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mmmmmm TAPAS!
we decided to head out to sac to try this restaurant since it got pretty good reviews on yelp and we weren't disappointed!
we were going to get the paella but that wouldve taken an hour and we needed to be home at a certain time so unfortunately we couldnt try it.. soo we got a few tapas instead:
1) veal croquettes = YUM!!!!! fried veal/potatoey goodness. joe loved these
2) mushrooms = really flavorful. cooked in a wine sauce. get em if u like shrooms
3) omelette = i really liked this. at first it was kind of weird cuz we were expecting it to be served warm but it wasn't. it was actually cold but it was still good. served with some kind of sour creamy sauce which was yummy
4) kobe beef = YES. melt in your mouth meat.
we were celebrating his bday so i ordered the strawberry decadence dessert ..im not sure if thats what its called but its their most popular and it was good. i dont even know what was in it but get it.
great place! and not pricey at all!
I can't speak for the food because we didn't stay long enough to find out.
I work close to this restaurant and had always wanted to give it a try. We arrived one day around 12:30 and the restaurant was almost empty. I was hoping to not spend a lot of money, and heard the restaurant had lunch specials. We asked to see a menu before being seated, and spent a moment scanning the options. The host asked several times, "So, are you eating here or not? Are you ready? Do you want a seat or not?" Against my gut instinct, we sat down.
Once we sat down, I was still having a hard time figuring out what was a lunch special, and what wasn't. When the waiter came over (same guy that had seated us), I asked for clarification. He gave me so much attitude about asking a simple question, and then after providing a very short answer, he quickly left.
When a restaurant is dead quiet in the middle of the day, I expect FRIENDLY service. We got up and left, and I don't plan on going back. I don't like being treated like I'm cheap or annoying. If anything, they should have been grateful for our business.
Tapa the World has always been the center of my going out world in Sacramento. (Ok, that and Paesanos.) I go here to get the best bread and dipping sauce (the latter of which you have to order separately) in the valley, IMHO. Sometimes it's not as fresh as other times and that bugs me, but when it's good, it's great.
The plum ginger beef is my absolute favorite dish, along with the gambas and the Mediterranean salad.
The atmosphere is so warm, and so is the owner Paul.
Sometimes the service is not that great, sometimes it is. The only point deduction is for those things that are hit and miss.
If you're tempted to go next door for some after dinner hooka and cocktail action, beware. For anyone who thinks Tapa's is expensive ... Kasbah is a dollah dunkin' diva who won't even apologize after sucking you dry.
If you were a patron at this establishment last Thursday, I'd like to apologize for my behavior. Normally, I don't drink that much sangria. Sounds of moaning during every bite is not in my nature.
But this place really managed to satisfy my polluted palate of reheated leftovers eaten out of a clean emesis basin and too much French pressed coffee.
Our very good looking party (ok, I am the better looking of the 3), managed to take down 3 pitchers of the best sangria I've ever had, Calamares Fritos, Patatas Bravas, Gambas al Ajillo, the Kobe beef and probably a couple more that I am forgetting.
The crowd was fun (probably because I was in the house.. holla!)
Our server was sweet and very patient. Definitely worth a trip from my hood.
Several years ago I would eat at this restaurant and always enjoyed the food. I moved farther out, which made it more difficult to come to midtown for dinner or lunch. Since it has been several years, I sort of forgot how much I did like the food here. Recently I had lunch, one of their lunch specials, seafood risotto, and it was wonderful. I was really surprised how reasonably priced it was for all the food that was served (it included soup and dessert or coffee). I wish I lived closer so I could come here more often.
We did not have any problems with the service. The staff was friendly and responsive. When we came in there was a sign to take a menu and seat yourself, so we did not have the problem that Lesley did (another review). That's too bad she had that experience; I hope she tries again. Maybe that host was having a bad day? It happens...
Definitely one of my favorites again.
This restaurant has a romantic ambience with its Spanish guitar music, dim lighting, dark wood seating, and vibrant yet earthy colors. I like their food and think it's reasonably priced. Almost anybody can find something to like on the menu because of the variety of items, which includes many reasonably healthy choices. We always get seated right away, but the restaurant is a popular place, making for a festive atmosphere filled with laughter and the buzz of conversations.
Another plus is that it's open late!
