Review La Vara - Brooklyn

My recent dining experience at La Vara left me absolutely enchanted and eager to share my wonderful experience. From the moment we stepped through the door, we were embraced by the warm inviting ambiance. The menu is a tantalizing journey through the diverse and rich flavors of Spanish cuisine. Each dish tells a story of tradition and innovation, expertly crafted to delight the senses. The attention to detail is truly remarkable, every bite was a symphony of tastes and textures that took my taste buds on an unforgettable adventure. Paired with the a few nice cocktails, I'm already counting down the days until my next visit!

Sat in the back patio on a Thursday evening with my fiancé. Immediately seated and greeted by hostess. I recently visited Spain on a biking trip and felt that many of the dishes accurately reflected the cuisine of Galicia. Tried the octopus, eggplant special, pork roast, and the lobster risotto-like dish. Food portions are not the greatest, but the flavors explode. Well seasoned and played to perfection. I would definitely come again. Be prepared to spend more than expected though!

This Spanish tapas restaurant impressed me with its delicious and innovative food. The waiter was friendly without being pushy, though the welcome could have been warmer. Could have had more attention to detail, e.g. not leaving the sticker on the lemon. The dessert, chocolate mousse with cream and olive oil, was delightful. Worth a visit for a flavorful dining experience!

La Vara is a cozy and inviting restaurant that offers a great selection of tapas. While the ambiance is pleasant, it doesn't stand out as exceptional. The food, on the other hand, is terrific. Each tapa is bursting with flavor, although the portions are quite small. The attentive service is a standout feature, with staff accommodating dietary restrictions and offering recommendations. The cocktails and drinks are also noteworthy, with a good variety to choose from. However, the price is a bit steep for the small portion sizes, which may leave some diners feeling unsatisfied; we ordered 5 tapas and we were not totally satisfied. To truly enjoy the experience, I’d recommended to order around 6/7 tapas for two people. Overall, La Vara is a great spot for tapas, but be prepared to spend a bit more than expected. Despite the price, the quality of the food and service make it a worthwhile visit. 4/5 stars.

Located on a tree lined block in the Clinton hill section of Brooklyn this place is a perfect place to grab an amazing dinner with friends or that special someone. If you plan to visit, which I recommend that you do, reservations are highly recommended. If you do not make a reservation there is a possibility that you won’t get seated. This restaurant appears to be in high demand. So take the time to call ahead. We visited on a Friday evening for dinner. During our visit we sat outside mostly because the weather was beautiful and also because they were busy inside, most the the tables were full. The inside of this place is nice, it’s small but no smaller then a typical NYC restaurant. I would classify this restaurant as a fancy new age tapas bar. It’s Super chic and elegant. The server explained the menu in detail. Basically the smaller items are at the top of the menu and the larger items are at the bottom. We ordered the huevos rellenos, morras prensados, salchichon and the arroz melsoo. Everything was delicious with the exception of the salchichon. Salchichon is a sausage dish served with crispy artichoke. I found the artichoke to be heavy and greasy. The greasy artichoke did not take away from the over all tastes. The sausage… It was DELICIOUS. Honestly the sausage was the most delicious part of the dish. The atmosphere is somewhat fancy and the crowd is a little upscale for a simple brooklyn girl like myself. Nonetheless i found this place to be a great place to grab a bite to eat coupled with a great tasting drink. The total bill for the above items, two desserts and three drinks was roughly $206.00. The plates are small but still shareable. All over this place deserves its star rating and it worth the money.

Went to La Vara for a belated birthday dinner. We ordered the olives, gazpacho, salchicon, and of course, the conchinillo. Everything was delicious and prepared so beautifully. My partner and I couldn't choose a favorite because they were all amazing. The cochinillo skin is extremely crispy and the meat just falls apart. We'll definitely try to come back and try the other items on the menu, but we were so pleased with everything. The desserts were also *chefs kiss*

this is a very special place. we’ve wanted to go for years, and we finally went! i’m notoriously anti-tapas, but la vara changed my mind. each dish is a chef tasting for 2 with a symphony of flavor. the cocktails are amazing. probably some of the best cocktails in all of cobble hill. treat yourself and go, if I was rich i’d go once a week.

My wife and I came here for dinner and had a great experience. The staff was friendly and the service was very good. We ordered a bunch of different dishes and everything was amazing. The croquettes, chickpeas and deviled eggs were delicious as was the suckling pig and bomba rice. Everything else we got was delicious as well but those dishes stood out to me. The cocktails and dessert were also awesome.

