Barlata has closed.

Barlata is the best Spanish restaurant in Austin and would probably give the old Malaga location on 2nd street a run for the title. I’ve always felt that Spanish cuisine is underrated in general. I’m a little biased as Spain is my favorite country in Europe, I lived in Malaga for 6 months studying Spanish in the early 2000s, and learned to cook a mean paella that has impressed friends at backyard cookouts and even some local Spaniards strolling the beaches of Malaga East where I’d break out my paella pan. Barlata brings an authentic experience reminiscent of the “modern” tapas bar of Spain’s hipper districts of Barcelona with stylish décor, traditional small plates menu, and a charismatic wine list.

My wife and I dined here with our Spanish friends prior to the Covid closures and we recently returned to see how things were cooking up now that life is getting back to normal. Barlata features a wide variety of tapas with a short list of ~10 tapas frias (cold tapas), a longer list of ~ 20 tapas calientes (warm), and 5 different paellas. Most tapas are priced in the $10 - $15 range and the paellas come in two sizes with small paellas costing about $20 and large versions ranging from $25 - $29.  You can see our receipt in the gallery below for a few specifics.  

This visit we had a vegan in the crew that will nibble on proteins when challenged, but otherwise refrains from dishes that would typically be my first or second choice. So we ordered a few veggie apps in the Patatas Bravas and Brussel Sprouts that were all quite tasty, and seemed to make our vegan friend happy. We also added a Ceviche to the first round. Next, we enjoyed the Pulpo a la Plancha. I like ordering Octopus anytime I see it on the menu because its range is considerable and I think it's a great barometer of a chef’s effort and style. Plus it’s simply delicious, and it's not that easy to cook at home. Barlata's pulpo flavor was robust and authentic compared to those we’ve tried in Spain, albeit a little drier than some we've had elsewhere. It was laid on a bed of greens and pickled red onion which bulked it up visually and added a nice little crunch to every bite. We finished with Arroz Austin, a paella made with pork belly that included 3 ribs stacked stylishly on top

*Having mostly mastered the typical Paella Valenciana (seafood version) myself, I was a little surprised at the depth of rice as it was only a few centimeters deep and mine are usually twice that at least. The perfect paella comes with a crispy layer of rice on the bottom that is caramelized and packed with flavor known as the "socarrat." It dawned on me after the first bite that Daniel’s paella strategy was to deliver all socarrat. Genius! And delicious. Next time I break out the ol' paella pan, I’m planning to go light on the rice and see if I can attempt to match his magic.