EL CARTEL TAPAS BAR AND RESTAURANT Opens in Hell's Kitchen

El Cartel Tapas Bar and Restaurant is a new, family-owned restaurant serving Colombian cuisine and culture which has recently opened in Hell's Kitchen operated by Bill Arango.

While the playfully provocative name draws connections to perhaps the most infamous Colombian, Pablo Escobar, it actually comes from a popular Colombian telenovela, El Cartel de Los Sapos. From 2009 to 2011, Arango's mother owned and operated a restaurant by the same name, El Cartel Panadería y Piqueteadero, in Queens where she also served as chef. Seeing relatively few restaurants that fully display Colombian cuisine to Manhattan, Arango decided to open the second iteration of El Cartel on a high foot-traffic stretch of 9^th Avenue in Manhattan to introduce the bounty of flavors to as many people as possible.

The restaurant's menu is composed of signature dishes from the diverse regions of Colombia that inform the country's cuisine and Arango's mother's recipes

Standout selections from El Cartel's menu include Tapas such as Shrimp Ceviche: Shrimp dressed in lime juice, cilantro, mango, and purple onions in a homemade pink sauce; Arepitas: Three white corn cakes each topped with chicken, chicharron, and steak; and Tostones Rellenos: Three green plantain cups fried to perfection; each topped with octopus, chicken, and steak, with a vegan option also available.

Entrees include Bandeja El Cartel: A well-paced dish consisting of steak, a fired egg, rice, red beans, chicharron, sweet plantain, Colombian chorizo, arepita, and avocado; Pechugo Buenaventura: Juicy chicken breast topped with fresh creamy seafood sauce made with shrimp, mussels, clams, octopus, and calamar, served with white rice; and Cazuela de Mariscos: Traditional Colombian seafood casserole made with shrimp, mussels, clams, octopus, and calamar served with white rice.

Desserts top off a meal with Fried Cheese: Fried cheese pieces with homemade sweet guava sauce; Oblea: Wafers stuffed with Arequipe and a homemade blackberry sauce; and Figs in Syrup: Cheese and Arequipe sandwiches inside a fig drenched syrup.

Beverage Program:

The restaurant features a beverage program composed of Frozen Sangria with a white or red wine base as well as a selection of imported and domestic beer by the bottle headlined by Aguila, the top selling beer in Colombia. El Cartel will also feature a selection of wine and champagne by the glass and by the bottle.

El Cartel is located at 613 9^th Avenue (between 43^rd and 44^th Streets) and open Tuesday - Sunday for both lunch and dinner. The restaurant also offers both takeout and delivery options for guests.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of El Cartel

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