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Ramblas Tapas Bar - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Tapas Bars Restaurants Spanish Restaurants Basque Tapas Bars, Spanish, Basque [Edit]
557 Valencia St(between 16th St & 17th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 565-0207
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
549 reviews for Ramblas Tapas Bar
Review Highlights
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"We started with patatas bravas." In 64 reviews -
"Tapas and sangria is always a great plan in my book." In 223 reviews -
"Stick to the empanadillas and brussels sprouts." In 75 reviews
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549 reviews in English
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Review from Aryn Y.
Oakland, CA
7/12/2010
We were walking around after finding out our previous destination was not open til dinner, and we happened upon Ramblas. They have $3 mimosas (oj or mango, yum) and kick-ass spanish style breakfast/brunch options. I had the Spanish Fried Eggs, which were basically poached (i think) and then rolled in almond bits and quick fried, served over chorizo with tomato sauce and spinach. Delish! Would order it again in a hot second.
Friends had the steak bocadillo and raved about its goodness. We even got churros and chocolate on the house! Yay for Ramblas... I will for sure be back to visit! ;) -
Review from Justine H.
Bloomfield, NJ
2/5/2009 ROTD 4/17/2009
I remember when the bread with the sauce used to be free. That dip. That amazing vinegary, garlicky, spicy, tangy, and oil concoction that makes my taste buds scream, "MORE, MORE, MORE, YOU FAT GIRL. DON'T STOP NOW. YOU WANT IT. YOU NEED IT. WHOSE A GOOD GIRL? YOU, NOW EAT!" I'm not one to disappoint so I eat and eat and I get every last drop of the vinegary joy from the little glass dish and then panic ensues. I need more. This is why I think they now charge $1 for the bread and accompanying sauce. Justine could not control herself and she asked for more and more. I will happily pay. The bread and sauce is worth it.
Another new find on a recent trip here was the Cucumber Gimlet (Vodka please!). It is tangy, yet refreshing and goes so well with the bread and THAT sauce.
So clearly I've been to Ramblas many times. I never have any complaints with the food, most of which I have sampled. Yes I know it is seasonal. Like I said, I've been to Ramblas many times. The sangria is good, but I prefer Cha Cha Cha's so I tend to stick to the cocktails. But if you put a glass in front of me I'm not going to object or anything.
Tapas definitely worth getting: Stuffed Medjool Dates, Empanadillas, Albondigas, Calamari.
I've always also had great service here too from hugs from waitresses to them giving me free dessert.Listed in: SF...I miss thee, My Top Eats $,$$,$$$
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Review from tinna h.
9/5/2008
For the most part, I have fond memories of Spain. Tapas, wine, beer. Siestas! After sangrias [Only tourists in Spain drink this!] at a bar down the road, my lovely companion and I decided to grab a quick bite. Unintentionally keeping with the Spanish theme, we thought tapas. Why not? So we wandered into Ramblas.
We ordered the empanadillas, the grilled lamb, the crispy calamari, and the bean salad. While we waited, we filled ourselves with bread. Warm and delicious with the olive oil! When the rest of the food came out, I was slightly disappointed. Not by size, but by flavor. As expected, everything was in small tapa-sized portions. In flavor, nothing really stood out as impressive. The empanadillas and the lamb were rather salty, and the sauces were just whatever.
Maybe it was an off-day.
Next time, I would like to try the patatas bravas [http://es.wikipedia.or.... While in Spain, I remember ordering that wherever they would serve them. Obviously, I am a fan of potatoes! The patatas bravas and the bread + olive oil MIGHT bring Ramblas Tapas Bar up to three stars.
...IF there is a next time. I can't afford another trip to Spain, so PLEASE, anyone, point me in the direction of awesome tapas! -
Review from Suan W.
Silicon Valley
6/9/2009
Ay caramba guey! The flower floating in the Hibiscus Margarita is inedible! Despite the server's warning, I tried to bite mine anyway. Yuck! She suggested I suck the alcohol out of the petals instead. How did she know that's my specialty?
The menu is separated into distinct categories: Earth, Land, Sea and Paellas. We decided to order from each section (hold the paella) to cover all of the bases. The Empanadillas and Bistro Filet were my favorites, even though all I could taste was the spinach filling and none of the Manchego and goat cheeses in the former. The Caldeirada Fish Stew was just okay and not at all like the wild fiesta description in the menu, and the Spanish Tortilla was just plain bland. Can you say: aburrido?
I've saved the most important part for the end. Are you ready for my rant? WHERE IS THE FREE BREAD? Hello?! A dollar for bread and dip that most restaurants offer as a complimentary appetite whetter? Por que? Even stingy ass Chinese restaurants will throw in some free peanuts with dinner. Okay, so the bread at Ramblas is Acme and the vinegary-oily dip is tasty, but the duo would be better gratis. Seriously, Ramblas, the economy may be shitty but charging for bread should be a crime. While free good bread isn't the biggest incentive for my restaurant visits, not offering free bread is definitely a deal-breaker. Escuchame!
