Barlata Tapas Bar

Prior to going vegan, Barlata was my favorite restaurant in Austin. The served draft Estrella damm, the Spanish beer commonly mixed with lemons or sparkling lemonade, and their amazing seafood paella and don’t-miss Catalan cream dessert brought up fond memories of one of my favorite vacations.

I’d put off revisiting Barlata as a vegan because I wasn’t sure I could keep from ordering the bravas with the aioli or avoid the mouth-watering ceviche. If any restaurant would break me, it would be Barlata.

After a few years of veganism under my belt with no deliberate cracks, I felt confident enough to retry this tasty dinner spot. I was pleasantly surprised at their willingness to make accommodations and we had many dishes to choose from - I think all-in my husband and I ordered 7 tapas dishes (which under normal circumstances could easily feed 4 people). They also had a salad and house bread that we could’ve ordered too, so I was plenty happy with the size.

The food itself was just as I remembered it - perfect. The vegan paella was brimming with crispy rice and savory veggies. The fried brussels sprouts and the aioli-less bravas were still spicy and delicious. The amended chickpea dish was an unexpected favorite, and the smoky cauliflower with pickled onion was a delight too. I’m not the biggest fan of mushrooms or lentils, but somehow together they were phenomenal.

We’ll definitely be going back again and again now. I’ve even been thinking about ordering take out and mixing up some of my own garlic aioli using follow your heart mayo, chives, and roasted garlic to recreate the brava perfection. The have inside and patio dining right now, and even though they’re on South Lamar, the privacy fence made it feel more quaint than I was expecting. We were lucky to eat al fresco on an evening that had a breeze, but we’ll have more of those this fall.