Fun atmosphere and I like the musicians playing. It's a nice touch.
The Marcos Pollo is my favorite. I've also gotten the paella (long wait) a few times and it was yummy.
It is expensive for me but worth the treat once in a while. I also like that they are open till midnight.
I'm kind of intrigued by all the not-so-glowing reviews of Tapa the World. I've lived in Sacramento for the better part of 10 years and it's always been a go-to place for me.
I tend to gravitate to Tapas more for lunch than dinner - mostly because I enjoy sidewalk dining on sunny afternoons and the restaurant's central location makes it a good people watching spot. The food is always excellent (the chicken pita sandwich & the chicken pasta are my favorites), and the sangria (while not the strongest in town) is refreshing and tasty.
As for the servers, I've always had great service. I've been twice in the past month and Chris has been my server both times - he's friendly, helpful and attentive. Good stuff.
More than good tapas.
Service can be imperfect.
Quite good over all.
Eh, 3.5 stars. I'm debating whether or not to round up, but for the time being I'll mark this as three stars.
I love the concept of tapas - cute little plates with just the right amount of food. Great if you are on a diet, for instance. However, like going out for dim sum, those little plates can sure add up!
We had the mushrooms dish, tortilla espanola, calamari and of course you have to have the dipping sauce. Apparently they started charging for this "around 8 - 9 years ago", but I could have sworn that it came with the bread only five years ago.
The calamari was breaded and fried, oilier than I would have liked. I have had better at places such as Moxie's and Scotts Seafood. The sauce that accompanied it was reminiscent of a Thousand Island, but blander. We did request a tomato sauce to go with our tortilla espanola which was MUCH better: fresh, tangy and tomato-y with a kick at the end.
I always forget that the tortilla espanola here is premade. I don't know if this is customary or not. When I was in Spain, I would get it hot and freshly-made. Que buena! So I felt a little let down that it came out cold.
You can get a small glass of sangria for $3 or a pint for $5.50. The sangria here is good. Goes down well on a hot summer evening. I could drink that stuff all night.
At the end of the day, three plates of tapas for two and one pint of sangria each came to $20 per person including tax and tip. A bit more than what I was expecting, but maybe I tip too much.
Food was okay. But the decor and service make up for it.
It is not in my top ten places in Sacramento if I want to impress someone with the local cuisine.
Tapa the World is ok, but disappointingly that is the best I can say for it. I really wanted it to be great, but it came up short in terms of taste and especially value.
My biggest let down was with the patatas bravas, which had nothing "brava" about them. Whereas they should have been served with a spicy aioli, Tapa the World gave me some sort of thin marinara-type sauce for them, completely missing the point. Other dishes I tried were better, but still not outstanding. I was happy with the berenjena (breaded and fried eggplant slices) and the tortilla espanola, but a little disappointed with their overly creamy ajillo sauce and with the fact that they do not give a bread "refill" when you run out before you have finished your dipping oil (which, by the way, is not complimentary).
Had the prices been lower, I would accept Tapa the World as a go-to place for a college-student-quality take on tapas. Not that I personally knew what tapas were when I was in college, but I could imagine this place being located on Telegraph in Berkeley... if not for the fact that their tapas cost as much as much, much better places in San Francisco. I doubt quite a lot that I'll be back.
NOISY. One of the first things I noticed was how loud it was. I figured I was in a bar, not a restaurant.
The seating is cramped and horrible for a private conversation. The tapas is...eh, and the main dishes are lacking in flavor and creativity. I ordered the chicken pasta and honestly it tasted like Mac'n'Cheese out of a box with chicken, onion and mushroom tossed in. Completely unimpressive and bland to boot. They have a horrible wine list, and wait staff generally ignores you.
For the prices they charge, I was expecting a LOT more. Boo for my first night out back in Sacramento.
Maybe 2.5 stars for the food, but service was practically nonexistent, so that brought it down another notch. The decorating was pretty Spanish authentic though; lots of seating squeezed into a small space, with very low ceilings and dim lights. The wall posters and ornaments were nice.
The bread they served was cold and hard, and they never brought out the olive oil that would have made it actually edible. Sodas come in cans, which is pretty janky compared to how pricey most of the dishes were for the price.
