La Nueva Plaza
212-40 Jamaica Ave., Queens Village
776-6653

Cuisine: Spanish

Hours: 9 a.m to 4 a.m.

Feel like having a meal in an atmosphere filled with merengue and salsa music? Then, La Nueva Plaza is the place for you . . . but only if you want the music to fill the room, not be in the background.

La Nueva Plaza is a Spanish bar and restaurant. It is very dimly lit with multiple colors like a dance club. There is a juke box with a merengue and salsa catalogue. There are large speakers set around the room from which the music emits at a very loud volume; I mean very loud, about 120 decibles loud. The floor literally vibrates. My ears are still ringing from my visit there.

There is a little dance space at the side of the tables, so that couples were dancing intimately right next to me as I was eating so that I got to drift my eyes between them and Alan Iverson dancing around the Miami Heat basketball floor, scoring 41 points on the television at the bar.

I ordered fried chicken with french fries. The chicken was chopped up—like nuggets, except with bone. It was deep fried. It tasted great with ketchup, as did the crisp fries.

The service was very courteous. While I was waiting for my meal, the waitress came to me to explain what stage of the food preparation.

So If you ever feel like dancing in your seat while eating, visit La Nueva Plaza.