On one Sunday, we were walking around, looking for a brunch spot. Then, we walked by this place called Bazár Tapas Bar & Restaurant. We must’ve walked by this spot so many times, but for some reason, we never really paid that much attention… We love tapas, so we decided to check it out. It had a nice outdoor seating, decorated with some greenery.
It was still early Sunday morning, so the inside was not that busy. Since we didn’t have a reservation, that was great. They had a nice long counter seats and some tables by the entry. Then, a larger dining area in the back. I like the decor in this place, feels a bit “antique” or the golden days atmosphere to it.
The back dining room also had a long counter with seating, and a fully stocked bar. They had a live music going on, which was nice. The restaurant got busier as the time went on.
We decided to start off our brunch with a cocktail. My hubby ordered Tiki Punch ($19), made with coconut rum, dark rum, pineapple juice, and fresh lime juice. It came in the fun Tiki mug, beautifully presented. I went with Genie in a Bottle ($18), made with blue gin, fresh lime juice, mint, egg whites. They were both really good, strong and flavorful. Loved the candied lime on top!
When I took my mother and my niece to another tapas place, Boqueria, my husband couldn’t join us. And since I kept talking about the great food we had, he wanted to get something similar. We ordered two tapas to share, plus a main dish. The first tapas of choice was Char-Grilled Octopus ($26) with tomatoes, olives, capers, celeriac puree. It came piping hot, and a good large size, enough to share between the two of us. It had a beautiful color, soft and plum, not chewy, and really delicious. The puree was great too. The flavor from the capers added that lemony tang, and the acidic flavor of olives complimented the sweetness of the octopus.
The second dish was Wild Mushroom Croquettes ($16) with Truffle aioli. We received four round croquettes, perfectly fried. They were very crispy and crunchy on the outside, and very moist and creamy in the inside. The inside was dark in color, kind of dark brown. It had a great earthy flavor of mushroom, and the aioli had an amazing truffle flavor. Excellent!
The main dish had to be a paella! We were thinking of the traditional paella, with seafood, but then, my curiosity went for the Brunch Paella. I thought, why not get something we can only get during the brunch hours??? So, that is what we did. Brunch Paella for two ($55) is made with Shrimp, chorizo, scallions, sunny side up eggs in saffron & lobster broth. doesn’t that sound just amazing?
And this thing was HUGE! We knew we would be taking some food home with us, but we didn’t know how much, until we saw this. It looked gorgeous, totally drool-worthy… The paella was packed with generous amount of ingredients. Plump chorizo and shrimp, and shocking six eggs!!! I don’t know how this could be a paella for two… It sure would be enough among four or more people.
Every bite was delicious and delightful. What an epic paella this was. The egg was cooked just right, all the ingredients were packed with flavor. Chorizo had a nice little kick to it, and big plump shrimps had the perfect seasoning. Elegant notes and fragrance of saffron and yes, the lobster broth takes it to another level. We were so happy to have tried this dish! Very unique and interesting version of paella.
We were interested in their dessert, but we were totally stuffed. After packing up about a half of the Brunch Pallea, we decided to get a cup of Cappuccino ($6) to end our brunch. It was a good cup, with creamy foam on the top, with a good strong coffee underneath to help relax you.
They had three gender neutral bathrooms, a typical NYC size. Clean, organized, and well maintained.
We had a really nice brunch here. We really liked every dish we ordered, and drinks too. Service was kind and courteous. We would definitely go back again for more delicious tapas!
Bazár Tapas Bar & Restaurant – 31 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010