El Born — Restaurant in New York

TLDR: El Born is a Spanish spot in Greenpoint with tapas, rices, etc. It is nice to have an option that's not all the way in Manhattan and something other than Boqueria. Gambas and Montadito were our favorites.

We tried this on a Friday. It's a cozy little place and very dimly lit, nice for a date night or an intimate conversation. There's the usual run of Spanish tapas but a few twists on things.

Our two favorite items were the Gambas and Montadito. The shrimp is de-shelled, the oil is chock full of garlic slices and overall the flavor was solid. The shrimp itself was cooked well and plenty of bounce to the bite. The Montadito was a crostini basically with a beef carpaccio, manchego and artichoke. Classically Spanish and what's not to like.

The Bravas potatoes were interesting. They were served on top of each other, more crispy smashed style and a dollop of aioli on top. Enjoyable but I personally prefer the smaller dice and the traditional way.

The squid ink paella wasn't bad and at $50 for a pan for 2, very fairly priced. There was a good amount of seafood in it, my only gripe is it was a bit wetter than I'd have liked. I like that socarrat fried hard on the bottom, I want to struggle to hold the pan steady as I scrape that goodness off the steel.

Nonetheless, a decent meal and a good option if you want some vino and...

El Born is a gem of a Spanish tapas restaurant, a neighborhood secret for about.a decade, located right in the heart of Greenpoint in Brooklyn. Owned by an actual Spaniard, the menu is both traditional and inventive in the Barcelona style. If you are Spanish, or miss Spanish food, please take my word and RUN don't walk to El Born!!

OMG the chef's tasting menu is an insane bargain for what you get! Only $45 for a wide array of tapas or paella that will leave you seriously begging for mercy. Go hungry and DO IT.

The cocktails list features about a dozen different takes on the gin & tonic. If you've ever been to Barcelona, you'll know that gin & tonics are a thing. The servers have deep knowledge about all the wines, so if you're not confident about ordering your vino, just ask.

If you're on a budget, happy hour is from 4-6, and they have wine discounts on Mondays. Actually, the entire menu at El Born is a screaming bargain for the high quality of the food, service, and atmosphere.You'd pay much more in Manhattan than you do on Manhattan Ave :)

I'm relieved El Born made it through the tough COVID times to keep their doors open, and look forward to returning time and again to this warm and...

Get the tasting menu! The food was delicious! We got 4 (or maybe even 5) tapas dishes and a paella and everything was so flavorful and satisfying. My favorites were the octopus and brussel sprouts and my friend could not rave enough about the croquette's. Since it's a tasting menu, you won't be able to ask for specific tapas but we did want more veggies and they were very nice about it and we got a good amount of veggie dishes. I was so full by the 5th tapas that I didn't think I could possible eat paella on top of that but when it came out, it looked so mouth watering I couldn't help myself. The paella was simply delicious, it wasn't an overwhelming size meant to fill people up. The rice was cooked in squid ink infusing it with so much flavor and they were quite generous with the seafood as well. On top of that, we each ordered a drink which were very reasonably priced and equally delicious. For what we got and the quality of everything we got, you really can't beat this value anywhere in New York. I also have to commend the great staff who were attentive but hoovering. Will definitely be back in the...