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It’s easy to lose track of time at Xuntos, regardless of how many vermouth cocktails you’ve consumed. This Spanish restaurant from the Gasolina Cafe people serves what is arguably the best menu of tapas in Los Angeles, with delicious, sometimes elaborate plates that’ll make you want to order seconds or thirds. Such feelings are a tell-tale sign that you’ve stumbled upon a great tapas restaurant—a place where a night can drag on with wine and fried anchovies without you noticing. If you need a Santa Monica spot where an impromptu dinner can spill into an evening of drinks and chit-chat, few places can top this one.
Some restaurants love to use the term “tapas” on their menu as a synonym for small plates, but at Xuntos, it’s more than just small plates—it's a style of eating. Tacking on an extra order of pan con tomate between drinks isn’t excessive, but encouraged. Smaller dishes mostly fall under $10, while most of the shareable tapas float around $15 to $20, which makes it easy for a small group to explore most of the menu without breaking the bank.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
If you plan to graze like a pro here, the best move is to order a bottle of chilled albariño or a round of calimotxo and prepare to linger. Or at least that’s what most people do starting Thursday nights through the weekend when Xuntos comes alive. Dates and friends dressed for a night out fill up this two-story space, yet it never teeters on overwhelming. You can still hear yourself think, and the homey, mix-matched decor makes this restaurant look like an antique shop that morphs into a bar. In theory, drinks and a small bite would work fine here, but that’s a missed opportunity. A full meal is the way to go.
Spanish food in LA has come a long way over the past few years, and Xuntos is proof. The decently sized menu gets hyper-regional by differentiating tapas from pintxos (Basque-style bites closer to snacks than small plates). A meal can entail crumbly Galician tuna empanadas, Cantabrian anchovy toasts, and crema catalana for dessert. And, yes, the classics like ham croquettes and patatas bravas are also on there—they're solid, but they’re not where Xuntos hits the hardest. Better are less commonly seen dishes that sound like something you’d see on a José Andrés travel special: fatty, grilled seabass collars, baby squid balloons stuffed with minced shallots, and scallops on the half shell that are bathed in saffron butter until they glow bright yellow.
As much as we love a flaming onion volcano at Benihana, Downtown Santa Monica isn’t the first, second, or eighth place we’d send someone for a fun, off-the-cuff dinner. But that’s what Xuntos delivers. Though we’d never confuse Third Street Promenade for San Sebastián, we do appreciate that this spot is pushing Spanish food beyond sangria and paella, too. And if that means an excuse to hang out for another hour with more jámon and vermouth, we’re all for it.
Food Rundown
Cocktails
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Vieiras
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Croquetas de Jamón
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Berenjena Frita
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Costillas con Salsa Barbacoa
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Pincho de Chipirones
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Empanada Gallega
photo credit: Jessie Clapp