Salud Restaurant & Tapas Bar

My friends and I stumbled upon this place over the summer. We decided to sit outside as it was a warm night.
I ordered the empanadas and raspberry/​peach ice tea. The empanadas were ok, but the raspberry ice tea wasn’t that sweet or refreshing. I enjoyed my friend’s mango martini a lot more.
I just learned that this place was trashed by Hurricane Sandy. Hopefully they’ll reopen in the future.

My friend and I enjoyed a quick, light lunch here on a Saturday. We ordered the Langostacos and the Pinchos, which are basically shrimp and beef skewers. Once we ordered, we were given a complimentary plate of crispy plantain chips with a black bean-​type dip. Everything was flavorful with just the right amount of salt and spices that pleased both of our palettes. I’m a native Californian, but when I return to this area of NYC, I’ll definitely consider a stop here again for a light snack.

I’m giving this spot 5 stars. Let me tell you why… Very consistent… fresh ingredients and the staff of mostly young women are hot looking. No I’m not a big pervert I just enjoy a little eye candy. For all you ladies, yes guys work there too.
Grade A
You are going to spend around $ 65 with drinks for two.

I love tapas. My homegirl, Alexandra L loves tapas, so we came here…
…If you love tapas, YOU will love Salud.
— The ceviche was refreshing, savory and deelish.
— The lobster tacos (langostacos) were OMG good.
— The steak on skewers (anticuchos) tasted totally char-​grilled and were juicy as fuck.
— The garlic shrimp (gambas ajillo) was soooo garlic-​y
— The coconut rice was mmmm good and the beans were a mouth-​watering must have.
— The plantains were perfectly cooked and had lots and lots of flavor.
For $ 24…wow…what a friggin dilly yo!
Of Note: Lots of beautiful «nyc» chicks and loser d-​bag dudes can also be seen walking to the Beekman Beergarden while sitting here.

Everyday from 4 – 7 Salud has happy hour. Select drinks like sangria, mojitos, mango martinis and a few other libations are $ 5. Appetizers are a reasonable price as well.
To celebrate a friends birthday, we decided to invade this popular happy hour spot. The dining area is small. Claustrophobes be ware. I was seated comfortably at the end of a table when a large party came in and was seated, what felt like, right on top of us. I have a slight case of claustrophia and when the party came in, a gentleman in that party sat right next to me, obstructing the small path that would allow me to leave the restaurant. Anyone that has experienced such anxiety will understand the sensation that follows. But before i could fully freak out, a table opened up in a much more open area and the waitress was awesome for allowing us to move. After that, everything was awesome.
The sangria is by far, my favorite. Keep in mind that the happy hour does not apply to pitchers… which technically is a half and they charged us $ 35. Pretty steep. Also, the «prixe fix» is not so much of a bargain. Stick to the cubanito! Its a great size for $ 9 and also is very satisfying. The coconut rice and beans is a good side dish too!
The place really empties out at 7 pm. So if you are looking for a nice place to have a few drinks afterwork, this place is great. Just get here as soon as you can! (oh and it takes about 15 mins to get your drinsk after you order… i suggest double fisting)

We were here for a friend’s birthday dinner. The service is super slow, and I mean really slow!!! We were here from 7pm and left at 10pm.
For food everyone order some sort of things from the menu, but what i get to try was the lobster taco (no lobster taste to it), chicken soup (very good), skirt steak with yuca that is like 2 bites, garlic shrimp (6 tiny cooked shrimp with garlic), beef empanadas (this is good) and sides of spinach (which was very good). So to sum up, I think this place can be skipped.
A friend brought an ice cream cake for the occasion which they clearly did not put in the freezer or fridge because when we brought it out, the cake is almost flat and when we were served, it was ice cream sauce, not cake!
2 stars because food is mediocre/​edible and drinks are a bit strong, but other than that, it is terrible!!!

