Tried the Prie Fixe. Room for improvement: use Peruvian corn instead of canned sweet corn for the $26 ceviche. Burger didn't stand out: could use some texture and acidity like crispy fried onions or pickled onions. Overall, expected more for the price point. Service could be more attentive: we had to ask for more napkins twice. Ambiance was good though and there seems to be regulars!

Woweee! This spot is incredible! It's pricey but worth it. I love that it was started by two guys in wheelchairs and has a wonderfully accessible bathroom and adaptive utensils available. My partner also uses a wheelchair and we were very excited to come by. The staff were very kind, very knowledgable, and also very patient when half of our party was late to our reservation. The food was magical, I can't recommend the Arroz Con Pato strongly enough! It was fantastic and I'm still dreaming about it weeks later. Definitely come by and check them out. The wine pairing is superb!

I went during restaurant week and I loved it so much. I went back a few more times lol. The food was high quality and the service was spectacular. I would say it's on the pricey side but 100% worth it. The inside is romantic and there's an open kitchen. Love the paintings on the walls too. Highly recommend this gem in east Harlem. such an extensive wine menu too. The steak entree and the scallop ceviche appetizer is my favorite.

~4.5 Star (read to see why) I visited Contento for Winter Restaurant Week 2024 with my friend and it didn't disappoint. We've been doing restaurant week every season for several years now and I'd say this was a memorable dinner.  VIBE: This Peruvian spot is a seemingly hidden spot located in Spanish Harlem. One step inside brings your into a modern bit still warm and cozy inside dining area. It's a smaller restaurant and has both table and bar seating inside and heated seating outside. I'll admit that I did make a reservation for indoors for 2 but when I got there the only available seating was at the bar or outside. They let us step into their heated outdoor dining area and we ultimately decided to sit out there. It was a surprisingly cozy ambiance in their outdoor area and they included blankets on every seat (which I did utilize towards the end of our dinner). I should note it was 20 degrees the evening we were there so our toes did get a little cold but the extreme cold should be taken into account. With their heaters I was comfortable thought the dinner.  APPETIZERS: ROASTED CARROTS (w/ ricotta and spicy tahini, algarrobina, crispy shallots) - Absolutely delicious. The carrots were nicely canalized and the ricotta tahini spread was delicious. Paired with the crispy shallots, I really enjoyed the various textures and flavors. If you like savory and sweet you'll enjoy this SCALLOP CEVICHE (w/ cauliflower mousseline, leche de pantera, corn, scallions) This scallop ceviche took us both by surprise with how well balanced the flavors were. The lime flavor was light and balanced so it was a very clean and refreshing flavor, not at all overwhelming. The corn added a nice texture and soaked up the ceviche sauce and the scallops were nice and tender. I honestly forgot the sauce was made with cauliflower because that taste also wasn't overwhelming. I also appreciated the use of squid ink in the dish which gave it a unique color. If you like scallops and ceviche you'll love this.  MAIN DISH: STEAK FRITES (hanger steak, peruvian crispy potatoes, huacatay & aji limo, maitre d'hôtel butter) This item wasn't on the standard menu when we went so it was a restaurant week specific dish. FIRST...I'm a bit unsure of what steak cut we were supposed to receive because our server said for that evening they were replacing their usual skirt steak with a NY strip but the menu said hanger steak. I'm also just realizing that the menu listed that it would have huacatay & aji limo which when I looked up sounded like a mint and spicy pepper which were not incorporated into the dish because I didn't have anything minty or spicy but I definitely had the maitre d'hôtel herb butter.  Now as for the actual dish, the potatoes were exceptionally crispy and lightly salted. Think it's when something is double fried. That crispy. I did enjoy my steak with the butter on it and my friend did too, but I think I just have gotten terribly unlucky with the cut because my steak had a thick piece of gristle (that chewy rubbery hard stuff) along the entire long side of the steak which unfortunately made it very hard to eat and cut around. HOWEVER, my friend's steak was clean and easy to slice and eat so not sure what happened there. It's unfortunate because I love steak but it was hard to fully enjoy it while trying to cut around a very thick tough chewy piece. I wish I could have gotten a different cut. DESSERT: ARROZ CON LECHE CHEESECAKE (w/ mazamorra morada sauce, cinnamon rice crisp) This was a unique dish that we both enjoyed. It was thick kind of like cheesecake but not too rich and not too sweet. It had a texture that is reminiscent of how textured rice pudding is due to rice but it wasn't liquid at all. The marzamorra morada sauce was a delicious complement to the mild cheesecake. I would describe it as sweet and a bit tart like a berry type sauce but it actually gets it's deep color from Peruvian purple corn!  CHOCOLATE FLAN (w/ coffee, whipped cream, tonka beans, caramel) I definitely enjoyed this dessert but the texture definitely threw me off. I'm Filipino so when I think flan I expect a creamy custardy texture but this was much more like a mouse. It was kind of light and airy. Although I would argue this is not flan, it was none the less delicious. I enjoyed the coffee flavor in the desert and would recommend it for those who like that mocha.  SERVICE: Dan was our server and he was fantastic. He answered all my question and made some excellent recommendations. We were the only ones in the outside seating area for a while had he checked in just frequently enough which is great because we were initially worried they'd forget about us out there. So overall I would say it's closer to 4.5 stars. Flavors, food, and vibes were all great. The hiccup for me was the quality of my steak. Considering that my friends' piece looked amazing, I would give them a second chance though so you should check them out yourself!

