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Lalola Bar De Tapas
Categories: Restaurants Spanish Restaurants Tapas Bars Spanish, Tapas Bars [Edit]
1358 Mason St(between John St & Pacific Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 981-5652
- Hours:
Tue-Thu 5:30 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 5:30 pm - 11 pm
Sun 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Validated
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
366 reviews for Lalola Bar De Tapas
Review Highlights
"Highly recommend the patatas bravas and bread pudding."
(in 75 reviews)
"the chocolate croissant bread pudding is to die for."
(in 17 reviews)
"My favorite dish was the Pork Loin with Brie."
(in 25 reviews)
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366 reviews in English
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Review from Jennifer O.
San Pablo, CA
2/5/2012
Food is an A+++
I went with large group of ten, and we ordered several tapas de croquetas, paella, muscles, and spanish tortilla -- all of which were delicious. My personal fave were the croquetas. Outside of spain, everywhere I'd had them at has been hit or miss... usually miss. At lalola, they were sooooooo yum. I would def. go back solely for the croquetas.
The service was a tad on the slower side, but not unbearable. and the red sangria was kinda watered down..the white one was better. despite these things, i would still def. go again! -
Review from Mike K.
San Francisco, CA
1/19/2012 Purchased a Yelp Deal 1 Check-in Here
$3 for sangria I went here 2 or 3 times in a one month period (one of them was using a yelp deal) and the food was very good and consistent every time. The croquettes, octopus and paella were delicious. Mushrooms with garlic sauce are a must have too. It's a great neighborhood restaurant that I'd happily drop into regularly.
check it out next time you're around -
Review from MELissa Y.
San Francisco, CA
1/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
don't let the word tapas fool you into thinking that you will have to rack up an enormous bill to leave full. these mini plates are deceptively filling, and very fun to eat. service wasn't obnoxiously excessive, which i rather prefer. it was just enough for me to know that our server hasn't forgotten about us. now let's dig into the food:
bar fries: like tater tots, yummy
spinach with raisins: great combo, yummy
fried calamari: perfectly fried, light and crispy batter, yummy
mushrooms with garlic: can't go wrong with garlic, yummy
fish of the day: (salmon)a little on the bland side, but very flaky, semi-yummy
bread basket: cold, un-yummy -
Review from Adelle C.
Penfield, NY
2/6/2012
Get the zucchini fries! Yum. Cheap beer too, $4 stellas! Order a bunch of things with friends to taste and try.
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Review from Jessica H.
San Francisco, CA
2/3/2012 Purchased a Yelp Deal
More like 3.5. I really want to love this place, but right now I'm kinda on the fence. I have a love-hate relationship with tapas restaurants in general because I think they almost always miss the mark, but Lalola is actually one of the better ones that I've tried in the city (and elsewhere!). They have a good menu of traditional items and it's nice to see the ración portion sizes as an option, instead of just tiny tapas plates.
As with most tapas places, it's expensive if you're making a meal of it, but the prices here are pretty reasonable compared to other similar restaurants. Definitely worth a visit for their happy hour, especially if they've pulled out the tables on the sidewalk. Patatas bravas are good and if you want something bigger for a group, go with the fried zucchini sticks. Extra points for the super friendly waitstaff, the Spanish tv channels playing in the bar area, and for including free potato chips with your drinks....very Spanish of them! I will definitely return to this place in the future, probably multiple times, but I'm more likely to grab a few sangrias or cañas with a small plate or two instead of doing a full dinner. -
Review from iQuack -.
San Francisco, CA
1/7/2012
If you want Spanish tapas and fun to go with them, try LaLoLa at the corner of Mason St. and Pacific Ave.
Service is very friendly and competent, the food is excellent, and you might have a nice conversation with people at the table next to you because the place makes people friendly (at least that's my impression).
