Even before your first bite of paella or sip of Spanish wine, it’s hard not to be impressed by Boqueria.
The new Atlanta tapas restaurant in Midtown’s Colony Square is one of those high-end, modern chain spots that manages to appeal to a wide audience while tapping into a wellspring of corporate expense accounts. The New York-based restaurant group went whole-hog on the expensive buildout, giving the enormous space an intimate mood, with dark ceilings and walls offset by warm, golden fittings and light fixtures.
The success of the Atlanta Boqueria, which debuted in January, was apparent on a Saturday night in March when the bar area was packed shoulder-to-shoulder until well after 9 p.m.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Although the crowd was well-behaved, the packed house became almost uncomfortably loud. Conversation flowed easily on a less busy Monday night but expect Boqueria to be cacophonous when crowded.
In addition to being noisy at times, the restaurant’s dinner lights are dim and most of the chairs and tables are set at bar height, which could be uncomfortable for some diners. The high seats and tabletops are a nod to Spain’s tapas-bar culture — where some places catering to after-work crowds don’t even have chairs — but they are not pleasant for a two-hour dinner.
However, despite the Saturday night crush, our food and drinks were delivered quickly from the open kitchen, which appeared to operate with calm efficiency.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Boqueria’s full bar serves a variety of modern and classic cocktails, as well as beer and a wine list that has plenty of Spanish options. The shishito margarita, highlighted on the menu, did turn out to be one of the better drinks, with the pepper’s vegetal spice adding body to the tart lime foundation. Your mileage might vary on the Iberico-washed old-fashioned, which had a subtler-than-expected hint of the famed ham.
Many legs of jamon Iberico could be seen hanging in the kitchen, and the ham is a component in several tapas dishes, or can be ordered by itself; a generous 2½-ounce portion is available for $34. However, although carved expertly to highlight the cured meat’s distinctive nutty flavor and silken, marbled fat, it was not the best jamon Iberico I had ever tasted.
Anyone familiar with Spanish food will find Boqueria’s menu approachable, as it is filled with such classic tapas dishes as bacon-wrapped dates, gambas al ajillo, albondigas, seared octopus and steak pintxos.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
The kitchen did an impressive job with vegetables, including two lovely salads. The ensalada vasca was a simple mixture of fresh greens with a piquant creamy garlic dressing, while the ensalada cesar was topped playfully with a few white anchovies on a lacy Parmesan crisp.
Flatbreads featured interesting toppings, such as roasted grapes and black garlic. The coca de costilla was topped by braised short rib, with the meat’s richness offset by pickled baby peppers.
Boqueria’s decadent paella costilla had plenty of flavor, thanks to roasted short rib and a huge helping of bone marrow. But the dish lacked the crunchy element of socarrat, the crispy layer of rice that is supposed to form at the bottom of a paella pan.
Boqueria is a big, fun restaurant with a lot of surface-level charm. Its most impressive attribute might be its service, which remained excellent, whether the place was packed, or the night was slow.
It’s also difficult to find fault with the execution of the food and drink, but there wasn’t much inspiration evident. Money can buy a lot of things, but it can’t buy originality.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
BOQUERIA
2 out of 4 stars (very good)
Food: Spanish
Service: excellent, quick and polished, even at busy times
Noise level: moderate to deafening
Recommended dishes: jamon Iberico de bellota, datiles con beicon, mushroom croquettes, serrano ham croquettes, bikini sandwich, ensalada vasca, zanahorias (roasted carrots), ensalada cesar, patatas bravas, Iberico mac and cheese, atun canario (tuna crudo), tosta de cangrejo (crab toast), pintxos de bistec, coca de costilla (short rib flatbread), costilla paella
Vegetarian dishes: cheese plate, pan con tomate, pimientos de padron, mushroom croquettes, ensalada vasca, zanahorias, ensalada de tomates, patatas bravas, escalivada, coca de uvas asadas (roasted grape flatbread), coca de setas (mushroom flatbread), verduras paella
Alcohol: full bar
Price range: $50-$75 per person, excluding drinks
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays
Accessibility: ground-level entry and an ADA-compliant restroom, but much of the seating is at bar height; call ahead for an accessible table
Parking: two hours validated in deck
Nearest MARTA station: Arts Center
Reservations: recommended (available through Resy)
Outdoor dining: no
Takeout: no
Address, phone: 1221 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 770-764-8364
Website: boqueriarestaurant.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s dining critics conduct reviews anonymously. Reservations are not made in their name, nor do they provide restaurants with advance notice about their visits. Our critics always make multiple visits, sample the full range of the menu and pay for all of their meals. AJC dining critics wait at least one month after a new restaurant has opened before visiting.
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