If you’re looking to find a solid lunch spot in the South Street Seaport area, run far, far away. Instead go to Made Fresh Daily, Fresh Salt, or Nelson Blue.
I’ve frequented this tapas spot twice. And both times, lunch has sprawled out to 2 hour affairs. Mind you, not 2 hour glorious meals of indulgent lunchin’. But rather, 2 hour long torture sessions where you yearn uncomfortably for your food to come out in a timely manner, despite your many polite attempts at getting a server’s attention or pity.
Today’s lunch had some lovely low-​lights to accompany the meal.
–A glass of sangria served sans fruit. It tasted like a flat bellini and when asked about the absence of fruit, the server replied that the bartender ran out.
— Waiting an eternity for food, until I begged for our guacamole to come out to the table after 20 minutes of saintly patience.
— A weak explanation (by the manager) on why lunch was rolling at the pace of a drunk sloth.
Here’s the thing. I work in the neighborhood. I eat lunch every single weekday on Front St. I see Salud’s cute ambience, the al fresco seating and think, «man, i really want this place to be awesome.» I work at a large creative firm around the corner, and we can be found in full force, dining and drinking up and down Front St.
So I wanted to ask the manager what was up. Maybe the chef was in a mood. Maybe they’re short staffed. Maybe it was a misunderstanding that I could wrap my head around.
After very casual, non-​confrontational, «hey, we’re local and we want to eat here more often» feedback, said manager proceeds to vehemently defend the integrity of the food. He states that every single dish is made to order when it’s placed, all while pointing to other restaurants on the row, saying «we’re not like everyone else, who might have food already prepared when you order.»
Right. So that guacamole we ordered must have been hand massaged for a good 30 minutes while each onion was prodded to sliced perfection and each chip daintily fried, while we waited, famished for it to arrive.
Or the shrimp in garlic and oil with plantains that took an hour and a half to cook? (Don’t play with me, meng. I used to live in Miami and I know how long it takes to make some plantains, beans and rice. No God-​fearing Abuella would approve of this excuse.)
I don’t want to Debbie Down all over your restaurant. But I also want the diners of the South Street Seaport to make an educated culinary decision.
Homeboy manager later tried to end our meal on a sweet note. Bribing us with mango shots (of which I reluctantly refused to take, based on principle). But the smile, handing out of cards, the show– it was all too little too late. You lost me on the high horse you galloped in, defending the food. Your dishes are decent, but we’re not talking michelin stars here anytime soon.
My suggestion? Speed up lunch service. Work on your front of the house staff and skills, and don’t make excuses to your customers for consistently subpar service. We actually want to support your business with more monies and more people. Don’t make it hard for yourself.
Alas, we could have worked out a lunch-​on-​the-​regular relationship. But this girl ain’t no fool. I’m lunchin’ elsewhere. (See above for my other recommendations).

Finally the financial district is getting some latin flavor.
Our party was seated immediately, the service was tremendous, and the food went down fast! The place was lively and everyone felt comfortable, probably because nobody felt the need to be constricted by a suit and tie.
The options were typical: empanadas, steak, plaintains, but really the atmosphere and service made this a 5 star experience.

I‘ve eaten here my first day on a new gluten free diet and it turns out Latin American/​Spanish Food works out pretty well with that!
I had the paellita, which was amazing.
Although the food was great, the place only gets an OK, mainly due to the noise level and slow service. That being said… we had to wait about an hour until we finally got our food (Friday Happy Hour)… but we were rewarded with mango shots for the long wait :)
Thanks for that!

Salud has very tasty gourmet Cuban, Latin American and Spanish tapas. You can this recommendation from a Puerto Rican foodie that is a true purveyor of Cuban/​Latin American food. Weeepa. If your at the Seaport and looking for good drinks, tasty tapas in a cozy environment this is the place for you. The place is decorated circa 1950’s Cuba. I can personally vouch for the
Churasco — Amazigly Flavorful
Empanadas — Very Tasty
Piononos — Good
Yuca Frita — Good
Sangria — Excellent
Flavored Mojitos — Very Refreshing After Walking Around on a Warm and Humid City Day.

Overall, everything was edible.
Had a pitcher of red sangria, which was not very flavorful or enjoyable. It was just kind of bland, but drinkable.
The plaintain stuffed with beef was horrible, don’t get it. The skirt steak appetizer was good, tender and flavorful. The steak skewers were similar, but a bit less seasoned. The paellita was more just some seafood with rice instead of a paella. It was not bad. The flan just tasted like rum, so get it if you like that — I didn’t.
The waitress seemed frazzled the whole time, but she was very courteous. The environment was just really loud with loud girls screaming at each other the whole time. The space is also pretty tightly packed in with the tables less than a foot away from each other.
Definitely would not return just because it doesn’t compare to so many better places.