Hard to describe the food because I know nothing about tapas, but we had some delicious meat balls, fried calamari, toast on which there was cheese, anchovies, and prosciutto. That was absolutely fantastic if you like fresh, tiny anchovies (which I do).
We had a Rioja wine that was very good, too.
Foods are shared here, but we each had a separate portion of octopus which was outstanding. Looked a bit creepy, but tasted wonderful.
If you're in the mood for an assembly line of snacks for dinner, be sure to try this place. You'll be pleased. -
Review from Alice L.
We got a Groupon deal for this spot. I've been here once before, on another coupon, and the place consistently serves up great food.
We shared the potato omelette, steak with potatoes, mushrooms, croquettes, meatballs and the almond cake. The potato omelette was a bit dry, but the flavors are good. The steak was a big winner, so well seasoned and tender. The mushrooms were swimming in butter and a bit salty, but very delicious, especially when you soak up the juices with bread. The meatballs weren't all that great -- plain and nondescript. The croquettes were great, but come on, when you deep fry it, it's gotta be good. The almond cake was a bit dry, but it had very good flavor.
I really like the place and will certainly be back again!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/2/2011
My friend Artem got one of those half off coupons for this place. Since he couldn't really use it on… Read more »
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Review from Pablo C.
San Francisco, CA
1/31/2012
A total fan of this place, been a regular for close to two years now. I strongly recommend croquetas, as good as it get, the true authentic Spanish recepee with a local touch to it; and stuffed piquillo peppers. The meat skewers and all the desserts are awesome too. Not too excited about the tortilla, it really depends on the day.
If you drop by, have Jose, Ivana or Bob help you. Best waiters ever. -
Review from Vivek N.
San Francisco, CA
1/26/2012 Purchased a Yelp Deal
I went to Lalola's on the last day of my groupon expiring. The food was just about okay. If I had paid full price, I would not have been a happy camper. I also remember ordering the sangria, and if Im not mistakes, that didnt knock me off of me stool either.
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Review from Anthony I.
San Pablo, CA
1/7/2012
Pros: Good atmosphere, great service (out waiter was Jose and he was engaging, funny, and entertaining), great tasting food
Con: A bit pricey depending on the size of your group. -
Review from Byron L.
Sunnyvale, CA
1/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
Food was not bad but not great. Atmosphere was okay. Price is okay also. Sangria was forgettable.
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Review from Natasha H.
San Francisco, CA
I don't care how good the food is at Lalola, the sub-par service warrants nothing more than one star.
And you know what? The food isn't even all that great...not good enough to off-set a bad experience at least. To be fair, my friend's picky taste-buds (dislikes seafood and lamb) did leave us with greatly diminished options and an incomplete picture of what Lalola has to offer culinarily. However, I still remain adamant about never coming here again, even if I'm forfeiting the opportunity to dine on some delicious bites (i.e. the Piquillos stuffed with crab sounded good, but alas our non-seafood eating friend didn't want to order it).
The primary force marring what should've been a pleasant dining experience was our snotty and pretentious waiter. He may have had a European accent and chiseled muscles, but his charm stopped there. His shortcoming was his inability to plan ahead. He kept trying to move our party of three to different tables to accommodate for diners that arrived after we were seated, and 45 minutes into our meal he rudely presented us with a sort of ultimatum: (1) Move to the large, unoccupied table of four or (2) Pay and leave so I can use the two small tables you're seated at for the two couples over there. The primary reason why this pissed me off so much was that we initially asked to be seated at that large table of four; however, he refused to seat us there stating that he was saving it for a larger group. Dub tee eff man?! Make up your mind.
Besides his obvious inability to think ahead, he seemed to lack intelligence in general as well. At one point during the meal we asked him for a side of ketchup (for the Patatas Bravas as they were bland and under-seasoned) and he responded, "Oh, do we have that here?" Whaaaatt?! Why would you ask the customer if the restaurant where you work has ketchup? For a second I thought he was joking, but then he kept staring at me waiting for a response.
