Spanish Restaurant Near Me in Nolita: Socarrat Paella Bar's Flamenco Tuesdays

Every Tuesday from 7 to 10 pm, a flamenco group performs for free inside Socarrat Paella Bar at 284 Mulberry Street, on the corner of Houston Street in Nolita. There is no cover charge, but on those nights your table is held for an hour and a half for two people. This Spanish restaurant is named for the crisp, caramelized rice that forms at the bottom of a good paella pan, and its house paella costs $36 per serving with a two-serving minimum.

The design borrows from Spanish bullrings, with the neon bull at the entrance, Spanish fans on the walls and close-set tables that put you near your neighbors. It is lively rather than formal, built for groups who want to share pans of rice and talk over music. Where many tapas bars in Manhattan treat paella as one dish among many, here it is the headline: the menu lists multiple paellas, and the kitchen expects nearly every table to order one.

Begin with tapas while the rice cooks, because a paella takes about twenty-five to thirty minutes. Patatas bravas cost $13, pan con tomate is $11, and the tortilla española runs $16. The gambas al ajillo at $21 come with plenty of garlic oil for dipping bread. Two of these starters carry two people comfortably until the paella arrives. Order the rice in the same breath as the tapas, so the timing works out and no one sits waiting with empty plates.

The paella Socarrat, the house signature, costs $36 per serving and must be ordered for at least two, so a pan for two is $72. The lobster paella, the most luxurious version, is $52 per serving. Both arrive in wide shallow pans, and the prize is the crust at the bottom, the socarrat itself. Use the edge of your spoon to scrape it loose near the end of the meal. Servers expect you to do this, and the crunchy bits are the best part.

For a more substantial starter, the pulpo a la gallega costs $26, tender octopus in the Galician style, sliced and dusted with paprika. Jamón ibérico is on the menu at $39. With a table of four, the octopus and two lighter tapas plus a pan of paella for four make a generous dinner. The kitchen sends plates out as they are ready, so expect the table to fill gradually rather than all at once, which suits the slow Spanish pace.

A frank opinion: unless the occasion calls for it, pass on the $39 jamón. It is a fine plate, but Socarrat's strength is its rice, and the money spent on ham is better put toward a third serving of paella for a hungry group, or toward the lobster version for a celebration. Similarly, a tortilla at $16 is filling enough to dull your appetite before the pan arrives. Keep the starters light and let the paella be the main event.

Happy hour runs daily from 4 to 6:30 pm at the bar only, with holidays excluded. That window is the quietest time to sit down, and the bar is the easiest place to get a seat without a booking. Dinner service starts at 4 pm every day and runs until 10 pm Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 pm on Friday and Saturday. On weekends, Socarrat also serves brunch from noon to 3:45 pm, a calmer way to try the paella in daylight.

Reservations go through OpenTable, and they are strongly advised on Tuesdays, when flamenco draws crowds. On those evenings, tables are held for an hour and a half for parties of two and two hours for parties of three or more, so plan to order promptly. If Tuesday is fully booked, a Wednesday dinner offers the same paella in a quieter room. Next door at the same address, La Churrería serves churros if you only want something sweet and quick.

Who comes here? On Tuesdays, the crowd leans toward groups of friends and couples on dates, drawn by the chance to see live flamenco without paying a cover. On weeknights after work, the bar fills with Nolita neighbors for happy hour. Weekend brunch suits visitors exploring Little Italy and SoHo, since it runs until 3:45 pm. The unspoken etiquette on flamenco nights is simple: keep conversation low during each performance, then applaud loudly when the dancer finishes, as you would at a Spanish tablao.

Socarrat is the work of Jesús Manso, known as Lolo, who started the group with a small dining room in Chelsea in 2008 before expanding to Nolita and Midtown East. The name reflects his focus on paella done properly, down to the crisp crust at the bottom of the pan that Spaniards fight over at family meals. Flamenco Tuesdays have become this location's signature night, and the group's story page traces the path from that first Chelsea room to several dining rooms, with Nolita, thanks to its Tuesday music, the liveliest of them.

After dinner, walk one block to the Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral on Mulberry Street, New York's original Catholic cathedral, its brick walls dating back to the early nineteenth century. Its graveyard walls are among the most photographed in the neighborhood. From there, continue south along Mulberry into Little Italy, or west along Prince Street toward the boutiques of SoHo. The whole loop takes about thirty minutes, ideal after a heavy pan of rice and a glass of sangria.

A few details make the evening smoother. The paella minimum of two servings applies to every pan, so solo diners should either bring a friend or stick to tapas at the bar. Ask your server which paellas can be prepared without seafood if anyone at the table avoids shellfish. Because of the time limits on flamenco nights, arrive on time for your reservation. If the performance matters most, book a 7 pm table so the full ninety minutes overlaps with the music.

Practical notes: Socarrat Nolita is at 284 Mulberry Street at Houston Street, with dinner from 4 pm daily, weekend brunch from noon, and bar happy hour from 4 to 6:30 pm. It suits groups, birthday dinners, and anyone who wants paella with live music. It suits less a quiet conversation on a Tuesday. For a calmer meal, choose brunch or an early weekday dinner instead of flamenco night.