When you walk into Spanish Diner in downtown Bethesda, you feel like you’ve stepped into a Spanish restaurant. From imported Spanish olive oil and canned goods to horchata (a traditional Spanish drink) and cola cao (a Spanish chocolate milk brand), you can buy it on shelves filled with traditional products. TVs on the wall show La Liga soccer matches and American sports matches on a Latin channel. The entire restaurant is full of modern and traditional Spanish culture, offering a taste of home for some and a journey of taste for others.
Spanish Diner is one of a series of D.C. restaurants by world-renowned chef Jose Andrés, known for his craft and humanitarian work.
Being from Spain, I aimed to compare the quality of Spanish cuisine. At first I was shocked by the price, but I decided to find out if these authentic plates were worth the cost.
Pan con tomate (bread with tomatoes): 4.5/5
Pan con tomate is a simple and popular Spanish appetizer made of bread (usually baguette) topped with grated tomato and garlic. The bread was excellent, perfectly toasted and crispy, an ideal base to complement the toppings. The specific bread used in Spanish diners is pan de cristal (glass bread). This bread, which originated in Barcelona, is made with 100% hydrated dough, making it crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Like Italian ciabatta, this bread is very difficult to make for inexperienced bakers and is rare outside of Spain. The olive oil drizzled on top was bright and fresh, maintaining a gentle presence within the dish. Unfortunately, the tomato paste had no flavor, although overall it was serviceable. The $12 price tag partially justified the appetizer’s exorbitant price due to the perfect texture of the bread and the combination of high quality extra virgin olive oil and ripe tomatoes.
Croquetas de Cocido (beef, ham and chicken croquettes): 4/5
Croquettes are finger-sized fried foods with a skin and a meaty, creamy filling. The surface of the croquette was crispy and not oily, and the inside was piping hot, fragrant, and delicious. The filling was a little too creamy for my liking and felt a little watery. For $14 we were served a delicious snack, but we found it hard to excuse the price of what is considered typical Spanish table fare.
Gambas al Ajillo (Shrimp with garlic): 4/5
This simple dish is perfectly cooked, with plump, juicy shrimp coated evenly in garlic oil. The garlic itself was smooth, sweet, and tender all the way through. I was grateful that it was served with freshly baked bread. I ate it dipped in flavored oil and topped with roasted garlic. The dish cost $18, and while it was delicious, it took a lot of effort to make an appetizer-sized portion available for so much money.
Ensaladilla Ucraniana (Ukrainian salad): 3.5/5
Despite the Ukrainian allusion in the name, this is a typical Spanish dish: a potato salad with canned Spanish tuna, carrots, peas, and mayonnaise. Although it’s not my favorite dish, I found it to be a solid take on a traditional meal. It was a bit too creamy and had a strong vinegar taste, but overall it was delicious. The $11 price tag, combined with its bland content, was its weakest point.
Rubina a la Donostiala (Donostiala Seabass): 4.5/5
This decadent fish is an oven-roasted sea bass branzino fillet coated with sauce from the Basque city of Donostia San Sebastian, then placed on a bed of roasted onions and confit potatoes. The fish was amazingly well-cooked, crispy and buttery, and I later learned that it was originally caught in the Mediterranean and then imported to the United States. The potatoes and onions underneath were also delicious. The amount of onions may be confusing, but it stays true to the spirit of this dish. Some recipes call for two onions per fish. I would have liked to have tasted more of the sauce, but the flavor was good. The price is $23, which is more reasonable than many other dishes considering the imported fish.
Huevos Rotos con Chistorra y Patatas (Spanish sausage and potatoes with cracked eggs): 4.5/5
This is one of the most classic Spanish bar dishes, consisting of fried potatoes topped with a fried egg and sausage or ham. Quistra, a key ingredient in this take, is a traditional smoked pork link sourced from Spain. The eggs were very well cooked, with a bright orange runny yolk spilling out beautifully over the potatoes. The fries were crispy, salty and not oily. Priced at $17, it’s delicious and well made, but the price feels too high considering the simple, everyday ingredients.
Flan de Mamá Marisa (José Andres’ mother’s flan recipe): 4.75/5
This famous dessert is made with just three simple ingredients: condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and sugar, but you can elevate the quality of your dish with a few tweaks. It’s smooth and creamy, and I think it tastes better than most flans I’ve had in Spain. I’m often bothered by the large amount of sugar in this dish, but this dish from Andrés was one of the most perfectly balanced dishes I’ve ever had. It was very tasty, but I thought the $10 price tag was ridiculous considering the simplicity of the ingredients.