Former Marco Pierre White restaurant chef opens second Spanish tapas bar

A Spanish tapas bar, La Casita, which launched in Ilkley last year, is set to open a second venue in Boston Spa on Friday 14 August.

Work is currently underway to transform the 1,000 sq ft, two storey high street site which was previously occupied by the Fish House restaurant.

Incorporating many of the premises’ original architectural features, the central Boston Spa venue is being revamped in a sympathetically Spanish style to feature a charcuterie bar serving drinks and light tapas plates as well as a 30 cover tapas restaurant.

In addition, a 20 cover secluded outdoor courtyard will all also provide additional drinking and dining space.

La Casita’s co-owners, Simon Miller, Oliver Renton and Ben Riley aimed to build on the strong performance La Casita received in its first year in Ilkley by opening a second site:

Simon said: “The success of La Casita Ilkley surpassed our expectations so we felt the time was right to consider expansion.

“The site at Boston Spa fit our criteria not only in terms of location and demographic but the building lends itself perfectly to the Spanish ‘little house’ look and feel that La Casita is inspired by.”

The new venue’s first floor bar, which will serve a range of Spanish craft beers and wines from around the world, will be central feature of La Casita Boston Spa.

Each drink has been chosen to pair perfectly with specially-imported hams, charcuterie and cheeses, sourced from the Badajoz region of south west Spain, which are available as drinks accompaniments or with larger tapas dishes.

In the restaurant, La Casita will offer an extensive range of classic and modern tapas plates including star dishes such as poached salt cod with spiced lentils, soft shell crab with saffron and garlic, chorizo cooked in red wine and roasted padrón peppers.

Oliver added: “We want La Casita to be a relaxed local bar where the very best hispanic food and drink is celebrated. We’re very lucky to be moving in to this incredibly characterful building and we can’t wait to welcome customers for summertime drinks and tapas.”

Simon, who has worked Yorkshire and London’s top restaurants, including head chef positions at the Fleece in Otley and Piazza by Anthony in Leeds, will also head the La Casita kitchen.

Simon was also a chef at Ilkley’s Michelin-starred The Box Tree from 2009 to 2011, a position preceded by chef de partie roles at Marco, Marco Pierre White’s restaurant in London, and the Noem Arch Design Hotel in the Czech Republic.

Upon launching, La Casita Boston Spa will be open for drinks and tapas seven days a week, both at lunch time and in the evenings. In addition, its courtyard and inside dining areas will all available to hire for private functions.

Looking to promote your product/service to SME businesses in your region? Find out how Bdaily can help →