At Bar Siesta in Los Angeles, meals linger and moods perk up

For a deep dive into Spanish culture, forget the plane ticket – you only need to step inside Bar Siesta, a new tapas bar in Los Angeles' Silver Lake neighbourhood. The eatery, the brainchild of local restaurateur Heather Sperling alongside Spanish-American couple Lucía Flors and Carlos Leiva, offers a comfortable meeting place for a glass of cava and also serves as a marketplace for delectable tinned fish.

The mood: Spain by way of Silver Lake

The team partnered with Nickie Huang and Sol Stearns of the L.A.-based design-build firm After Co., with Valencia, Spain-based interior designer Sergio Bonaque acting as a consultant to ensure an authentic Spanish feel. The design draws inspiration from the magic of the Mediterranean and the joy of a long, leisurely meal.

At the centre of the room, a community table with a vintage wrought-iron base and a slab of Rojo Alicante marble is surrounded by banquettes and two-tops set against raked stucco, which is native to both the Balearic Islands and Southern California. Handcrafted glazed terracotta tiles from Ceràmica Ferrés line the existing bar and retail shelves, illuminated by traditional terracotta sconces from Valencia.

Works by Spanish artists like Alejandra Marroquín and Antonio Baraona are displayed alongside traditional regional ceramics, like lebrillos granadinos (antique bowls), and contemporary pieces by Fran Aniorte and Lorea Palacios.

The food: small plates a-plenty

The best part about a tapas bar-style menu is all the small plates that encompass a variety of flavours. Start with gambas (shrimp) in butter and black salt; hand-carved jamón ibérico; traditional Spanish tortilla; and garlic trumpet mushrooms confit in olive oil with herbs. Of course, you will need plenty of pan con tomate – the cornerstone of any tapas table. At Bar Siesta, they use Momotaro fruit from local Beylik Farms seasoned simply with garlic, olive oil and sea salt topped on Bub & Grandma’s bread. The leftover skins are dehydrated to make a dried tomato salt that gets sprinkled on top.

Another carb you should not pass up is the patatas bravas from Alex Weiser farms, which are cooked three times to get the perfect crunchy exterior and creamy interior, and which you can then dip in a sauce of charred tomatoes with caramelised alliums and Mexican guajillo chiles, and pimentón.

Bar Siesta is located at 1710 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026, United States; barsiesta.co