Barlata

Barlata now resides in Austin, TX.
too bad for us!

This place is good and most importantly it’s authentic! would definitely eat here again.
We got the seafood paella and it was out of this world. The tapas are also fantastic, my personal favorite being the Brandada (salted cod and potatoes). I could eat that all day!
I’ll be sad to see this place go when they finally decide to close.
P. S. I took off one star because the bread was stale and really tough to chew. How do you mess up bread?

We were a trio in search of a late lunch on a sultry Sunday afternoon. It’s absolutely appalling how few places serving real food are open after 2 pm. Barlata to the rescue!
Adorable staff, delightful paellas, beautiful sun-​lit room. We happily shared an arros cacadora (rosemary rice, chicken, rabbit, pancetta) and a vegetarian paella. We also shared the cheese sampler with a most excellent fig bread.
I could have sampled much much more, but my companions were not up to the challenge. I’ll be returning, but with a different dining team!

Great looking menu but unfortunately quite underwhelming in flavor. We had quite a variety and the oxtail was good but about 90% bone so for $ 12 definitely a ripoff, and the churros were dry — made the ones at the county fair taste gourmet :(Paella was so so (barely any meat), and while our waiter was nice, he kept walking away when we were going around the table to order our drinks. Very spendy and honestly, I don’t want «Mirror in the Bathroom» blaring when I’m eating dinner! No plans to return.

Came here with a friend to share a few small plates before her flight back East and was super disappointed with both the unprofessional attitude of the staff (especially the host) and the flavors of the food.
We arrived as happy hour was ending on a week night and were completely ignored by the male host as he was busy hanging out with a friend at the bar. When we were finally acknowledged by a few other women hanging out at the bar and seated, a female waitress brought out a basket of bread and olive oil. Having read reviews on here about anchovy oil being in the olive oil they use, I asked very nicely if there was any fish in the olive oil to which the waitress snidely replied while rolling her eyes, «um, well, yeah… there’s anchovy…» before walking away. Thankfully I choose not to eat fish and am not allergic as I could see that being a potentially dicey situation for anyone with an allergy — it’s not stated anywhere on their menu.
My friend and I felt very uncomfortable throughout our entire meal. The host and a bartender were discussing some personal stories (I get it, you’re bored, it’s fine) but when you’re saying f*ck this, f*ck her, f*ck that, next to a table of customers, it’s time to move the conversation outside or cease to have it at all.
And now onto the food…
I’ll admit the patatas bravas were good, the red pepper sauce being especially tasty and the tortilla espanol (reason for the 2^nd star) was also tasty, but the rest of the meal lacked flavor and texture… we also ordered the olives, a salad, and a shrimp dish. As mentioned above, I don’t eat fish, but the look on my friends face when she bit into the shrimp was terrifying yet priceless. She spit it out it she said it was that bad.
It took a good 25 – 30 minutes to get the attention of someone and our check after eating our meal. We finished all of our plates, aside from the shrimp, which sat there basically untouched. The host (with the same snide inflection as the waitress) asked, «What, you didn’t like it?» He then asked if she wanted to take the raw fish home to go.
There are many other great places on Telegraph to try. I’d void this place if you can.

The short version: Pretty good food, not so great service.
We went on a Saturday night around 5:30 and were seated right away and brought water pretty quickly. At some point, we noticed all the other tables had some delicious looking bread which appeared complimentary, but after about 10 minutes we still had none. We finally asked about it and they brought it right over. It was delicious (and warmed!) with a really good oil dip that I’m pretty sure was made with kalamata olives.
We ordered:
Patatas Bravas:
We were spoiled by this delicious tapas restaurant back east that made their patatas bravas with a cheese sauce, and have not been able to find one as good since. This one didn’t have cheese sauce, but it did have a pretty good aioli sauce, a bit of a kick, and was the best we’ve found next to the other place back east. The only downside really was that for $ 6 there was probably 6 – 8 potato cubes. I wish that was an exaggeration.
Tortilla Espanola:
I’m really starting to enjoy how different each place makes this dish. This one was served kind of quesadilla style vs pie style? I’m not sure if that makes sense, but they were flat as opposed to tall. Also served with aioli. Good, but nothing to write home about.
Cheese plate:
This was pretty delicious. I couldn’t tell you what kind of cheese were on there, but they were good. Especially when paired with the bread/​olive oil mixture.
All in all, decent food, but the service seemed a little disorganized and all over the place.

