the restaurant and tell her it’s the “best seat in the house” (actual words) and then subsequently ask her to “scoot an inch” to accommodate another party to where she can no longer use her dominant eating hand and her face is literally in a plant.<br><br>I was really excited to come here and I had lovely service. The food was decent, but come on. Do better New York. This isn’t a seat. That plant was 1” from my nose.<br><br>I’d have probably had dessert and stayed for another drink, but this seat sucked.

One of the best dining experiences I’ve had lately. Service was absolutely on point without feeling over bearing. I think it’s a lost art making sure water cups are always topped off and fresh silverware laid out with proper timing. You find issues with that at social media hyped spots and Estela is completely clear of that bullshit.<br><br>Now the food, absolutely divine! We ordered the Fois Gras Mousse, oysters, endive salad, mackerel, tuna belly & duck.<br><br>Everything was a knock out of the park and you will have an amazing dinner and experience.

Came here for lunch. OpenTable only had bar seats available but was seated at a small table that was open when I arrived. There were many open tables. I ordered the Wagyu steak with peppercorns, Endive with walnuts, anchovy, and ubriaco, Scallop with dates and uni, and Oysters with yuzu kosho mignonette. The food was average. The wagyu (4 small pieces) was a bit tough and not worth the high price ($45). Overall, every dish was average and not worth the high price. I enjoyed the oysters the best. There are better places for the money.

We had a wonderful experience at Estela today. All the dishes we had were both outstanding and unique. The restaurant is small inside but beautiful, and the service at the bar was excellent. This establishment has definitely earned it's Michelin star, we highly recommend a meal here!

I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch at Estela. I loved most of the dishes, especially the pork belly and the endive salad. I found the chocolate cake too bitter and slightly burnt for my taste, but overall a great experience. Also our server was so friendly and professional. Would love to come back for dinner

I have mixed feelings about our experience. The place had a cozy atmosphere, good music, but from the moment we sat down, I felt like they wanted us to finish quickly and leave. I’m not sure if it was due to the flow of customers, but we had to order all the dishes at once. Before we even finished one, they brought out the next, almost urging us to rush, and the same with the wine.<br><br>The scallops were wonderful, as were the dumplings and the tuna. The salad and steak were nothing special compared to other places, but I wouldn’t recommend the pork. It arrived undercooked and was too fatty, which really lowered my expectations. I've been to other Michelin-starred restaurants, and this has never happened before.

Sat at the bar booked on Open Table and Chase Sapphire Reserve for the $150 dining credit. We ordered the beef tartare, mackerel, endive salad, ricotta dumplings, and wagyu, plus 2 wines, a beer, a cocktail, and the parsnip gelato.<br><br>It was as you can imagine a $$$ night out. But the bar seating was so cozy and no rush for the table. Favorites that I would come back for are the parsnip gelato (so nice we ordered it twice), the dumpling, and the mackerel. Skip the tartare, the endives are great to balance the overall meal with some crisp and fresh bites. Good wine selection.

Incredible food and wine list. The tuna sashimi is a must. Never tasted something so delicate before. Loved the super cosy atmosphere too. Perfect for a date night. We will be back for sure. Thanks for this beautiful evening.

My first Michelin star restaurant. Came here bc my friend used his Chase Sapphire Reserve dining credit. Very fancy vibes, kinda dark inside. Food was good, wine was okay. Prob wouldn’t come again tho<br><br>- Fried arroz negro, squid, and romesco: YUM, one of my fav dishes<br>- Ricotta dumplings with mushrooms and pecorino sardo: Wasn’t the biggest fan of this<br>- Wagyu steak with sunchoke, spinach, and coffee: YUM, meat was tender<br>- Poached trout: Yummy

Honestly quite a disappointing experience. I heard good reviews from a friend and knowing that it has one michilen star so I had high expectations. But the flavoring of the dishes is uneven. The endive salad only has intense saltiness and sour and it's hard to taste any nuance. The duck was too chewy for my taste and by itself quite bland and oily. The most surprising thing is the cream on the chocolate cake has shockingly no flavor at all. It purely taste like air. The cream I wipped at home has more flavor than that. The only highlight is the texture of the ricotta dumplings. But I would say the sliced raw mushroom on top provided more style than substance.<br>Not to mention everything is tiny in portion. And we spent over $110 per person (after tax and tip). For that amount of money, there are definitely better place to eat in New York City, potentially on the same street block.<br>As we were sitting down at the counter, the bartender asked the lady sitting next to us how she liked the squid ink rice, and she grimaced at her half finished plate and said "I don't like it". To which the bartender didn't have any follow-ups. That should have been the sign for my experience to come.

Sourdough - 5.5/10; it was a very okay bread with generic butter and olives. I would've at least liked the bread warmed. But the fact that I paid for it knocked it down a lot, I would expect specialty bread and butter if it comes with a price tag.<br><br>Endive - 6.5/10; Crisp, crunchy, and overall complimentary flavors. However it could've used a bit more sweetness to round out the bitterness of the endive personally.<br><br>Wagyu - 6.5/10; Very good crust, the sunchoke and spinach were very flavorful, and the coffee sancho was a sleeper hit that added a lot to the wagyu. However the wagyu itself lacked flavor. Although the dish was good, I don't feel that it can justify that price tag.<br><br>Chocolate cake - 8/10; Rich dark chocolate flavor w. a nice toasted note from the sesame, and a hint of savory. Crunchy exterior and gooey interior. However I feel that the whipped cream actually detracted from the overall dessert. If it were slightly sweetened, it could've added another element of sweetness to round out the richness of the chocolate.<br><br>Overall I personally feel that many of the dishes could be exciting and interesting. The actual execution of these dishes does not match concepts.<br><br>The service was nice. The restaurant itself is dimly lit and a bit cramped.

Outstanding dining experience at Estela. From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere felt warm, elegant, and effortlessly New York. However I’m not sure if it was because they were especially busy on Thanksgiving, but the service at Estela did not meet my expectations compared to other Michelin-star restaurants I’ve visited. Even though we paid extra for the wine pairing, they didn’t change our wine glasses, and there was no explanation of the dishes as they were served. Unfortunately, the turkey sausage in particular was quite disappointing.

It’s a cozy restaurant. The service, the atmosphere and the food were amazing. Would have loved to be able to try everything on the menu. Definitely will come back to try the rest! My all time favs the Endive with walnuts (ate it so quick did not get a chance to take a picture) Fried arroz negro, the ricotta dumplings with mushrooms and pecorino sardo!