Anyway, 3 stars for the food plus 0.5 for the good service. Four stars will be given when they stop charging for the bread and dip.Listed in: Small Plates
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Review from graceypoo m.
Boston, MA
8/18/2008
To herald the new life of my best friend and my best friend in-law, my other best friend and I took our newly married best friends out to their new neighborhood for some tapas. Esperpento was closed, so we walked like cold trannyhookers some 5-6 long ass blocks to get food at Ramblas.
Highlights: baby beet salad, albondigas, sauteed sausage (with butter beans that taste like they were cooked in pork fat), paella. The patatas bravas were good, but a bit too salty for my palate.
non-highlights: super dim lighting and noise levels were pretty high---but that's expected since this place accommodates large parties (there were several around us).
Noteable for being open late on a Saturday night (last seating is 10 minutes before midnight!) and for seating my party promptly at around 11pm.
overall, good food to give me food coma while watching the women's Olympic beach volleyball event when we returned to the newlyweds' new place (they are girls, so we have to check out the womens volleyball event... the womens with hard bodies, but their faces look sun damaged, and even if they weren't, they are butterfaces forrealz, but they got skillz... have you seen the "court girls" who stand in their even-more-skimpy two-piece bikinis as the volleyball peeps play? dayng, China is selling sex to da max!)
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Review from Liz S.
2/23/2008
Back in the day (like 6 years ago), we used to go to Ramblas on a fairly regular basis, after getting sloshed at Blondie's and with around 20 of our closest friends.
Times have changed, but Ramblas really hasn't. And that's a good thing - our dinner last night reminded me that sometimes it's nice to go to a place that you know, without high expectations, and just have a good old time.
Ramblas is loud and bustling, always. That said, we arrived at about 8:30 on a Friday night and only had about a 30 minute wait for dinner - which was the perfect time to enjoy a glass of sangria and a margarita (the house margarita is very good).
For dinner, we ate many, many dishes - some were good, some were "eh". I'll give you the low-down as I remember it:
Bread with spicy olive oil (on the table) - f**king awesome
Earth:
Empenadillas - we ordered the special (meat), and the one on the menu (cheese & veg) - both very good
Mushrooms - not good, undercooked, flavors not right, too much raw garlic
Spanish Tortilla - pretty good
Patatas Bravas - very good, not heavy or greasy, good sauce
Pan Tomate baguette - OK
Wild Arugula salad - excellent
Vegetable Gratin - very good, but you have to like cauliflower
Land:
Chicken Meatballs - pretty good, piping hot, good sauce
Cabrales and Jamon croquettes - did not like! take away the sherry-currant sauce, please!
Grilled Lamb - very good
Slow-cooked Ribs - ick, sweet potato puree was way too sweet and the ribs were not that good
Grilled Hangar Steak - tasty, nicely seared
Sea:
Ahi Tuna - delicious
Seared Squid - didn't like, tasted more boiled than seared, underseasoned
Dessert:
Almond cake - ok, light
Ice Cream with Caramel and Sea Salt - yum!!
Obviously, this is a good place for a group. The staff is incredibly nice and the service is buttoned-up - they really know how to move through big parties and multiple plates well - food comes out quickly and cleared efficiently, all with a smile. Where you sit can make or break your experience - we were lucky to get an isolated table in the middle of the restaurant.
There is a nice long bar for single diners who don't want to be caught up in the commotion on the floor - I always like that. It's not really a drinking destination though - they have a limited drink menu, and you might not find the brand of your choice. Stick to the classics.
One thing that I didn't know about Ramblas is that it is a certified Green business, which made me feel really good about our meal (even if the multiple courses combining in my stomach later did not).
It won't give you fond memories of being in Barcelona, but it will give you a good, filling Mission-style experience. -
Review from Tara H.
10/7/2008
I came back from a few weeks on vacation and would have killed someone for a few tasty tapas plates like the ones in Espana.
Long story short, I was itchy for some tapas, so me, J and the lovely S headed over to Ramblas to get my fix. It's not exactly a straight-up street-food tapas joint, nor is it necessarily a traditional Spanish resto, but you will get tapas and sangria here for a reasonable price. You'll also remember that SF isn't actually a bad place to call home, given your stellar view of Valencia street life.
Albondigas (whoo!) and patatas (whoo!). It's not as good as some of the other tinyplate places in town, including Alegrias on Lombard, but it's convenient if you're in ye olde Mission or its surrounds. -
Review from Tangerine L.
