Spanish Restaurant Near Me in Chelsea: El Quijote at the Hotel Chelsea

El Quijote opens at 5 pm every day at 226 West 23rd Street, tucked into the ground floor of the Hotel Chelsea, and a seafood paella for the table costs $58. This Chelsea Spanish restaurant first opened in 1930, closed in 2018, and came back in February 2022 with its red neon sign, long awning and Don Quixote mural restored. It now seats about 60 people instead of the old 195, which is why booking ahead matters far more than it did before.

What sets El Quijote apart is the room itself. When the restorers pulled up old linoleum, they found the original tiny ceramic floor tiles underneath and kept them. A mural of Don Quixote's adventures, windmills included, runs the length of the dining room, and the New York Times critic Pete Wells noted servers dressed in red cotton jackets. The frosted glass and booths make it feel like a 1950s supper club that never stopped serving, even though it spent four years dark.

Start with the tapas that the old El Quijote never really focused on. Patatas bravas cost $14, and pan con tomate, toasted bread rubbed with ripe tomato and olive oil, is $13. A tortilla de patata at $12 is the cheapest plate on the menu and one of the most satisfying. These three together make a light first round for two people while the kitchen prepares heavier dishes, and they pair naturally with a glass of sangria at the bar.

The gambas al ajillo, shrimp cooked in olive oil with garlic and chili, cost $23 and arrive still bubbling in their dish. Save some bread for the oil. The jamón ibérico is the luxury order at $48, thin slices of acorn-fed ham meant to be eaten slowly. For a table of four that wants a showpiece, the jamón makes sense; for two, the shrimp and the bravas give more variety for less money and leave room for the paella that follows.

The paella de mariscos is the main event at $58, a seafood rice built for sharing that takes time to cook properly. Order it with your first drinks. For a celebration, the Daily Double pairs a 10-ounce ribeye with half a lobster for $74, the most indulgent plate on the dinner menu and a classic surf and turf for sharing. Splitting the paella and the Daily Double among three or four people makes a festive and well-balanced dinner.

An honest judgment: the $48 jamón is the dish to skip if you are watching the bill. It is good ham, but the same money covers almost a whole paella, and paella is what this kitchen does best. The tortilla, on the other hand, is underrated at $12 and worth ordering even when nobody at the table asked for it. If your group cannot decide, let the paella and the shrimp carry the meal and spend the rest on drinks.

Cocktails cost $18, and sangria runs $15 by the glass or $68 by the pitcher. The pitcher only makes sense for four or more people, so smaller groups should order by the glass. A cold glass of white with the seafood paella is the simplest pairing, and the bartenders keep the sangria flowing all night. The bar near the entrance is the best seat for solo diners, with a direct view of the neon and the stream of hotel guests coming through the door.

Hours run 5 to 11 pm Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. The late close is useful after a show or a gallery opening in West Chelsea. Early tables at 5 or 5:30 pm are the easiest to book, while 7:30 to 9 pm on weekends fills up first. If you cannot get a table, La Nacional at 239 West 14th Street, nine blocks south, serves paella in the Spanish Benevolent Society's historic brownstone.

Reservations go through Resy on the restaurant's website and through OpenTable, where diners have posted reviews throughout 2026. The OpenTable listing describes the dress code as business casual, so leave the gym clothes at home. Weekend prime time disappears days ahead, while early weekday slots tend to stay open longer. For private dining or a larger celebration, email the hotel's dining address in advance rather than relying on a standard online booking.

The crowd mixes Hotel Chelsea guests, neighborhood couples who remember the old El Quijote, and younger diners drawn by the building's artistic history. Patti Smith once wrote that El Quijote was her bar, and the restaurant's history page describes a 1969 night when she met members of Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix there. Andy Warhol and Janis Joplin also passed through. Today the room is calmer, but the sense of sitting inside New York cultural history remains.

The revival is the work of Sunday Hospitality, with partners Sean MacPherson, Richard Born and Ira Drukier, the same owners behind the hotel's long restoration. According to Resy, Byron Hogan led the kitchen as chef de cuisine when the restaurant reopened in 2022. The name comes from Cervantes's knight, Don Quixote, whose battles with windmills fill the mural. The reopening drew coverage from The New York Times, Grub Street and The Wall Street Journal, listed on the restaurant's press page.

After dinner, step into the Hotel Chelsea's lobby if it is open to visitors, then walk south on Eighth Avenue to the Joyce Theater at 175 Eighth Avenue and 19th Street, home to many of New York's touring dance companies. From West 23rd Street, the High Line is also within reach, with stairs at Tenth Avenue for an elevated walk above Chelsea's galleries. The stretch of West 23rd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, with its brick buildings and fire escapes, is pleasant even on a quick evening stroll.

Practical notes: El Quijote is at 226 West 23rd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, and it serves dinner only. Book through Resy or OpenTable, especially for weekend evenings. The restaurant suits dates, small celebrations and anyone curious about the Hotel Chelsea. It suits less a quick budget meal, given $18 cocktails and a $58 paella. Bring a light jacket in October, because the walk from the subway along 23rd Street can turn windy after dark.