NYCReview
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
El Almacen
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You know that feeling when you lose something dumb? You’re trying to leave your apartment, you’re running late, and you can’t find your keys. You’ve looked in all the spots they should be, you’ve looked in all the spots they shouldn’t be, and you have no idea how you could lose anything in an apartment that only takes you five seconds to cross. Then, after 25 minutes of confusion and expletives, you find them. They were sitting on the counter under a balled-up paper towel that you keep reusing because you finished the roll two days ago. You’d definitely already checked there twice. They just appeared out of nowhere.
Which is exactly how we feel about El Almacén. It’s the kind of satisfying, affordable, quality restaurant we’re always looking for and rarely find. And it’s been right under (or on top of) the balled-up grossness that is the Bedford L stop this entire time. Well, since 2009 to be exact. Back when the Bedford L stop was edgy, this place seems to have been pretty cool. Or at least cool enough that Madonna ate there once.
Fast-forward to present day and Madonna is definitely not eating El Almacén. But we are, and we’re bringing our friends. Because in this particular deadzone of Williamsburg, this casual Argentinian place actually feels exciting. Not because it’s super trendy, but because there are avocado fries, there’s a giant $24 steak, and there’s zero pretension.
Now that you know where to look, you’ll find El Almacén hiding up a flight of stairs. Don’t be scared off by the lace curtains - what’s behind them is a red-brick covered space that feels like the sort of cozy spot you’d stumble into on a random side street in Buenos Aires. Or at least, what we imagine that would be like. And whether you’re hitting it for a low-key weeknight date or a Saturday night with your crew, you’ll want to hang out here. I’m even considering it for my next birthday dinner. And I don’t f*ck around with birthdays.
As for the food, will it blow your mind? Probably not, but that’s also not the point. The point is that you can walk right into El Almacén pretty much anytime, have any kind of meal you want, and walk out happy. That $24 steak isn’t just extremely affordable, it’s extremely good. As are the hamachi crudo and fish tacos, paella and short ribs, empanadas and enchiladas, churros and chocolate lava cake. And that’s just dinner.
So the next time you get quoted a four-hour wait at St. Anselm for that now-overpriced butcher steak, come to El Almacén instead. Actually, just come here first. You always find your keys - but you don’t always find a restaurant like this one.