We’ll see you in there.
Connect to customize your food & drink discovery.
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Spanish
Patria
If you like this, you’ll also like:
Revamped and refreshed — with its passionate persona blessedly intact — Patria has reclaimed its coveted place among King West’s crowded restaurant scene. After a significant hiatus, the restaurant reopened on November 17th, ready to welcome diners eager to rediscover its classic Spanish flavours.
Among the first spots in the city to popularize traditional Spanish fare, after opening in 2013, Patria quickly became a go-to for paellas, tapas, embutidos and other pillars of Iberian cuisine. With its imposing iron gate, moody room and central location, it catered to a well-heeled clientele, happy to dole out the dollars for whisper-thin slices of pata negra ham.
As for what dampened the perennial party? As luck would have it, actual water, after acutely-sensitive sprinklers doused the space last year. Save for the restaurant’s striking cross-stitch art installation, little remains of Commute Design’s original vision. In the hands of Danielle Adams, of Block Plan Studios, the palette is lighter and more tempered, with statement accents and gently curved furniture lending the space a decidedly feminine feel. Just don’t mistake feminine for frail. With a fiery flamenco dancer as muse, Patria is as intense and confident, as arresting and alluring as ever.
Similarly, menu updates were made in a way so as not to interfere with Patria’s soul. “We tried to stay as true to Patria as we could,” affirms Scale Hospitality corporate executive chef, Ted Corrado.
Thanks to improved ingredients and sourcing across the board, every item is now just that much better. “It’s most of the same items, with tweaks and updates,” affirms Scale corporate development chef, Zach Albertsen. “When I think of this restaurant,” he adds, “it’s more about Spanish classics. It's the greatest hits album here.” On the extensive menu, fans will still find an array of familiar tapas and abundant, socarrat-bottomed paellas, with a sprinkling of new dishes added in here and there.
“A place like this hits everybody,” continues Corrado. “You’re going to walk in and find the young couple at the bar, and you’ll also find the people who have been here 30 or 40 times over the last 10 years, still enjoying it. That’s a sign that you’ve crossed that threshold into like, ‘We’re a thing. We’re an institution.’”
Despite the cozy corners, tailor-made for couples, follow the chefs’ advice and dine en masse. “Order so much,” says Corrado, laughing. It’s a good recommendation — especially if you’re the type of eater who prefers to sate hunger with a progression of electric bites.
Start things off by ordering something to sip on as soon as you sit down. Populated with imported bottles, the team’s sherry selection features several crisp, dry options to pair with a tableful of tapas. There’s also a selection of sangrias — from cava-spiked to virgin — along with a significant number of classic and signature cocktails.
Beautiful and bracing, with Ketel One Vodka, Cointreau, Tio Pepe Fino Sherry, Aperol, Limoncello foam and Peychaud’s Bitters, the Pink Sherry is a perfectly puckery aperitif.
Meanwhile, with Jaime 1 Spanish Brandy, Bacardi 8 Year Old, Amaro Nonino, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and an oaked vanilla bean tincture, El Jefe is dark, woodsy, rich and best paired with dishes that are spicy and bold.
To eat, the Selección de Embutidos, Dátiles, Croquetas de Jamón and Asado Bone Marrow all set the mood, expertly. Slicked in a sherry maple reduction, plump dates arrive bacon-wrapped, and stuffed with Manchego and kicky guindilla pepper. Sweet and sticky, savoury, chewy, and crisp, there’s an abundance of flavour packed into each of these tidy parcels.
A perennial favourite, croquetas (also available with mushrooms) hide a velvety interior beneath a superlatively golden, crunchy coating. Order a few plates: these will disappear fast.
New for Patria 2.0, bone marrow is topped with beef cheek marmalade, sherry caramelized onion, and salsa verde for a dramatic first course. Served with grilled sourdough, it’s best enjoyed with a bright, zippy cocktail to cut through its richness. With Patrón Silver, Olmeca Altos Reposado Tequila, Cointreau, lime, pineapple and smoked paprika, the Picante is a wise choice.
Patria’s substantial seafood offering ranges from small tapas to swimmingly fresh whole fish. Tender, with grill smoke evident in each morsel, Pulpo is served with fingerling potatoes, paprika and intense, imported olive oil.
A tartare of albacore tuna, Atún Blanco is a riot of colour and flavours. Unique in its combination of ingredients, it relies on Marcona almonds, paprika and chive oils, purple sumac, buttermilk dressing and cucumber for its distinctly Spanish flair.
Salads are larger starters, easily shared among a small group. One that combines a number of ingredients — including radicchio, blood orange, beets, goat cheese and fried onions — into a fortifying jumble, the Amararga offers a different flavour combo in every bite.
From there, the menu calls diners to sample weightier dishes, whether rice-based or charcoal-kissed. Though paellas take 45 minutes to prepare, they're worth every second. Not only does time zip by in the ebullient room, there’s also little that compares to the anticipation of waiting for a paella drop.
Prepared in traditional paelleras, Patria’s renditions come in two sizes, packed with seafood, vegetables or, as in the case of the new Paella de Costillas and Paella de Pato, with short rib or confit duck and foie. Crowded with mussels, shrimp, clams and cod, with spicy bites of chorizo, sweet pops of pea, and dabs of creamy aioli, the Paella Patria is a standout.
Beyond the Valencian signature, grilled meats show the extent of the kitchen’s talents. Flavoured with harissa, lemon and bay leaf, Capón al Ajillo is plated seductively over a bed of pungent almond ajo blanco. Tender within, with a burnished skin that’s crisp and finger-licking good (sorry, Col. S.), it’s a bird that warrants a place on every table.
A place, as chef Albertsen says, where diners can visit repeatedly, “and have a different experience every time,” Patria is ready to be rediscovered, again and again.
Recommended For You
