barcelona wine bar

while modern-day connecticut taverns are a far cry from the taverns of old spain, barcelonarestaurantand wine bar in new haven is serving an assortment of tapas inspired by its namesake city. the temple street location, one among the small chain of ten, is easy to miss. there is no sign for the restaurant. but it is there, located right next to the omni new haven hotel. look for the sturdy wooden door...

excellent quality and prep. though we had a different maitre d and server on visit #2, friendliness and professionalism appear to be the byword at barcelona. this visit, on an early sunday evening, coincided with yale graduation ceremonies so there were a large number of servers in apparent anticipation of higher occupancy later in the evening. the menus and our drink orders were shortly followed by hot, right out of the oven, crusty bread with olive oil. we started off with chorizo with sweet-sour figs which proved to be light on the figs. much better were our chicken empanadas with a spicy guacamole. the crust was flaky with the filling being spicy and delicious. our second order included a small plate of sauteed escarole with garlic and chili. like the empanadas that preceded it, this was the best rendition of this dish i have ever experienced. we also had the monkfish a la plancha which was very moist and tasty. though portion size is sometimes a negative, the quality and preparation of each dish is excellent.


-----07 may, 2013-----

high quality. we visited last sunday at around 4:30pm and found therestaurantto be fairly busy given the early hour. we were greeted at the door by a personable young man who seated us at a table for 2. our server was equally personable and offered some advice while supplying us with menus and water. we were given warm crusty bread and olive oil while we waited for our first tapas to arrive. the first 2 were eggplant caponata and jamon (ham) and chicken croquettes. both were very good, but we were surprised by the price (high) to size quotient. our next order, crispy calamari came with a tangy pepper aioli. the calamari turned out to be less crispy and more tender than i expected – excellent. our last order was a shared flan that was creamy deliciousness. service throughout was friendly and professional.

definitely not like before, tapas got smaller and more expensive, once in a while i like to to go and see what's new, been coming here for years, i missed the one in greenwich. the does not specified if the plate is spicy or not. drunken goat a la plancha never thought it was only cheese in tomato preserve (it was delicious) too loud on a sunday evening, not authentic spanish music (just an american guy playing american acoustic music) i prefer to listen some gipsy kings in a "spanish"restaurantnot bettles .

tapas (small plates) is one of my favoriterestaurantstyle, and barcelona got tapas at the level of perfection. albondigas, patatas bravas, jamón and manchego croquetas, crispy pork belly - everything was delicious. dessert were excellent too.
wine list is an absolute standout - unmatched selection of spanish wines with lots of very reasonably priced wines.
excellent service, prompt, friendly and attentive.
most highly recommended.

barcelona, a popular spot in stamford, ct, is a place that should not be ignored.  the atmosphere is hoppin’, the food is glorious and at the end of the day, the wait is well worth it. if you have any questions about the spot, please let us know in the comments section!   posted in bar , bar & grill , connecticut , date night , late night , long wait times , mediterranean ,restaurantreviews , romantic , spanish , stamford , takes reservations , tapas , wine bar tags black truffle , braised short ribs , bread , cabbage , cheese , clams , croquettes , editor's pick , grilled , grilled hangar steak ,

despite long-running success in other locations, it was still impressive that thisrestaurantoperation was running so smoothly (reservation mishap not withstanding) only a few weeks after its opening. i will undoubtedly return to barcelona in stamford to work my way through their appealing list of cocktails, interesting, well-balanced dishes, and to enjoy their vibrant, casual surroundings.

tourists not welcome. we were visiting the area from montreal and decided to stop by the barcelona wine bar after hearing excellent reviews.

the waiters refused to serve us any wine because our canadian identification cards, all clear photo ids with full dates of birth, were insufficient: according to the manager, the barcelona policy is to only accept us drivers license or any other us-issued document.

in other words, foreigners are not welcome at the barcelona wine bar. we were all well over 21, and visibly humiliated. note that being only a block away from yale campus, the fact that arestaurantis unable to cater to foreign patrons is beyond me.

i refuse to visit an establishment with such discriminatory practices. if you're from out of town, go to bar or geronimo's where they're always happy to have tourists.

every sunday beginning at 4pm, barcelonarestaurantand wine bar has a pig roast, a three-course meal priced at $29 per person.

my fav """. as a working chef, i appreciate all that goes into thisrestaurantgroup. i usually go to the location in west hartford...order a bunch of tapas...and always leave satisfied. the white sangria is somewhat sweet and tart and refreshing. i enjoy the calamari ala plancha, an item i request, its sauteed, not deep fried...grilled steak paillard is cooked perfectly and very fresh tasting, and the beans and mushrooms with feta is great as well. they offer fresh fruit and cheeses for dessert which is a nice touch. tried many things here and all is good.
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exquisite representation of spanish cuisine. by daniel gamito

i have a hard time putting to words what spanish cuisine means to me. spanish culture is at the epicenter of my creativity; spain is my soul.
so for arestaurantto capture the beautiful simplicity of traditional spanish food while presenting this food in a modern, trendy way means that the chef and staff of barcelona new haven have created and contained a culinary miracle.
with traditional tapas like "pan con tomate" or "quesos frescos" with your choice of several beautiful imported cheeses from almost every region of spain, this illustrious menu is not bogged down with pretentious spin-offs. barcelona stays true to the traditional flavor profiles of spanish cuisine, and i can honestly say that this is one of the only spanish restaurants that i have been to in the entire country that does this. the waitstaff is very friendly, extremely attentive, and seem to be fairly familiar with the menu and wine list even though most of them are american. if you are a foodie or a gourmet, this is a great opportunity to taste some of the finest ingredients prepared with passion and artful simplicity.

i give thisrestaurantmy only 9/10 so far. beautifully furnished, beautiful food, and prices that aren't as ridiculously european as you might think...this is as close to gourmet spanish that i have found so far in the united states. one of my favorite dining experiences of all time. who would have thought this little university town could harbor such a culinary gem...

here is a suggestion for a wonderful pairing that will make any romantic date at barcelona new haven a very unique and sensual one!

order the "quesos frescos" tapa and request the garrotxa (pronounced gah-roach-ah), the manchego, and the idiazabal (pronounced eee-dee-ah-za-bal) cheeses. order a bottle of the specially imported txakolina (pronounced cha-coal-ee-na) which is actually quite inexpensive (about $22 a bottle and sometimes therestauranthas happy days that are half-off on all bottles) .

this wine is an incredibly unique "sparkling" white from the basque region of spain. it is made from a very unusual grape called ondarrabi zuri, and is incredibly flavorful, crisp, and refreshing as hell. the magic of this wine, however, comes out when it is paired with the cheeses i mentioned before. with your hot date, slowly cut pieces off the cheese wedges. together, sample one cheese at a time, chewing slowly to gently release the amazing flavors of these beautiful aged cheeses. once the flavors have really hit your palate, take a sip of the wine and let the rest of the cheese dissolve on your tongue. look at your date in the eyes. the next three to five seconds will be as close to an orgasmic experience that you will get while your clothes are still on. the wine somehow lifts the flavor from the palate, transforms them into something deeper and wickedly smooth, and then bubbles away down your throat and into your libido. this is me, a spaniard, guaranteeing that this is a truly unique, religiously sensual experience. just try not to go crazy on each other in the restaurant. i might get yelled at.

enjoy your life, try this restaurant, and ¡viva españa!

-dan gamito