As for the food, I was going to give Laloa an extra star for the tasty croquettes and zucchini sticks, but the lackluster Paella Lalola brings it back down to one. Ironically, it was also the main course where they missed the mark. The rice in the Paella was too mushy, the meat was overcooked, and the whole dish lacked flavor. The rest of the dishes we ordered (Filet Mignon w/Garlic Fries and Fried Calamari) were alright but not memorable as I have no recollection of how they tasted.
My apologies Lalola, but a combination of poor service and mediocre food officially makes you my first one-star restaurant review. Not to mention the lowest tip I've ever given (I rounded up to the next dollar for a hefty tip of 55 cents). ONE STAR! -
Review from Stacy D.
Berkeley, CA
1/16/2012
I can't say I'm too thrilled with this place. Out of the 4 items I ordered here there is none that I'd like to order again. While not completely horrible, there's no reason why I'd come or recommend that someone else come.
On a side note, service was great. -
Review from Patrick P.
San Francisco, CA
12/13/2011
1. Food quality/taste - not bad but nothing special. 3/5.
2. Drinks - barely tasted any alcohol in the sangria. happy hour for beer was $1 less. 2/5
3. Service - friendly servers... 4/5
4. Bill for group of 5 = $150... 2/5
5. Overall - 2/5 but i would not go back again. there are much better tapa's place in the bay. -
Review from Rika P.
11/22/2011 Purchased a Yelp Deal
Love their croquettes. Creamy goodness, aw. They serve white and red sangria here. Food isn't much on their menu, but those few are really nicely crafted. Service is prompt, nothing to complain about.
Some things to keep in mind: Note that this is a small-spaced restaurant, don't plan on bringing a big party of more than 8 here. Seating are on tall bar stools and tables. May be a challenge for younger children or disabled folks on wheel chairs. -
Review from John M.
11/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
In the still continuing & ongoing quest to use up all of the far-too-many voucher deals we stopped buying months ago before they expire, the girlfriend & I stopped in at Lalola Bar De Tapas for dinner on a rainy Saturday evening. This particular meal was courtesy of a $20 for $40 Bloomspot voucher.
Lalola sits on the corner of Mason & Pacific & is divided into 2 seating areas. There's a large bar seating area right when you 1st walk in with floor to ceiling windows for wide views of the intersection & there's a slightly more formal dining area through a doorway on the right.. The girlfriend & I opted for bar seating.
1 thing to note is that the front door opens directly into the bar seating area. On a chilly Autumn night, like when we were there, sitting in the bar area may mean getting a blast of cold air whenever someone comes in or goes out.
Service was fast & friendly. Being at a tapas place, we ordered lots of little dishes: Croquetas de la Abuela, Tortilla Espanola, Migas, Plato de Charcuteria y Quesos & Paella lalola. It was only a few minutes before the procession of little plates began making its way to our table. To wash it all down, we also had a pitcher of White Sangria.
1st were the Croquetas de la Abuela, which were delicious little cheesy fried puffs. But wait, that's not cheese. When we asked our server, she informed us that the filling is Bechamel. Either way, these things were rich & creamy fried flavor pills.
Next came the Tortilla Espanola, which is described on the menu as a Spanish Potato and Onion Omelet. Served as a sliced wedge of thin stacked potato layers, it reminded me more of a quiche than an omelet. It had good flavor, but was dry.
Migas followed along with the Plato de Charcuteria y Quesos. The Migas was a delicious breakfast-y pile of tasty, soft toasty bread pieces with sausage chunks & an egg laid flat on top. Our Plato had 2 kinds of Chorizo, a Jamon & 2 cheeses, 1 of which was Manchego with a square of Quince Paste. All of it was excellent. The Jamon had an exceptional buttery rich texture.