San Francisco, CA
2/7/2008
Last night I decided to head over to Paxton's Gate to check out their orchids, but I ended up not taking anything home. Disappointed and unamused, I did manage to purchase a "cyanotype kit" for 27$. Eh, that will kill a day and it will be fun using found objects.
Anyway, I go around the corner to meet my boyfriend and we're thinking about having dinner. I told him that I was paying and I will be expecting something in return for it. It took me only two seconds to find a place that is both light and still allow me to get a three course meal the way I like to eat.
We sit down at a table underneath bright lights. We ordered the patatas and the granny smith apple with arugula salad. Good. Then we got the salted cod and hangar steak. Great. For dessert, he had flan and I had the olive oil cake with creme fraiche ice cream. Back to good.
Out tastebuds were definitely happy, but what is more important is that we don't have to follow the wait 40 minutes after eating before "exercise" rule because the tapas dishes were so small that they only satiated our appetite, but still tasty enough that it didn't leave us wanting anything more.
Perfect if you're taking someone on a date and want a little rumble in the sack afterwards. -
Review from Amber L.
San Francisco, CA
9/3/2007
I love coming here because it immediately transports me back to a time I can't relive in Spain and the many museums I frequented there on my student discount. In eleven days and eleven nights Chris and I managed to traverse Spain from Andalucia to Pais Basco and still remain on speaking terms. I was the navigator but I had an atlas that showed no detail maps of all the cities we visited except Bilbao so in every town I ended up looking for the cathedral to find our bearings, something that was very vexing to Chris who is an engineer-damn they can be such anal biotches at times.
The food while maintaining their Spanish names tastes like Mexican comida which makes it a lot more palatable for Cali standards. The churros and the bacalao are the highlights of the menu. They also offer two types of sangria which is so ironic because most bartenders in Spain would look at you like you're strange if you order it there.
***For all you art geeks, there is a great Dali print hanging in the main room that was done before he became the Dali that we know.***Listed in: Get Your Europe On!
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Review from Cyn W.
Arlington, VA
11/26/2007
Props to this restaurant for being environmentally responsible. The menu says that they compost, recycle, and try to buy organic and sustainable where possible -- gotta love that.
Our server, Siobhan, was amazing. She was fun, fast, and friendly despite it being a super busy Friday night. The sangria here is also outstanding. -
Review from Julia Z.
11/3/2009
The Green Zebra guide had a coupon for a free sangria at Ramblas so this is where we went for dinner. This is a fab spot in the ghetto fab Mission so when you step in, you don't even remember where you are. I liked how the menu was split into categories like Foliage, Earth, Land and Sea. I ordered:
Empanadillas - The portion wasn't big but the flavor was delicious! I didn't even care/notice that there wasn't any meat. The buttery crisp shell contained a mighty mixture of goat cheese, roasted winter squash, currants, pine nuts, pistachios, pecans. And the aioli makes everything even better.
Paella Ramblas - This paella smelled like the ocean (in a good way!) with clams, mussels, calamari, octopus, gambas, organic chicken and chorizo with saffron rice. The seafood was fresh and plentiful. It really tasted like someone had just gone fishing and came back with a big basket of the day's catch to be cooked into a hearty, boiling hot paella just for me.
They also have Sunday brunch and I will definitely check that out. BTW, the sangria was good too! Glad I let that coupon lure me here. -
Review from Noah C.
8/13/2007
"Is that a Palm Pilot?"
"Yes. It's our new order system. But it's glitchy, and it's been a shitty week trying to get things to work."
Apparently, this is true, as our order of vegetable paella came out as a seafood paella. Drinks came out super slow, and our waiter often just sat in the corner, staring dumbfounded at his new piece of tech. But he was a cool guy, nonetheless.
The food, though, was almost uniformly tasty. My choice of the evening, the jamon serrano, was one of the first dishes to arrive. I love cured meats, and especially cured meats that come from delicious, delicious piggies. This was a nice plate of said cured piggy and the apricots and arrugula completmented the salty and fatty texture of the jamon.
We also enjoyed patatas bravas (my gf's choice), a plate of too stringy and dry pork short ribs (which makes me sad, as my love of pork knows no bounds), empanadillos, and a few other good dishes. Everything except the pork ribs came out tasty and good. The best dish of the night for me was the vegetable paella. Though it's not quite the same as the paella you would get were you actually in Barcelona, it's great tasting all the same.
The only other complaints I have, aside from the spotty (at times) service and the pork ribs, are that 1) some of the dishes are a bit pricey and 2) the bathrooms are one-stall, solo affairs, which means you could be waiting up to 15 mins should the person before be having a gastric problem. -
Review from Mary Ann C.
