La Cuchara

We had to take 2 stars off for the atrocious service we experienced. Yes we went about an hour before closing on a weekday but we sat at the bar… we were right there, easy to NOT ignore yet ignored we were. Felt barely acknowledged in every way possible. But the food… really interesting and at times challenging tapas (in the best way). The little bites like the tongue sandwich, mussels escabeche, the anchovy skewer with olive were intensely full of flavor. Even the bread was excellent. In fact the only miss was the Jambon croquette which was too heavy on the pepper. We also found the cocktails to be very much in sync with the food flavor profiles– the beet Gin & Tonic was meant for tapas. Wow. Beautiful space, too– perfect for late night dining (but, apparently, not TOO late).

Our 2^nd time at La Cuchara, had dinner last night, 8:30 reservation, we were seated right away, the restaurant was not busy at all.
In our 1^st visit the service was slow but we liked what we had to eat. Last night we waited 25 mins to order drinks, our waiter was taking care of 3 other tables and keep ignoring ours, bad experience, avoid this restaurant on weekends unless you can seat at the bar. BTW, I had the rabbit loin for the 2^nd time and it was horrible, salty, over cooked and it looked they ran out of dish sides.

In love with this restaurant. The menu changes daily but they keep a few staple items if you are looking to have that great meal again. The servers know how to pair alcohol with the food and for me has made the dining experience very unique. Alexa is the server we ask for and she is great. After dinner we go to the bar for a night cap and enjoy what ever the mixologists create.

Count me as a big fan. My hubby and I stole away from DC for a night, and La Cuchara was a great change of scene from overpriced small-​plates joints so popular here. We sidled up to the bar at Happy Hour and ordered «one of everything» (8 items) from the $ 1 pinxtos menu, plus some cheeses and sherry pairings and one vegetable dish. Bottom line: this is a fantastic place for happy hour that doesn’t skimp on either the quality or portion size of excellent food and drink. We loved it.
Our order:
lamb albondigas (meatballs) — These tender, adorable little orbs (3) were about the size of the meatballs in a can of Spaghettios, but way tastier. We ordered a second round.
cheese croquette — nicely crispy and good, only slightly outshined by the
jamon and cheese croquette — cheese, ham, fried, not too doughy or greasy — we had to get a second
veal tongue bocadillo — really tasty little two-​bite slider, only wish it weren’t halved. Between the brioche and the Spanish comeback sauce, this was a bit like a little Big Mac, in the best possible way
Fuet sausage — a generous portion — 6 – 7 thick slices — of a really nice salami. I think it may have been house made.
pairing #1 — oloroso sherry and jamon serrano — a generous portion of thick-​cut serrano ham and a full pour of nutty, savory aged sherry. I think they’re giving this away at $ 5. Sherry + cured pork = a match made in heaven
pairing #2 — fino sherry with marcona almonds — fino is a lighter style that still has some barrel aging and savory notes. Salty, buttery marcona almonds make a fine pair.
Idiazabal cheese with PX reduction — creamy, cheddary, and similar to a manchego, this sheep milk’s cheese was a huge hit. Quite a generous slice for the price as well.
cabrales with dried figs — this is a pretty pungent blue cheese, and not my favorite iteration. I feel like it needed more sweet notes for counterbalance — it was so funky, it almost had ammonia notes. We didn’t finish this, which is unusual for us, but there were so many other delicious things more worthy of stomach real estate.
grilled morel mushrooms and ramps/​scallions — this consisted of two skewers of morel mushrooms and grilled allium of some type (the wines were kicking in by this point). Pretty good, but to my mind, not the greatest value compared to what else you can get on the menu.
rye crisp with crème fraîche and salmon roe — I’m not sure how Spanish this is, but it was fantastic. The perfect interplay of different textures and flavors. Order.
marinated gigantes beans — These creamy, meaty beans in their delicious marinade will convert you to a legume-​lover. I really liked the dressing.
gildas — anchovy, olive, and pepper skewer. I thought I’d be down… but no… a bit fishy for me.
gulas (baby eels) on toast — meh. kind of forgettable. There was no really distinctive flavor here. I can only guess this nostalgic for anyone who’s eaten tapas in Spain, but maybe loses something in execution Stateside.
homemade bread trio — as raveworthy as has already been covered. I appreciated the sea-​salt sprinkled butter it was served with.
The Happy Hour red and white were both very good — much better than they had to be, really. I would order the fruity, well-​balanced red again off the regular menu.
Not to sound like a yuppie privileged a**hole, but 4 drinks and tons of well-​made food for a little under $ 70 is a steal. Stop wasting your precious happy hours and get thee to La Cuchara before they realize they’re giving away the house!