I know folks know to go to Harlem for innovative cuisine at a great price point, but I needed to send some extra hype at Contento. The style? Think an Afro-Spanish-Caribbean Chef took a trip to Peru with a cook from Japan. There is a real thread of common speak that blends those worlds together through cooking technique and protein prep and Contento uses that thread to tie a beautiful bow on their food!! We made reservations for a Saturday evening and it was bump'n. Folks got served drinks to wait outside and adsorb the vibe from the ADA compliant outdoor streatery. Warming lights and blankets decorate a silk flower filled patio. Our server was amazing, friendly and enthusiastic to refill water and wine glasses alike. We were in a wine mode and had ample joices by-the-glass on a while curated menu and ended up getting a bottle of something we really loved. Some roasted corn-nuts are complementary to the table and addicting to snack-on! We started with the some shared Yaki Soba in a butter and yuzu sauce that was a flavor explosion. Somehow, a butter-noodle dish, elevate and also not heavy AT ALL! That could be a full dinner if they doubled the size!!! We also shared the ceviche that was dollaped with whipped sweet potatoes and pickled onions. So balanced and delicious, and I've had a ton of ceviche in my life!!!! The pan dishes were legit fire. The Pork steak was the softest and most elegant take on pork I've ever had.....EVER! On a bead of mushrooms, it was rich and bursting with umami. The Salmon in yellow sauce with squash and fried yuca screamed Peru and showcased the elevated technique of the kitchen. It was executed perfectly! The showstopper of the night was the Duck leg with cilantro rice. 10/10, no notes! We twisted our waiters arm to get the rice recipe out of him. It was special. This place is special!!

Great spot for a last minute reservation in a pinch. Came here on a Friday night and easily secured a table. The service was quick and friendly and the food was delicious as well. My boyfriend and I got the ceviche and yuca to start, you also receive complimentary roasted corn kernels upon seating. We then split the short rib and noodles entree, I was looking forward to the udon noodles in previous review photos but we had a more yakisoba style noodle instead. Still delicious nonetheless and the short rib was mouthwatering. We finished our meal with the olive oil cake slathered with fresh cream and raspberries. Overall fantastic dinner and I would highly recommend this spot!

Stellar stellar experience at Contento. My partner had had Contento on his list for months, and we decided to finally come on out for our Saturday date night (thankfully there were a few reservation openings left). We were really drawn in by the care the owners put into not only food, ambiance, and setting, but to make the restaurant as physically accessible as possible (details such as table and bar height for those in wheelchairs were clear). Contento is a fine-dining restaurant whose focus is on modern-Peruvian food, with an amazing wine menu (sadly for my partner, I'm not a wine drinker, so he'll be returning to comment on that) and cocktail offerings as well. I had the Bubo Bubo (aged rum * passionfruit * amaro * lime) which was perfectly balanced -- strong and not to sweet. The walls were decorated with beautiful paper cut outs in different geometric shapes and symbols -- the one closest to us was a mandala looking one with an ohm in the middle. The place was smaller than expected, but the character communicated through the interior design made it feel bigger than life, though still cozy and intimate (we had no issue carrying on a conversation). The bowls were also carefully chosen and art pieces in themselves. While figuring out what to order, we munched on the appetiser -- a lightly toasted maize product sprinkled with some chili powder. We ended up settling on the ceviche to start, short ribs with udon, and arroz con pato (rice duck). Service was quick and attentive without being overbearing. The classic lime base was perfectly balanced to bring out the freshness in the fish, which balanced really well with the cilantro leaves, toasted corn, sliced onions and pumpkin puree. My only gripe was that the fish pieces were too large, and I would have preferred smaller pieces (probably more cube-like) to allow for more surface area to saturate each bite of the fish, but that's just me. I started on the arroz con pato while my partner the short ribs, and I must say, you can't go wrong with either entree. The duck's skin was perfectly crisp while the meat underneath extremely tender -- somewhat impossible so, falling off the bone as if it was pulled pork. I don't know what the sauce was, but it was a perfect pairing to this succulent duck. I thought I wouldn't be able to top that, but then I started on the short rib and it again was perfectly crispy on the outside and tenderised on the inside. The noodles were perfectly al dente and covered in enough sauce so that each bite had some, but not so much that it drowned the noodle. As for dessert, we went with the arrox con leche cheesecake. It was a good ending to the meal, but I didn't really like the texture of the rice granules inside of the cake, but that's just my personal preference. Overall, 10/10 experience.

A 5 star experience! We ate at the bar as a walk in and had such a great time. Everything I had was truly amazing and flavorful, we cleaned every plate Ceviche 5/5 Some of the best I ever had. The sweet potato balances the acidity of the dish and it was a great start to the meal. I'd recommend maybe requesting some bread so you can soak everything up Short ribs 5/5 The most juicy, fall off the bone short ribs I've had. The noodles were peanut flavor packed and delicious. Chocolate flan 5.5 It was very moussy and delicious. The white part (unsure what it was) was light and paired well with the chocolate Would most definitely go again, it is a great date spot and group spot

I love when the East Harlem restaurants bring something new, different and DELICIOUS. So glad that I've been able to visit Contento twice now to experience the food, drinks, and atmosphere. Two words: PORK BELLY. I had the dish back in December and it was too good! Highly reccommend. I've enjoyed the scallops, short ribs, roasted salmon and the Yakisoba pasta. EVERYTHING was delicious. I think it's also worth mentioning that they have a HUGE selection of wines! There's like a 10 page book left on the table am I'm like?!!? Nice! Contento makes me contento and I hope it's here to stay. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating and reservations are strongly recommended. It was packed yesterday (Tuesday) when I dined.