San Francisco, CA
9/22/2009
Probably one of the nicest most attentive bartenders Ive had the pleasure of dealing with
Then again we were the only people in there
The sangria was very good and the bartender filled up my water 6-7 times
We ordered a few different things
The steak which was tasty but I will agree with other reviewers the portions are REALLY REALLY small (even smaller than other Tapas places)
The spanish tortilla was tasty and good with drinks
The flatbread was the stand out for me (I wanted to eat the dip with my fingers)
But would I come back? Meh there is nothing I would crave about this place - nothing -
Review from Caroline C.
San Francisco, CA
10/27/2007
Last time I was here, Margaret Cho was here.
P.S. She looks 30 pounds lighter in person. The camera does add 10 pounds...or 30...
Anyways came here last night with a couple of girlfriends. Get here before 7pm to avoid the crowds.
Sangria is decent, but I've had better. The fruit didn't seem fresh and the sangria tasted like they had made that batch a few days ago and were still serving it.
Tapas were all pretty salty and their vegetable paella was super salty! Out of all the tapas we ordered the fried artichokes were the most interesting and memorable, breaded and deep fried with a spicy tomato sauce.
The mini empenadas were so cute! They were flavorful, but on the salty side, and I expected something cheesy or creamy inside which was absent.
The wild mushrooms I would skip next time, pretty boring and they were served lukewarm. And the figs with goat cheese were meh. I've had better figs elsewhere.
For dessert, there was an interesting selection. We were debating between the olive oil cake or the dulce du leche sundae. We were less adventurous and went with the sundae. The sundae came in a tall glass with ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and nuts. So sweet it made my mouth smart, if that makes any sense...
Service was decent. They were obviously busy. But we never felt rushed, nothing was missing and water was filled throughout the night. We didn't get that much attention, but I didn't care. Too busy catching up and chatting it up with the girls!
And always the question, how many tapas to order???...I'd say 1.5 per person. As a party of three, we ordered 4 tapas and one paella. That was sufficient. We left stuffed!
Total bill: $76.00 with tax and tipListed in: I heart tapas!
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Review from Heidi C.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 11/30/2008 2 photos
I'm sorry Ramblas. I have demoted you from an excellent 5 cute Yelp stars to just 2 Yelp stars. Here are 5 reasons...
I came back here with two friends in from so-cal and wanted to show them some best Tapas in town so I took them here to Ramblas where I had an awesome dining experience last time.
1. We were seated and after having looked at the menu for 10 or so minutes, our waitress didn't come by not once. We had to ask for her...
2. The empanadillas & calamari were fried to a dark brown which means that their oil was old after having been used OVER and OVER and OVER again. Disgusting...
3. The sangria was just BLAH this time. It was really good last time. Just tasted like punch, what happened Ramblas?
4. The bread that comes with their awesome dipping oil was cold for the first round, then mildly warm the second time we asked for it. Last time I came here, their bread was pipping hot. I could see steam...
5. We ordered their "Ramblas Paella" and when it came, it looked and smelled REALLY good BUT it was SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SALTY. I couldn't even eat one bite without having to wash it down with my mediocre sangria. Sigh! The Ramblas paella was their seafood one consisting of shrimp, clams, mussels, etc. It was so salty that I was 80% compelled that they had used the salt water that the shrimps, mussels and clams resided in prior to being cooked at Ramblas.
You can't even use the excuse "they were busy so food & service go down" because half the place was empty. Sigh!
Ramblas, you disappointed this time. I must go to Andalu now...1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/29/2008
OMG. YUM. YUM. YUM. YUM. OMG.
I wanted to try Ramblas and Andalu since they're both pretty close to… Read more »
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Review from Jennifer B.
Oakland, CA
11/29/2008
San Francisco tapas options have yet to top my experience at East Bay Cesar's*, but this place is solid.
The food is pretty, well seasoned, and appropriately proportioned. Their patatas bravas are about the second best I've ever had. Some of their salads are a little oddly conceived, but still delicious due to excellent execution. A visit when I'm a bit hungrier and my palate isn't suffering from a phlegmy cold** may yield a more detailed review here - as it stands, I think I'll be back.
The warm, cavernlike space is comfortable and accomodates groups well. So do their waitstaff and pitchers of sangria, which was tasty but less than intriguing, and not as strong as is typical***.
*I think they call that reverse regional snobbery,
**I know, appetizing, huh.
***Sangria, not the waitstaff. -
Review from Ellis S.
Torrance, CA
9/24/2008
I had a pretty enjoyable meal here despite my dining partners' attempts at being amateur food photographers. I'm hungry ok? I don't care if the composition of the paella wasn't perfect. The only angle I care about is of the food entering my mouth.
