Lizarran

With over 200 outposts worldwide, Spanish-grub chain Lizarran marks its New York arrival with a Mercer Street location. While the word “chain” may scare many New York diners away, no worries: There aren’t wacky license plates on the wall like in other multi-location restos. The only flair this place sports is in the form of small Spanish bites, known as pintxos. The pintxos, which are held together by toothpicks, are carried around the room by the service staff. At the end of your meal, you’re billed by the empty skewer, making for fun-filled games of frantically hide the toothpicks from the waiter. Don’t get gruff about another chain hitting the Big Apple, get used to it:  The Soho outpost is the first of five planned for Manhattan, so take those castanets out of storage. Note: Be sure the castanets are big enough to conceal multiple toothpicks.

See more: SoHo restaurants, Spanish restaurants, Tapas restaurants