Coppelia Restaurant     Rating:***** Excellent

207 West 14th. Street
New York, N. Y
Tel. 212 858-5001


Coppelia:       Nuevo Cubano Cuisine with Latin Soul.


Coppelia restaurant named after the beloved ice -cream, and pastry parlor in Havana Cuba serves breakfast, lunch, dinner,  ice cream and super delicious pastries twenty four hours daily.  I've eaten here on numerous occasions and have always been pleased with the food, cocktails, and ambiance. The dining area has a modern look--a bright, cheery pleasing interior and some wall art that creates a  nice relaxed feel.  The dark wooden tables and leather upholstered booth are very comfortable.  And there is seating  for about 40 patrons. A small bar area  and  a soda fountain marble counter service provides additional seating. 

A friendly staff of two brothers, Pedro and Lucio Ramos, from Mexico help create a very pleasant dining experience.  Both servers are very competent and attentive to customer's needs. Their professional demeanor is a big plus at the eatery.  
The menu is divided into breakfast, salads ,appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, main courses, and desserts.

On a recent summer afternoon I stopped  by to order a Cuban sandwich and a side of Cuban beef picadillo empanadas (beef turnovers) to go, and to have  lunch with a friend.  I started with the Havana salad: a healthy embrace of fresh leafy kale, pepitas, queso fresco, and tomatoes, traditionally dressed in a lemon-mustard vinaigrette.  Quite good.  For the main course I opted for the Wild caught Salmon: a meaty thick and tender fresh cut Alaskan sea beauty perfectly seasoned with fresh herbs and spices and cooked to perfection. This signature dish served with purple mashed potatoes and a Cuban mango-cachucha- sauce shines bright and elevates the fish to new heights. Chef Julian Medina is very gifted--the approach and presentation is new and thin.  An exciting and succulent Nuevo Cubano dish created with finesse while keeping traditional color and flavor at its core.  Another exciting dish is the Ropa Vieja: A slow cooked and then shredded beef in a tomato -cachucha sauce, sautéed with onions is served with white rice and black beans. It is an excellent entrée having all the true Cuban flavors.

With Coppelia, the Chelsea area neighborhood gets a truly authentic Cuban  restaurant.  The eatery is really a great spot to go to after seeing a late night movie, or gallery hopping.  And well worth the journey if you are in the mood to have a late night glorious dessert with a good brew of Cuban coffee, an excellent Amontillado, a Pedro Ximenez Sherry,  a glass of Liqueur 43, or a melon Daiquiri, a specialty of the House created by Pastry Chef Felix Castro.

Patissiers( Pastry Chefs) have become the new gods of cuisine--being much admired, respected, loved, and even revered by gourmands and foodies who value the audacious creations of a few good talented ones.  Chef Felix Castro's fanciful creations at Coppelia, and other restaurants he works for, are mouthwatering and tantalizing.  Chef Castro, a graduate of the Culinary Academy of New York, and the Cordon Bleu in California makes pastries that seem simple but are indeed lovely culinary jewels--perfect small gems of flavor that taste heavenly.  The dessert menu at Coppelia is the equally-- valuable culinary crown here.  There is an array of pastries at the restaurant like the Bourbon Pecan Pie or the Coconut Cream Pie that are good, but there are four great tasting creations  that Pastry Chef Castro has at the restaurant  that are not to be missed.  Chef Castro's attention to bringing out the Cuban  flavors  of his creations don't disappoint. His approach is to be true to what the name of the restaurant Coppelia is all about:  A kindred place for innovative and great tasting Cuban ice cream, pastries and dessert in New York  City.   Try the Mango Tres Leche:

A super light sponge cake, moist and creamy.   A three milk concoction  blended with Bacardi Dark Rum and cinnamon and topped with fresh mango that is seductive on the palate--that will have you asking for another and another. An orgasmic culinary opus of decadent deliciousness when had with a four melon Daiquiri, or a Cuban Bomb cocktail.  To die for.   Or try the Maria Ice Cream cake, made with pure vanilla bean, condensed milk, crushed Maria crackers and cinnamon. A special joy of  Chef  Felix Castro.  Or go for  what I had for dessert with my lunch, a classy  Blueberry-Peach Crustada--an open face small pie with a copious middle of fresh peach and blueberries topped with a dusting of confection sugar, sorbet and a sprig of mint.

A favorite pastry of the Cuban nobility that is consumed at midnight with a strong classy Cuban drink cocktail like the Old Cuban, or Millionaire to celebrate love and friendship.    Another excellent dessert is the Torrejas de Oliva:  A beautiful caramelized custard-like bread pudding made with Olive oil cake, fresh cream and macerated blackberries then garnished with olive and flaky rock salt and fresh whipped cream and blueberry is astoundingly delicious.  The many pastries at Coppelia that are so much loved by loyal customers is a venerable testament to Chef Felix Castro's skill and genuine dedication to his craft.  After taking my last bite of the Blueberry Crustada,  I finished my lunch with a Cuban Café con Leche spiced with Liqueur 43.

Coppelia, open 24 hours a day is a hospitable, comfortable and clean place offering an eclectic food experience of Nuevo Cubano and Nuevo Latino foods. Cuban born owner Beatriz de Armas  has created another wonderful  oasis of Cuban culinary specialities in New York City that will convince even a demanding Cuban clan of gourmands and food critics, and die hard food traditionalist to admit  that Coppelia is the real deal.  Coppelia is a restaurant for down to earth economical comfort food that is healthy and delicious.  Rating *****  Excellent

Baron Corso de Palenzuela is an international restaurant, food, wine, beer, and chocolate critic.  He has written extensively in many food publications including Gourmet, Edible, Country and Abroad, and many leading newspapers.  He can be reached at  845 706-1244