Last updated: May 8, 2025

In the Weeds

by TM Petaccia

The focus at Catalú is to provide taste experiences encompassing most of Spain’s diverse regions, and that’s pretty much what you get. Located in the former Eight & Sand space right off the New Bern light rail stop, Catalú offers a wide range of hot and cold tapas, Spanish cheese and charcuterie items, paellas, a small list of larger plates, and select desserts. For the most part, the food and drinks hit the mark.

Upon entering, the first impression the restaurant’s design gives you is somewhat jumbled. The interior features a sleek, attractive bar area which abuts against a glass-encased wine “cellar.” However, most of the main dining room area still has a bit of that “sandwich shop” feel of its predecessor. When the weather is agreeable, you’ll want to sit on the patio. It’s spacious, comfortable, and completely enhances the festive feel that the restaurant’s food and drink provide.

Starting off with cocktails, Catalú’s list features drinks both light, such as the Matador gin & tonic, and bold, such as the rye-based Deal Closer, as well as some inventive nonalcoholic cocktails. It’s a solid list well-executed. The wine list showcases an impressive number of Spanish varietals worth sampling while the beer list offers a some Spanish and Mexican brews along with a few local options.

However, when you think Spain, you think sangria. Catalú does not disappoint here with four choices: one cava-based for lovers of bubbles, one rosé-based for light and leisurely imbibing, and even a frozen sangia for those especially warm days. That leaves The Red (their caps), a bit of a riff on the classic sangria — this one adding orange liqueur, orange juice, cinnamon syrup, and some diced apples to a dry red. The cinnamon adds a surprising uplift to the drink. While immensely enjoyable, however, it might overpower some of the more subtle dishes on the menu. If you can’t decide on one sangria, you can order a flight of all four.

Like many of the newer restaurants in Charlotte, Catalú is geared for small plates and shared plates, allowing diners to experience many flavors in one sitting. Starting with cheese and charcuterie, you can order items individually, or in collections of three. Some standouts here are the the Valdeon Blue and Drunken Goat cheeses, 17-month cured serrano ham, and Iberico chorizo.

A simple tapa, pan con tomate, is quite enjoyable as is, but elevated with the optional additions of Manchego cheese and that meltingly good 17-month jamon. A true standout is the house beet salad with pistachio butter, pistachio crumble, and whipped goat cheese. It’s hard not to order this on every visit. The mahi mahi ceviche with leche de tigre is also worth a look as one of your cold tapas choices.

Warm tapas options are plentiful and noteworthy. Pulpo a la Gallega (octopus with crispy potatoes) gives you the desired tenderness with just enough bite on the cephalopod, rounded off with well-seasoned potatoes with a spiced aioli and a touch of olive oil. A bone-in braised oxtail (Rabo de Toro) created the most desired effect of a well-prepared dish around a table: dead silence — as fellow diners abandoned conversation to indulge the tender, gravy-enhanced meat over textbook mashed potatoes. The most comforting of comfort foods.

Don’t overlook the broccolini as a great pairing with the oxtail, or as a meat-free standalone. Served with saffron chimichurri and Manchego cheese, the dish hits all the savory notes. The house croquetas — stuffed with more of that serrano ham, plus chicken and bechamel sauce — fried golden and topped with garlic aioli, is an oozy toothsome ball of goodness. The albondigas (spiced meatballs) might be considered too intense for the more capsaicin intolerant.

The house paellas are listed as “for two,” but when a part of enjoying the restaurant’s tapas can easily accommodate three or even four diners (it also makes for a good “take the rest home and reheat for lunch the next day” dish). They also require a 35-45 minute lead time, so best to order one as soon as you sit down if you know that’s going to be a part of your evening. Catalú offers four paella choices: one veggie-centric, one meat-centric, and two in the more seafood-and-sausage traditional preparations.

The Valenciana combines shrimp, fried calamari, mussels, chicken, chorizo, peas, and piquillo peppers, and is exemplary, with the crispy rice bits on the bottom of the pan that paella aficionados crave. A squid ink version with shrimp, octopus, and chorizo makes for an eye-popping presentation and the preparation of the non-rice components is on-point, however, the added moisture of the ink to the rice fails to create those sought-for crispy bits.

If you really want to chow down or share some heavier fare, large entrée options include duck confit, short rib, and pan-seared salmon.

For dessert, the house flan caps off a good meal with not-too-sweet caramel and seared orange slices. Other options include an olive oil chocolate cake and a Catalana cream foam with graham cracker crumbles.

Service at Catalú is impressive — knowledgeable about the menu, just the right amount of friendly, and with that special knack of showing up just when you need them. The menu makes a point of noting the gluten-free dishes, of which there are many, as well as which dishes contain nuts.

Catalú does offer brunch service, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, with an abbreviated menu, which includes a Spanish version of chicken and waffles, featuring Serrano ham and a hash made with the aforementioned braised oxtail.

Hopefully, at some point, Catalú will spruce up its interior to better reflect its concept, but overall, the restaurant provides a very pleasant experience. Despite a few shortcomings, this can easily become a go-to restaurant for sharing good times with good friends.