Spanish & Portuguese Wine Bar Debuts Thursday in Brooklyn Ibérico, a new Spanish and Portuguese wine and tapas bar, opens Thursday, November 5, at 258 DeKalb Avenue in Fort Greene. The restaurant comes from Chef Felipe Donnelly and Wine Director Tamy Rofe, the husband-and-wife team behind nearby Latin American restaurant Colonia Verde.
Menu & Beverage Program The menu centers on traditional tapas including Pan con Tomate, Boquerones, Tortilla Española de Betanzos, and Rissóis de Leitão—traditional Portuguese half-moon savory pastries filled with shredded roast suckling pig. The beverage program features an exclusively Portuguese and Spanish wine list, a curated selection of vermouths from around the globe, and Jerez selections. A classics-inspired cocktail menu rounds out the offerings. Sourdough from Camila Forero, head chef of Comparti by Colonia Verde (the group's catering arm and a Parsons School of Design graduate and former bakery owner in Bogotá), is also featured on the menu.
Design & Concept The restaurant's concept draws from years Donnelly and Rofe spent living in Portugal and their connections with local winemakers, as well as the neighborhood bar culture of Madrid. Alatz Ortega, formerly of The Ten Bells, created the cocktail menu and sourced vermouths. Local furniture designer John Sorensen-Jolink of Coil & Drift contributed lighting from his new collection, while Brooklyn-based creative studio Polonsky & Friends designed the bar's visual identity.
Hours & Access Ibérico operates Monday–Saturday, 4 p.m. to midnight, and Sunday, 2–10 p.m.
Walk-ins only.
Why It Matters
The opening adds to Fort Greene's dining momentum while reinforcing the neighborhood's appeal to chef-owners. For operators, Ibérico's model—a focused wine list tied to a tight, traditional tapas menu—reflects broader industry interest in natural and small-production wines paired with regional, unpretentious food.
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Written by FBM Publications Editors
Frequently Asked Questions
Who's behind Ibérico and what's their track record?
Chef Felipe Donnelly and Wine Director Tamy Rofe—the same team that runs Colonia Verde, a successful Latin American restaurant in the same neighborhood. Rofe spent years building connections with Portuguese and Spanish winemakers, which directly informs Ibérico's 100% Iberian wine list.
What's the actual food strategy here?
Tight, traditional tapas only—Pan con Tomate, Boquerones, Tortilla Española de Betanzos, Rissóis de Leitão (Portuguese pork pastries). They're also featuring sourdough from Camila Forero, a Parsons graduate and former Bogotá bakery owner who runs their catering arm, Comparti by Colonia Verde.
How are they positioning the beverage program?
Portuguese and Spanish wines exclusively, plus a curated global vermouth selection (sourced by Alatz Ortega, formerly of The Ten Bells), and Jerez selections. Classics-inspired cocktails round it out—no fusion or gimmicks, just execution-driven drinking.
What are the operating hours and capacity model?
Monday–Saturday, 4 p.m. to midnight; Sunday, 2–10 p.m. Walk-ins only—no reservations. That limits capacity but builds scarcity and neighborhood cachet in Fort Greene.
Why should operators care about this opening?
Ibérico proves the focused, wine-driven tapas model works in Brooklyn right now, and Fort Greene's momentum is attracting serious chef-owners. The design—by Polonsky & Friends for branding and John Sorensen-Jolink of Coil & Drift for lighting—shows that thoughtful, local production partners elevate perceived value without inflating costs.
