Our directory lists three Spanish restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, plus a fourth from the same group as one of them, up in Genting Highlands. Together they fit a weekend: a vermouth bar for Saturday evening, a grill for dinner, a home-cooking restaurant for Sunday, and a Genting detour if you are heading out of the city. Everything below comes from each venue's own listing. Check hours before you go, since we do not list opening times here.
Saturday evening: vermouth at Vermut KL
Start at Vermut KL, at 17 Jalan Mesui. It is a tapas bar and restaurant with rustic décor and Spanish music, set up to feel like a traditional bar in Madrid or Barcelona. The menu covers classic tapas and Spanish wines, and, as the name says, vermouth.
In Spain, a vermouth before lunch or dinner is its own ritual, often called la hora del vermut, usually served over ice with an orange slice and an olive, with something salty on the side. We covered it in more detail in our guide to Spanish vermouth. Vermut KL is flagged in our directory as open late, so it can also be the last stop of the night instead of the first.
Saturday dinner: the grill at Bocado
For dinner, head to Bocado, on the ground floor of Bangunan ECM Libra, 8 Jalan Damansara Endah, Bukit Damansara. Bocado is known for flame-grilled steaks, with premium cuts cooked to bring out rustic flavours, next to a tapas menu of seafood and cured meats for sharing.
Bocado describes itself as built around communal dining, so one approach is a few tapas for the table first, then a steak to share, depending on the cuts on the menu that night.
Sunday lunch: Marta's Kitchen in Sri Hartamas
Marta's Kitchen @ Hartamas, at 3 Jalan Sri Hartamas 22, cooks from Spanish home-cook recipes with ingredients imported from Spain. If Saturday ran late, note that our directory flags Marta's Kitchen as open late too.
Optional: La Fiesta at Genting Highlands
If your weekend includes a trip up to Genting, the same group runs La Fiesta by Marta's Kitchen at Resorts World, Level 1, SkyAvenue, Genting Highlands. It specialises in the best-known Spanish dishes, paella and croquetas among them, in a dining room with archways and Mediterranean-style architecture designed to feel like a classic Spanish restaurant. It is outside the city, so treat it as a detour rather than part of a Kuala Lumpur crawl.
The weekend at a glance
- Saturday, early evening: vermouth and tapas at Vermut KL, Jalan Mesui.
- Saturday, dinner: steak and tapas at Bocado, Bukit Damansara.
- Sunday, lunch: home-style Spanish cooking at Marta's Kitchen, Sri Hartamas.
- Optional: La Fiesta by Marta's Kitchen at SkyAvenue, Genting Highlands.