Nice atmosphere, great to wander around the seaport at night.
Small tables, which get crowded with tapas.
Waitress was attentive.
Mediocre sangria.
AMAZING piononos.
Would come back but only if in the neighborhood…

Came here with my boyfriend on a date on a weekend night. When I went — they said they didn’t have any seats available and we could wait at the bar. It did not look that busy, yes — the tables were full — but it’s not like there were people standing around waiting, either.
We waited at the bar for over an hour and I went through 2 cocktails (I’m a light, sipping kind of drinker). I watched as a couple left and there was an open table — but unfortunately, the waiters/​waitresses and maitre D’s and i guess everyone else working there — forgot we were waiting for a table! We finally flagged someone down, and he said he only handled the seating OUTSIDE. WTF? He had to find the woman in charge of the seating INSIDE. I mean — you couldn’t have just communicated to her that we sat down?
When we finally did get seated, we waited FOREVER for a waiter to come and take our order. Then, we waited FOREVER for mediocre, almost crappy, overpriced food. Seriously, my chicken wings were burnt and looked dry and dehydrated. How can you mess up chicken wings? The beans with our dish tasted like it came from a can or something. I live in the area — so I was really surprised how bad the service and food are — considering the row of restaurants Salud is on.
Plus, did someone forget that you have to refill your customers’ waters? Like — I had to flag someone down for water! And even then — it took him forever to give us water!
We weren’t the only ones that experienced this — there were 2 ladies that were seated in the table next to us, and they actually asked us, «How long did you guys have to wait for your food?» They waited over half an hour, just to get beans because the waiter forgot the beans with their dish. And — only one person was served at a time, not together — so one of the friends had to wait another 40 minutes before she could eat.
Really bad experience. I swore to never come back! The only reason it gets one star — is cuz the drinks are actually not bad. The service and food just really suck.

Stopped in here for drinks and got a chance to try a few dishes. Overall food was alright, nothing great to rant about. Some of the dishes were pretty bland atmosphere was fun, service was great.
–La Faldita aged, grilled mini skirt steak with yuca fries
–Alitas De Pollo crispy & spicy chicken wings with a honey glaze & green plantains
–Piononos ripe sweet plantains filled with spicy beef & monterey jack cheese
–Ceviche Ecuatoriano ecuadorian style shrimp cocktail w/​guacamole, in a spicy citrus sauce
–Ensalada De Camaron shrimp & sliced avocado salad with a coconut vinaigrette
–El Tequilaso sauteed shrimp in a tequila, chipotle spicy pepper sauce & sweet plantains
–Rellenos fried green plantains filled with a medley of braised seafood
–Pinchos skirt steak medallions & grilled shrimp skewers w/​garlic mojo & chimichurri
–Gambas Ajillo sauteed shrimp in a white wine & garlic sauce with tostones
Again, food was just alright, nothing really stood out. Better place for DRANKS!

Hung out at Salud on a Friday night for happy hour. Really enjoyed the Mojitos, although you had to wait like 20 minutes in between drinks. My suggestion, order 2 at a time.
Tapas were just OK. I liked the skirt steak and garlic shrimp, but my mother makes better flan and my girl makes better rice pudding, Overall, it was a good time and I would recommend/​return at an off-​peak time to get shitty of those Mojitos.

