Estela

This boisterous SoHo alcove is an ideal place to convene with friends over exquisite nibbles and quenching cocktails. The talented chef behind this operation, Ignacio Mattos, is unfaltering and impressively consistent in his creative renditions of such bold and iconic dishes as ricotta dumplings with mushrooms and Pecorino Sardo. The menu also offers an array of shareable plates that changes regularly, like the mound of warm crab cloaked by shaved celeriac. Dinner might kick off with perfect, sashimi-grade tuna pounded thin and dressed with a dollop of inky pil pil sauce or enticingly plated fried arroz negro scattered with tender squid and hazelnut-studded romesco.

• Intimate downtown bistro from chef Ignacio Mattos.
• Open since 2013.
• Holds one Michelin star.
• Official site lists lunch, midday, and dinner service, plus a bar-forward format.

Signature Ingredients

• Ricotta
• Mushrooms
• Endive
• Squid
• Squid ink rice (arroz negro)
• Hazelnuts

Menu

• Contemporary shareable plates in a relaxed downtown room.
• Signature dishes include ricotta dumplings with mushrooms, and arroz negro with squid and hazelnuts.
• Dinner service runs Monday to Thursday.
• Midday and dinner service runs Friday to Sunday.