My spouse and I dined at Morcilla for dinner on a Saturday
evening in late August 2019. Morcilla is open for dinner Wednesdays through
Mondays (closed Tuesdays). Diners can reserve a spot using the online Open
Table reservation system.
Morcilla opened in 2015 in a storefront in Lawrenceville;
just a year later, it was a James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist for Best
New Restaurant. The name “Morcilla” refers to a Spanish blood sausage, which
the restaurant serves. The front of the space offers a long bar (the very end
seats of which adjoin the (sometimes open) front window. The middle of the
restaurant offers seating at stand-alone tables for about 50 patrons, while the
rear offers an open kitchen. Décor features earth-toned paint, exposed brick,
wood paneling, and even some food ingredients (the cured ham legs are used in
their dishes). The owner of Morcilla also operates nearby Cure (where we dined
in September 2017; see our separate review).
Morcilla serves Spanish cuisine in a tapas (small plates)
format. We ordered five dishes to share, including the salt cod fritters,
braised oxtail montadito (stacked on a crisp crostini with onion and cheese), a
charcuterie board (with four or five meats), mushrooms (topped with an egg yolk
and served with bread slices), and the pulpo (octopus plated atop potato
fondue). For dessert, we shared a frozen version of creme brulee.
We loved our tapas meal at Morcilla; the food and service
were excellent.
