#PeachysPicks Peachy Picks #SevillaRestaurant by #JoseLloves Owner Since 1964 and #BienvenidoAlvarez Oldest Spanish Restaurant in the United States Since April 1936 62 Charles Street Corner of 4th Street Greenwich Village Manhattan
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we know Sevilla Restaurant. They earned their first feature in the spring of 2024 and we returned a year ago in the fall of 2024. Steeped in tradition, Sevilla is a beacon of excellence anchoring the West Village of Manhattan precisely at Charles and West 4th street. Their illustrious history alone is enough to make you schedule it in pen in your diary pronto: in a historic building that dates to 1824, Sevilla is brought to vivid life today by the talents of the Lloves family who welcome you like one of them! Few venues have this kind of return clientele, further testament to their excellence.
From 1824 to 1924, 62 Charles Street was a grocery store and in 1924, it was an Irish bar. We would like to bring our Irish ancestors back to life to see if they visited! In 1936, Sevilla Restaurant was born and they have plans for their big 100th birthday in 2036. Stay tuned, we can't wait!
In 1964, Jose Lloves became the third owner ever and to this day he owns it with his brother, Bienvenido Alvarez. All three visits we were pleased as punch to work with Miguel Lloves, Jose's son and today we are thrilled to announce it has joined the esteemed ranks of Peachy's Picks, where a venue is eligible to join after we have visited a minimum of three times today. We detail their illustrious history directly from their site at the conclusion of this review. But even better than their history is their stellar, commanding cuisine of brilliance.
There is one salad: a classic green salad and all elements are consistently fresh and well-cut. A house dressing was on the side as we requested and it's similar to a French dressing in our opinion. Especially as it cools down and exactly as it is stormy today, opt for the terrifically tantalizing Garlic Soup for its healthfulness and its dazzling flavor to warm you up just like the hospitality here will. Ninety coveted seats are all inside waiting for you to dine at Sevilla (and more people can be included in events). They have tremendous holiday sprit as you can see for Halloween in these pictures; we are told they also excel in Christmas decor so stay tuned: we have yet to see that firsthand.
The well-organized menu has appetizers emblazoned on about a quarter of it and if you are an avid reader, you know Peachy personally covets Manchego Cheese from Spain. Creamy, rich and fresh, this burst of luxuriant La Mancha (region) quality Semi-Cured Sheep's Milk Cheese awaits you in six sensational slices punctuated by Spanish Olives. For all that like to be healthy during dinner, we know you'll also rejoice in the Spanish Asparagus (Blancos de Navarro) which is gorgeously accentuated by roasted red peppers, beautiful Spanish onions, freshly cut scallions and lemon juice all seasoned with salt and pepper and bathing beautifully in a bespoke combination of olive oil and red and white vinegars. Note we do not ever edit pictures: you excel like Miguel and family or we do not publish.
You cannot miss the Mushrooms Stuffed with Crab Meat: Peachy's favorite appetizer at Sevilla. Their ebullience in welcoming your palate to 62 Charles Street incorporates the perfect nuance of garlic and manchego cheese in tandem with the unstoppable deliciousness of crabmeat pack the ultimate in taste inside the rich mushroom beauties. The silver plate is always full of mushrooms which in themselves vary in size.
We count around sixty entree selections which range from a dominant Seafood and Fish (over half) to Poultry and Meat. Chicken Villaroy is an impressive Chicken Breast elevated with distinction baked in Bechamel Cream adding to the moistness. Joined by Spanish Rice with red pepper and peas, it's sure to please all poultry enthusiasts.
We have eaten beaucoup de Red Snapper in the State of Florida, but you would be reading about it in this column more often if we found more places that were as profoundly talented as Sevilla in the Red Snapper category! Here, the fish is jazzed up by being roasted with shrimp, peppers and onions and it's entirely moist and delicious with complexity of flavor by this process. The Red Snapper itself is delivered twice a week. As you see from our second visit, the BBQ Spareribs are a complete champion at Sevilla and we dreamed about them for a year after we first had them. Our dreams came true and they were just as spectacular the second time: no sophomoric performance here! The BBQ Spareribs in fruit sauce are the ones to beat in the entire city says Peachy Deegan.
