Bar Jamón

Gramercy staple, best for wine and lights snacks.
Bar Jamon has been a date night staple for many years. They specialize in Spanish wines, catering to a wide variety of palettes and preferences. The menu is split into a by the glass/​carafe/​bottle section and a vintage/​pick-​of-​the-​cellar section that can cater to both new wine drinkers and seasoned enthusiasts.
The space is small and intimate (read: dark wood, mood lighting) best for groups of two and no more than four. It can get a little crowded after peak dinner hours on the weekends, but is typically low key. The service is attentive but unhurried, leaving you to enjoy your wine and company.
Note, since it is only Spanish wines the menu leans heavily toward whites and reds, with a very minimal rosé selection.

I just love this place. It’s my one of my wife and I’s favorite spot when we are out in the city around Gramery Park. Every tapas dish is just delicious and the pan con tomate is the best around (yes better than what I’ve tasted in Barcelona). Amazing Spanish wine collection as well. You won’t be disappointed!

One of the Best Wine Bars in the Union Square area.
Thank you for introducing it to me!
My wallet HATES YOU RIGHT NOW…
Jamon Serrano, cheese and jam…

I have come here a number of times because I work right across the street and this is one of my favorite spots in NYC. The service, atmosphere and food are always excellent. I have also had numerous conversations with their manager, Alex who is polite, laid back and always making sure everybody is taken care of. Tonight, I came in with a co-​worker who is helping to put together a fund raiser for our school. We asked Alex if they were interested in donating. Even though they were very busy, he still took the time to talk with us and point is in the direction we needed to go. Most people just brush us off, so it was really great to have him take the time to talk with us and let us know who we needed to speak with. Bar Jamón is a place you must try. I can’t say enough great things about it!

For a great Basque quaint wine bar and small plates… nothing beats this place. Very small which is great. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly.

Food was tasty and that’s why this place takes an extra star. But, service was very disappointing. We were at this place on Friday and all the servers were slow, relatively rude! No idea why they had so much attitude when we asked for utensils and napkins. We wanted to order food while we were putting order for wine, our server shut us down saying he would put the wine order first. Fine. Then he didn’t show up for too long until we called him again. He was just standing by the bar, the place was not even full by that time. Then we needed to call them again to get utensils, they brought two sets and left all in front of my friend rudely vs giving one to each of us. No idea what they were expecting — having food on the table but no utensils until we asked for them. Terrible service for a place ordering quality food!

I am a resident of the neighborhood and I frequent bar jamon a good amount. I called this evening, a Tuesday, because they have been more busy than usual to see how long the wait was and the response from the hostess was «I don’t know» and then she hung up. Understandable that they are busy but as a potential customer, it would have taken 2 minutes out of her day to just not be rude.
The food is good and the wait staff is generally nice but if you are looking for a small, local place this isn’t it. The wait is crazy long and the hostess/​host is incredibly rude.

Great selection of cured meats to share. Decent wine selection. You sit at a communal table with others since space is so tight.
Staff is friendly. Bathroom door doesn’t lock.
Very good location and walkable.

I’m a fan of Bar Jamon. It’s my second time here and I can’t wait to come back. I came here after work with a few of my colleagues and between the 5 of us we shared 2 bottles of red wine. Under $ 100 and well worth it.
Come before 6pm on weeknights if you want a seat!

Three stars for customer service, I am giving three stars because I wasn’t satisfied afterward and moments after walking in… I was already Unilocaling another place. They were very attentive and the jamon Serrano was delicious and chorizo with pickled peppers was also delicious. Bar hooks under tables and was a date night dark small place with 600 different wines available. :)

Absolutely loved this place, when we came the place was packed and there was just enough standing room at the little bar for our party of 3. What was cool was that it seemed like everyone in the place had ordered the jamon Serrano, which is tasty and a pale pink color. When our jamon iberico came out, it was thick cut, a deep red and beautifully fatty and oily. The Serrano eaters were all immediately jealous. I friggin love jamon iberico and this place did not disappoint, the meat was incredible. I love that the place itself only seats maybe 40 people so it’s always super packed and loud and wonderful. I will definitely be back to try more of their menu, this time I was just craving some pig meat

This is where you go when you are waiting for a table at Casa Mono next door. It’s a bit tight, but the service is helpful and friendly and the tapas on offer are very good, and match well with the extensive range of Spanish wines and sherries (same wine list as at Casa Mono). It’s a bit pricey, however (not surprising) so be prepared.