Five star food. Fun and lively décor. Very very casual service. Do not come to this restaurant with the expectation of a five-​star dining «experience» but be prepared for food that exceeds that of many such establishments. That is not to say that the service isn’t friendly and that the staff are not knowledgeable — our server was very helpful in helping us navigate the menu and in selecting an outstanding wine — but the food is delivered with haphazard timing, much like a tapas restaurant would be.
The tiny plates — I don’t even remember what they’re called — at the beginning are fun and interesting. But, the softshell crab was by far the best softshell crab my wife and I had ever eaten and Baltimore is known for their softshell crabs. And then the lamb shoulder may have been the nicest cut of lamb (or any red meat for that matter) that we had ever had. The dessert was also delicious and all of the food was creative and exciting.
We will be coming back again.

Ahhhhmazing! My hubby & I were in Baltimore for a gig and took the opportunity for our child-​free evening to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. Scrolling through Unilocal,we came across La Cuchara and noticing that it was a Spanish restaurant, this was a no brainer. Walking up to the place, there was this awesome wood fire smell that took us back to our days of living in Spain, so we knew this had to be good. The atmosphere and décor of the place was nice, clean, contemporary. Service was impeccable. The food — so delicious. Everything from the freshly baked bread assortment that was brought out to our table, to the pinxtos, to the patatas bravas, to the perfectly cooked salmon main dish… soooooo good! We washed it down with a nice cold Estrella Galicia beer, although they had plenty of Spanish wines and specialty cocktails to choose from. Should we ever find ourselves in Baltimore again, we will definitely be returning here!
ps — description here says casual dress, but I recommend dressing a bit nicer ;)

Had rabbit for the first time! The bread starter with cheese was great, and the pintxos are also very good, although some of them I don’t even know the names. We also had the apple cider — the way it was served is really cool — we tried it but we failed to do so. (average $ 50)

I highly recommend La Cuchara for a special occasion or to catch up with a friend. My friend and I spend about 2 and a half hours enjoying a very nice dinner over multiple dishes.
I highly recommend the veal tongue as a pintxo, a one to two bite dish. I did not care for the calamari as it had a slightly fishy taste. We next had a meat and cheese plate which was a very generous portion for the order. For our primero, we had the bluefish tuna that melted in your mouth and had a nice smokey flavor. I started with the violette rain to drink, a tequila drink that made me happy I wasn’t driving. I switched to a delicious red wine, the Jumilla, that was a great match for dinner. We ended up splitting an entrée, the special for the evening, which was a nice cut of steak with an amazing black garlic butter and fingerling potatoes. They should make it a permanent fixture. I finished with the chocolate espresso sorbete which was only a scoop but very rich and delicious. Our server was very knowledgable about the menu and ingredients and was patient with our long meal.
One piece of feedback: We had multiple plates and it would’ve been nice to have new silverware in between dishes. That and be warned that our ubers had a little difficulty finding the place.

