MELBOURNE | El Rincón is a traditional Spanish tapas bar and restaurant on Victoria Street, that’s been open for almost eight years. The family who runs it hail from La Línea de la Concepción in Spain, and have been involved in Melbourne’s Spanish food scene for over 40 years. The restaurant has had a recent revamp as part of the wider recent renovations of Queen Victoria Market’s food court. I recently paid them a visit to grab some photos for What’s On Melbourne.
The atmosphere is an authentic one. Walking through the doors you feel like you’ve been transported into the lively but intimate tapas bars of Spain. Director Manuel Jiminez-Navarro is in charge of designing the menu at El Rincon. It’s inspired by his grandmother’s cooking and the restaurant’s Andalucian heritage. Leading the kitchen is chef Clive Kirby, who faithfully prepares the dishes.
Ingredients are mixture of local and Spanish. Extra virgin olive oil, and tinned fish, for example, are imported from Spain. Local ingredients (around 50% of all of El Rincon’s produce) are sourced directly from Queen Victoria Market, ensuring a freshness that can’t be beat.
You can enjoy a full meal with a mixture of large and small dishes, or simply pop in for a wine and a few tapa or perhaps some cheese and jamon, or cake. Tapa include things like patatas bravas, garlic and chilli mushrooms, and an assortment of croquettes. For larger plates, its dishes like seafood and vegetarian paella (which take 40 minutes to cook and have a wonderful crust when served in the pan), Galician style octopus served with chat potatoes, and cured meats.
To drink, it’s Spanish wines predominantly from the regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero, along with Spanish liqueurs, and dry and sweet sherries. There’s also sangria on tap, made using Manuel’s grandmother’s recipe, along with a selection of Spanish and local beers
El Rincón
69 Victoria Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Telephone: 0450 902 222
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Tue – Wed: 11:00am to 9:00pm
Thu: 10:00am to 9:00pm
Fri – Sat: 10:00am to 11:00pm
Sun: 10:00am to 4:00pm