Went there last night with a co-​worker and some friends, after going to a tapas bar. Man, let me tell you that I have never felt like I was more in Spain than I did last night. The butcher cuts the meat right in front of you with spin wheel ham cutter thingy (lol, don’t know what it’s called). Also had (3) different types of cheeses and wow I was full and couldn’t stop eating. I will definitely be back here of not by myself, I will bring the family along and show them this awesome location. This is a must try if you are in New York and even if you re staying in Brooklyn, it’s right over the bridge.

I give full 5 star here for the total experience. This is a wine bar mostly, food is limited as is the tiny space. However the menu selections of light tapas and Spanish small plates are fantastic for noshing while sampling any number of Spanish wines. Wine selections ranges from most modest (but excellent) to the rarest and most pricey. Ditto for the sherries.
Causal friendly service, tiny cozy space, perfect place to spend some quality time quaffing great wines with a little nosh on side.

Pricey, delicious, chill vibe… Bar Jamon definitely fits in well on Irving Place (the cutest street in Manhattan).
What I really liked about this place was that the server had strong opinions about what he liked. Sometimes I just want to go to a place and not make decisions from overwhelming large menus. We just left it in his hands, and he brought us charcuterie, duck egg, and pan con tomate along with two glasses of red wine.
Great place for intimate conversation over wine and small bites.

Good wine, ok food, but very overpriced. I would expect the tapas to be really amazing, but the chorizo was actually kind of bad (it tasted more like pepperoni you put on a pizza) and the goat cheese was good but not great.

I love tapas. This place has a really great location on 17 Street near Union Square. A few co-​workers went after work last week. We were seated quickly in a friendly manner. We ordered a variety of dishes to split.
We had the heirloom tomato and peach salad, w which was great. It’s not quite tomato season, but they were still really good. Slightly sweet from the peaches.
The Coho salmon dish was amazing. Recommended for sure.
The Bacalao croquettes with orange were also a hit.
I’m a big fan of mussels, so I loved those also.
This place is also very cozy, which is nice. I’ll be returning.

A cute, tiny tapas bar that gets super crowded. Get there early and try to snag the seats at the window, the best place to sit, in my opinion.
The head waiter was very nice and helpful. The other waiters were more rushed and cared more about bussing than allowing you to enjoy your food. They came by several times to try to take our plates before we were done.
We spent about $ 60 per person for two women, and we shared a bottle of wine. I was happily full!
The Spanish omelet is very good. Normally, I don’t like this dish, but theirs was simple and delish.
We didnt go full-​on splurge mode and went for the Jamon Serrano instead of the iberico. We were happy with the choice. Although, I would recommend getting both if you’re up for a lot of Jamon!
We also shared the olives, meat and cheese plate, bocadillo, and flan. I would stick the the two Jamon plates and the Spanish omelet, and probably do the pan con tomate.
Make sure to ask for olive oil so you can dip your bread.

I’ve been to Casa Mono before but this was my first time at Bar Jamon. My friend and I came on the early side of the evening so it was easy to get a spot within the small taperia. Immediately I knew I would like the place as the atmosphere and setting does make it feel like an authentic taperia. It can easily fit in among the more contemporary and fashionable tapas spots of Barcelona or Madrid. And the wine list, while not particularly extensive, was quite good. The food was also very good. We ordered olives, jamon serrano, 2 kinds of cheese, and an indulgent crostini with foie gras. It was a simple yet fantastic spread and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I would definitely not mind being a regular here.

Very cozy, dark, and romantic Tapas place with all communal seating, where the interior transports you back a number of decades and possibly to another country. Food was pretty good though a tad bit expensive for what it is. Nice wine list too — would recommend if you’re looking for a romantic place with pretty good Tapas.

