As the weather grows colder, I’ve got one thing on my mind: comfort food. And I don’t mean the heavy, fried food that leaves you too full to do anything else for the rest of the day. I mean food that leaves you feeling satisfied and, well, warm. La Nacional, a Spanish restaurant on 14th St. smack between Seventh and Eighth Aves., is here to do just that.
Located right beneath the Spanish Benevolent Society, the oldest Spanish cultural institution in the U.S., La Nacional is an unsuspecting, easy-to-miss eatery on one of New York’s busiest streets. The Spanish Benevolent Society was founded in 1868 by Spanish immigrants in New York who wanted a social center where all Spanish immigrants could have access to resources.
In 2018, they opened La Nacional, a restaurant that pays homage to traditional Spanish cooking. Concealed amid the chaos of 14th St., La Nacional is far more than just a hidden dining gem; it’s a hidden slice of history, too.
I swung by on a Saturday afternoon to try their brunch menu and also experience some of the offerings on their traditional menu. I started with the huevos rotos, or broken eggs, a dish with origins all the way back to 1612. Our server asked if I wanted to add jamon serrano, to which I answered yes.
Shortly thereafter, a small bowl of two fried eggs crowned with deep pink meat appeared before me. The server handed me two spoons and encouraged me to mix. As I poked the white eggs, bright orange yolks oozed out, completely coating the thinly sliced potatoes that lay beneath the surface. The huevos rotos at La Nacional are simple; I mean, it’s potatoes, eggs, and ham, but its beauty stems from its pure simplicity. The potatoes are delicate yet still sturdy enough to survive the unctuous egg yolk, and the meat added a nice salty component that made it complete. I would love to say their huevos rotos are a great hangover food, but you don’t need a rough night as an excuse to consume them.
La Nacional doesn’t have one specific owner and is instead community-run. However, the kitchen is led by Chef Francisco Javier Parreño, who goes by Chef Paco. He started his culinary career at age 15 in Spain, and now, with over 25 years in the business, diners at La Nacional can watch him do what he does best thanks to the open-style kitchen.
I was excited for the “Tabla Mixta,” or chef’s selection of mixed meats and cheeses, and while it was fantastic with additions like Chorizo Iberico and Queso Manchego, the real shining elements of La Nacional are in the properly cooked cuisine by Chef Paco.
That’s not to say you can’t get your cheese fix — the Macarrones con Sobrasada is a bowl of cheesy pasta that I’ll gladly come back to La Nacional for next time I need a warm, comforting dish. Think manchego mac and cheese with sobrasada, a Mallorcan delicacy made of cured sausage and paprika. The sobrasada adds a red hue and deep, slightly smoky flavor.
It’s just wrong to go to any Spanish restaurant and not order paella, a dish with origins in Chef Paco’s native Valencia. La Nacional has a few options, including verduras (artichokes, peppers, green squash, and butterbeans), mixta (shrimp, mussels, calamari and chicken) and negra (squid ink with shrimp, mussels and squid). I opted for paella di marisco, made with shrimp, mussels and calamari.
The menu states a small order of paella only feeds two, but that’s perhaps if you don’t order other plates; the dish is massive. The crispy socarrat — the burned rice layer on the bottom of paella — combined with the tender squid and mussels is textural perfection.
Finally, I needed something sweet, so I ended my meal with torrija and fresh berries, which is only available on the brunch menu. While its closest resemblance is to that of French toast, the menu exclusively states, “Please don’t call it French toast,” so I’ll refrain, and let you figure it out. The torrija dish is made of thick slices of toast that are dipped in egg and cream, and pan-fried in olive oil. They’re then stacked high and served with berries, cream and covered in crunchy turbinado sugar.
La Nacional is a perfect spot to grab a bite with friends or family, as all plates are meant to be shared. While they are open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday, their brunch won me over specifically for the huevos rotos, so I’d recommend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon visit instead.
- Address: 239 W 14th St., New York, N.Y. 10011
- Phone: (917) 388-2888
- Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 4 p.m.-10 p.m.; Friday 4 p.m.-11 p.m.; Saturday noon-11 p.m.; Sunday noon-9 p.m.; Closed Mondays
- Prices: Brunch: $8-$18 (option for bottomless drinks for $19.95); Our Classics: $9-$16; Light Fare: $9-$15; Tablas: $10-$28; La Nacional Originals: $10-$15; Paellas and Fideuas: $38-$63; Arroces: $26; Tierra y Mar: $16-$36; Desserts: $9
- No takeout, no delivery; reservations accepted via OpenTable.
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