On a Saturday for lunch, me and my housemate came in. This place was kind of empty. The waiter suggested we try the paella and two tapas.
Barlata Paella– The best I’ve ever had (not saying much, since I’ve never had any before except at a hotel in Spain.). Perfect blend of flavors.
Mussels– Also perfect blend of flavors!
Pulpo– Amazing texture, not difficult to chew as you might expect octopus to be. This one got a little boring after awhile with the flavor since there’s actually quite a bit of it!
The price is on the upper range of $$, so this will have to be a one time thing. However, I have to say, I am now a huge fan of Spanish food, I mean, if this is what it tastes like…

Never again…

Good location. Easy parking. Decent bar. Great flavors.
Dinner for four at 6pm on a Saturday night with reservations.
We were early to meet friends so we sat at the bar to wait. I had a glass of Rose Cava while she had a glass of Sangria. I would have preferred a Brut but the Rose worked.
We ordered a fairly large selection of tapas and a couple of large plates. The best way to order is make your initial selection and then add more as the food runs down.
Our cold tapas were Jamon Iberico, Pulpo, Boquerones, and Cerviche.
For hot tapas, we got Patatas Bravas, Swiss chard a la Catalana, Pincho Moruno, and Ox Tail.
Our large plates were Seafood Paella and Fideua Negre.
There may have been a few others but it’s been a few weeks since we had the meal so I’m no longer sure.
The Jamon Iberico, Boquerones and Swiss Chard did nothing for us. The Seafood Paella was just like the paella I’ve had elsewhere including Seven Ports in Barcelona, Spain was saltier than I would have preferred. I’m beginning to wonder if this is supposed to be the nature of this dish.
On the other hand, the Patatas Bravas were the best that I’ver ever had. The Pupo, Cerviche, and Fideua Negre were stand-​outs and I would return for those anytime.

The service was spotty; she was very friendly but forgetful so I am going to guess she was overloaded with work
The Patatas Bravas was really good, and the shrimp was amazing. Unfortunately the paellas were a little dry and was disappointing — though not horrible. The lamb brochette was loved by all.
I had a red wine that was described as sweet but was not really; I left behind ²⁄₃^rd of the carafe and had my friend finish it.
I would have expected some bread (or melba toast/​crostini) with the cheese plate so that was left it feeling a little incompletely plated. There were, however, some rustic bread served at the end that I really loved; especially the crust.
A $ 118 + tips for the four of us, I wouldn’t necessarily come out of my way to eat here.

Came with the family of 5. There were no seats inside so we decided to sit outside. We ordered 4 items. Gambas Ajillo, Ceviche, Fideua Negre, and the Barlata Paella.
The service was extremely slow. We waited for 35 min for the Gambas Ajillo to come out with the bread. Seriously? How long does it really take to cook shrimp? Especially 6 of them? Not to mention, we didn’t even get bread to snack on first!
After we demolished the 6 shrimp and the 6 small slices of bread. We waited for another 15 min for our non existent ceviche. The waiter asked us if we had gotten the ceviche yet, and we said «no». He went back in to check. He came out and told us the manager who took our order had crossed out the ceviche on the order and «forgot» to tell us that they ran out. This is when he asked us if we wanted to order another appetizer after 50 min of waiting! This is when I told him to forget about the appetizer and to check on the 2 paellas. He told us it may take some time as understandably so, paella is made from scratch.
Another 15min come around our small Fideua Negre came out and we demolished it in 5 min. It was quite tasty, but that could be the hunger talking. 15 min later, the waiter came back out and asked if we got our large Barlata Paella yet? We again answered «no». He looked very frustrated and went back in to check. Another 15 min passes by and still no Paella. So I walked into the restaurant and told the waiter we aren’t waiting for the Paella anymore and would pay for the 2 out of 4 dishes we ordered. He was very apologetic and said I didn’t need to put a tip. What he should have done was comped me for waiting 1.5 hours for only 2 of 4 dishes.
Of course, we left hungry and annoyed that we didn’t get to try the Paella and had 2^nd dinner elsewhere.