Happiness is BBQ Spareribs at Sevilla!
You'd be remiss to indulge in the ribs and company without a glass of the strikingly delicious Rioja! In addition to dinner, we understand Sevilla also has a "late night" crowd where those in the know enjoy live music and advanced jovial festivities. The staff are all veterans practically and the average tenure seems to be forever!
Without a doubt to us the piece de resistance at Sevilla is the Paella a la Marinara. It's totally triumphant from the lobster of perfection cut so intelligently that you only have to make the slightest effort to ease it out of the shell. The scallops, shrimp, peas and fantastically fragrant Spanish rice are a total celebration of the bounty of the sea that deserves to be your dinner. And of course as Sevilla closes in on 90 years of excellence, it goes without saying, but we will say it anyway: they know to serve you the correct utensils from the right little fork to the cracker with shellfish. Even in a top market like Manhattan, not everyone knows this believe it or not.
Meet English Cocker Spaniel Nina Lloves, age three and third generation of the Lloves family.
Nina tells us her vocation of Chief Consistency Evaluator of the Medium Rare Sirloin Steak (Nina says you will Llove it so we will have to try it another day) is something she takes seriously on a daily basis and we hope to hear more of her canine insight. It goes without saying that she was perfectly well-behaved lady.
Nina in a pensive moment, evidencing her critical thinking skills
62 Charles Street at West 4th (formerly known as Asylum Street) wasn't always a restaurant. In the mid 1800's it was a central grocery (owned by Augustus Neidhardt) and in the later 1800's, it was the sight of a busy "Horse and Carriage" Taxi Service which drew a lot of traffic to the busy corner of West 4th and Charles Streets. In the early 1900, an entrepreneur took advantage of its location by establishing "Talk of the Town," a well situated Irish Tavern which quickly became famous for its burgers and beers. In 1936, Sevilla Restaurant, founded by a Luis Fernandez and Alfonso Uchupi, first opened its doors to the West Village. The restaurant still whispers hints of the old Irish tavern, with its murals adorning the walls, original bar and wood-cut ceilings all remaining intact. Mr. Fernandez later sold the business to a gentleman named Tomas Gonzalez (said to be a wonderful person to those who knew him) and his Basque partners two sons. Mr. Gonzalez ran the business for the next few decades. In 1967, he sold the business to Jose Lloves (then the chef of Sevilla) and his partner Antonio Rodriguez. Mr. Gonzalez remained as a waiter alongside Jose Lloves for 30 years until he retired in 1985. In 1972, Jose Lloves and his brother, Bienvenido Alvarez, partnered and both have been running Sevilla Restaurant ever since. Together they have built a legacy that has surpassed all other Spaniard Restaurants and today the "Sevilla Restaurant & Bar" is privileged to be named the oldest Spaniard Restaurant in NY to date, serving new and old generations of clientele with perfection for years to come. This old bull still sill has fight and stands proud to be "The best".
History on W. 4th Street
By the beginning of 1st World War, the West Village was widely known as a bohemian enclave; with secluded side streets, full of cheap, low rent boarding houses, menial labor and a tolerance for radicals and non-conformity. Attention was focused on artists and writers, painters, poets, actors, and musicians noted for their boldly innovative work. Artists like Thomas Paine, Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain, and Theodore Dreiser helped to mold the independent spirit which is so characteristic of the West Village today. What made the West Village so inviting to many immigrants was the freedom and diversity that it had to offer, making it a melting pot of cultures and traditions. The West Village was heavily populated with many European immigrants, especially a mass of Spaniards that emigrated to the West Village to avoid the Spanish Civil War of the 1930¹s. Most Spaniards settled in the West Village, so from 14th Street to 8th Avenue became known as "Little Spain." The birthplace of spanish cuisine in New York City.
In 1961, efforts at historic preservation were started by "down zoning" changes and by the designation of a contiguous Greenwich Village Historic District that protected more than 2,035 structures and encompassed most of the West Village from 6th Ave to Hudson Street. This Greenwich Historic District is unsurpassed in Manhattan by its collection of buildings which represent the major architectural styles of New York beginning in the 1800¹s. Here, vernacular interpretation stands side by side with sophisticated examples of high style architecture. This has captured the essence of the West Village ambiance.
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