In Partnership with The Embassy of Spain, Malaysia.
That said, no other Malaysian Spanish restaurant reviews can be more accurate than this. You’re welcome. 😛
Restaurants are listed in no particular order.
1. Pinchos Tapas Bar, Changkat Bukit Bintang
The name ‘Pinchos’ is no stranger to the following crowds: Spaniards living in Malaysia, Malaysian Spanish food lovers, Spanish travellers in Malaysia and fellow Changkat Bukit Bintang goers.
Anyone who hangs out with me on weekend nights knows how huge and loyal a fan I am ever since I knew about its existence half a decade ago. It is the very place where I tried Spanish food for the first time – I got so hooked on to their tapas I can pretty much recite their menu today!
Here are some of the many reasons why you should give this place a try for the best tapas in KL:
- Wide variety of tapas from classic to seasonal items – you wish you have 4 stomachs to try them ALL.
- Food quality is always consistent – after so many visits, so many years; NEVER a day I was left disappointed.
- Drinks are worth the money – no diluted Sangria or cocktails that taste like medicine. Hallelujah!
- Service is fast and satisfying – their staffs might even remember your name.
Full review here.
2. Marta’s Kitchen Paella Tapas, Desa Sri Hartamas
So. For half a decade I’ve been searching high and low for a place in Malaysia that serves tasty, authentic paella but nothing comes close to the one I traveled to Valencia for. Honestly at one point, I gave up. I just stuck to tapas – until the Embassy of Spain Kuala Lumpur introduced me to Marta’s Kitchen – I knew I’m in for something good.
What started on a small grass patch is now a 100% Instagram-worthy restaurant perfect for family outings, if not for a great Spanish gastronomy adventure with best friends, open 7 days a week with live band performances every Friday.
Serving 18, 00 paellas a month, 180 paellas a weekend, 700 tapas a week, feeding 250 hungry tummies per night, Marta’s motto is to not serve her customers what she won’t serve her kids, so you can imagine how fresh her food is! She goes to the market 3 times a week, plus her suppliers are her friends too, who supply her the best they can give. That’s how lady boss can ensure she only puts on table the best products only.
Real food, hardworking paellas and traditional modern desserts, this is the place to go.
Full review here.
3. Mercat Barcelona Gastrobar, Bangsar
A good chef knows how to respect flavours. That means knowing when to maximise the potential of your ingredients’ natural tastes and let them shine. Don’t let the playful food presentations here fool you – they might look flirty, but they remain faithful to their flavours.
Mercat is not just another Spanish bar in Kuala Lumpur. It is a gastrobar with fine foods inspired by my favorite European city, Barcelona. If you’ve never been or have been and miss it longingly like I do, a visit to Mercat will fix you. At least that’s what I do.
Read the full review on the 8 Tapas You MUST Try at Mercat KL for A Taste of Barcelona.
4. Txoko Spanish Gastro Club, Mont Kiara
We often hear the word ‘gourmet’, but what does ‘gourmet’ tastes like exactly?
If you’re a gourmand, voila!, you’re at the right place. If you’re a food connoisseur but have yet to try gourmet food, I am about to reveal a secret place that will spoil you rotten with the best gourmet preserves throughout a 3-hour long gastronomic adventure.
Like speakeasy bars’ concept, Txoko’s name spreads quickly through word-of-mouth amongst both local and foreign epicureans in Malaysia. Tucked cosily away behind secret wooden doors at Puncak Prima Condo in Mont Kiara, is a whole new world waiting to be unveiled in front of your eyes.
From caballa (a bigger type of sardine) to baby scallops, juicy tuna (yes you heard me, juicy) to exquisite sea treasures like yellow fin bonito from the north coast of Spain, once you enter the doors of this sacred place, you are in for the REAL deal.
The cured meat selections here are such a WIN – I am dying to put the F word inside just to emphasise how badas** they are! I’ve tasted jamón from literally countless places and I don’t think I’ve tasted better.
I’ve been around Spain for a month and I must say that this gastro adventure is as great if not more informative! Such is a concept that hasn’t existed in Malaysia until the birth of Txoko SGC.
Read the full review here to understand the true meaning of gourmet.
5. Pisco Bar
This special gastrobar comes with a love story.
Nico was an engineer in a big cooperation before he decided to take a break and travel around the world. At Papua New Guinea, he met a beautiful Malaysian lady named Yvonne and decided he couldn’t get his mind off her. With love came courage and sacrifice – Nico quitted his mundane job, moved to Malaysia, married the woman of his dreams and together they opened Pisco Bar with the help of Yvonne’s sister.
If you want to experience a night out in Madrid without paying for the flights, this is the place to be. Watch and observe how the night transforms from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Continue upstairs to burn those calories you loaded, where the DJ spins a different genre of music every night; ranging from latin to reggae. Bring your kids along on lazy Sundays for some family theater fun. Pisco Bar is not just the stereotype of Spain – it is all about the interaction between its lively crowd and ambience.
I went with one of my best mates, also named Yvonne, devouring piquillo prawns, stuffed sweet peppers, lollipop chicken and endless tapas servings while listening to Multielasticos, a Spanish pop rock band with over 1 million views on YouTube! It was indeed a fun night to remember.
Pisco Bar Address: 29, Jalan Mesui, Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur. Contact: +603 2142 2900 Hours: Tues – Sun, 5 p.m. to 1 / 3 a.m., closed on Mondays.
