Basque seafood w/ pintxos & fried mussels in a cool basement vibe. Standout orange wine, creative dishes, and great martinis.
Eel Bar, a sister restaurant to Hart's, The Fly, and Cervo's, offers pintxos and fried mussels in a cool, basement-like setting on the Lower East Side.
This Basque seafood restaurant is a culinary gem, lauded as the best meal of 2025 by a food content creator for its perfectly cooked dishes and complex flavors from simple ingredients. The ambiance is unparalleled, and despite its popularity, reservations are surprisingly accessible.
The cuisine focuses on Basque and Southern French influences, with a strong emphasis on seafood. Standout dishes include fried mussels, bay scallop skewers, mandarins with grilled squid, and an exceptional orange wine. While most dishes receive high praise, the burger has been noted as a dish to skip. The caneles are also a highly recommended dessert.
"Standouts include the orange wine, fried mussels, bay scallop skewers, mandarins with grilled squid, and the caneles for dessert. The Basque classics and dirty martinis are also highly recommended."
Customers overwhelmingly praise the restaurant, highlighting its excellent food, standout dishes like the orange wine and fried mussels, and overall enjoyable dining experience.
Important Note
The burger has been mentioned as a dish to avoid.
"This user stated they had a really good canele at Eel Bar."
Positive"This user mentioned Eel Bar as another good option alongside Wabi Nori."
Neutral"This user recommended Eel Bar as a dope restaurant with delicious and innovative food, in response to a comment criticizing the NYC food scene."
Positive"This commenter recommended Eel Bar, stating it offers a vibe where one can dress up a bit more."
Positive"The original poster secured a reservation at The Eel, which is related to Cervo's, after Cervo's was fully booked."
Neutral"Eel Bar is suggested as a fitting choice for the user's situation."
Positive"Eel bar is listed as a recommended restaurant."
Positive"The user mentioned they have been really into Eel Bar lately."
Positive"Eel Bar is suggested as a potential dining option."
Neutral"Eel bar is mentioned as a place for 'elevated seafood'."
Positive"Eel Bar, a sister restaurant to Cervo's, has a chilled vibe and good drink selection. Many dishes have Southern French or Basque influences, and they offer great steak and burger options."
Positive"The commenter had a positive solo dining experience at the bar at eel bar."
Positive"Eel Bar in LES is recommended for its great bar seating, underrated food and drinks, and good atmosphere for solo diners."
Positive"Eel Bar is described as a 'good time'."
Positive"The author declared Eel Bar as their favorite Spanish restaurant in NYC, stating everything is excellent ('slaps'), particularly praising its Basque classics and dirty martinis but advising against the burger."
Positive"The commenter lists Eel bar as a recommendation."
Neutral"Listed as a restaurant suggestion."
Neutral"The caneles were very good, better than bouloud cafe, served with poached pairs."
Positive"It was so good that I ended up drinking the orange wine by myself haha, all the dishes were great."
Positive"Really great bottle of orange wine, filthy martini was just okay. Fried mussels, bay scallop skewers, mandarins with grilled squid were standouts but honestly it was all very good, no misses."
Positive