The decors is outstanding — fantastic job gentrifying an old mill. The staff is attentive and professional — excellent. The Serrano ham was quite good. The sardines and mini omelet were just ok. Wine selection is vast but pricey. We opted for glass of wine and cava, and the red pour was meager. For main courses, we had the Parisian Gnocchi and Rockfish … both were out of this world. We’ll be back and next time with our own wine (and we’ll just pay the corkage fee)

Absolutely beautiful décor and ambience. They have a huge bar area and an open kitchen and open seating everywhere. I would give 5 for ambience and 3 for the food.
We got an assortment of drinks, pintxos, first dishes and main dishes so we had a pretty comprehensive taste of a lot of things on the menu. I was most disappointed with their pintxos. Their tortilla which is supposed be an egg omelette with potatoes tasted like a soggy piece of sponge– no kidding. Everyone else said the same thing. I could not believe what I was eating. Their charred cabbage was also not good– completely burnt pieces of cabbage that stuck to your mouth like paper, there’s charred, and then there’s burned– this was burned. Their croquettes were good though and we got a few extra orders of that. Their boquerones (white anchovies) were OK, served on brown toast.
Their ribeye was delicious. For 2 people, served with a porcini mushroom butter and potatoes, it was really well seasoned and cooked perfectly– nice crust and soft inside. Everyone loved this dish the best. I got the rockfish with a salsa verde and cauliflower– it was a small piece, a bit fishy tasting, but the almonds gave it nice texture. The duck was pretty good, the pasta dish we got that evening was not that good, it was a bunch of little noodles, not sure of the name, I’m sure their other pasta dishes are a lot better. My friend thought her sandwich tasted like a deli sandwich she could make at home.
Overall, I would come back to try other dishes and would skip the pintxos unless improved, and definitely get the ribeye again.

Fantastic restaurant with no complaints, and awesome addition to the dining options in the Hampden Woodberry area.
Well worth the price for an excellent menu, great drinks and wine/​beer offering, knowledgeable and attentive staff. Give the small plates a try!
This place will not hesitate to make a meal extraordinary, and made specific accommodations for the special occasion that made us check La Cuchara out. Can’t wait to go back.

A new jewel in Baltimore! The aura is fantastic and very vibrant and welcoming. The restaurant is beautiful and the kitchen is on display for those curious. The staff is very warm and excited to make the experience memorable. Parking is ample.
Most importantly, the food is incredible! It’s a unique combination of French and Spanish cuisine from the Basque region cooked over wood fire. The $ 2 pintxos (Boquerones, Mojo Picón, Cilantro, and Jamón Croquette) are absolutely worth it and you should get all of them. They are about two bites of food each. My favorite was the jamon croquette– it was one of my favorite dishes of the evening.
They also have $ 5 Charcuteries y Quesos. Our waiter recommended the Manchego y Membrillo and we were very happy with the dish. Of note, the bread selection is fantastic and it’s very easy just to fill up on their delicious selection of house made bread. It’s so good but save room because the dishes are so delicious.
The patatas bravas are a must. It’s a delicious dish that’s great to share with the table. The grilled octopus is executed beautifully. It was the perfect texture fir octopus and it is marinaded in a fantastic flavor. The steak tartar was perfect. We really enjoyed this dish.
For our main dish we chose the duck confit, which many had recommended. The dish lived up to expectations. One of the best duck dishes I’ve tasted. The meat just falls off the bones and each bite is ecstasy. I would strongly recommend you try it.
It would be sin not to have churros and liquid chocolate while you’re here. It’s a very fun dish.

The space: La Cuchara is bigger and a bit noisier than I expected it to be. Living in what is essentially a converted industrial building, there are a lot of hard surfaces. That being said, the floor is divided up well with partitions and service stations so that the noise level isn’t overwhelming and it feels more comfortable than cavernous. Still, intimate it isn’t. But that’s OK so long as you’re not looking for a quiet corner. The décor is a blend of upscale industrial and Mediterranean kitchen rustic, ebony and white with red highlights.
Beverages: The bar, while central to the room, is fortunately partitioned off into its own midway which facilitates service and keeps the bar crowd in its own space. There’s a good selection of spirits and wine, and I liked their take on the Boulevardier cocktail which they call the 5^th Avenue. Mrs. N. took advantage of a champagne flight which included generous servings of three different small-​house wines for a very reasonable price, and which was presented/​poured nicely at table.
Food: Fresh and seasonal. We scarfed a charcuterie combo of linguica and new potatoes, serrano ham, cornichon, and Valdeon bleu cheese. Which, along with the fantastic fresh bread, was a good start to the meal. Mrs. N. ordered two small plates as an entrée, both of which were nicely portioned and presented — a roasted beet salad and jamon croquettes. I had grilled rockfish with a citrus sauce and charred veggies. Quality of the food, overall, was very good to excellent.
Service: the staff are very pleasant and professional. Our waiter answered any questions quickly and accurately. The meal was very well-​paced.
Overall: A good destination spot. Trendy, but not fussy. Solid food and drinks, and a good variety of flavors. A regularly changing menu affords plenty of opportunity to re-​visit and experience new dishes.

