Socarrat Paella Bar

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Take two NYC dining trends—naming everything “bar” (Bar Boulud, bar Q) and fetishizing over a single food item (S’Mac, Totally Baked)—throw in some saffron, and bueno: You’ve got this Spanish spot in Chelsea with five different types of paella and a smattering of tapas. Segovia-born owner Jesus Manso, who also runs La Nacional a few blocks down, tells us that the New York Times once reviewed his paella there so favorably, he’s now decided so give it its own restaurant. Yep, you’ll find a more classic take here (cuttlefish, chicken, mussels, shrimp, saffron rice), along with less common preparations like Arroz Negro (bathed in squid ink and caramelized onions) and Fideua (made with thin, crispy noodles instead of rice). Catalonian tapas (i.e. bacalao with potatoes), round things out. There’s only one communal table here, which is exactly how Manso wanted it: “Paella is [about sharing],” he says, “so the place is calling for that.”

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Chelsea restaurants, Spanish restaurants, Tapas restaurants