Finally came the Paella lalola. As far as Paellas go, this 1 was really very good but a bit salty. The White Sangria we enjoyed throughout the entire meal was also very good & complemented the food nicely. Even though all the plates were small, everything added up. The girlfriend & I were both quite full by the time we were done.
The final tally came out to be close to $40 including tip & after deducting the $40 voucher. Without the voucher, our meal would've been almost $80. This place is listed on Yelp as $$ but it's really more like $$$. It is a tapas place, after all, & tapas places aren't especially known for cheap eats.
All in all, we tried a fair variety of food that ranged from good to fantastic. Lalola Bar De Tapas is yet 1 more place we got to try out because of a voucher deal that we may not have tried otherwise. & so voucher quest continues to take us to previously uncharted good places to eat... -
Review from Trina D.
Vanessa D. and I stopped in for happy hour and dinner on a Friday night and Lalola did not disappoint. We ordered 2 glasses of sangria each before HH was over and a plethora of tapas. There's a Yelp check-in offer of 10% off $50 worth of food and we utilized that quite easily. We had an assorted cheese plate, mushrooms in garlic & white wine sauce, Grandma's Bechamel Croquettes, Grilled Lamb Chops with Fries, and were too full for dessert. Service was fantastic.
We were really excited to see jamon iberico on the menu but sadly did not order it because we were too full to even contemplate another dish. FYI, jamon iberico just happens to be the most expensive Spanish ham you can buy. It wasn't even imported from Spain until recently and can be upwards of $90/lb. I loved the red decor and the servers were really cute. I can't wait to go to Barcelona to try the real thing!Listed in: I've left my heart in SF.
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Review from Helena H.
Lalola Is one of my favorite places to have Spaniard food in San Francisco.
A great selection Tapas with Friendly staff and Great Sangria makes me feel comfy here**
- One of my favorite dishes is Champiñones al Ajillo (Mushrooms in Garlic & White Wine.). is a simple dish, but the flavors in this little pot is superb!.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
- Gambas al Ajillo (Shelled Garlic Pimentón Shrimp) is my second best favorite!. Whatever sauce you have left in there, Dip it with Bread!. 8 Jumbo size shrimp makes it tasty!.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
- This is for those who like weird looking stuff.....Piruleta de Pulpito a la Plancha (Octopop) - DARE you to try one!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
- Piquillo Relleno / Tuna stuffed Piquillo Pepper - TASTY
- Charcuteria (Spanish cured meats selection) They have a selection of Cheese (Lamb, sheep,***) is truely original and flavorful, I was not a big fan of it, but for some people who are into Cheese and Meats You should give it a try.
- Solomillo al Ajillo (Filet Mignon Sauteed with Garlic Fries.) Is another fave dish of mine. Chunks of Meat that has a great texture and not chewy at all!, Love the Garlic Fries since the meat sauce was dripping into the chunks of Fries (MORE FLAVOR) and i dipped it with their special pink sauce (Which I think is Ketchup and mayo). http://www.yelp.com/bi...
- Chuletas de Cordero (Grilled Lamb Chops with Fries) - Me not a lamb fan. My friends LOVED IT.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
- Pinchos Morunos (Moorish Style Pork Skewers)
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
- Last but not least in the menu, you must have the PAELLA!
Paella de Pescado (Seafood Paella)
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
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By the way, we had 6 people eating all this, NOT JUST 2, So choose wisely.*****
Desserts? MUST TRY Pudin de Curasán al Chocolate (Chocolate Croissant Pudding). Is super SWEET, but the Bread itself blends out the flavor and makes it fluffy and tasty
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Prices are merely high, but the quality of food is pretty impressive (Lamb Cheese, Sheep Cheese are home made), Stuff Tuna bell peppers are also home made. What I also love is the "MESEROS" (waiters) have a great sense of humor and also they explains you details about each dish (And HOT LOOKING PAPASITOS!). I almost finished trying their entire menu since I went there Twice in a row!. Usually the word "TAPAS" is usually small tiny snacks, but this place serves jumbo size meats with a great service.