So I uh, met my significant other here for our first date.
[Looks over at significant other sitting on the other end of the couch, his face bathed in blue laptop glow.]
It went so poorly that there almost wasn’t a date #2.
[Stops smiling so he won’t know that I’m up to no good on the internet again.]
It all started at Bar Jamon.
I arrive and see him sitting on a bench outside. Elbows resting on knees. Loose linen shirt billowing slightly in the breeze. Khaki shorts. Those ubiquitous fratbro Adidas slides. Not how I usually order my enchiladas, but hey.
He springs up when he sees me. This is the second time I’ve ever spoken to him and the air is tinged with «first meeting» static, making even the people around us anxious and nervous.
This is how we greet each other:
Him: Hey!
Me: Hey!
Him: How are you!
Me: Good! How are you?
Him: How are you!
i let his extra «how are you» linger in the autumnal air as we step inside the bar.
The ambiance at Bar Jamon is what I call, «euro-​fresh,» because i’m an ugly fat-​fingered American who lumps all the European countries together. It is lively but not uncomfortably packed, and service is easy and smooth. I like this place.
We stand by the wall for no more than a minute, waiting for seats to open. Suddenly, an entire bottle of wine falls off its place on the wall and lands beside my plastic-​shoed date.
The bottle shatters, bleeds out on the floor, wet shards of dark glass blinking up at us.
A server swoops in and cleans up the gruesome sight with nary a word of blame or disdain.
Euro-​fresh is the best kind of fresh!
We are seated at a slim counter and order a responsible («aka, meagre!» –21yo me) amount of wine. Red as a bodega macintosh.
Polite conversation is had. No one is buzzed. Just two grown-​ups living the euro-​fresh life.
We finish our wine and step out into the slightly frenetic fuzz that befalls Union Square at rush-​hour.
Bathed in the flattering halo of magic hour, we circle the block –my high-​heeled boots syncopating with the flip-​flap of his polymer slides.
When we talk about this walk in the future, I will claim to barely remember it, and he will argue that it was the most shocking part of the date. According to him, without warning or provocation, I’d suddenly turned to him and said «Wanna see my fake tooth?» Then, before he could assert himself and say no, I allegedly reached into my mouth and pulled out one of my front teeth, glistening with saliva in the setting sun.
He allegedly recoiled.
I allegedly smiled proudly like a gap-​toothed jack-​o-​lantern or a grizzled uncle returning from the Vietnam War.
We circle back to the subway entrance at the bottom of Best Buy. As commuters stream past us like tiny slivers of fish, we solemnly recite the usual litany of declarations that conclude first dates.
«Well, I better go. Got class tomorrow!»
«This was fun, we should do it again!»
«Yeah!»
We shake hands like businessmen, and I descend the stairs to the underground train that courses through this city, our city, bloody, unstoppable, veinous.
A few days later, he sends me an email with a single attachment: a pdf of a New York Times article about dental health.
I do not respond to this strange document production.
And we do not see each other again for a long time.
Autumn degrades into winter.
Fools gather in Times Square to carry the year’s disappointments into the next, counting down in unison to the slow and steady descent of a crystal ball.
Winter loosens its grip on our throats and in its place, spring, summer’s ugly sister.
Pastel mannequins cheer on pedestrians as they lean into the rain with black umbrellas shuddering in the wind.
Pant hems creep up two precise inches.
And slumbering college students awaken to the sound of birdplay.
It isn’t until May that we meet again, in a parking garage in midtown east.
[To be continued in my review of the location of our 2^nd date!!!]

Bar Jamón is a cute and cozy tapas bar in Gramercy that aims to serve some well-​known Spanish small dishes. Having lived in Spain for a couple of years, the establishment makes me fuzzy and nostalgic. Service ranges from outstanding to inattentive, but it’s forgivable when the place is packed, which it often is.
–Tortilla de patatas has great flavor and height but since it’s served cold, it lacks the softer texture I personally prefer. I still order it every time I am there, though, because I can’t do it better at home.
–Pulpo with chickpeas is flavorful and briny.
–Boquerones in vinegar are ok but not very memorable.
–Pan con tomate is my absolute favorite– bread rubbed with garlic, fresh tomatoes and sprinkled generously with sea salt.
–Cold poached egg with romescu is a solid dish in terms of balance of flavor. The yolk is perfectly runny, and the romescu on toast is delicious.
–Flan is on point. Order it.

Us: «Why are the churros cold?»
Bar dude: «Because it was already made.»
WTF
It was a perfect moment of foreshadowing — Queen’s «Another One Bites the Dust» was playing in the background and that summarized this place and where it sits among the litter of tapas places that dare to corrupt my beautiful city with their mediocrity.
I don’t think anybody will notice if this one bites the dust — the folks in the neighborhood will undoubtedly move on to the next undifferentiated tapas bar. Maybe those others will even have warm churros to offer.
Oh, the coffee was really good here. Saved it from being a one star stinker.