Joonbug link: Trendy Tapas.
Relax and unwind after a long day at the office with quality tapas time, escorting your date dressed in a luxuriously sexy shade of red—sangria. Ordering a variety of tasty tapas and sipping a cold cocktail is a simply refreshing idea on a scorching summer afternoon. We have scoped out the trendiest tapas joints in Manhattan for you to savor.
When you first lock eyes with Alta, you will be forever hooked. The venue’s charming exterior is just a small preview of what this quaint restaurant & wine bar beholds. Inhabiting a gorgeous brownstone garnished with ivy, flower pots, big windows and a French door, the atmosphere is inviting and sincerely romantic.
Alta’s unique personality is represented through its menu, captivating each guest with a savory selection of small plates,wine, cocktails & beer and sweets & stickies. We recommend beginning your evening with a cocktail, followed by an assortment of small plates to share (which is typically how the amazing tapas experience works). “If you’re feeling Spanish,” sip a Sherry complimented with delectable Marcona Almondsfeatured in the small plates section. You will certainly not go wrong starting your small plate order with the Bacon Wrapped Dates & Olives stuffed with almonds, Lamb Meatballs served with charred red pepper sauce, toasted sesame seeds, soft cooked egg yolk and labne—yogurt cheese, and House-Made Pizza prepared with fontina cheese, porcini cream, crimini mushrooms, fried garlic and aleppo pepper. The Hudson Valley Rabbit with Chorizo paired with white bean puree and bourbon smoked pimenton— Spanish paprika, is also a delightful option, in addition to the creative twist on your average burger, Angus Beef Slider in Turkish Yufka Pastry with Mahon cheese, homemade pickles and spiced ketchup. Why not order The Whole Shebang for the prime tapas experience—one order of everything on Alta’s small plates menu—for $490?
If you’re feeling the sweets & stickies, review the options with pure caution—they will tempt through sugary charm. Each enticing dish is innovatively keen. The Pumpkin Cheesecake with spiced mascarpone cream, orange confit and bourbon-brined fruit and the Chocolate Molten Cake lavished with dark chocolate sauce, smoked earl grey gelato and cocoa tuile—a thin cookie are two Joonbug favorites.
Alta is located at 64 W 10th Street. For more information about the restaurant, and to view the full menus, click here.
This “downtown trendsetter” accents a stylish and relaxed ambiance in its surrounding neighborhood. The tapas are fairly priced and effortlessly mouthwatering—from taste to presentation. Buceo 95’s vibrant red windows open up to the city streets, inviting you to enjoy your glass of wine while taking in the gorgeous evening breeze and cityscape. With chic exposed brick, a wooden ladder leading up to a wine shelf and bar top tables lit by candles, this venue is definitely a leader on the Upper West Side.
The Iberian venue welcomes all for fine night of cuisine and drink. Their menu highlights one thing and one thing only—Las Tapas. The tapas are broken up into five sections: Verduras (vegetables), Mariscos (seafood),Carne (meat), Pintxos (which the restaurant describes as ‘traditional Spanish “snacks” skewered on cocktail sticks’) and last but absolutely not least, Postre (the most important meal of the day, dessert).
From the Verduras, the Berenjena, a baked eggplant, velvety tetilla cheese, roasted garlic, toasted bread crumbs and the Judías Verdes a dish of chilled green beans, minced crispy bacon, and white truffle crème fraiche are two must-try plates. For the next level of tapas-goodness, Mariscos features creative plates such as Pulpo, a grilled baby octopus dish with mitibleu polenta and albarino endive leaves and their small plate ofCalamares which takes an interestingly tasty view on traditional calamari by grilling the calamari and serving with roasted red pepper almond sauce and squid ink drizzle. A recommended Carne dish is the savoryPinchos Morunos, cumin chicken kabobs with sunflower seed gazpacho blanco. And as for dessert, the Churros dish of long sugary fried dough pastry sticks with chocolate dipping sauce, is the showstealer.
Buceo 95 is located at 201 W 95th Street. To view the full menu of tapas and the restaurant’s savory wine list, click here.
Lexx in the City 