(I’d give this 3.5 stars if I could) We’ve been here twice — both times we made reservations for 4 people and were seated immediately. Parking is a bit of a challenge in this neighborhood.
First off, the vibe here is great. Great décor, fun, lively. The lighting is dim to dark, which lends to the vibe but be prepared to bust out the iPhone flashlight app to see your menu. They have a decent wine list and the sangria is delish.
The tapas is very good; friend potatoes with spicy tomato sauce, baby monterey squid stuffed with fennel sausage (YUM), white gulf shrimp with garlic and olive oil. Barlata paella with chicken, chorizo, mixed seafood and safron rice.
Fun for a casual night out with friends.

Mmm… paella negre with aioli + Gambas ajillo = dope brunch
Not sure what’s up with some of the negative reviews. I generally think that this is one of the better tapas spots in the area. Certainly far better than Bar Cesar, and the big place in Jack London, and much more reasonably priced than Duende.
It’s called Barlata, a play on the fact that its a bar, and they have really good latas — the small plates that are typically in a tin. The latas are great but there are tons of great tapas here. The gazpacho trio, the gambas ajillo is phenomenal, the chorizo plate, all solid.
My guilty pleasure in life is fried potatoes of any variety, so the patatas bravas is definitely a must order for me.
They also have really great bread, although I believe it’s from Grace’s bakery — not in house.
Service is decent, pretty efficient but not super warm.
Solid selection of drinks.
Definitely one of my regular spots in the Temescal area.

We went to Barlata with 3 others on a Saturday night. Between the five of us, we ordered many small plates and several drinks. I liked… none of the food. I especially disliked the portion sizes. Tapas are the opposite of a buffet. The portions are not just small, but they are pitiful! The concept of small plates for large prices is just completely wrong!
After leaving, my stomach was 60% empty and my wallet was $ 80 lighter (2 people). I hate leaving restaurants hungry.
Overall grade: D–

Barlataaaa. It’s just a fun word to say, and I’ve had this tapas place bookmarked for months and months. I met up with some friends for a Sunday lunch at this woodsy restaurant located on a bustling corner of Telegraph (parking is generally horrific, but this time wasn’t too bad). The rain finally let up (for a day), so there were little tables outside as well, but it was a bit too chilly so we still opted to sit inside. The décor is minimalistic but cozy with wooden tables and chairs. Some of the chairs are pretty hard and rigid though, while a couple of the wooden benches had cushions.
Service was lacking, with only one server when we first started and he was in charge of taking orders, serving, and mixing drinks. About twenty minutes later, another server walked in and while we expected the service would improve, it was actually the opposite with this second server. He took over most of the serving while the first server mixed drinks, and it almost seemed like he was being oblivious on purpose. There were only four parties in the restaurant and none of us were bigger than three people, but it took three tries to flag him down for more water, another three tries to ask for the check, and fifteen more minutes before that check actually came. My friend even turned to me and said, «Wow, service here is awful. Can you Unilocal this place?»
Complimentary bread and seasoned olive oil:
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The winning ticket to this bread basket was the warmed bread. Why don’t all restaurants warm up their bread?! It makes the bread that much tastier, and it adds to the overall service aspect because it gives the feeling that more effort has been put in. The olive oil was also quite tasty. The only downside was that we never received an offer for more bread, another disappointment where service was concerned.
Patatas Bravas:
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Per recommendation via Unilocal,we ordered these fried potato cubes with garlic aioli. This dish was a huge disappointment, especially because Unilocal rarely leads me astray. Firstly, the potatoes were not fresh and had that stale taste of potatoes that have been sitting around for too long. There were even black spots on some of the pieces. The garlic aioli was thick and creamy, but lacked garlic flavor. The other red sauce was okay, but not exactly memorable. At $ 6 for a small bowl, it won’t break the bank, but I wouldn’t say these were worth it either.
Lamb skewers with mixed cucumber on bottom:
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This was probably my favorite dish out of the four we got. It came with three skewers, and the lamb pieces were small but succulent. It was incredibly juicy and not too heavily seasoned so you could still taste the gaminess of the lamb (which I love, but some people might not). The cucumber on bottom was mixed with some kind of mayo I believe, and it was a little heavy and did not do justice to the usual freshness of cucumber.
Barlata paella:
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Out of the two paellas we got, this one paled in comparison to the other. The rice was cooked well, and I enjoyed the components that were mixed into the rice, but the seafood was less than fresh. For the price, this was quite a small amount, and I’m not sure I was satisfied that it was worth it.
Squid ink paella:
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A friend recommended this to me, and I did end up liking this dish. The rice was a little wetter than the rice in the Barlata paella, but I didn’t mind it so much. There was also a dollop of aioli (garlic perhaps?) on top that was good mixed in. There were pieces of well-​cooked squid mixed into the rice, but the only other seafood included was four small clams.
Barlata is a pricey indulgence for tapas, and while I can stomach the pricing for the food, I have trouble justifying it with the inattentive and even difficult service. I most likely won’t be back.