Came here last night with a girlfriend and the both of us really fell head over heels over the charms of this restaurant. It’s interior space is beautiful and very inviting. The Tropical /​Mediterranean vibe was highlighted by the lovely décor and furniture, as well as their Latin-​driven menu. It reminded me much of Cabana (a Cuban chain restaurant with 3 locations throughout Queens and Manhattan). And as much as I enjoy Cabana, this place I felt was less commercial and slightly more upscale.
We sat upstairs, which, I have to say is such a lovely space. It isn’t a large area, but it’s quaint, and can seat about 20 people or so. This charming second floor, is elevated and open to the view downstairs, it’s sort of like a large balcony. The layout of this area was absolutely darling, Melissa even suggested how great it’d be to rent it out for parties to which our hostess assured us that it is regularly done so for events and celebrations. It definitely put some ideas in my head for a possible party of my own here, someday.
We decided to order from the pre-​fixe dinner menu (
), and pair that along with drinks from their happy hour selections. The mango martini is really fresh and fabulous. We had four drinks between the two of us. For my appetizer, I started with the «Piononos» (ground beef and cheese wrapped in a soft, sweet plantain shell). This was not only a treat on the eyes, with it’s nice plating, but it was also a delicious starter. The saltiness of the beef and cheese really complimented the sweet plantain. I even tried a bit of my friend’s appetizer, the house «Ceviche», and it was superb. The thing with ceviche is the uncertainty of it’s execution from place to place, it’s truly hit-​or-​miss. But I was impressed that Salud makes a very nice rendition of their own.
For my entrée, I went with the «Gambas Ajillo» (sautéed garlic shrimp, served with a side of pan-​friend plantains). At this point, I had had plantains in three dishes. First, they start your table off with plantain chip, along with a sort of mole sauce as dip. Then, there was my appetizer which had plantains in it, and here again in my entrée, what do you know. Plantains. Thankfully however (!), these were prepared differently, and I was able to appreciate the taste and texture in an alternative way. Presentation on the entrée did not blow me away, the shrimp, were pretty small in size, and there was so much garlic in my dish that I’d be warding off vampires for many halloweens to come. It was pretty intense! However, good thing I like garlic, because I thought it was very good. I’d have appreciated jumbo shrimp, and perhaps less plantains, but I understand some sacrifices need to be made on a pre-​fixe menu. Lastly, my dessert was the coconut flan. Did not love this. I tasted more of the rum instead of the coconut and the smooth and creamy consistency that I’m used to with flan, was missing here. Sadly, I didn’t think it was too flavorful. Overall, for $ 24.10, I thought it was a pretty decent, if not altogether excellent, meal. Portion size is a bit on the small side, but the flavors are there, though not all dishes were spectacular. Still, I’d certainly come back for the vibrant atmosphere and martinis.
P. S. — Congratulations to the couple that had gotten engaged while we were there seated parallel to them as their sweet moment unfolded!

After a night of kick-​yo-​ass Bikram, we needed to tank up quick.
After doing the yoga and dinner night for over 5 months now, we are running out of places to dine in this part of town. Luckily, a fellow yogi was eavesdropping on our conversation in the changing room. She wasn’t really eavesdropping since the changing area is tiny, and frankly, my friend and I discuss the same thing every Friday after Bikram.
The very nice yogi suggested that we head on over to Peck Slip. I was a bit skeptical because when I hear «Abercrombie this» and «Gap that,» I start to fear Mall Nation. After strolling through Peck Slip, we didn’t see anything particularly alluring.
But just off to a side street, you can spot this restaurant on the corner. From the outside, there is a nice tropical green hue emanating from the inside. Once you open the door and step inside, you are somewhere else. Try a Cuban cabana with palm trees minus the cigars. Salsa music fills the room. The aura brings me back to Caribbean beaches and I can’t help but fall in love.
The place serves up Pan-​Latin tapas. We tried their pre-​fixe menu. Two courses and dessert for $ 24.10. We had the bacalaitos and ceviche as our first course. Both solid dishes but not memorable. For the second course, we had gambas and alitas de pollo. Again, solid but nothing to rave about. For dessert, we tried the rum/​coconut flan and rice pudding. I’ve had better.
The sangria was decent. If we find ourselevs here again, I’ll either try the capirinha or coquito.
And although the food was disappointing, the ambience made up for it. I would recommend this place for a drink and then move onto something more sophisticated.

I have been here a few times & i have to say this place is too cute… not very big which is nice since it gives it a more intimate setting.
the plantain chips & black bean dip they start you with are very tasty & its a nice departure from regular chips & salsa .
prices here are pretty decent & they also have a nice price fix menu which is great since u get to taste some of the bigger dishes with out the bigger price. nice wine list decent prices.
the alitas de pollo are yummy, so is the steak with yuca & garlic.

Stopped by here for lunch on the first day of Spring 2010, since it was so beautiful out today we had to wait 40 minutes for a table. We put our names down and then came back with minutes to spare, the manager even reserved the table and called me right when it was ready.
We did the $ 24.95 prix fix lunch. It was 3 courses of tapas. Starting with the yucca and skirt steak, then onto the seafood paellita (perfect size) and AMAZING vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips and brown sugar. My mango brazilian drink was yummy too. Will totally come back soon.

I thought it was really good. Not sure if I would go here not on the happy hour but $ 5 sangria was really good and the food was all really good. The little cuban sandwich was AMAZING.
Not cheap though but not outrageous. If I am in the hood I would check it out again.