Pipa: Spanish Food and Shopping Make A Great Combination.
Written: Aug 11 '03 (Updated Jul 08 '05)
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Pros: Nice decor, good service, Sangria, next to ABC Carpet & Home
Cons: Expensive, no kid's menu.
The Bottom Line: Good, yet expensive, Spanish food in a great location for shopping.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: Pipa |
We found Pipa when we became starved shopping at the Manhattan mecca for home furnishings: ABC Carpet & Home. Pipa has a street entrance on 19th street but there is a back door entrance to the restaurant though the lower level of ABC Carpet & Home.
DECOR
The food at Pipa is Spanish although you wouldn't know it from the decor which is best described as eclectic. There are clusters of mismatched chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Brick and wood beams are left exposed. Tables are scattered in a odd pattern with one large communal table in the center of the room. There is a bar with additional seating. Even though the decor was chaotic and mismatched, it did come together in a kind of pleasant urban way.
FOOD
The lunch menu is relatively expensive, even for NYC. Lunch entrees ranged from $8 to $16. I got a Spanish tortilla - which is completely different than the Mexican tortilla. The Spanish version is an egg and potato pie - sort of like fritatta. Mine came on a bed of thin ham with a delicious garnish of spanish olives. My husband had a flat bread covered with vegetables - sort of like a pizza. I thought my tortilla was great. My husband thought his dish was good but not overwhelming.
DRINK
The restaurant has a full bar. They serve Sangrias, but only in pitchers, so Moms lose out. If you want Sangrias, go with friends and leave the kids at home.
CHILD FRIENDLINESS
Pipa is not really a kid's restaurant. For starters, there is not kid's menu and many dishes on the regular menu won't appeal to kids. My 3 year old got pancakes, the regular breakfast kind, for $8. They were the cheapest thing on the lunch menu. His serving was huge: 6 large pancakes with a big side of fruit salad. He ate one pancake. What a waste. My 7 year old is a more adventurous eater. She chose huevos rancheros and enjoyed them although she did not dent her large serving either.
SERVICE
Service was efficient. We were greeted by a hostess and escorted to a table promptly. The staff all wore NYC chic black. They were professional but not particularly friendly, perhaps intending to maintain that chic aloof NYC thing.
AMBIANCE
Pipa was a casual place. Jeans were fine but plenty of New Yorkers were dressed up on Saturday afternoon. We ate at Pipa during the day but I could see it being a good restaurant for friends or a date at night since it was a little chic and very dark.
HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBILITY
The restaurant was all on one floor and the tables are well-spaced. However, the bathrooms are down a flight of stairs in the basement and I didn't see an elevator. The restaurant backs into ABC Carpet & Home so there might be a more convenient restroom in the store.
VEGETARIANS
If you eat eggs, there are a lot of egg dishes on the menu. There appeared to be at least a couple vegetarian options on the menu.
CONTACT INFORMATION
The address is: 38 East 19th Street, NYC. The phone is (212) 677-2233.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
Pipa was a nice respite from our true destination: ABC Carpet & Home. The menu definitely reflected a premium for this location. The bill for our family of 4, with one beer and including tax and tip was around $50 for lunch. I am giving it 3 stars because the food was generally good and the service was efficient. I take two stars off because of the price and the fact that I couldn't get a single glass of Sangria.
MY MINI-GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY
Things to Do:
The Metropolitan Museum
Ellis Island
The Statue of Liberty
Places to Eat:
Lucky Cheng’s has Chinese food for adults.
Ruby Foo’s has Chinese food for families.
Starlight Diner is where singing servers bring your burgers.
Rue 57 fuses French and Japanese cuisine in Midtown.
Places to Stay:
The Roosevelt Hotel
The Hudson
The W on Lexington
Sheraton Manhattan
Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers
Broadway:
TKTS sells half-price tickets to Broadway shows.
Rent is an unusual Broadway rock musical legend.
Gypsy is Broadway at its best.
Wicked is a prequel to the Wizard of Oz.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Lunch portions are huge.
Best Suited For: Trendy Crowd
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Epinions.com ID:
modernmarvel
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Can anyone recommend a western family dude ranch for a vacation this summer?
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