My favorite part of the meal by far was the Grilled Pulpo. Which is apparently grilled baby octopus? I guess some people can be put off by the fact that they're just simply grilled and it looks too... Octopussy? (hehehe...) However, it's absolutely yummers. It comes with the crispy calamari, but the calamari wasn't as crispy as it was bready. The paella was good, but it was a bit muddy in flavor I thought.
The Empanadillas are good as was the queso frito, but I'd stay away from the Spanish Tortilla.
3 dollar sangria during happy hours is also shweet. -
Review from Shiho F.
Carmel by the Sea, CA
10/28/2008
Great Hibiscus Margaritas and the Basil Lemonade wasn't bad (try it without Citron Vodka). We had the Chorizo sampler and it was good although I was expecting sauteed sausage silly me. It was a plate of various cured chorizo with a lovely side of fig salad. Love the fig salad that was mixed in with what seemed like slices of prosciutto. Solid.
The couple sitting close to us were noshing away on some paella. That looked lovely. -
Review from Carol L.
2/4/2008
Tiny, itty bitty portions. I understand it's a tapas place, so that means small plates, but some of the plates were still surprisingly little. The sangria was good, and some of the tapas were pretty tasty.
However, what killed it for me was our waitress. At first, she kept warning us that we weren't ordering enough food, which was fine, but we had other plans for after Ramblas, so we didn't want to overdo it. When we asked for some more bread (I personally thought the gratin would go well with the bread), the waitress muttered, "Sure, just fill up on bread." Minus a star for that. -
Review from Jim L.
San Francisco, CA
6/14/2006 5 photos
There are already plenty of reviews for this older, well-established tapas place, so let me just summarize my findings:
-sauteed marijuana with pine nuts was pretty good. smoky reefer flavor;
-comment about how spinach tasted like sauteed marijuana prompted waitress to entertain us with anecdote about how one table a few months ago smelled like they had been smoking pot and left her a big fat green nugget in the cashier's book as supplement to payment (kidding you not);
-IKEA-like interior decor and lamps;
-too much fruit in the sangria, which was strong nonetheless;
-very loud, no sound attenuation measures whatsoever;
-food was good but not great;
-apparently it is risky to park in the median on Valencia as cops will ticket and tow quite frequently. We were advised against doing this. So I re-parked on Mission between 16th and 17th. Much safer. :|Listed in: The Meta-Mission
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Review from Douglas G.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2009
OK, let's get one thing out of the way: this is not Spanish food.
If you're expecting tapas that taste the way tapas taste on the actual Ramblas, in Barcelona, you're going to be disappointed. Here in the US, you just can't get that relentless olive oil-garlic-saffron thing at the base of every single goddamn food item in Spain.
It may just be the saffron. No American restaurant could stay in business for more than 36 hours if it used the amount of saffron that your average Iberian tapas bar goes through in five minutes.
Ni modo. Get off the "taste of Barcelona" thing and be here now -- in Northern California, enjoying fabulous, California, small-plate cuisine *informed* by a Spanish sensibility.
We gorged ourselves on tombo tuna & crab cakes; queso frito; stuffed acorn squash; paella; cranberry beans and winter root vegetables; sauteed red kale; and gambas ajillo -- oh, and an ice cream-vanilla-and-sea salt thing for dessert that was to die for. All of it made from local, organic, sustainable, ringingly fresh, Bay Area ingredients, amounting to one of the most wholesome, delicious and delightful meals I've had in SF for a long time. Sister, brother and I were oohing, ahhing and slathtering. And stuffing. And fighting, a bit, over all of it.
In sum, the food was exceptional, the ambience convivial, the service attentive and prompt. The owner even came over and chatted with us. Could not have been better.
So basically what I'm saying here is that this 3 1/2 stars overall rating is wack. A shonda. Out to frigging lunch. Not to be a crank, but what is it with these people and their one-star reviews?? You got a problem with this place? Let's take it outside -- you and me, right now. -
Review from Lauren C.
San Francisco, CA
1/18/2009
Whenever I have a friend in town it seems we end up at Ramblas.
Maybe it's the long wait at the neighboring, Andalu.
Maybe it's the boisterous crowd that draws us in.
Maybe it's the open kitchen and the warmth of the flames.
Or maybe it's just that they have fantastic tapas at a reasonable price.
Get a Garrafa de Sangria and stay a while!
Warning: You may leave extremely full and smelling like garlic, but that's all in good patatas bravas.
And they have $3 Mimosas and Bloody Marys on Sundays. I'll be back for brunch!Listed in: Tapas!!! No, not Topless.…
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Review from Mimi T.
5/6/2009
Came here last night for an event. I had already ate earlier so I didn't order any food..but I observed the endless plates of delicious tapas being brought out from the kitchen. The Paella smelled amazing. I did nibble on some potatos drizzled in spicy aioli and it was excellent!
