For decades, an increasingly long row of mosaic tile-topped tables lined Clayton’s Central Ave., serving as a beacon to BARcelona Tapas Restaurant, one of the area’s premier examples of a sidewalk café (and the first local restaurant to feature a dining “parklet”). When the French doors swung open and flamenco music filled the cityscape, the thought of a plate of pinchos and a pan of paella was hard to resist. So when BARcelona closed in 2021 to make way for a mixed-use development, owner Frank Schmitz vowed to reopen. Finally, quietly last weekend, he did just that, a few blocks from the original location in a smaller space along Forsyth Boulevard—a BARcelon-etta, if you will.
The official opening is slated for later this week. Schmitz intends to keep the tapas kitchen open daily from 10 a.m.–10 p.m., with the bar remaining open later as needed. Lunch hours are 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and breakfast will eventually be offered the same days from 7–10 a.m. Here’s what to know before you go.
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The Atmosphere
Schmitz cozied up the former Mayana Modern Mexican space by adding more seats, 50 in all, including bar-height stools, 15 of them counterside. Outside, six sidewalk tables and familiar flamenco music create a mini version of the former streetscape vibe. Inside, several of the original mosaic tile tabletops return, as do decorative elements from the original BARcelona placed on subway tile walls. Mayana’s floor–in deep-yellow and rojo tones–works equally well at BARcelona. The one major design change addition is an abstract mural that enlivens the space’s only curved wall.
“I love how the new space took shape,” Schmitz says. “Small is good. Small is cool. Small is sexy.”
Once the restaurant officially opens, Acoustik Element, BARcelona’s unofficial longtime Wednesday night house band, will again appear on Wednesdays from 6–9 p.m.
The Menu
Expect BARcelona standbys: croquetas, calamares fritos, and house specialty queso de cabra (baked goat cheese with tomato sauce and grilled garlic bread). Several soups and salads appear on the menu, along with 25 tapas, including favorites ensalada de espinaca (spinach salad with raisins, pine nuts, and goat cheese crumbles), crispy artichokes, garlic shrimp, and grilled salmon, as well as the best-selling beef tenderloin with blue cheese, spinach, and a Rioja reduction (both pictured below).
A Spanish staple—paella—once again appears in three sharable varieties: paella de mariscos (seafood), paella valenciana (traditional), and paella de verduras (vegetarian). Customers can choose from three small charcuterie plates, as well as pan de cristal (Spanish “glass bread”), which will be also used for some of BARcelona’s sandwiches at lunchtime.
Beverages include Spanish-themed or -inspired cocktails (such as the Gaudi, the Barca Negroni, and Catalan Spritz), 15 Spanish wines, bottled and draft beers (including Mango Cart, a wheat ale with mango), and sangria (in red, white, and rose versions, by the glass or pitcher).
Lunch service includes a handful of entrée salads (featuring chicken, grilled shrimp, ahi tuna, and Spanish sausages), as well as 10 sandwiches. The cold selections include Matiz tuna and curried chicken salad with raisins. Hot offerings include a fresh salmon BLT, a BARcelona burger, and Spanish beef (grilled tenderloin with blue cheese, spinach, and sherry aioli).
BARcelona’s initial breakfast menu will include a traditional American breakfast along with three Spanish “skillets” and a breakfast sandwich with egg, bacon, and cheese. “Claytonites and Clayton office workers need another good option for breakfast,” Schmitz says.