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** - Once you walk inside, take a look at the ceiling (hehehe)
*** - Forgot the names of the cheeses and Meats, and didn't take the pic because i was overwhelmed. UGH!
***** - I have tried the Albondigas (meat balls) and were so-so (Sorry, no picture). AND Paella lalola (Chicken and Pork Paella) was ok, but a bit more salty than the Seafood paella.Listed in: SFO.
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Review from Mark M.
10/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really wish that Yelp gave half a points or points in quarters. I'd say LaLola was just slightly below 4 stars for me. But definitely above a 3.
Here is how I would break it down:
1) Ambiance: 4. Nicely done. It almost reminds me of a hip brasserie. Could use a slightly bit more well-positioned lighting, but the dimmed lighting is probably good if you want to drink a lot.
2) Food: A solid 3.5. The pro was that I thought everything was cooked perfectly temperature wise - I thought the potatoes and calamari were well cooked and not overly, and my beef was a perfect pink. The cons were that I thought the food was too salty considering you were not eating things with a lot of carbs to accompany, and the sangria was too sweet and lacking in kick. Just some fine tuning that is needed, but unfortunately, I have to weigh "food" the heaviest.
3) Prices: 4. Prices are VERY reasonable and affordable.
4) Service: 4.5. The staff were all super friendly and helpful for our large crowd that we brought here.
Conclusion: For the price you pay and the quiet but playful ambiance and great service, this is a great deal. -
Review from Steph F.
Milpitas, CA
10/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Always on the lookout to try new tapas places. I saw a deal on http://Bloomspot.com for Lalola Bar de Tapas in the spring and decided to purchase it and give it a try. I finally used it this past weekend.
The restaurant is only open during dinner time. I got there before 6pm on a Sunday evening. The place had a couple of tables filled already and we were quickly seated in quiet area. The service here was great and the waiters were very attentive and friendly.
We ordered the patatas bravas, the octopop, grilled lamb chops with fries, and the chicken and pork paella. The lamb chops and paella were my favorites!
For dessert, we tried the goat milk cheesecake. It was light and creamy and not super sweet. There was a dollop of fruit preserve for that touch of sweetness. I liked this a lot! Unlike regular cheesecake, there was no crust but I didn't mind too much. It was perfect as it.
I will definitely be back... probably with more people so that I can try more dishes!
Note: Parking may be a bit difficult to find in the area. -
Review from LegallyPink K.
Los Angeles, CA
11/14/2011
Friendly staff and authentic Spanish food. Be sure to get their champinones if you like mushrooms. Order their yummy Sangria. Oh, and a Spanish dinner is not complete without their seafood paella. To be honest, I've had better seafood paella, but this was still pretty good.
TIP: Don't walk there. We made the mistake of walking from Union Square (up Powell). After you walk a couple of those hills, you're in Shady Town. -
Review from Vaishali S.
Mountain View, CA
12/30/2011
We ordered way too much food for 2 people but really enjoyed it! The sangria (red) was also delicious. I've only been to a few tapas places in the states after going to Spain and this one was the most authentic.
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Review from Chris L.
10/11/2011
Came here for a birthday dinner last Friday for a party of about 10. The service is awesome. The food is awesome. But the parking is no good - they do validate, but if you park in the wrong lot (the police officer one) then they do not validate (thus, lack of one star even though it's not their fault, the parking is much too difficult!).
Sangria was a bit weak but good. The lamb chops were delicious. The patatas bravas were ok. The champinones and shrimp al ajillo were flavorful but light! The seafood paella was ok but the pork one was delicious. The charcuterie was ok.
The chocolate bread croissant pudding was delish (on the dense side), much better than the almond cake.
Would come back! -
Review from Janelle C.
San Francisco, CA
9/26/2011
Very cute spot on the Mason cable car line. This place does not take reservations. It's a cozier place, but the floor to ceiling windows make it bright and fun to watch everyone going by.