I thought their sangrias were good and all of the staff there were friendly. I'd definitely go back there to enjoy a full meal. -
Review from Jonas T.
San Francisco, CA
9/30/2009
I'd go back just for the patatas bravas!
Good food and friendly staff but food came out a bit slow.
JONASAPPROVED! -
Review from Nancy R.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 11/18/2009
I'm not THAT easy to please, so I'm always surprised by the hate for this place...the food, service, and atmosphere are always stellar.
The menu changes seasonally and featured Spanish tapas with an autumn twist such as autumn delights such as empanadas with roasted winter squash, currants, pine nuts, pistachios, pecans, fall spices, pimenton aioli..the root vegetables taking center stage.
The salt roasted beets featuring pickled fennel, rogue smoky blue cheese, pimenton pecans were a standout, as was the halibut. The baby artichokes were bathed in the right amount of garlic and fennel for flavor but not cloying.
I've never been to Barcelona, but hope to one day stroll along its famed Ramblas. In the meantime, I'll sate myself with trips to Valencia Street.Listed in: Eatz
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/28/2007
Quite surprised to see the negative reviews. Our food was nothing short of delicious.
Named for… Read more »
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Review from Rio Y.
San Francisco, CA
10/25/2008
When you hear the word "tapas", it usually means Spanish small plates. But these days, you can find small plates based on cuisines from all over the world. If you want to go back to the basics, Ramblas serves Spanish style tapas and does a really good job of it.
Here's what we had (and it was all really tasty):
*Marinated Baby Beets shaved fennel, blood orange, basil and mint $6.50
*Sauteed Morcilla Sausage, organic shelling beans, toy box tomatoes $7.25 (vegetarian $5.95 - i.e. no sausage.)
* Crispy Calamari & Grilled Pulpo, zucchini rice cake, fennel, saffron, lemon aioli $12.00
* Ramblas Paella saffron rice, shrimp, mussels, clams, chicken and chorizo $18.95
....and a pitcher of Sangria which had a serious kick to it (strong). But they should have used orange slices in addition to the lemon and lime to lend a little more sweetness (which is what I do at home). Still, it was good and after a couple glasses, it didn't matter if there were orange slices in it or not. -
Review from susan j.
Oakland, CA
11/29/2008
I was really disappointed in Ramblas Tapas Bar. Actually, very very disappointed. I had come to Ramblas for my birthday dinner with five other friends and was very excited for some paella and sangria. Sadly, my night ended in disappoint and I am meager to come back again.
We ordered the following items:
-Sangria- It was okay...just okay.
-La Brea Bread- Maybe because I am a native Angeleno, this was one of my favorite things of the evening. Also, anything Nancy Silverton touches is usually pretty spectacular, so the bread of the evening was tasty and went well with the olive oil, tomatoes and chilies Ramblas provided.
-Tronchon with candied pecans- The pecans were very good!! The cheese however was too strong for my liking
-Flat Iron Steak- This was a hit amongst everyone, everyone loved the meat and the potato puree.
-Braised pork sandwiches- Good, nothing spectacular
-Empanadillas- Okay
-Seafood paella- I thought the rice was too sticky and watery. Not the best paella I have had...
-Gambas Ajillo- I thought the shrimp was overcooked
-Chocolate chip bread pudding- This dessert was actually good! Not the best bread pudding I've had, but something sweet to save some of the earlier dishes...
Overall, I was not impressed with my meal. It was a disappoint and lacked the flavor I was looking for in Spanish dishes. It was a sad night of eats and I am still searching for that wonderful authentic restaurant of Spanish tapas in San Fransisco... -
Review from Kathy Y.
San Francisco, CA
5/7/2008
I really had a pretty good experience here:
- Kudos to the friendly & down-to-earth hostess - totally helps! Our server was nice, too
- Extensive variety of offerings on the menu. Sustainable, too - always a plus.
- Food was good overall; a few dishes were a tad salty for my taste, but I thought 6 out of the 9 dishes we ordered were tasty & well done.
- Superb presentation; dishes were put together well, not sloppy like Cha Cha Cha's
- Price/portions were reasonable, which is important
- Good bread & great garlic-chili dipping sauce
- Trendy but comfortable ambiance; got a little loud as the night went on
All in all, I would recommend it to friends & go back myself!Listed in: My To-Go Restaurants List
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Review from Suzanne B.
San Francisco, CA
5/3/2006
Have you noticed how many times sangria is mentioned in these reviews? I order mine by the pitcher - mine all mine....
Actually, I beat one of the bartenders up until he coughed up the secret ingredients to their yummy sangria recipe and now I make it to rave reviews at every party. What? No - go beat up your own bartender.
