La Vara
Spanish restaurant · Cobble Hill ·
Spanish tapas with Jewish & Moorish influences, creative dishes
Spanish tapas with Jewish & Moorish influences, creative dishes
"La Vara is the sort of place someone might take you if they were trying to convince you to move to Cobble Hill. The Basque restaurant serves great wine and a bunch of small, beautiful plates—things like deviled eggs with green tahini, iberico ham with crispy artichokes and anchovy aioli, and slow roasted suckling pig with tximitxurri. During the warmer months, we like to sit outside, which always feels like a neighborhood block party. But the big booths in the brick-walled dining room are nice, too." - willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, neha talreja, will hartman
"Alex Raij and Eder Montero are major players the Cobble Hill dining scene, and their Spanish tapas restaurant La Vara is a compelling destination for Moorish and Sephardic fare. The grilled beans, octopus with citrus and olive oil, and Iberico sausage are some standout snacks. Raij and Montero also added the international seafood restaurant Saint Julivert Fisherie to the neighborhood. Don’t skip the specials at either location, especially the springtime gooseneck barnacles." - Robert Sietsema
"A hidden gem in Brooklyn known for its Spanish and Moorish-inspired cuisine." - Kevin Chau
"For something more intimate—especially with my light-eating mom—I go for the rice dish, rossejat, which is the best thing in the world with its so-good squid ink aioli; she’d definitely dive into the suckling pig, and we add the ham-and-cheese croquetas." - Sophie Friedman
"Chef Alex Raij knows her tapas, helping to kickstart the craze in Manhattan. More than a decade ago, she jumped boroughs to Brooklyn and opened La Vara, which she co-owns with husband, Eder Montero. Billing itself as “cocina casera” or “home cooking,” this kitchen elevates humble cuisine to impressive levels. Product quality is excellent, and the playful spirit behind these dishes is the definition of creative cooking. Menu highlights include huevos rellenos, judías a la plancha, or grilled romano beans and butter beans in a bright Romesco sauce, and cochinillo, or a slow-roasted suckling pig leg with chimichurri." - Michelin Inspector