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All Reader Reviews of...

Macondo

157 E. Houston St., New York, NY, 10002
nr. Allen St.
212-473-9900

Avg. Rating

5
Food: 5
Service: 6
Décor: 8
"Mixed Reviews"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

33% would go back.

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Oh Tapas...

By LES_OD on 10/21/2010

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 5
  • Décor: 10
  • No, I would not go back!

This place came highly recommended, but even the recommender was a bit disappointed with our experience. The prices have gone up while the portion size has gone down. What used to be included, is now offered "a la carte" for an extra fee. I ordered what I thought was lasagna and the server told me in a slightly conceited voice "well...it's cold, I'm not sure you'll like it". Not one to turn down a challenge from someone who thinks I'm not good enough to eat cold lasagna, I ordered it against my better judgment. It wasn't bad...but some things should just be served warm. The decor is great and the atmosphere, fun. Hopefully the food will follow suit and match the restaurant.

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13 out of 35 people found this review helpful.

Great Service, Nasty food

By MissMeyers on 4/26/2009

  • Overall Rating: 4
  • Food: 1
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 10
  • No, I would not go back!

The food was not good. The drinks were strong and a bargain for the price, but they were not good. The staff was very pleasant, the decor was great, the bathroom was very clean. However, the food was not good. Unfortunately, I will never return here.

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50 out of 99 people found this review helpful.

Edible shitshow

By sleepyscience on 3/1/2009

  • Overall Rating: 3
  • Food: 3
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 5
  • No, I would not go back!

Don't let the fancy exterior fool you, the service at Macondo is one hairsbreadth away from that of your local McDonalds-- wait-- Duane Reade. Atrocious. We waited over an hour to be seated after being told by the inept hostesses the wait was 20 minutes. $9 cocktails that taste like watered-down popsicles, bland, lukewarm tacos, a spacey waitress who only materialized every 30 minutes... save yourself the headache.

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48 out of 105 people found this review helpful.

A Nobel Prize Winner It Is Not

By splendarenda on 9/27/2008

  • Overall Rating: 6
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 7
  • No, I would not go back!

Although based on the award winning Gabriel García Marquez novel, Cien Años de Solidad (One Hundred Years of Solitude), Macondo shares none of the attributes associated with the critically acclaimed work. A clever idea though, with nice decor and a cool Spanish street fare theme going on, but sadly the rest is very inconsistent. We went there expecting a wonderful spanish meal, but the result was a throughly tasteless, underseasoned, and well, bland, experience. First of all, for a "tapas" place, the items on the menu are oddly portioned and pretty pricy. Some things are tiny, while the bocadillos were more than enough food. A waiter tripped over some lady's bag and dropped what he was carrying, splattering sauce all over my backside and the coat I had draped on my chair. He didn't even apologize! Eventually manager came over to apologize, offering to pay for the dry cleaning of my coat. I would have preferred a refund of my evening and my dinner. Overall, Macondo has potential, but seriously steep prices for food and drinks and tasteless "street fair" aren't going to cut it.

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55 out of 104 people found this review helpful.

Crazy waiter! Great food.

By jordangookin on 8/5/2008

  • Overall Rating: 8
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 8
  • Décor: 6
  • Yes, I would go back!

I first wanted to visit this restaurant after simply hearing the name, which is the central theme in one of my favorite books, One Hundred Years of Solitude. Imagine my surprise when I visit and our waiter informs us that indeed the restaurant is based off of G.G. Marquez's book! And I have to say, with such heavy material to live up to, I am very glad this place exists. Our waiter was very energetic, fun, and a bit wise cracking which I loved. A downside to the experience was that they apparently were going through a major menu rewrite and didn't have about a third of what was listed. But what we did end up getting was fantastic, if a bit pricey for the portions. I realize that it is tapas style, but this doesn't justify smaller and smaller plates for more and more. Even so, the food itself was excellent. I would hate to see this place go under, especially with their unique mixed drink list. The ambiance was fun, if a bit dim. But the ever-changing large glowdome was nice.

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51 out of 101 people found this review helpful.

Great place to meet for dinner and/or drinks!

By delikado on 8/4/2008

  • Overall Rating: 8
  • Food: 7
  • Service: 8
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

I finally made it to Macondo with some friends last weekend and we all had a really nice time! Billed as 'Latin street food,' all of the dishes (at least the ones we tried) are perfect for sharing, although we enjoyed some more than others. Personally, I found the calamares and almondegas to be too sweet, and the codfish fritters were doughy and bland. However, the flatbreads (we tried the mushroom and skirt steak) and the pernil tacos were delicious. The octopus salad was also a pleasant surprise, tossed with a fresh lemon dressing that was perfect for a warm summer evening. The cocktails shouldn't be missed either (who knew jalapenos would be so good in a drink??), but I wish they were served in bigger glasses!

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50 out of 94 people found this review helpful.

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