Elevated Spanish tapas bistro with cozy, neighborhood-y ambiance and a lovely backyard. Everything on the menu is well through out and executed, giving the tradition Spanish dishes a slight interesting twist without overly complicating the flavors and texture. The menu is seasonal, featuring fresh produce from local farms. Highly recommend the pine nuts and almond gazpacho with scallop crudo, the croquettes, spiced chickpeas, and the rossejat to share. Save room for their basque cheesecake if available!

Came with my parents for father's day. Everything was delicious! Will def come back. Save room for cheesecake

The food was incredible, our server was kind and attentive. Tapas style means we had to order 5-6 things to make a full meal, which was awesome for trying a lot of different items but meant the bill topped $200 pretty easily. Favorites were the burnt honey ice cream, and the fairy-tale eggplant.

Exceptional food. Every dish was amazing. So glad we tried this place!! So many interesting flavour combos!

Random dinner meet up with a buddy, place was amazing from start to finish! Great service, cocktails were tasty, food we ordered all had a different flavor explosion our your mouth. Took a video of their version seafood paella, wish I could share here, absolutely the best dish! 100% will go back

This place was lovely, the food was so good, the staff was warm and the restaurant itself had a cozy vibe. Perfect chill, higher end dinner spot for a date or small friend get together. I’d definitely come back here :)

I had a nice evening at La Vara last evening. One of my best foodie’s memories are from Spain’s San Sebastián, at the heart of the Basque region. I was hoping for a similar, memorable experience. La Vara’s cuisine is Basques inspired. I can’t say it was that memorable, but it was interesting. I may have to try some additional dishes there.

Service was great. My favorite dishes of the night were the snap pea salad and the sweet corn stew. Both of them were Saturday's special. The snap pea salad were drizzled with smoker dry baby shrimps with a hint of peppercorn oil. The sweet corn stew came out with fresh crab meat, porcini and okra, very interesting and tasty combination. I also love their homemade green tahini, which was mixed in the devil eggs and also brushed at the bottom of the octopus salad. Will try some lamb dishes when I am going back next time:)

Delicious tapas and tasty cocktails. A few of our favorites were the almond gazpacho, salchichon, and cochinillo. Perfect date night!

Had such a delicious meal at La Vara. We visited on a holiday weekend and went right when they opened for dinner and there was already a line. That’s a good thing in NYC because you know it will be good. Our waitress was great and helped us pick the right amount of dishes to share. Everything was very balanced and fresh from the cocktails to savories to dessert. Very deserving of a Michelin Star.

Just love this place. Well worth the fair prices. We had olives, croquettes, cauliflower, pulpo, deviled eggs, and the main dish was the pig. First exposure to foods from Andalucia, will be digging in + returning to his place!!

This is a culinary gem and we loved everything about the place. The servers were attentive and knowledgeable and quite charming. The food was delightful. The scallops had a surprising texture and the sauce was incredible. It is a small place but didn't feel crowded and the noise level was low enough that it was easy to carry on a conversation in low tones. We loved it from beginning to end and we plan to return soon!

My experience here was possibly the worst I have had at a restaurant. We made a reservation for 5 in advance. We arrived and they told us that a reservation 'does not always guarantee a table' and that we could sit at the bar. Apparently a reservation does not mean anything at this restaurant so don't bother making one. We couldn't all sit together at the bar so we had to sit 3 and 2. The staff had absolutely no remorse and the hostess was extremely rude about it. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Amazing ambience, excellent service and outstanding food, thanks la vara we will be back that noodle paella was to die for

Great food and great service! Loved the ambience and whole experience - thank you!

Fabulous food and drinks! Can’t wait to come back!

Excellente soirée entre amis, délicieux repas du Jour de l'an Avec un merveilleux service de Daniel j'ai adoré le turbot ��.

Wonderful little neighborhood place 1/2 block from our youngest son. Great service, fine food, brilliantly spiced. Ate in the little rear courtyard.

Sooooooooooo delicious! New fave neighborhood spot.

This is just a great place with great food, awesome experience

Best tapas I’ve ever had including Barcelona!

Wonderful 'harmony in contrast' (of texture, aroma and flavor), especially in the cold dishes.

Top notch "Bistronomie" in Brooklyn !!

This meal was the most sublime I've had in ages. The service was perfect, the room, welcoming and the food was just amazing. I can't wait to go back again and again.

We enjoyed it!