When you first walk in, you’ll be impressed with La Cuchara’s space and décor. It’s large, sleek, employs the open kitchen concept, and certainly fits well with the feel that the Woodberry area exudes.
The food is quite expensive, especially when you try any of La Cuchara’s pre fixe menus during the many events that they host. However, I’d say it’s worth it. Some pintxos items can be hit or miss, but a lot of their starters and entrees are largely delicious. Bread and dessert also deserve praise. Service is fantastic, and there’s plenty of parking spaces in the vicinity.

We arrived on time for a 8:30 reservation. First major issue: our table was not ready until almost 9:00. No big deal; we had drinks at the bar. The ginger cocktail was great and champagne is always nice.
Once we were seated, the bread course arrived. It was AMAZEBALLS. Bread is so personal: when it’s made by hand with the right ingredients by a master baker, it will be incredible. It certainly was. Hats off.
Second major issue: our waiter told us that three of our top dishes we wanted to try were 86’d (out of stock). This included the shrimp on the plancha, rockfish ceviche, and rockfish entrée. Brutal. The chefs and owners here all come from major restaurants like Foreman-​Wolf. They should know better.
Sommelier was excellent and recommend us a great wine I would never have tried. He stayed within price range and was personable. Great job.
Third major issue: our waiter did not ask if this was our first time here, explain the restaurant concept, tell us about any specials, etc. He just came up to the table and asked if we were ready to order. Luckily we were hungry.
Pintxos were expensive but tasty. The egg pintxo was delicious; salty, crispy, savory. The mushroom veloute was true to its name but needed salt.
The charcuterie was great. Jamon and olives hit the spot. Salmon tartare was delicious: fatty, smooth, with just the right hint of spice. Great.
Entrees were solid but lacked attention to detail. The skin on the trout was soggy and kind of gross. The NY strip steak was cooked to temp and seasoned well, but lacked a good sear and the fat was not nearly rendered. Also, the steak came with spaghetti spiral potatoes that were beautiful on the plate but completely impractical to eat. I left ¾ of them on the plate because I didn’t know how to eat them.
Dessert was coffee sorbet and it hit the spot, especially with the crispy espresso beans.
All in all, it was a good restaurant but lacked the finesse and attention to detail that you would expect at such a high price point. We paid $ 180 including tip for two people. Ouch. Good luck to this place and I hope they work out the kinks.

Yes, Yes, Yes!
Went last night for Restaurant week and EVERYTHING about my time there was amazing. We started with a champagne flight and our waiter did a fabulous job of explaining the notes and answered all our questions. Then dinner was just craaazzyy good. Between the three of us at the table, everything we had was really really really good. I cant say enough good things about this place.
Definitely worth the trip and is now on my list of ‘date night’ spots.

Impossible to find, but worth the trip. The place is beautifully designed. The restaurant is massive. They have everything from pintxo to crudos and even some large main courses. They even have oysters on the half shell. Happy hour runs from 4 – 7 and is a great deal at around $ 25 a person with drinks. Dinner is a bit more at around $ 40 – 50 a head. If nothing else, grab a drink and admire the beautiful space.

