Kalimotxo
Restaurant · Pershing
1813 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702, USA
Highlights
Basque tapas bar with pintxos, cocktails, and cheesecake
Basque tapas bar with pintxos, cocktails, and cheesecake
"Kalimotxo used to be attached to Hestia, but now it's all grown up. The Spanish restaurant has moved to a larger spot at the Arrive Hotel on East 6th Street, with an expanded menu of Basque-style small plates, cocktails, and more. We're excited to try the savory french toast topped with sea urchin, saffron butter, and quince. And don't worry, they still have porrones, which are glass wine pitchers meant to be poured directly into your mouth." - nicolai mccrary, matthew jacobs
"Tapas are meant to be shared, and there’s no better spot in Austin to fill up on tiny Spanish plates of marinated anchovies, Iberian ham, and salt-roasted prawns. Kalimotxo's dining room is large, and it’s usually not hard to snag a last-minute table. It’s a great spot to kick off an evening wandering around East Sixth Street, but the food and cocktails are solid enough to anchor the night if you want a one-stop shop. If things start to get dull, order a porron full of red wine and see who can drink from it without staining their shirt." - nicolai mccrary, matthew jacobs
"The Downtown tapas bar from the Michelin-starred restaurant group behind Emmer & Rye relocated into the East Austin neighborhood this October inside the Arrive Austin hotel. Kalimotxo offers a curated Spanish wine list and flowing porrones, celebrating the vibrant small plates culture of Spain. Order Basque-style pintxos and Andalusian tapas alongside crushable cocktails, such as the namesake Kalimotxo (a red wine-Amaro-cola soda drink) and the Bad Rabbit (tequila, carrots, ginger, spicy honey, lime). Along with a bright dining room, there’s also an East Sixth Street patio." - Darcie Duttweiler
"Inside the Arrive Hotel in East Austin lies this gem from the critically lauded Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group. The vibe at this Spanish-style restaurant, with a focus on small plates, is chatty and social with modern European-inspired decor (spot that gorgeous vertical green tile behind the bar). Order and share plates of chorizo, Spanish ham, mushroom and quail egg tostada, patatas bravas, and fried calamari. Pairing it with a Spanish G&T on the first visit is a must, but do explore the sherry flight, vermouth selections, and the wine menu which rolls super deep." - Taylor Tobin
"Kalimotxo is a Spanish restaurant at the bottom of the Arrive Hotel. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it was Downtown for a few years before reopening on East Sixth Street—or because you’re familiar with the classic red wine-and-cola drink it's named after. Austin has about as many Spanish restaurants as it does mountains, which by default makes Kalimotxo one of the best options in the city for tapas and pintxos. Scarcity factor aside, this large restaurant from the team behind Hestia, Emmer & Rye, and Canje is a decent spot for catching up with a group, with food and drinks that are a modest step up from what you’d expect to find at a hotel bar. photo credit: Richard Casteel photo credit: Richard Casteel photo credit: Richard Casteel Pause Unmute The menu is made up of classic small bites—tortilla española, marinated anchovies, Iberian ham—plus a few larger plates if you want to turn snacks into dinner. None of it will blow you away, but it all does a serviceable job of scratching a pintxos itch for considerably less money than a plane ticket to San Sebastián. Ask nicely and they’ll even let you drink your wine from a porrón. RESERVE A TABLE Food Rundown Cocktails We weren’t fans of most of the cocktails we’ve had here, including the namesake kalimotxo or the tinto de verano, which both had wine-to-soda ratios that were too heavy on the soda. There’s a good selection of sherry if you were transported here from a Hemingway novel, but we’d recommend sticking to the solid list of Spanish wines. photo credit: Richard Casteel Gildas Most of the pintxos are single-bite-sized, including these little skewers of anchovy, guindilla pepper, and olive. They're a nice way to start the meal. photo credit: Richard Casteel Mushroom And Quail Egg Tosta Our favorite of the pintxos. The mushrooms are cooked well, and the quail egg adds a bit of creaminess. photo credit: Richard Casteel Spanish Ham Plate Iberian ham is expensive by nature, but $21 for eight translucent slices still hurts. The quality is excellent though. photo credit: Richard Casteel Tuna Crudo This is a tasty plate, with a good amount of tuna served over a refreshing gazpacho sauce. Get one of these to share with the table. photo credit: Richard Casteel Boquerones En Vinagre These marinated anchovies are exactly what they sound like, but the vinegar overpowers the fish. photo credit: Richard Casteel Pork Milanese This dish has a little tableside flourish, with a soft egg and capers that get spread across the plate. It’s pretty to look at, but the meat is a bit dry and underseasoned. photo credit: Richard Casteel Salt Roasted Carabinero Prawns The Carabinero prawns are some of the biggest we’ve ever seen, and the smoked paprika butter is an excellent sauce for them. Get an order to share (or hog them for yourself). photo credit: Richard Casteel" - Nicolai McCrary