A beautiful friend of ours surprised us with gift cards fro Barlata and well, they were about to expire. So last minute we decided to make the trek to Oakland and get our tapas on.
First off we had a tough time finding parking close by but I guess that’s just how it is Saturday nights around 8pm. Ended up parking a few blocks away in a residential area. No problem. Once we got to the restaurant there was a line to get in and they seemed to be pretty much packed to the gills. They apparently do not take reservations so just ignore the tables that are marked with a reserved placard. WTF? Anyways after about 5 minutes we were able to get on the list and belly up to a small part of the bar to order a drink. They have a full bar and offer some nice vodkas. The mister ordered sangria which was pretty lame and watered down. My Tito’s vodka soda was killer, nice and strong too.
After only about 10 minutes we were sat closest to the kitchen at the long communal table. I usually despise communal tables and will not both with restaurants who exclusively use them. In this case it was fine since we were on the end of the table. A few minutes later more people were sat next to us, sort of awkward so became close talkers. Anyways, here’s a run down of the food.
Gazpacho — I’m not a fan of cold soups, they kind of make me uncomfortable. Not like being inappropriately touched uncomfortable but more like Im wearing 2 different socks uncomfortable. The mister loved this and was a huge fan, I took a few spoonfuls and while tasty it still feels like it should be warmed up. The olive oil they used to finish the soup was primo.
Arugula and Beets — Very small salad for the price. The flavors were good but I was still thinking it could have been a little bigger. When it comes to certain things Im definitely a size queen.
Pa amb tomaque — Don’t bother trying to set up courses when you’re ordering, the kitchen just sends out whatever, whenever. This was the last dish to come out though was one of the first ordered. I mean after eating 9 dishes bread is kind of the last thing you want. In this case however the bread was pretty amazing. Fresh bread slathered with garlic, tomato (essence) and topped with serene ham then drizzled with olive oil. Each glistening piece called our names, so dang good. A happy ending for sure.
Piqullo Peppers — These were supposed to be stuffed with shrimp and white asparagus. While I never discovered the asparagus, the fat tender shrimp inside more than made up for it. Along side there was a small frisée salad which added another dimension of texture to the soft pepper, cheese and shrimp. Love.
Spanish Cheese Plate — It’s cheese, what’s not to love? Fig bread and quince, great dynamic to slightly stinky awesome cheese.
House Cured Ahi — For both of us this was the weakest dish. For whatever reason when I saw this on the cold tapas menu I was assuming it was going to be raw, I was so wrong. There were 4 chunks of tuna that were definitely cooked through. If it weren’t for the amazing cure of oil and peppers these would have been pretty dry.
Jamon Iberico — Words can’t describe how these porky slices just melted on your tongue. Simply put, my O face would describe this meat. Worth every single penny, yes this dish is pricy but do it anyways.
Pulpo — I love octopus so much. This version they braise for 2 hours until its so soft and tender. They used plenty of smoked paprika which for me works so well with the flavor of the octopus. They served it in what looked like a sardine can which I thought was a cool touch.
Roasted Pigs Feet — The mister was sweating bullets when I told him I was ordering this dish. Good for him they were out.
5 Hour Brasied Ox Tail — Their tails were pretty meaty and fall of the bone tender. Perfectly cooked. Unfortunately they’re so hard to eat with a knife and fork. I finally gave up and ate them with my hand. Since we were sat at a communal table our dining neighbors kept looking over at me as I was licking and sucking the tails of their meats and cartilage (only on the tip). I was only embarrassed for a second then, whatever. The mashed potatoes could use some work however as they didn’t have much going for them by way of say salt or pepper.
Grilled Steak — Making up for the lack of salt in the mashed potatoes were the fries that came with the steak. Crazy salty but since the steak was lacking much seasoning I guess it balanced itself out as long as you ate them together. The steak was tender and well cooked but the flavors of the chimichurri were kind of dull, again, good thing for slaty fries.
Pretty good, some hits, some misses and a whole lot of food (less that little ass arugula and beet salad). We left buzzy, happy and thankful for having such an amazing friend give us the gift of a date night. Love you sweety!