The service can be uneven, with wait times for food and/or drinks getting a bit outrageous at times. I'm not an expert on tapas so I won't review those (though I do enjoy most of what they serve). But I will continue to come for that lovely red beverage.Listed in: Iberian Dreams
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Review from Lauren S.
Stockton, CA
10/17/2008
So this was my third trip to Ramblas, and good to know the sangria is still stiff and delicious, whereas some meals were just...adequate. Opening the menu led to a new menu of excitement. I tried the Gazpacho which was jsut a little bland...our waitress forgot about our cute small pork sandwiches and they weren't nearly as good as the first time around...The cheeses continue to make me the happiest girl alive...but our service was just a little awkward. It was obvious from the beginning when the waitress said "hello" and handed us menus and walked away.
But I'm still a fan. Cheese and sangria own my soul.Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Greg G.
San Francisco, CA
11/8/2006
Not bad. The meal was affordable and I just dig Tapas anyways, since one can choose several different small portions with exotic flavours and textures. No exception here. I got a pitcher of Sangria, which I split amongst four...Bistec a la Parilla (a small bit of grilled steak ) was my favorite of the 6 items we ordered. Their Surtido de Queso, a selection of four cheeses with walnuts and fig preserves, was also delicious as it introduced me to some cheeses I had never previously sampled.
I was there after dark and the lighting was subdued-- just right for my dinner party. The pricing was reasonable. I'm spoiled in that I am comparing this to the last time I ate at a Tapas restaurant, which happened to be in Barcelona over a year ago. Compared to that, this place comes in somewhat below outstanding.
Worth checking out if you're in the neighborhood but not, perhaps, a "culinary destination." -
Review from Anne K.
6/12/2008
Ramblas Tapas Bar has absolutely fantastic food! (although a little on the expensive side)
Everything we had was incredibly delicious (tuna, lamb, meat-balls, potatoes, bread) and it was hard to choose from all the options. They also have a Sunday brunch menu that looks quite good. The restaurant itself has a nice atmosphere and lively spirit. I came during the week and got in without any problem, but hear it is packed on the weekends.
It is a great date spot - as the food will impress everybody. -
Review from Jason B.
4/11/2010
I was a Winter Music Conference zombie. Fresh off a plane from Miami after a Ferry Corsten finale, the calorie replenishment began. I could barely put together coherent sentences let alone have a tangible though, but somehow the soyrizo I remember seeing on the Ramblas menu made it's way to the top of my limited brain power. Bags were dropped, wallet grabbed, destination set.
Ramblas proved to be the perfect post WMC spot. My water was constantly replenished (as I was constantly depleting it), my soyrizo completely hit the spot and the friendly people had no problem swapping the hash browns for some fruit. I was left to dine in peace as I reminisced on what was an amazing week.
Music still buzzing in my ears and food finally in my stomach, it felt nice to be home. -
Review from Karsten P.
San Francisco, CA
9/28/2008
Tapas work better for me if they are the simple kind that I remember from living in Madrid. Mushrooms drowned in garlic and olive oil. Tortilla - also sometimes drowned in olive oil. A tough, slightly greasy hank of Jamon York. All served with good, fresh bread, and washed down with glass after glass of tinto.
The first time I went to Ramblas it fit the bill. Basic tapas, done well and reasonably priced. My last trip there they'd gone a bit nouvelle, which wasn't bad taste-wise, but destroyed my fantasy.
It's okay.
If you're not concerned about authenticity or are bored with regular tapas, it's good. -
Review from Shal J.
San Francisco, CA
3/7/2008
If I were to make a list of places that I am unlikely to return to, Ramblas would definitely be on it.
This is yet another SF establishment that defies explanation. The sangria was tasteless. If you are serving tapas, you best get your sangria act together.
We ordered lots of things from the plentiful veg section, but nothing was all that tasty and it definitely wasn't memorable. It was like we just stopped eating bc eventually we got full and didn't feel like buying more shitty sangria. And then we left.
I know this place is really popular - you can thank me for the line having 2 less people. Bc my man's with me somewhere else. -
Review from Abby M.
San Francisco, CA
7/14/2008
So we showed up drunk after a sunny afternoon at Zeitgeist. Well not DRUNK but... you know... "drunk." Seated promptly by our really nice server. Brought bread and some sort of homemade italian dressing. None of us were feeling their dipping sauce so, on our request, we are brought "olive oil" which is actually just tepid vegetable oil. Yuck! Yuck!
It was all downhill from there, culminating in a sub par veggie paella, chock full of grossly gooey rice and undercooked broccoli and asparagus. To be fair, I didn't try the mussels, which were touted as the best part of the meal.
