Barlata - Austin

I had a delightful tapas experience on South Lamar. Since relocating to Austin, I've been searching for good Spanish dining options. I tried several places downtown, but they all seemed to fall short in one way or another—especially since none of them offered paella, which is ultimately what drew me to Barlata. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here. The menu features a wide variety of classic Spanish tapas, and most of the dishes were quite delicious. We also ordered a seafood paella, which definitely satisfied my craving. I was pleased to see a good selection of Spanish wines and cocktails on the menu, including kalimotxo! Just a heads-up, you'll need to use the parking garage behind the restaurant, which can be a bit tricky due to the traffic in that busy area of South Lamar.

We chose to eat inside at a booth and arrived just before the dinner rush. If you're planning to go after 6 or 6:30, I'd recommend making a reservation. The tables are somewhat close together, but I enjoy that lively vibe. The hostess was incredibly sweet, and our waitress was fantastic. Overall, the service was excellent—quick, attentive, and friendly. We hardly ever had an empty dish on our table for more than a minute, as the staff came by frequently to clear it. When I mentioned my allergies, the waitress promptly brought us a gluten-free menu, which is their standard menu highlighted with key indicators for gluten-free and celiac-safe options. She was very knowledgeable and provided great recommendations, ensuring everything she suggested was also dairy-free. I ordered the Chillin with Dylan cocktail, which was herbaceous and refreshing with complex flavors—slightly fruity and a little bitter, but overall very enjoyable. For tapas, we sampled the Spanish Charcuterie board and added Spanish olives and Marcona almonds. While I wasn't a fan of some of the sausages, the Iberico was delicious, and the almonds and olives were delightful. The portion sizes were generous, so we definitely felt we got our money's worth. My husband had hot tea along with the patatas bravas, which he loved. For our main courses, we tried the Paella Barlata and Costillas Agridulces (pork ribs). The paella was incredibly flavorful and fresh, abundant with chicken, chorizo, and a mix of seafood that included shrimp, clams, mussels, and squid. While it tasted great, I'm personally not a fan of such a high meat-to-veggie ratio, so I would have preferred less meat compared to the veggies and rice. The pork ribs were decent but quite fatty—there was more fat than actual meat. My husband finished most of it since I wasn't too keen on it. Overall, I’m really glad I tried this place, and I look forward to returning, possibly for happy hour and to try the veggie paella, along with some of their other delicious-looking drinks. I definitely recommend this restaurant!

We absolutely loved this place for dinner! We made a reservation through One Table and got a great big table for our group of four. The service was outstanding. I wish I could remember our server’s name because she was hilarious and provided excellent menu and local suggestions. A big shout-out to the staff! We ordered everything they recommended, and it did not let us down. We hope to return soon!

I recently had dinner with a group of friends here. Pros Group reservations my friend was able to get us a reservation for a group of 6 of us last minute. With Austin growing so rapidly it seems like reservation availability is scarce unless you book 3 weeks in advance so def appreciated that. Parking We parked in the adjacent parking lot and garage. Another perk we appreciated. I don't even think you need to validate. Retail parking is available and spots were open even during peak dinner times. Food/drinks I liked the Patatas Bravas and the croquetas. And although I can't drink at the moment (pregnancy), I appreciated that their drinks menu carried authentic Spanish wine spritzers like Calimocho and Tinto del Verano than just the standard sangria options. Cons Service although the server was great for most of the dinner. He seemed to rush us out at the end. There was an empty table next to us so I was surprised he was expediting our check, etc. Size of the paella I was also surprised at the size of the large paellas. I was expecting a larger portion but it was a little on the smaller size. Like another reviewer has mentioned def an excellent place for a date!

While I was not there on a date, I definitely think this is a great spot for one! A GF and I split the tuna tartare, the yellowtail crudo, and the churasco. The tuna tartare came in three cones (vs a cylinder stack , and I loved the presentation (only wish the waiter had informed us there were three cones since there were only two of us! and the taste. Each cone was stuffed with tuna and the flavor and freshness was easily detected. Most crudo dishes are pretty simple with just the fish and sauce, but this one was ready for a fiesta! She was all dolled up with fruit and an escabeche vinaigrette. it had a very citrus vibe that I thoroughly enjoyed and happily traded more of this for the third tuna tartare cone. The churasco did not disappoint! It had a chimichurri layer with a hint of sea salt that had us both salivating. It's served with a couple shishito peppers and a side of Adobo fries, which are like crispy shoestring fries. (My friend has a shellfish allergy and the waiter was kind enough to let us know that the fries are fried in the same oil as something with shellfish, so I got them all to myself! A lovely experience for some light bites that left us feeling full and satisfied.