Attack of the clones: Boqueria

The original
Since 2006, this cramped sliver of a tapas bar in the Flatiron District has been serving Seamus Mullen's winning riffs on authentic Spanish nibbles in a raucous standing-room-only setting. 53 W 19th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-255-4160)

The sequel
Boqueria Soho, which opened last fall, is more than twice as big and nearly twice as inviting as the Flatiron space. Still, the setup is familiar: See the cheeses and cured meats in the window, the tall communal table in the dining room, the case displaying the sorts of sangria-friendly boquerones—gargantuan olives, marinated mushrooms, briny anchovy canapés—you might find at the real Boqueria market in Barcelona. Though the menu is nearly identical at both locations, this less manic outpost offers seating with a view into the open kitchen, enabling diners to watch their baby octopus being seared on the plancha. While the big flavors that made the first Boqueria a sensation have successfully transitioned farther downtown—in exceptional classics like fluffy salt-cod croquetas, sweet rock shrimp in garlic oil and dates oozing cabrales cheese—so too have the minuscule portions. Which means that a meal—anchored, perhaps, by a burnished cube of suckling pig—that's reasonable at three or four small dishes a person becomes extravagant as the plates pile up.

More clones
Fatty Crab | Boqueria | Shake Shack | 'inoteca

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