Sevilla

World War II was underway when Sevilla opened in the heart of the West Village in 1941. Its Spanish menu and demeanor hasn't changed much since, with booths the color of caramel flan and portraits of bullfighters and senoritas on the walls. In 2015 the James Beard Foundation bestowed an America's Classics award for its timeless appeal. The polished staff is formally dressed in white shirts and black bow ties, but there's a genuine warmth to them, helping to explain why regulars treat it like their living room. Paella is popular, but we're more partial to bacalao in green sauce (parsley, garlic, olive oil, onions), broiled chorizo, mussels in hot garlic sauce and Cornish hen with almonds. If you're not hungry, it's still fun to stop in for a drink at the old wood bar where flamenco dolls are positioned among the liquor bottles. Most drinks are $6.50 (if you don't specify top shelf brands), half of what they cost elsewhere in the area.