Tried a couple of the tortilla dishes, the filet mignon, the albondigas and the octopop. Everything was delicious. I really enjoyed all of these dishes! Also enjoyed their wine selection. Their wine glasses are short round tumblers.
The only negative I could come up with is the seating. The tables are wooden and the seats are wood almost bar stools. No backs and no place to put your purse and coat. -
Review from Katie M.
San Francisco, CA
12/17/2011
I went here for the first time last night on a Travelzoo coupon: 2 tapas, 2 pinchos, 2 sangrias, and 1 dessert for $25, regularly up to $53. Our order included something like 3 tapas, 2 pinchos, 1 dessert, and 4 sangrias, but our very friendly server simply subtracted $53 from our total bill, giving us an even better deal than we'd thought we were getting.
I wasn't a huge fan of the sauteed spinach with raisins (the raisins and nuts were the best part), but I thought the breaded zucchini sticks were delicious, as was the potato omelet. The garlicky mushrooms were good too, and I enjoyed my white sangria. The best part was the dessert; we had the chocolate bread pudding.
The atmosphere, at about 10:00pm on a Friday night, was somewhat subdued, and by the time we finished everyone else had cleared out and the two waiters left were cleaning up. Temperature-wise, the place was freezing. Quite a few people in the dining room kept their coats on the entire time.
Overall, the service was very friendly, the food was fine (not outstanding), and the ambiance left something to be desired. -
Review from Jordan S.
San Francisco, CA
9/19/2011 Purchased a Yelp Deal
Solid traditional Spanish tapas. This is VERY authentic and a great atmosphere for a date or a small group.
I'd go back in a heartbeat.
WINNING! -
Review from Lindsay S.
San Francisco, CA
11/3/2011
Although the atmosphere was nice and Spanish, I was just not a fan of the food. Everything tended to lean towards greasy. The champinones (shrooms) were basically sitting in a puddle of hot oil. The meatballs were lacking spices. The paella rice was definitely burnt. My dining companion ordered some Spanish sour beer and the waitress brought him about a quarter of a glass worth. wtf?
I'd skip it. -
Review from Alexis B.
San Francisco, CA
10/12/2011 Purchased a Yelp Deal
I've been passing by Lalola for the past two years at approximately 7:32 every morning and then again at night around 7. Clearly no one in there at 7:32 am, but the first year used to be chock full of San Franciscans and tourists (it runs along the cable car line) around 7 pm.
Now, not so much; and I know why.
My Yelp deal ($15 for $30 worth of food) was about to expire, so I took the roommate for some fine evening dining.
The location is.. nice - cable car runs there, and it's accessible to China Town, NB, and Russian Hill. Waitstaff? Friendly.
The food? Terrible. The only thing good about the Patatas Bravas was the sauce that came with them. The Tortilla Espanola was bland, the best part about the Spinach were the little raisins that it was sautéed with, and the Paella was dry, bland, and just generally tasteless.
Would not recommend. The price is right, but the food is terrible.
And what really bugs me? Their tall, skinny water glasses. Two awkward gulps, and you're done. -
Review from Diana W.
7/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
---FOR DINNER ONLY----
3.5
Yay for Living Social and yay for neighborhood tapas joints. The prices
are a little higher than I'd like to pay but the living social coupon helps.
Ordered the following:
Octopop - you get two pieces. chewy, subtle flavor, not bad.
Croquettes - savory, crispy
Rack of Lamb - delicious with a subtle flavor
Mushrooms with white wine sauce - literally just a pile of flavorful mushrooms but good nonetheless
Chocolate croissant bread pudding - pretty heavy dessert to end the night
Food - 3.5
Price in comparison to the portion you get for food- 2.5 (without Living Social)
Ambiance - 4
Overall, it's more a 3.5 but not quite a 4. However for a neighbor place, it's great and I'll likely stop by again since it's just down the street -
Review from Lisa L.