By the time we left, the place was packed and people were waiting outside. I wanted to tell them all to go elsewhere. Honestly, I almost told these two cute guys to go to La Cumbre instead. What makes this all the worse is that I really wanted to love this place, but all I got from it was a slightly impersonal, slightly overpriced, sub-par, Chilis-style meal. Might be better off coming for a pitcher of sangria (still pricey though at $36) or some happy hour specials. -
Review from James H.
Brooklyn, NY
1/22/2010
This was a really solid tapas joint, and I kind of wish I could go again, a tad more sober, to really judge this place.
I went with three new dining partners: My cousin Marissa M. her roommate, and some dude who I still don't really know who he was.
We started with the potato bravas, which is basically cubed potatoes and leeks tossed in a really thick garlic and harissa (Moroccan hot chili sauce) aioli. It was really special. The combination of the chili and garlic and the heartiness of the potato really came together in one of the best appetizers I've had in a while.
We then moved on to the roasted golden beets, which you might know, I absolutely adore. There were plated with crumbled blue cheese, pecans and pickled fennel. The thing I love about golden beets that really gets me is the very unique sweetness that is tough to come by in any other vegetable. Countered by the bitter/sour fennel and aided by the smokiness of the blue cheese, this dish was very good. However, I really didn't get the pecans coming through.
The pork belly and flat iron steak came out next. The steak was okay. Very nicely cooked to a bloody rare, the port reduction that it came in really didn't do anything for me. With the amount of flavor that should have been there, I was fairly disappointed. However, my disappointment with steak was immediately right by my love affair with the pork.
Pork belly is probably my favorite part of the pig, as most bacon and many chinese dishes are derived from the belly. However, the southern inspired pork belly dishes, like this one, I think are some of my favorite meat dishes in existence. Braised, and assisted by some smokey apple flavors, this pork belly utterly melted in the mouth. My favorite of the night.
We ended with the Ramblas paella, which was somewhat of a letdown after the arc of the meal peaked at the pork belly. Not to say this dish wasn't good, it just wasn't THAT good. I definitely did not get the taste of chorizo, and it really just felt like rice, clams and octopus. For the signature dish of a restaurant, this was a weak one.
Got out of there for $36 bucks for splitting all that and 3 pitchers of sangria. Fuck yeah.Listed in: San Francisco is where its at.
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Review from Angie R.
San Francisco, CA
2/1/2008
One extra star for the very cute, very sweet bartender who was fulfilling our every desire for glass after glass of tempranillo while we waited for our party to arrive.
Three stars for good tapas, nice atmosphere and lots of vegetarian stuff on the menu. And serious props for this restaurant's commitment to sustainability and effort to reduce their carbon footprint. This is a good place for large parties, and the bar is big enough to serve as a comfortable pre-dinner gathering place.
The wines by the glass are on the pricey side, but I have a feeling the dollar's poor, sad performance against the euro is at least partially responsible for this, since most of the wines are Spanish. The cute bartender is in no way responsible for this. Do not even think about blaming him. -
Review from Karina M.
San Mateo, CA
12/14/2006
Waitstaff wouldn't allow us to move to our table from the bar because we'd ordered a couple of tapas while we waited for our table. Weird and not very nice bartender threw a hissy fit, including slamming our bill on our table and stomping off. Really aggressive and unprofessional behavior will make me think twice about going back.
Definitely put a damper on my evening. Food was good, waitstaff needs to sort out their feifdom issues and not make it part of the dining experience. -
Review from Gil S.
10/7/2006
One of the better good-time meals in the Mission, a can't-fail standby somewhere between carry out felafel or burgers, and a full-on white tablecloth meal.
Think Cha Cha Cha without the carribean influence, twice as good at twice the price. Or just think tapas. If you love the bread, sauce and potatoes you can get by on $25 a person all included.
Paella was rich and satisfying, heirloom tomato salad, sangria, brussels sprouts on special all brought a smile. Style is friendly but not solicitous shared plate full meal. It's all salty so you want to drink! They didn't have the stinky marinaded fish and cheeses I had hoped -- sometimes a man wants sardines with his beer, not here. It gets busy on popular nights and there's a wait list. Noisy place, plus loud mix of ecclectic rock standards.
A point of trivia -- one of San Francisco's best restaurant architects, Roddy Creedon of Allied Architecture (http://www.alliedx.com/), laid out the space in its former incarnation as Pinxtos. The owner had to leave town in a hurry for a family emergency, so he sold to a one of his partners in Thirsty Bear Brewing, hence the similar menu, microbrews, etc.
The same architect and craftsmen did Tokyo Go Go, Pluto's, Thirsty Bear, Gordon Biersch, and Levende Lounge. They dumbed it down for Ramblas but see if you can spot some of the brilliant common touches: italian pendants, spot lighting, custom made tables and bar counter, pueblo-like massing of the interior drywall.
