There was a tornado watch as we boarded the Staten Island Ferry, dampening our chance to sit outside but not our excitement about going to Beso, a Spanish tapas restaurant my friends love. The restaurant is about a 10 minutes walk from the ferry terminal.

Beso, a multi-floor yet cozy restaurant, is bright and colorful, with fun people photos adorning the brick-walled space. My friends have been to and love it for its special pre-fixe menu offering six tapas from the dinner menu and two desserts with coffee or tea for $89.

We sipped their traditional white sangria – our first pitcher mango flavored ($36 + $3 for the flavor), the second peach. I preferred the less-sweet latter. We did so while negotiating our menu choices.

Having been many times, my friends have their favorites, almost salivating as they ordered. Those best-liked include lobster enchilada with arugula, onions, tomatoes and melted Manchego cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla (two per serving); a whole ripe plantain filled with tropical-flavored chicken drizzled with a chipotle sour cream sauce (1 large) and the shrimp (three to an order) with Mahon cheese (a hard white cow’s cheese) wrapped with plantain, then fried and served with mango aioli.

We also tried their baby back ribs (three) basted with a mango-ginger BBQ sauce and, my request, the grilled Portuguese octopus served over potatoes bravas, drizzled with spicy mayo. The tentacles came crisp on the outside, and tender inside, as I like it.

We added their “$49 Special” to that, getting another appetizer plus an entree and one more dessert. We chose the lamb chops (three) cooked medium-rare as requested lace with a smoked chili vinaigrette. A lamb lover’s delight. The one miss was the entree of honey-glazed duck breast over spinach pasta with a garlic chipotle sauce; we left most of it.

For dessert, my friends ordered the deconstructed cannoli, fiesta de cannoli, one to enjoy, the other packed to go. Instead of a hand-held cannoli, you get a bowl of cannoli cream served with broken cannoli chips and caramel sauce.

Two of us got a happy birthday paddle with whipped cream and a candle while the staff sang Happy Birthday. A special treat. 

A fun tasty outing, for sure.

Beso Restaurant
St. George 
70 Bay St
Staten Island, NY 10301
(718) 816-8162
besonyc.com