Bartolo
Bartolo is a Madrid-style taverna in the West Village area, and it is a nod to chef/owner Ryan Bartlow’s nickname when he was working at Michelin-starred Akelarre in Spain. The restaurant when it opened was wide open for availability, but quickly became impossible without planning to get a reservation. Coincidentally the week prior, I was randomly trying to find a place to try, and I was able to book a reservation for 2 for 5:00 PM on a Friday evening. I was curious to see what this one had to offer considering we’ve been to several Spanish restaurants in the city already.
Ambiance & Service
Like most West Village restaurants, the dining area and ceilings are small. You feel a little claustrophobic entering in, but then your body and senses start to acclimate. The hospitality is warm and helpful, and the service is quite fast. Much of the decor has that “tavern” ambiance, and thankfully I did not find the noise level too loud.
Food
The Veronica Ortega ‘La Llorona’ ($27) came from Godello, Bierzo, Castilla y Leon, Spain 2024. This was vibrant with aromas of apple and citrus with medium acidity. It tasted great, especially for summer weather.
The Arandano ($22) was a cocktail with Altamura vodka, sparkling pear cider, cranberry, and whey. It was fairly sweet, and the alcohol was nearly tasteless.
The complimentary Bread came with olive oil on the side. THe bread itself was really nothing special, but it was great to get some starch in.
The Croquetas de Jamon ($16) came with 2 pieces of delicately, fried ham croquettes. The insides were hot and very savory. You wished there was more, but it definitely tasted very good.
The Anchoa Y Mantequilla ($18) was Pujado Solano anchovy, butter, and pan de cristal. The pan de cristal reminded me a bit of Japanese milk bread. It had this slight puffy and airy feeling to it, and it was crispy too. The butter was a thin, rectangular square that adds just the right amount of fat and creaminess to the anchovy. And the anchovy was umami and salty and was in great harmony with everything presented here. Even for just a bite, I thought this was pretty delectable albeit one may consider it pricey.
The Bacalao Rebozado ($28) was fried Spanish salt cord and mayonesa. The mayonesa was basically an aioli, nothing more and nothing less. The fried Spanish salt cord texture was surprisingly not crispy. It was definitely on the soggy side, and I wasn’t sure if that was intentional. The cod itself was juicy, salty, and warm. In the end, this reminded me of fish and chips but with a soggy batter.
The Callos a la Madrilena ($32) came with Madrid-style tripe and morcilla. Morcilla is a blood sausage, and it surprisingly had a lot of umami in such a small bite. The tripe itself was cooked very thoroughly such that it was soft and falls apart quickly in your mouth without chewing much. For us, this dish was surprisingly the best in the night. The tripe sauce was loaded with flavor.
The Familiar Seoane Novelle ‘Mencia’ ($21) came from Ribeira Sacra, Galicia, Spain 2022. This medium-body red wine has some interesting aromatic floral notes with tannins that linger. It’d would’ve tasted even better had I ordered some more meaty dishes.
The Tocino de Cielo ($26) translates to “bacon from heaven”. This is a Spanish custard dessert made with egg yolks, sugar, and water, with a caramel topping. It’s similar to a flan, but it has no dairy. The texture of this was similar to a stark pudding texture, where it was more rigid than soft. The flavors were very well balanced, as it was not too sweet. There were some little things on the side such as a crumble that kind of melts, some cream, and fresh blackberry fruits. Overall, I really liked this dessert. It didn’t really make me full, and it tasted great.
Overall Impression
Bartolo is a more upscale, albeit West Village-vibe, Spanish restaurant that offers pretty good food at a slightly higher price point. I think if you have a small date night or an small outing, this would be a great restaurant to try out their versions of some popular Spanish dishes. I think this food is a bit more bougie, so I think the options are more limited compared to other normal Spanish restaurants.
Yelp & Google Jabs
Note that the portions are huge (especially the Huevos Fritos) and we could have easily done with one less dish.
I do not think the portions are huge, but generally 2 main plates and 2 others are good enough. They did tell us that the huevos fritos has more starch in it, so you will be more full.
We were both people of color, came in and it seems she treated us differently from other tables. The first thing she said after we ordered was: “you have to order all dishes at once but chef might let you order more later..” weird rule but not sure if she only said this to us…We believed it was also partially because she probably felt we wouldn’t spend a lot here ( we ended up spending 100)
The rule is not weird. They usually have to turn tables quickly for the next reservation. The rent prices are expensive in NYC. Also unfortunately $100 is not a lot for dinner in NYC at some of these establishments. For example for my party, we spent about $100 per person after taxes and tip.
Revisions
- Jun 5, 2026 - Initial revision.