Fresh Spanish flavors come to Downtown Bryan with new restaurant ‘Elia’
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – There’s a new restaurant to try in Downtown Bryan.
The Elia Cafe Tapas Bar is located in the Old Bryan Marketplace. It officially opened Friday, and the family behind it is no stranger to the restaurant business, they own Luigi’s in College Station.
“The restaurant came about from just our family’s long tradition of sharing food, travel, wine and music,” said Eduardo Prado of Elia Cafe Tapas Bar. “My wife’s father was Italian and her grandfather Luigi is the namesake of that restaurant. Her grandmother was Elia and she was actually Spanish. And so, almost as a joke, we talked about one day opening another restaurant with a Spanish concept.”
Prado said they thought about opening the restaurant in Downtown Bryan and when the opportunity came up, they couldn’t pass it up.
He shared and highlighted some of their menu items, including a roasted garlic tomato soup, albondigas, and paella.
There are also drink options on the menu at Elia. From coffee to cocktails, you can enjoy a variety of choices during your visit.
The concept of tapas actually began with drinks, according to Prado.
“It’s a rather simple concept. The tapas were traditionally a slice of bread that would have been placed on top of your sherry glass in Spain so the fruit flies wouldn’t get in there. And then of course as competitive chefs will do, the next thing you know they started putting garnishes on top of that and, and out of that grew an entire aspect of Spanish cuisine, which was to make the tapas, which literally mean lids for the drinks. Then it took a life of its own and the rest is history,” said Prado.
Elia is located in the Old Bryan Marketplace building at 202 S. Bryan Ave. The menu also includes bocadillos.
“These are sandwiches. We have a selection of different sandwiches with serrano ham, with pulled pork, and that sort of thing,” said Prado. “Those are going to be featured on our lunch menu pretty heavily. We know that people have to get in and out. So that’s what we’re doing that for,” said Prado.
Elia will be open for lunch Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
