The Spaniard - NYC

First impression? The Spaniard is a bar on a busy stretch in the West Village with an extensive cocktail menu and over 100 types of whiskey. There are a couple TVs that show major sporting events, but this place is much more of a cocktail bar then a place to go watch the game. The food is quite expensive so I think you’ll have a better time if you use The Spaniard as a bar rather than a restaurant.\

The whole space - a big horseshoe bar with booths along the walls and a separate dining room - tends to be packed every night and all day on weekends. A lot of West Village bars get crowded, but they’re usually dark, small spaces where you lose your voice trying to chat to your friends. The Spaniard, though, is a multi-room space that never gets too loud or dark, where you can comfortably speak with friends both old and new.

Whats the crowd like? The crowd is what you would expect in any West village bar. Preppy young professionals while late on a Friday night, the place was filled with a demographic similar to its sister bars: men looking for women and vice versa.

Drink Review

The cocktail list matches the bar’s rugged vibes with plenty of dark-liquor offerings—drinks are divided into House and Whiskey categories—and simple mix-ins. From the House cocktails, the Toucan ($15) was great and consists of Black Strap rum, Aperol, pineapple and lime, and the Mosquito ($15) was awesome with mescal, ginger and Campari.

Should you eat as well?

The crowds that make this a fun spot to get drinks also make eating a full meal here a fairly unpleasant experience. The tables always seem to have reserved signs, even though some remain empty for hours, and if you sit at the bar, you’ll have crowds three-deep shouting “whiskey ginger” over your head throughout your meal.

The Spaniard serves elevated bar food, like buffalo wings with duck, a ribeye with housemade steak sauce, and lobster toast - and it’s just alright overall. In most cases, the twists don’t actually make the dishes taste better - in the case of the wings, for example, any duck flavor is lost under the grainy, mild buffalo sauce. While some things are pretty good - like the patty melt - the prices all feel a few dollars too expensive, and $25 is more than we’re looking to spend on a patty melt and fries.

I say...Just drink

Is it a YAY or NAY? It’s sort of an old Irish pub meets a New York tavern and feels like its been here forever. The decor is stunning and the ceilings to die for. All in all I enjoyed myself and will definently head back.

The Spaniard is located at 190 W 4th St New York , NY 10014 Hours are Mon–Thu noon–4am; Sat, Sun 10:30am–4am

Spacious and well lit

The Toucan

Decor was phenom