Looking for the best Spanish restaurants in Connecticut? Below we’ve featured 9 top restaurants in the state for your convenience!
1. Olea (New Haven)
Olea’s Executive Chef is Manuel Romero, a Spanish-born and raised food lover with a passion for culinary excellence. Being trained both in New York and Spain, Chef Romero brings the best of both worlds to Olea, his very own Spanish and Mediterranean restaurant in downtown New Haven, CT. Olea is open five days a week, from Tuesday through Saturday.
If you want to sample everything that Olea has to offer, opt for the chef’s tasting menu. It’s available for $79/person and includes five courses, with optional wine pairings available for an additional $39/person. Menu highlights include gazpacho, tuna tartare, seared scallops, grilled green asparagus, and more. Contact Olea for more details.
2. Bistro Mediterranean & Tapas Bar (East Haven)
With locations in both Norwalk and East Haven, CT, Bistro Mediterranean & Tapas Bar is a great place to relax with some friends, enjoying small plates to share and great Spanish wine. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, each dish is beautifully presented and tastes every bit as good as it looks.
At Bistro Mediterranean & Tapas Bar, you can enjoy delicacies such as ham and cheese croquettes, grilled calamari, crab cakes, a selection of salads, pastas, paella, and much more. Contact Bistro Mediterranean & Tapas Bar to make a reservation.
3. Barcelona Wine Bar (New Haven)
Barcelona Wine Bar in New Haven, CT, brings a little taste of Spain to Connecticut. Open seven days a week for dinner (and also brunch on Sundays), Barcelona Wine Bar features a modern, diverse menu with Spanish classics as well as some contemporary offerings. What’s more, their wine list is one of the most expansive you could imagine.
To start with, enjoy one of their charcuterie and cheese boards, served either for one person to enjoy or to share with your group. A great selection of tapas is also available, including piquillo pepper hummus, charred carrots, patatas bravas, pork belly, and much more. Larger plates and paellas are also available, and don’t forget dessert! For pairings, an amazing selection of Spanish wines is offered both by the glass and bottle. Contact Barcelona Wine Bar for more details.
4. Solun Tapas Bar Restaurant (Woodbridge)
Solun Tapas Bar Restaurant combines Spanish and Mediterranean dishes, served in an elegant, classic setting. Located in Woodbridge, CT, Solun features some very creative dishes, as well as the more traditional tapas offerings you may expect. Even better, the ambiance and atmosphere of Solun’s beautiful dining room are perfect for a night out with friends, a romantic dinner, or larger celebrations and events.
Open for both lunch and dinner (and weekend brunch), Solun Tapas Bar Restaurant offers a great selection of salads, vegetarian tapas, seafood, plus risottos, bowls, and more. They have happy hour specials and an extensive wine list to choose from. Whatever the occasion, contact Solun Tapas Bar Restaurant to book a table.
5. Paella Tapas Wine Bar Restaurant (Norwalk)
Paella Tapas Wine Bar Restaurant first opened their doors in 1999, welcoming the locals of Norwalk into their beautiful dining room for amazing Spanish food in a Spanish-style setting to match. With a separate event room for large groups and a recently remodeled bar area, Paella Tapas Wine Bar Restaurant offers delicious food in a relaxed setting.
With a focus on Mediterranean and Spanish fusion, the dinner menu at Paella Tapas Wine Bar Restaurant includes various tapas plates like shrimp in garlic sauce, grilled baby squid, pork loin, cod croquettes, chorizo, patatas bravas, and much more. There are also salads, paellas, and lots of main meals to choose from. Contact Paella Tapas Wine Bar Restaurant for more details.
6. Pacifico Restaurant (New Haven)
Pacifico Restaurant makes any occasion a special occasion. Chef Rafael Palomino is Columbian-born, trained in New York City, and has a passion for Spanish cuisine. His menu features Spanish classics like all the traditional tapas you may expect, plus incredible larger dishes like their seafood paella, caramelized salmon, skirt steak, and more.
The beautiful Pacifico Restaurant is located in downtown New Haven and specializes in fresh seafood dishes. Their house sangria, famous mojitos, and daily specials make Pacifico Restaurant the perfect destination for your next dinner out. Brunch with bottomless mimosas is also available on weekends. Contact Pacifico Restaurant to book a table.
7. Tablao (Norwalk)
Tablao has locations in both Ridgefield and Norwalk, CT. Their beautiful restaurant in Norwalk features a rustic Spanish design, with beautiful interior brick walls and gorgeous lighting. In case you need even more atmosphere than that, they also feature live music and private dining in their dedicated wine room.
Grab a seat at the bar, a table outside, or take a spot in their bustling dining room to enjoy authentic tapas, amazing wine, and a cocktail menu featuring refreshing mojitos and delicious sangria. Enjoy soup of the day, fried calamari, patatas bravas, cheese croquettes, steak tartare, chorizo, duck breast, lamb chops, and much more. Make your reservation by contacting Tablao.
8. El Pulpo & Tapas Bar (Middletown)
El Pulpo & Tapas Bar is a Middletown, CT restaurant that uses both local and Spanish ingredients to create amazing Mediterranean dishes and tapas plates in an upmarket environment. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, their beautifully presented dishes feature vibrant colors and artistic style.
The patio dining at El Pulpo & Tapas Bar is perfect for sunny days, while the interior has a great atmosphere. Enjoy both hot and cold appetizers and an exceptional selection of entrees including grilled salmon, sea scallops, pan-seared duck breast, grilled lamb chops, and more. Contact El Pulpo & Tapas Bar for more information.
9. Tapas Bloomfield (Bloomfield)
Open seven days a week, Tapas Bloomfield utilizes seasonal, local produce and chefs with more than two decades of culinary experience to bring the best possible Spanish cuisine to Bloomfield, CT. They source produce from local farmers markets, change their menu to match the best seasonal ingredients, and believe that fresh is best.
Mediterranean classics dominate the menu at Tapas Bloomfield, including a hummus platter, spanakopita, crab cakes, grape leaves, gyros, and more. Book your table at Tapas Bloomfield by contacting them here.
