The Early Word on Alfama's Midtown Reopening

When a rent increase drove a neighborhood favorite, Portuguese restaurant Alfama from the West Village, the owners eventually found a new home in Midtown, and a well-received sleek new look. The early reviews for the month-old restaurant are ahead.

The Good News: The first two Yelp reviews are positive. Says ones, "Alfama is small, cozy and intimate. I think this is the first Portuguese place I've been to and I was definitely satisfied. Everyone in my party enjoyed their food. I went with the red snapper filet and rabbit meatballs and both hit the spot. I was expecting the rabbit meatballs to be more game-y, but they had a really good taste to them. The red snapper was done perfectly and that lobster rice they serve it with could be a meal unto itself. If you want to break out of the ordinary italian-japanese-chinese-thai-french routine, this place is great." [Yelp]

More Good News: Per an Eater commenter: "Checked out Alfama last thursday. Very chic space. Has a very cool, relaxed vibe. Had the red snapper, which was very good. Will be going again." [Eater Comments]

The Short But Sweet News: There's only one Menupages review so far, but it's pretty solid: "I just happened to see this place and just walked in. The layout was very cool and fun. Very friendly and attentive service. Ordered the beat salad and the cod. Both were quite good. I will come back again." [Menupages]

The Early Bird News: In addition to posting a gorgeous photo gallery of the food, Jimmy from Alice Gao's blog Lingered Upon commented the kitchen was operating at "a high level" and enjoyed the appetizers at a pre-opening: "My favorite appetizer was the "Borrego Desfiado", a plate of three slices of bread topped with pulled lamb cooked in honey and fruit. The sweet flavors worked perfectly with the natural flavor of the lamb and made for a very unique and enjoyable flavor profile. Rabbit meatballs were very strong as well." [Lingered Upon]

The Full On Rave: This review is in Portuguese but a translation reveals that the author of the post is enamored with the new Alfama, giving special shout outs to the cod, the octopus, and the lemon mousse, condensed milk dessert. [Open Mind Open Mouth NY]

The Twitterific News: @tinabauble had this to say: "FYI: Alfama Restaurant has reopened in nYC! Had dinner there yesterday and the food was fabulous!"