Txula Steak
Located at Mercado Little Spain, Txula Steak is chef Jose Andres love letter to Spain. He’s one of the chefs that has opened a bunch of restaurants, including Nubeluz, Zaytinya, and Oyamel to name a few. The Mercado Little Spain sits at ground level of mall next to the Vessel. You can enter thru the mall via Little Spain to get here, or enter at ground level off 30th St outside. We easily made reservations for 5:30 PM same day on Friday.
Ambiance & Service
The host is right outside the restaurant in the Little Spain mall. The music is lively, and not too loud. The interior has comfy seats with velvet lined cushions. We were seated at a table next to the window, and it was very peaceful. There was reasonable distance between tables, so conversations were easy.
The service was very quick and efficient. Because we didn’t know everything to order at one time, we could order tapas as we go when we were ready.
Food
The glass of Muga Reserva ($24) was a Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain 2021. This had a ruby red color with medium body but full of intense and complex flavors. It felt like there were luscious blackberries and blueberries with soft tannins. It had some oaky and leathery flavors, and I ordered this specifically to complement with the pork. I thought it was a good balance to complement both the smoky pork flavors and the fatty sections of the meat.
The Tuna “Euskadiz” ($26) came with red tuna, sweet onion, and pickled piparra skewer with tomato vinaigrette and liquid olives. This was pretty good, albeit on the pricier side. The bluefin tuna belly was very tender and tasted wonderfully with the tomato vinaigrette. The skewers reminded me of kabobs, except it’s cold. The liquid olives are a popular staple and tasted exactly what it sounds like. The olive taste is very forward, but there is no chewing needed.
The Chistorra ($20) was a grilled basque-style chorizo sausage. The grill gave this a very nice smoky flavor and scent, and the taste of the sausage was really tasty.
To complement the sausage, the Pan con Tomate came with it. It was a pan de cristal brushed with tomato and extra virgin olive oil. This was not written on the menu that it would be complementing the sausage, so it’s a great way to try 2 things together. The bread was decent, but I wished there was more tomato spread. I was expecting a punchy tomato flavor, but it felt sparse.
The Octopus ($29) was charcoal-grilled octopus, olive oil mashed potatoes, and smoked pimenton. The octopus was grilled perfectly and very tender. For one piece, you wished there was more.
The Basque Salad ($25) came with peeled tomatoes, roasted peppers, Basque tuna belly, piparras, and onions. This was essentially large tomato chunks in a vinaigrette type of dressing. The Basque tuna belly reminded me of tuna from a can.
The Cabecero ($45) was a charcoal grilled succulent, marbled shoulder-neck of the Iberian pig. If you’re a lover of pork as much as me, you will really enjoy this. This was supposedly 8 oz, but I felt it was a pretty good sized portion to share and enjoy. This shoulder-neck piece had a nice balance of crisp and fat, and it had nice flavors from the grill. My partner felt it was a bit too fat for them, but I thought it was fine.
The Basque Cheesecake ($14) was a “burnt” Basque style cheesecake, drizzled with Asturian honey and extra virgin olive oil. They also shaved some hard cheese made of sheep. We ordered this to take home, which is why there’s a black plastic container. The cheesecake reminded me of creme brulee, but with some cheese flavors, sweet honey, and olive oil.
Overall Impression
Txula Steak was a pretty decent steak place that brought some Spanish flair with good tapas. Price wise, it’s slightly pricey, but the food I felt is pretty good. Everything is meant for sharing, so if you have a big group and are near the Vessel, see if you can get a reservation here so that you can try more things.
Yelp & Google Jabs
I would probably recommend that you make a reservation if you’re going to come in the evening because the prices are good for the area and the restaurant.
It feels generally that the Spanish restaurants aren’t as popular or busy, so reservations are easy to obtain. Also, this area has many restaurants, and it’s in a decent sized place. This restaurant would be great for sharing.
our server Andreu suggested that we do the big $150 steak but when we told him that we weren’t interested he attitude changed he seemed upset and he was kinda laughing at out order and keep on pushing for us to order the “big 150 dollars plate of steak.
That’s New York for you. Although service shouldn’t uncomfortably push you, just be direct with them.
Revisions
- May 1, 2026 - Initial revision.