Bellevue, WA
11/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Decor - 4
Food - 5 (Happy Hour)
Service - 5
Price - 5
We came here with friends and had a blast for happy hour menu! There were quite a few spectacular items and the sangria was excellent! We also used the Yelp check-in for 10% off our over $50 check. There wasn't anything we ordered that wasn't excellent to the palate. -
Review from Roxy G.
SOMA, San Francisco, CA
9/5/2011
We had the grilled lamb, pitcher of sangrias, and the fried calamari.
The sangrias were delicious, very light and fruity, and incredibly refreshing.
The tapas portions were great, and every dish delicious. The calamari was great and the grilled lamb delicious (I will say though that this was the least exciting dish from those around us, and the potatoes were a bit bland)
I will come again, to sit on the patio, drink sangrias, and try some of the paellas, great place! -
Review from a lot of d.
San Francisco, CA
It's so hard to find authentic or even semi-authentic tapas without all the commercialism and same-same food. This place is really a gem in the neighborhood, and so far for me, in the city. It's situated along the Mason-Powell cable car ride, so passing tourists will eyeball your happy hour $3 sangria.
The service was exceptional, food was fast in arriving, servers quick to arrive when you need them and knew to disappear when you didn't.
When I return (always a positive sign) I will definitely be having the crab-stuffed peppers (Piquillos Rellenos) it was so tatsty. Omelet (Tortilla Española) and Potatoes (Patatas Bravas) were good. Octopus (Piruleta de Pulpito a la Plancha) was quite chewy but had good flavors. The mushrooms (Champiñones al Ajillo) were a good consistency, not too soft but not raw, the garlic & white wine sauce could have done with a little more love, it was not out-of-this-world.
Prices are good, food is good, service is good. Everything was clean, even the restroom! Sink was outside the toilet which was a little quirky, but I'm all for quirky. I didn't understand the point of the tv above the door. It was a little distracting, showing various Norwegian tourist spots (?) A slide show of views of Spain or Spanish food etc would work better.
I came with a yep deal and the owner/manager seemed to roll his eyes when the server showed him our voucher. That and the fact the wooden seats are quite uncomfortable, with no back which also means nowhere to hang your coat or bag made me forgo the 5th star.
To quote Arnie, "I'll be back!" -
Review from jazzy l.
San Francisco, CA
8/27/2011 4 photos
We were reminiscing our trip to Spain this year so we wanted to check out another Spanish restaurant.
Notables:
We ordered:
Piquillo Relleno / Tuna stuffed Piquillo Pepper $3
Piruleta de Pulpito a la Plancha/ Octopop $3
Champiñones al Ajillo / Mushrooms in Garlic & White Wine $ 8
Gambas al Ajillo / Shelled Garlic Pimentón Shrimp $10
Location. Cute up the hill away from the tourists. Nice to sit by the window and gaze at the Cable Car whisk by and look at Asian geriatric ladies carry their groceries while walking around the neighborhood.
Not very noisy but we went during HH around 6pm. It ends at 7pm.
Attentive service + small plate of ruffle chips included along with free bread. (No free bread in Spain, that's for sure)
Plato de lbéricos / Spanish Cheese & Charcuterie Plate $ 18 (not so memorable. Manchego cheese was mild. Goat cheese was okay. The Chorizos not very memorable. The jamon serrano - I was hoping for Iberico)
Red Sangria (HH price $3.00). A bit weak like the Yelp reviewers would say and not fruity enough. I wish they served Tinto de Vervano as a special.
Our bill came to about $65.
Free 1.5 hour validation parking if you spend a certain amount at this Tapas place. Check the website for more information. -
Review from Pilan C.
