Tía Pol

Since returning to New York City in December I have been particularly interested in finding an enjoyable tapas restaurant in my neighborhood. After sampling Casa Mono & Bar Jamon (which I was quite disappointed with), I finally found one near my apartment in Chelsea: Tía Pol.

I went there on Sunday night for a date, and arrived at the door without knowing a single thing about the restaurant, except for what the web page had told me: according to the owner, Tía Pol is a traditional tapas restaurant, which features small plates from various regions of Spain, from Galicia to Andalucia, from the Basque Country to Cataluna.

Naturally, we started the evening off with amazing sangria. They used what I believe was a Spanish Tempranillo, and topped it off with apples and brandy, and just enough ice to chill the sangria, but not enough to water it down.

And now for the tapas...

We started off with croquetas de jamón y croquetas del día ($9). For those of you who do not speak Spanish -- myself included -- we had ham croquettes and the croquette of the day, which was a shrimp croquette. I personally felt that the ham croquette was a little generic, it was however one of the better ham croquettes that I have had. The shrimp croquette on the other hand was delicious. The flavor of the shrimp was clearly present, but did not overpower the potato or the fried exterior.

Next, the pan con tomate ($8), which included two toasted baguette slices, topped with a tomato puree. It was simple, yet extremely refreshing. The tomato seemed lightly chilled and was blended perfectly with the olive oil, and the seasonings really added to dish as a whole.

We then ordered both plato de quesos de la casa and embutidos ibericos. The first, plato de quesos ($7.50) was a plate of assorted Spanish cheeses, including manchego, garrotxa and valdeon. Each cheese was paired with an accoutrement, such as a nut or berry. The dish was served with baguette slices. Very simple dish, I know, but I cannot resist the power of cheese.

The embutidos ibericos ($16) was a plate of assorted cured Spanish meats, which included an aged, spiced ham (similiar to an Italian prosciutto), chorizo palacios (a dry-cured, mild sausage with a smokey flavor), and lomo embuchado (a dry-cured pork loin seasoned with smokey pimenton).

Our final plate was a special for the evening (price unknown since my date was kind enough to pay). It was cochinillo asado, a tender slice of suckling pig topped with a mild sauce. Hands down one of the best suckling pig experiences that I have had within the past few years. The skin was crispy, but not nearly as tough as I would have expected it to be. It was easy to bite. Enjoyable in fact. And due to the amount of collagen in the young pig, the meat was extremely tender.

Overall, I must say that Tía Pol was quite enjoyable. The staff were friendly and attentive. One concern that I had with the restaurant was with its size. It is very small, tiny in fact. But I must say, it is quite intimate, and there seemed to be plenty of space at each table, and just as much space at the bar.

Overall, Tía Pol is most definitely worth a visit.


Tía Pol
205 10th Ave
(between 22nd Street and 23rd Street)
(212) 675-8805