{"id":245573,"date":"2026-05-27T20:59:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T20:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/245573\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T20:59:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T20:59:13","slug":"our-favorite-spanish-restaurants-in-new-york-for-tapas-seafood-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/245573\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Favorite Spanish Restaurants in New York for Tapas, Seafood, and Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This February, I spent a return visit to Spain, where I had gone on exchange, eating as many tapas and regional Spanish dishes as I possibly could. (In between admiring the art, architecture, and nature that help make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cntraveler.com\/gallery\/the-best-hotels-in-madrid\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Madrid<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cntraveler.com\/story\/barcelona-itinerary-the-insiders-guide-to-three-perfect-days\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Barcelona<\/a> such incredible cities, of course.) From the simple Andalusian bar snack pan con tomate to classics like gambas al ajillo and jam\u00f3n ib\u00e9rico, I was reminded that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cntraveler.com\/sponsored\/story\/when-it-comes-to-spanish-cuisine-tapas-are-just-the-start\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spain\u2019s cuisine<\/a> is simple but bold. Fresh ingredients, often with contrasting flavors and textures, come together in dishes that feel as sun-soaked and vibrant as the country itself\u2014unfussy, convivial, and built to be lingered over at the table.<\/p>\n<p>Upon returning to New York City, which was very much still in the dead of winter, I decided to seek out some Spanish food and channel the country\u2019s sunny vibes. Luckily, there\u2019s no shortage of joints offering charcuterie boards perfect for happy hour, coastal Andalusian seafood, and classic tapas. If you\u2019re looking to add a little Euro summer, Spanish-style, to your dining in the city this summer, consider these seven restaurants.<\/p>\n<p>Read our complete <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cntraveler.com\/destinations\/new-york-city\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York City travel guide here<\/a>, which includes:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Image may contain Food Food Presentation Brunch Plate and Bowl\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"ResponsiveImageContainer-dkeESL cQPiWi responsive-image__image\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/La_Vara2394.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>La Vara in Cobble Hill is just one of several great Spanish restaurants from Chefs Alex Raih and Eder Montero\u2014here, a full spread includes favorites like the spiced chickpeas and blistered peppers.<\/p>\n<p>La Vara<\/p>\n<p>268 Clinton St., Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, NY<\/p>\n<p>Chefs Alex Raij and Eder Montero are responsible for multiple of the best Spanish restaurants in New York. The husband-wife duo operated El Quinto Pino before its closure (RIP) and currently own the Basque eatery <a data-offer-url=\"https:\/\/www.txikitonyc.com\/\" class=\"external-link text link\" data-event-click=\"{&quot;element&quot;:&quot;ExternalLink&quot;,&quot;outgoingURL&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.txikitonyc.com\/&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.txikitonyc.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Txikito<\/a> and the Michelin-recognized La Vara (right next door to La Vara is another sister restaurant, <a data-offer-url=\"https:\/\/www.saintjulivertbk.com\/\" class=\"external-link text link\" data-event-click=\"{&quot;element&quot;:&quot;ExternalLink&quot;,&quot;outgoingURL&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.saintjulivertbk.com\/&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saintjulivertbk.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Saint Julivert Fisherie<\/a>, which offers global seafood bites). All are worth a visit, but my personal favorite is La Vara, which blends Jewish and Moorish influences to honor Southern Spain\u2019s rich culinary history. The crispy spiced chickpeas and blistered peppers are two great snacks to order for the table while you wait for the rest of your party to arrive. The spot is famous for its octopus carpaccio, a nice change from the boiled or grilled options offered at other spots on this list. For the main course, the staff often recommends the slow-roasted suckling pig with chimichurri, and for good reason. It\u2019s an incredibly delicate, sweet, and juicy bite, with a glass-like skin that crackles and melts on your tongue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This February, I spent a return visit to Spain, where I had gone on exchange, eating as many&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":245574,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,24,55,54,56,3371],"class_list":["post-245573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny","tag-places-to-eat-drink"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}