7/31/2011
Real solid tapas place with all of the staple dishes. We enjoyed lots of favorites like the Gambas Al Ajillo (shrimp with garlic), Tortilla Espanola (Spanish omelette), croquettes (delicious and light cheese fritters), and the patatas bravas (which were nothing special). Also had a couple new things, like the beans and sausage, which were a little bit too salty, but tasty, and the migas, which were our favorite dish of the night. It was described as "Spanish stuffing with egg," and that was a good description. Seasoned cubes of bread, tasty sausage, onions, and an egg with runny yolk on top. It was great! We also liked the cheese and charcuterie plate, especially the two chorizos and the serrano ham.
We were quite full, but we ordered the chocolate croissant bread pudding anyway, since that's usually one of my favorite desserts. Sadly, it was a bit disappointing, and didn't taste very croissant-y. The sauce had some flavor -- maybe a liqueur or something -- that didn't work for us. The service was great throughout the meal, and all the food came out very fast, but then they disappeared for a long time after we were done eating, and it took a long time to get our check. However, everyone was super nice and friendly.
Overall, a great place for Spanish tapas, and we can't wait to go back to try some of the bigger entrees -- the lamb chops looked especially good -- and the paella. -
Review from Stacey M.
Santa Cruz, CA
1/11/2012
Still my favorite place in SF for authentic Spanish tapas. The food is authentic and delicious, and the owners/personnel are warm and friendly... It just doesn't get better than this outside of Spain.
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Review from Angela L.
6/29/2011
1.) Garlic Shrimp = it was good and tasty. But ... yeah nothing toooo crazy special.
2.) Crab puff = not what I expected. Tasted like soupy lasagna.
3.) Cheese and Meat platter
4.) Sangria = kinda weak? haha.
SERVICE:
Good.
ATMOSPHERE:
Kinda small. Not bustley. Interesting this place got such high reviews, but it's just ok. Probably won't ever go back again.
22 -
Review from Kim S.
8/3/2011
Cozy place with friendly waiters. Of course the parking challenge is a downer.
Champiñones al Ajillo - Our "veggie". Sauteed in butter & garlic.
Gambas al Ajillo - Garlic, butter & shrimp - what's not to love?
Patatas Bravas - Average.
Paella de Pescado - Only needed a serving for 1 since we ordered all the other items. Saffron. Seafood. Delish.
Chuletas de Cordero - Grilled to perfection. Adore lamb. Only trouble is there weren't enough of them! lol!
Sangria - a must! -
Review from Erica L.
San Francisco, CA
8/10/2011
Really cute place, nice staff, and really fruity sweet sangrias!
Their tapas are delicious but they're just okay, I'd recommend it to others just because everyone's taste buds are different. -
Review from JP T.
San Francisco, CA
8/21/2011
My girlfriend is from Spain so this review is based primarily on an authenticity basis. Honestly, this Tapa's Bar does not have the flavor profiles or the seletion of other hot spots, like Cha Cha Cha's but if you're from Spain, or you've been to Spain this place will bring you back to your roots.
Dishe's we ordered:
Filet and fries - 9/10
Croquettes - 9/10
Garlic Shrimp - 6/10
Calimari - 7/10
Sauteed Mushrooms - 7/10
Goat Cheese Cheese Cake - 10/10
Check it out! -
Review from kelly c.
7/15/2011
Came here for HH/Dinner on a Wednesday evening and noticed only a handful of seated tables. Here's a breakdown of the tapas we tried
garlic shrimp - best dish here
fried calamari - nothing unusual. just ok
fliet mignon over potatoes - underwhelmed and disappointment
mushrooms - that was tasty and filling
red sangria - skimped on the triple sec; weak but bearable
We asked for ketchup and hot sauce and waiter said we are a true Spanish eatery and don't carry ketchup nor hot sauce but offered us some home made tomato sauce. Only gave us 1 sauce for 2 people...?
It was a cute place with OK food. I would come back to try the other tapas but only if it was 50% off the bill again.
This place has a romantic feel so great for first dates.
