Barcelona Wine Bar
Barcelona Wine Bar remains a moment of Spanish delight even during a pandemic. For those looking to eat out, the South End location is the perfect place to chat over a table full of small plates and pitchers offering a trip for your taste buds in a regulated environment.
Upon being seated you are given 90 minutes at the table. The hostess asks that you keep your masks on until the drinks are on the table and food is on it’s way. The large size of the restaurant gave the managers the ability to space the tables about 10 feet apart. My waiter, Victor, was charming and attentive.
Barcelona Wine Bar used to be brimming with people on the weekends, but with Massachusetts COVID restaurant restrictions much fewer tables are filled. The quieter scene and soft, low lighting creates a more intimate environment. The large marble bar that sits in the middle of the room elevates the elegance of the space. I sat in a booth tucked away in the corner, the perfect spot for spilling secrets over tapas.
The restaurant’s menu consists of over 30 small plates ($5 to $12), a selection of charcuterie and cheese options and a handful of larger plates. As a vegetarian dining in Boston, a surf and turf city in my opinion, I appreciate the selection of vegetarian tapas. The plates come out fast, as soon as they are ready. I indulged in eight different plates shared among four people.
The dishes are influenced by Spanish, Mediteranian, and South American cuisine, and the wine list has over 400 hundred wines on it. However, I couldn’t resist getting a red sangria pitcher for the table. The sangria pitcher ($30) is made of rioja wine, elderflower, citrus-infused dark rum and guava nectar. It is a not too-sweet not too bitter concoction that yields about five glasses.
The patatas bravas, diced potatoes served with a hot sauce and mayonnaise topping, were heaven. The truffle ricotta spread was a sensual experience, and the balsamic brussels were perfectly crisp. The small plates offer an opportunity to taste an array of dishes.
Luckily, my party (consisting of my three roommates) was all vegetarian. In a setting meant for sharing it is important to dine with people with similar palettes to yours (and people that you live with to ensure COVID safety). However, if your roommates don’t have the same diet as you, tapas can be eaten individually.
In origin, tapas were small dishes meant to be paired with a good drink. There is much debate regarding when tapas came to be and how. Stories of its creation range from King Alfonso in Castille to farmers in Seville. Today tapas represent a piece of Spain that can be enjoyed anywhere. Barcelona Wine Bar offers an amazing tapas experience that satiates the need for a trip to Spain for the evening. The environment was comfortable, the scene felt COVID safe, and the food and drink was superb.
For someone who craves new experiences, a year without travel has been one of hardest things to adjust to. However, I have found escape in one thing: food. Barcelona Wine Bar delivered just that.
