About El Quijote
El Quijote has poured sangria under the Hotel Chelsea since 1930, which makes it the oldest Spanish restaurant in New York. The bar was the one Dylan Thomas drank at in his last weeks; Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe passed through; Janis Joplin and Patti Smith kept a New York address in the rooms above. It closed for a long renovation and reopened in February 2022 under Sunday Hospitality — the group behind Sunday in Brooklyn and Rule of Thirds — with the red-and-gold room and the Don Quixote murals restored. The address has not moved: 226 West 23rd Street, in Chelsea.
The Kitchen
Chef de cuisine Byron Hogan spent thirteen years cooking in Madrid before taking this kitchen, and it shows in the rice. The Paella de Mariscos, $58, is built on calasparra rice with rock shrimp, squid and mussels, and the test of it is the socarrat — the layer of rice that toasts and crisps against the hot pan, the part Spaniards fight over. The seasonal Paella de Temporada swaps in bomba rice, cockles, blue prawns and rabbit. The other signature is the Bogavante Quijote: lobster cooked a la plancha and finished with pimentón butter and amontillado sherry, the sherry doing the brightening work lemon would do in a lesser kitchen. This is Spanish cooking that takes the rice and the fire seriously.
The Room
The dining room is half the reason to come: dark wood, red leather, brass, and the restored murals of Don Quixote tilting at his windmills, a space that still reads as 1930 after a full renovation. It is loud and warm, good for a big table or a date you want to feel like an occasion. Most plates sit in the $20s and $30s; the paella for two pushes the bill up. Book on Resy, though the bar still takes walk-ins, and dress smart-casual.
Best for a First Date
Book El Quijote for a first date if you want a room with a story you can lean on when the conversation stalls. The Quixote murals, the Chelsea Hotel ghosts upstairs, a shared paella and a jug of sangria buy you an hour of easy talk. It is not a hushed tasting-menu room — it is loud, generous and unpretentious, which takes the pressure off a first meeting. Split the Bogavante Quijote and let the room do the rest.
Not For
Skip it for a quiet, refined tasting menu — El Quijote is a loud, sangria-soaked Chelsea institution built on paella and atmosphere, not on hushed fine-dining precision.
Frequently Asked
Who runs the kitchen at El Quijote?
Chef de cuisine Byron Hogan, who cooked in Madrid for thirteen years, leads the kitchen. El Quijote reopened in February 2022 under Sunday Hospitality (Sunday in Brooklyn, Rule of Thirds) with partner Charles Seich, after a long renovation of the 1930 original inside the Hotel Chelsea.
What should you order at El Quijote?
The paella. The Paella de Mariscos ($58) is built on calasparra rice with rock shrimp, squid and mussels; the seasonal Paella de Temporada uses bomba rice with cockles, blue prawns and rabbit. The other signature is the Bogavante Quijote — lobster a la plancha with pimentón butter and amontillado sherry.
How old is El Quijote, and what's its history?
El Quijote opened in 1930 and is the oldest Spanish restaurant in New York City. It sits inside the Hotel Chelsea, the bohemian landmark where Dylan Thomas drank, Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe passed through, and Janis Joplin and Patti Smith lived. It reopened in 2022 after a full restoration.
How much does dinner at El Quijote cost?
Most plates run in the $20s and $30s; the Paella de Mariscos is $58 and the paellas are built for two, so a shared dinner with sangria lands at a mid-to-upper range. It is a special-occasion room at a fair price for the setting and the history.
Where is El Quijote, and do you need a reservation?
At 226 West 23rd Street, inside the Hotel Chelsea in the Chelsea neighbourhood. Book on Resy for a table; the bar still takes walk-ins. The room is loud and lively, so come for atmosphere as much as for the food.
Also in New York City
Explore the full New York City restaurant guide, or compare other Spanish tables like Boqueria. See our First Date, Birthday, and Team Dinner occasion guides for more New York picks.