Teleferic Barcelona

Over the past several years, we’ve been hunting for a truly superb and authentic Spanish tapas restaurant in or near Orange County, a quest that’s had occasional ups, downs, and close calls. So we were excited to discover Teleferic Barcelona, first when we walked by a location under construction at Long Beach’s 2nd & PCH Mall, then found another already open in Los Angeles. With seven total restaurants spread across California and Spain, Teleferic’s menus and interior designs looked authentically Spanish enough to hook us; we had lunch at the LA restaurant.

Though the menu isn’t huge – fewer than 35 items including all appetizers and desserts – virtually all of the classic Spanish tapas are included, and then some. From ham or crab croquettes (croquetas) to tomato-smeared bread (pan con tomate), crispy potatoes with red pepper sauce (patatas bravas), garlic shrimp (gambas al ajillo), and premium Spanish ham (jamón ibérico de bellota), you can easily have the same meal here you’d order in Barcelona; rice paellas, Spanish-style French toast (torrijas), flan, and churros (atypically injected here with Nutella) are also on the menu.

On the strong positive side, the LA restaurant is so beautifully and authentically decorated that we could easily have been walking into a space in Barcelona or the Basque Country; the spacious, well-appointed dining room was bright and earthtoned, though almost empty throughout our meal.

Similarly, most of the serviceware and plating was consistent with mid-level tapas restaurants we’ve visited – as our photos illustrate, Teleferic is on a different level from, say, Southern California’s Cafe Sevilla restaurants. And service was generally hyper-attentive, particularly for beverage refills, though we did need to flag people down a couple of times near the end of our meal.