Hell yeah. This place is awesome! It’s in a great location of new restaurants and breweries and is really a hidden gem. I came here originally for the first time for a Unilocal event and was treated like gold. We got to hear first hand from the owner about his love for the new restaurant and their awesome food and history. Tonight I came for Happy Hour which includes $ 3 select beers, $ 5 select wine (red and white) and a cava. The wait staff is incredibly knowledgable about the food, which is foreign to me as the menu is basque. They have an advanced sommelier, which I really just think is the coolest, because if you haven’t seem the documentary Somm on Netflix, check it out, you’ll agree. Happy hour also includes $ 1 oysters and $ 1 pintxos (small bites).
If you want a romantic/​intimate feel, without feeling like you are sitting on the strangers lap next to you, this place is for you. I love that you can have your own space and not feel like I’m so preoccupied by others conversations that I can’t have my own.
Tonight I sat at the bar. The little things are amazing… like the fact that we were waiting for someone else, and we didn’t tell the waiter, but he over heard us talking about how we were waiting for one more and put a water by the chair next to our party to save the seat. Next level. Thank you.
This is a place the makes me want to return for more. Everyone that works here seems really passionate about their job, their love for people, and for food and drink.
Cheers Baltimore!
p. s. — the bread is amazing.

A penny for your thoughts? How about $ 2 for a bite!
That’s right: La Cuchara is Baltimore option for the delightful concept of pinxtos. LC’s a challenge to find* especially with rain but we were still greeted with smiles when we stumbled in wet and a few minutes late. Cedar scents immediately led the way past cushions and industrial piping and through the huge, modern-​vibe white space to our OpenTable seats. The rain had dissuaded no patrons that Friday; our side of LC was packed from 8:30 to 10:00. «boisterous.»
Socially clumsy service ensued, delivering menu-​esque descriptions. The first wave of pinxtos took too long. Then they slammed us with another set of dishes 30 seconds later. four plates each on the table. We continued to awkwardly shuffle small plates all night.
The wine list was solid but the cocktail list depressing. We ordered two of the seven. one bourbon+lemon, one rye+orange. both tasting like the other and neither to be repeated. Too sweet and straightforward, no spicing or subtlety, and both spirits reduced to «brown liquor.»
The food was similarly disappointing with spicing/​texture issues all night.
The bland red wine-​poached pear is too sweet and badly in need of salt. Both croquettes were dense and Family Meal-​esque; would order jamon before the smoked eel next time despite the stinging salt. The shishitos need more char and are too oily. fried? The sweet white sauce muted the flat beans/​anchovies and reduced the texture to singular while the olives stuck out sorely, saltily. The overly oily squash got an extra oily boost from pine nuts. They were too ruffage-​like with so much skin. cut it with sweetness next time, maybe balsamic. The char-​less potatoes bravas are more akin to ore-​ida potato wedges and display far too many scallions, butter, and garlic. call it potato scampi instead.
*inhaling*
Dense and well-​spiced morcilla could be even dryer (I like mine crumbling like chorizo) but get it! Unfortunately, it was accompanied by the –worst – gnocchi of my life. would guess 2+ hours under a heat lamp given the tough, deflated dryness. Think the end of Indiana Jones Last Crusade when Donovan drinks from the wrong cup. the gnocchi’s dryer than his super-​aged body.
Yes there was noticeable tea in the Earl Gray crème brulee, but far too dense/​thick. gentle taps DID NOT break it and the sludgy consistency was more like refried beans. The churros were noticeably better if a bit dangerous. sharing the dip-​pot meant dripping chocolate was on the move.
So go with crunching high-​acid peppers /​dense anchovy, a nice textural contrast. The well salted and oiled Marcona almonds are a must, as was the lemon-​heavy and well-​buttered broccoli, easily the best-​seasoned dish of the night (and spiciest!).
La Cuchara was a big time disappointment after high hopes. Sorry guys.
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*To find the entrance: the restaurant faces west so walk westwardly towards Woodberry, as if going past LC on google maps, then make the left down the ramp and double back in.

Gorgeous restaurant — and huge!!! The bar is a large rectangle with plenty of seats. The atmosphere is very inviting & outdoor seating is available, although the view is of the parking lot & lightrail.
The cocktails are inventive & delicious, and the food was stellar! We got one of each of the pintxos & it was fun to taste a little of everything.
Will def return!