I’ve been here twice so far, and the ceviche blows me away every time. It is always my favorite out of all the tapas we order. The scallop is delicious as always, the pieces of shrimp were ok, but the octopus!!! They were surprisingly so tender, and they aren’t small pieces. I’m giving this place 3 stars purely for the ceviche.
The first time, our paella was not so good. I remember it being too salty, and it just wasn’t enough food to justify the price. This time, we ordered a different paella, the one with monkfish, and it was so much better, bold flavor but not too salty. We also had a variety of other tapas, but those aren’t really worth mentioning… they were all ok.

Tapas in the Temescal area? ooooh and they have a variety of Paellas? I like their style…
Let me make this short & sweet:
Service: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Food: 4 stars
Complaints? No
Here’s what we ordered:
Patatas bravas
5hr braised Oxtail
Mussels
Calamari
Barlata paella
Mar i muntanya
Garlic Chicken

Located on Telegraph Ave and 49^th in the Temescal area is several tapas bars. This evening we decided to check out Barlata. We were able to score a table by the window that was being cleared. Half an hour later, a waiting line had formed at the door. While dining, we noticed that Unilocal East Bay C.M. Nique F. was in the house and we were able to talk and exchange some « Unilocal» pleasantries.
After checking out the menu, we decided to order an item from each category: cold tapas, latas, hot tapas and paella.
Cold tapas: Xato ($ 8) — friesee, bonito, anchovies, salted cod, tomato and olives. This was delicious. Lots of flavor in every bite. (
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Latas: Empedrat ($ 8) — salted cod & baby white bean salad and olivada. This tapa was in a latas (tin can). This was a good, light tasting dish. (
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Hot tapas: Ox Tail ($ 12) — four hour braised red wine sauce and mashed potatoes. The order consisted of two ox tails, a medium and a small one. The ox tail was tender and in a tasty sauce. Though it was good, it wasn’t special than oxtail that I’ve had elsewhere and for $ 12, it was pricey. (
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Paella: Fideua ($ 15) — noodle paella, monkfish, squid, shrimp and aioli. Never had paella made with noodles. This was delicious and the seafood was perfectly cooked. (
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Bread: The baguette slices came with an amazing dipping olive oil. The oil had crushed olives and anchovies and spices. Seconds? For sure! (
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Dessert: Tarta de chocolate con platano ($ 8) — chocolate, black pepper & banana tart and crème anglaise. This was a unique dessert and was tasty and hit the spot after a nice meal. (
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Overall, very tasty Spanish tapas, though some of the tapas are pricey given the portion of the dish. Service was friendly and in most part efficient. Dishes were cleared and water glasses were filled. It appears that they could use another one or two servers. We had a little difficulty flagging down our waitress to place our dessert order. Though no fault of hers, we could tell she was running around the dining room, but was still cheerful when she arrived to take the dessert order. Just in case, we did ask for the check with the dessert.

Rolled my Sunday Whip to Barlata to partake in their Happy Hour. I stashed my Whip a Block away. I street hiked to Barlata where I was greeted and seated. I was presented a Menu, Sour Dough Bread and Olive Oil and a glass of Water.
I ordered a Sangria
Jamon on Toast
Calamari
Chorizo and Lentils
Potato Bravas
Off of their Happy Hour Menu.
The Sangria was sweet and tasty. The food was brought out at once; It was very tasty, fresh and flavorful. Service was good and attentive. I paid by Visa and rolled out.