By day, Bocadillo Market is a stylish place to swing by for a cup of coffee, browse a small selection of Spanish olive oils and ingredients or sample the restaurant's namesake dish: the bocadillo. Piling toppings like serrano ham, smoked lamb, Spanish chorizo and eggplant (vegetarians, that one's for you) into crispy baguettes, these Spanish sandwiches are perfect for a hearty lunch.
But as tasty as Bocadillo Market's lunch options are, Chef James Martin's family-style dinner menu is where the concept truly shines. Much like the dishes you'd find at a more conventional tapas restaurant, nearly everything on the menu is meant to be shared, so you'll want to bring along a few friends (or maybe a date) to enjoy olives, clams and Iberico pork with.
The best dishes at Bocadillo Market allow fresh, seasonal ingredients to take the spotlight, like the tender and juicy heirloom tomatoes served with watermelon and a savory goat cheese or the mixture of vibrant eggplant, squash and zuccini in the vegetable pisto. Something that's always likely to be in-season is the patatas bravas, the obligatory pile of golden-fried starch served atop spicy—but not overpowering—chili sauce.
If you have the time to linger in the airy dining room or on the cozy patio with a glass of Spanish wine, go ahead and order the paella (it's cooked to order and takes up to 40 minutes to arrive). The portion is so generous that two people may have a hard time finishing the squid ink-covered rice, topped with seared tuna and clams. It's just another incentive to dine with a larger party, if only so you can save some room for the decadent desserts.
