Telefèric Barcelona Brentwood has become one of our regular spots, but this visit was different: no kids. My husband and I met up with friends who drove in from the Valley on a Saturday night. We made a reservation a couple of days ahead, since Telefèric fills up fast on a Saturday, and settled in for a few hours of tapas, cocktails, and catching up. We followed it with a short walk down San Vicente Boulevard from Telefèric Barcelona Brentwood to Bacio di Latte for gelato. Here’s how both stops went, including where the shrimp let us down and where the drinks more than made up for it.
How the Tapas at Telefèric Barcelona Brentwood Held Up
We’ve been to this Telefèric location enough times that the tapas menu doesn’t surprise us anymore, and that’s part of the story here: the food is good, not amazing, and I think familiarity plays into that a bit. We ordered a spread we’ve had many times before: Bruselas (their Brussels sprouts), pan con tomate with chorizo butter, ham croquetas, tuna tacos, and gambas al ajillo. We also got patatas bravas with crispy jamon added on top. Everything was solid. Nothing made us stop mid-bite and comment on it. One thing worth knowing before you go: it’s very easy to order an entire table of fried food without realizing it. Between the croquetas, the tuna tacos, and the patatas bravas, we had to consciously balance things out with the Brussels sprouts and pan con tomate.
Where the Paella Mixta Missed for Us
This was actually the first time we’d ordered the Paella Mixta (medium) after all our visits here, and neither my husband nor I were fans. The shrimp was the problem. We didn’t like the texture or the flavor of it at all. Our friend, on the other hand, ate every piece and had no complaints. This may come down to personal taste around shellfish more than a knock on the dish itself. Telefèric also makes a paella with no seafood, just meat, which we’ve had before and liked. Our takeaway: order the meat paella and skip the Mixta, at least if you’re picky about shrimp the way we are.
The Drinks Are the Real Draw
The cocktails are the best part of a visit to Telefèric Barcelona Brentwood, and probably the bigger reason we keep coming back compared to the food. We ordered La Flaca, Bryan’s Legacy, a Paper Plane, and a Diet Coke for the table. La Flaca arrives with a bubble sitting on top that you pop yourself. When you do, you inhale a burst of smokiness, a fun bit of theater for a cocktail. Bryan’s Legacy is even more dramatic: it comes to the table still smoking. Presentation aside, both were well-balanced and easy to drink, and the Paper Plane held its own too. Good tapas restaurants are still fairly rare around LA. The drink program here is a big part of what makes this one stand out from a regular night out.
Quick Need-to-Know: Telefèric Barcelona Brentwood
A few practical details, straight from Telefèric Barcelona’s own site and our visit:
- Address: 11930 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049
- Phone: (657) 567-2679
- Hours: Roughly 11 a.m.–10:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closing a little earlier Sunday through Thursday. Hours can shift, so it’s worth a quick check before you go.
- Reservations: Get one. We booked a couple of days ahead and the restaurant was completely full by the time we sat down on Saturday night.
- Parking: Tight. Expect to valet.
- What we spent: $252 for four people, tip and drinks included, not counting dessert. Telefèric is on the inKind app, so we paid through inKind. We got 20% of that back to our account for a future visit.
Walking Down to Bacio di Latte for Dessert
None of us were unhappy with the dessert options at Telefèric, but our friends wanted a change of scenery. So we walked a few blocks down San Vicente from Telefèric Barcelona Brentwood to Bacio di Latte instead. It’s an easy walk, and after a table full of tapas and paella, it felt good to move a little before getting back in the car. Bacio di Latte has locations across LA, including one in the Valley, so everyone at the table already knew what to expect, and it delivered. My husband and I both got the new limited-edition apple crumble gelato, which put me straight into a fall mood, and our friends went with peanut butter and chocolate.
Quick Need-to-Know: Bacio di Latte Brentwood
- Address: 11706 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049
- Hours: Opens at 11 a.m. daily. Worth a quick check since hours can change.
- Pricing: A Piccolo (one scoop) starts around $8.75, and paying just over a dollar more upgrades you to a second scoop, which is a good deal. A Regular starts around $10.45.
- Parking: Street parking only, and it’s tough to find on a busy night.
- Wait: About 10 minutes on a busy Saturday night. We ate at the outdoor seating, which didn’t feel crowded even with the shop busy inside.
- Not on the inKind app, unlike Telefèric.
Would We Go Back to Telefèric Barcelona Brentwood?
Yes, to both. Service was great everywhere, no issues at either place, and both were clean. This trip was also a nice reminder of why we don’t always bring our kids to Telefèric. When we do go as a family, they stick to the mac and cheese and the gambas al ajillo (heads cut off, always). It’s not their favorite spot, still a little too exotic for them. That makes it a better fit for a grown-ups’ night like this one. Next time, we’ll order the meat paella instead of the Mixta, and go a little lighter on the fried tapas. We’ll also make sure to save room for the walk down to Bacio di Latte again.
Read More on Culinary Passages
If you enjoyed this, a few more posts along the same lines:
- Telefèric Barcelona Tapas: The Honest Review — our take on this same restaurant with the kids in tow
- Sora Brentwood: An Honest Review
- A New Lens on Persian Fine Dining: Our Evening at Perse
- Katsuya Brentwood Review: Is It Actually Kid-Friendly?
- Pizzana in Brentwood: How It Became Our Family’s Go-To Dinner
- Our Family’s Guide to the Best Dessert Spots on the Westside
