When it comes to New York cultural happenings that mark the beginning of Spring, the Flamenco Festival at City Center is my favorite – the arresting music, stunning costumes, and dramatic choreography. Too busy with the tough life of a Beauty and Fashion Editor – sampling skincare and watching highlights of Parisian Fashion Week – I can’t make it this year, which makes me extra nostalgic for past trips to Spain. During my first visit to Madrid, after driving past the Prado and Reina Maria Sofía museums, and strolling through El Retiro Park and Plaza Mayor, I plopped down at one of a dozen centuries-old tapas bars. After a few delicious nibbles and a few glasses of bold Rioja – only $3 USD each – I decided I’d retire in Spain.
Every subsequent visit back to the Iberian peninsula, every tapas bar crawl, whether in Barcelona, romantic Sevilla, or majestic Granada, I’m reminded I made the right decision – this is where I belong. Until I can find a Spanish villa to fit my budget and all my shoes, I’ll just have to sate my yearning for Spain locally – at Sala, a destination-worthy tapas bar in Astoria – a culinary hotspot for Manhattan’s most discerning foodies.
Sure, the small plates craze has been embraced by chefs and restaurants of all sorts, but when I think of tapas, I think of the authentic, portioned culinary knockouts for which Spanish cuisine is known, rich with charcuterie, vegetables, fresh seafood, and artisanal cheese. Of the most common tapas, the most iconic, and my favorite, seems deceptively simple, yet is actually quite difficult to execute perfectly: Croquetas de Jamón. Whenever I chance upon a new tapas joint, I start with an order of these before I venture into the rest of the menu. The chefs at Sala have clearly mastered them. The croquetas, a mix of creamy béchamel sauce and cured Spanish ham, were such perfection – light, crunchy exterior, and creamy, savory interior – you’d never know they were fried.
I knew I was in the right spot and proceeded with a plate of charcuterie. Imported Chorizo Ibérico and Paleto Ibérica – one the world’s most expensive delicacies from free-range, acorn-fed Ibérian pigs – were carved fresh-to-order. The balance of fat and salty cured meat is like none other, richer and more addictive than prosciutto.
Next Gambas Al Ajillo: shrimp poached in garlic and olive oil is a must for shellfish and garlic lovers. The sweetness of the shrimp lingers as much as the bold allium flavor. The leftover, garlicky oil is like an elixir waiting to be sopped up with rustic bread. If craving more seafood, the sweet and smoky simplicity of Pulpo a La Plancha is a perfect accompaniment to garlicky shrimp.
For heartier selections, try Queso de Cabra con Miel, fried goat cheese, caramelized onions, and clover honey. Albondigas, beef, pork & veal meatballs, pine nuts, and brandy in tomato gravy, and Carrilleras de Ternera, beef cheeks braised in red wine, will satisfy meat lovers. Of course, their take on one of Spain’s most famous delicacies, Cochinillo – roast, suckling pig – can’t be overlooked.
For diners sticking to more plant-based options, there are several vegetable-based tapas: a vegetarian Croqueta, Champinon Al Ajillo, a mushroom variant on Gambas Al Ajillo, just as rich in garlic oil, and Bandeja de Asados, a mix of seared seasonal vegetables, romesco, arbequina extra virgin olive oil.
If craving even heartier fare with a signature Spanish flavor profile, Sala specializes in paella. Paella de Mariscos, the Valencian version of the famous mainstay, with weekly special variations from other regions tested by Le Cordon Bleu-trained Executive Chef Barbara Amoros who resides in Valencia, Spain. This weekend Arroz Al Horno, a traditional Valencian recipe with chorizo and blood sausage is on the menu, as well as Mejillones con Vapor, mussels steamed in a saffron, white wine broth. If you bypass a heartier main, you’ll have ample room for dessert. Tarta Santiago, a traditional Galician almond cake, is a desert like no other in taste and texture.
Sala’s wine list offers a full selection of Spanish varietals: white, red, rosé, sparkling, and sherries. For a crisp, white glass, a floral Albarino like Altos de Torona or a Garnacha and Tempranillo-based rosé like Born will not disappoint. The list of Spanish red wines by the glass, including a reserve Rioja, is extensive and feels like an immersive tour of the Iberian peninsula. For larger groups, both red and rosé sangria are available by the pitcher. You could order a vodka soda from the full, brightly lit bar, or try Sala’s signature Flamenconi cocktail – a vermouth, gin and sherry-based concoction reminiscent of a Negroni.
Open 7 days a week, in addition to weekend brunch, Sala regularly hosts special events: Taste of Spain prix-fixe dinners and Live Flamenco dance and guitar performances on Tuesdays.
In a culinary landscape carved up more and more by huge restaurant groups, Sala is an outlier as a true mom-and-pop business. Managed by husband and wife team Michael and Shahla Jannetta for decades, Sala first opened in 1999 in the Bowery. Its transformations over the years read like a primer of NYC restaurant and real estate history. From humble East Village origins when the area was still rough around the edges, to posher digs in Flatiron on 19th Street, then 2020 happened. Like so many restaurants, in the face of the Covid lockdown, the owners decided to close indefinitely… until a serendipitous twist of fate – an invitation to reopen at the World Artisan Market in Astoria. 3 years later, mirroring the mass exodus of many renters to Queens, Sala is thriving.
With more than quadruple the space of the original location and an industrial feel, the owners hired award-winning designers to optimize the space for a world-class restaurant that also feels like a cozy, neighborhood spot. The additional square footage is even outfitted with a second bar and a lounge area typically reserved for rehearsal dinners, reunions, and all sorts of large gatherings where an authentic taste of Spain and the chill vibe for which the country is known are on order.
Sala is only a 23-minute subway ride from Times Square – a quick jaunt for a taste of Spain.
Read the first in the series of world-class Queen’s dining options – Off The Hook Raw Bar and Grill HERE.
