El Quijote • 1930

Inside the storied Hotel Chelsea, this Spanish tavern has poured sangria and served paella to generations of artists, writers, and bohemians since 1930. The Ramirez family ran El Quijote for decades before Chelsea Hotels took over and renovated the space, reopening it in 2022 with the same crimson-walled romance and plates of chorizo that made it a creative-class canteen. The ghosts of Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith still linger in the booths.