Boqueria Soho
171 Spring St.; 212-343-4255
The infectious energy and glorious food of Barcelona’s famed Boqueria Market are now being served in SoHo. This newly opened sister restaurant to the Boqueria in the Flatiron is owned by Yann de Rochefort and chef Seamus Mullen, and features a 12-seat chef’s kitchen counter for your own personal cooking show.
Must-have meal: Start with Mullen’s signature Cojonudo (bite-size toast points with house-made chorizo and a sunnyside up quail egg, $6), then move on to his paella valenciana (Bomba rice with prawns, mussels, clams, cockles, house-made chorizo and chicken, above, $29); and churros con chocolate ($7).
Soundtrack: A mix of U2, Prince, the Rolling Stones and Spanish and Latin artists like Julieta Venegas, Duncan Dhu and La Oreja de Van Gogh.
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 5p.m.-midnight; Saturday and Sunday, noon-midnight.
Txikito
240 Ninth Ave.; 212-242-4730
A trip to the Basque region of Spain just got a lot easier thanks to Alex Raij and Eder Montero, former chefs of Tia Pol and El Quinto Pino, who’ve opened this lively wood-washed taverna serving authentic eats from Spain’s most revered culinary region. The menu is meant for sharing and divided into three sections: pintxoak (canapi 1/2s, served on bread), hotzak (cold plates) and beroak (hot plates).
Must-have meal: Marinated mussels with piquillo pepper puree (above right, $8); octopus carpaccio with lemon oil, marjoram and pimente d’espilette ($15); the Txipiron enceboallado (ribbons of squid grilled a la plancha in pine nuts and sweet onion puree, $16); crispy fried potatoes served with a spicy cod roe mayo ($8); and the Gateaux Basque (a custard-filled tart with a cookie crust, $8).
Soundtrack: American and English sounds like The Beatles and Al Green, and Basque bands like Fito y los Fitipaldis and Doctor Deseo.
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, noon-11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, noon-midnight.