Fodor's Expert Review El Mesón Restaurant & Tapas Bar

This place is as fun for having drinks and late-night tapas or catching live music (from tango nights to Sephardic music) as it is for enjoying a full meal. The lively tapas bar feels like a Spanish taberna, with a menu that includes dishes like classic Tortilla Española with aioli or fried artichoke hearts stuffed with Spanish goat cheese over romesco sauce. The dining room has an old-world feel with simple dark-wood tables and chairs, creamy plastered walls, and a wood-beam ceiling—unpretentious yet elegant. Among the more substantial entrées are a stellar selection of paellas as well as a massive Parillada Mixta (beef tenderloin, pork loin, chicken breast, lamb chops, chorizo, and morcilla sausage) with chimichurri.