We ordered the calamari appetizer, the tri tip dinner and the night's special, seafood pesto cream pasta. The calamari was probably the best thing that night.. not overcooked and comes with a flavorful dipping sauce. The tri-tip was not spectacular (pretty underseasoned), but the ginger mashed potatoes that came with it was pretty tasty. The seafood pesto pasta was overdressed in drippy pesto cream sauce, and portion was kinda skimpy ( a little bowl for $17.95!).
The service lacked as well. We must have asked for menus twice before the server finally handed one to us (and the place was not busy at all). She was not rude, but completey unenthusiastic and not once checked on us to see if we were doing okay. Probably won't be back, unless I'm craving some calamari, but I'd probably travel to the bay for that!
The ambience of the place is definitely Spanish (as in old Spain), but it really isn't worth the high price.
Ugh, nothing was open on Sunday in Sac, what's up with that? I wanted to go to the Squeeze Inn but had to settle for this place since I don't really know Sac like that.
We ordered the calamari, meh...it was extra oily, greasy like it wasn't made fresh.
The dipping vinegary sauce for the bread was yummy but if you don't ask for it, you don't get it. Weird.
What else did we get? Mussels, it was ok. Kinda on the wimpy size but tasted good.
I didn't bother with the chicken but my friend ordered it & thought it was good.
Mustn't have been memroable. I can't remember what else we ordered.
The sangria was alright.
I wouldn't be in a hurry to come back here.
Oh, you can get the menu from teh place next door and order from there too since it's owned by the same owner.
The ladies are all the way in the back of the building. Get the ladels with the key off the wall.
Four of us went there for my birthday dinner a few days ago.
We started off with the bread and dipping sauce, the best part of dinner! My friend and I had a small Sangria which was sweet with a prominent spice flavor. A little too sweet for me, but tasty.
I had the Chicken Pasta, which I thought was good. Not a lot of flavor or kick, kind of mellow. My fiance had the Tri-tip dinner which was good. The mashed potatoes were interesting... maybe they added saffron? Our friends had the Pesto Chicken Pita and the Vegetarian Pasta, they really liked both of them.
Service was really good and the ambiance was nice, there was a guy playing the guitar near our table.
I would recommend this restaurant! A nice change to our usual restaurant choices of midtown.
This place is actually pretty small and really does look like a hole in the wall. The people are pretty nice and the place has a dark romantic feel to it. The menu didn't have as wide as a selection as I had hoped, or not much that I was familiar with. We ordered some potato cake and we also ordered some sauteed mushrooms. The potato cake lacked taste, had a grimy texture, and was just unpleasant. The mushrooms, however, were quite good. We used the bread they gave us at the bar to dip into the mushrooms which really brought out the flavor. The bartender that cared for us wasn't as attentive as we had hoped. We constantly had to flag someone down for things we needed ... when a good handful of the employees were gathered behind the bar chit-chatting away.
In all honesty this place just wasn't for me, sadly. The only reason I'd ever come back is for the free bread and really great sangria (~$25/pitcher).
Much better when there are only two of you dining, rather than twenty!
Dipping Oil (oil, herbs, and balsamic) is a must have for the fresh bread they serve the table!
The service was a bit impatient with our group of 15, but still they did manage to hang in there -… Read more »
My family eat here quite often. They have a relatively large and interesting menu. Most of the items we have had are fresh and tasty (although not what you would call "sophisticated"). The price is good and the outdoor seating is lovely under the shady trees in summer.
Now let me describe a few of my favorites. First, they bake their own focaccia and they do it better than Freeport Bakery or Ettore. It is rather thick, and the inside is soft and airy when fresh. The little bit of blue cheese they put on top adds to the flavor, although it is subtle. The bread basket is complementary to the meal, but I highly recommend that you order the "dipping sauce", a garlicky balsamic vinaigrette, for a small charge.
The paella is excellent. They use a traditional recipe with all the correct ingredients and cook it just right. They do not muddle the flavor by adding tomato broth (like Deetjen in Big Sur and Fandago in Pacific Grove do), or turn it into a risotto dish by saturating the rice with too much moisture (like Aioli Bodega does). You can taste the sea from the clams, mussels, and shrimp, and they are not fishy. (I think this is remarkable, because I myself have a hard time buying seafood in stores.) The rice is richly flavorful and has just the right texture. Although you have to wait for 30 to 45 minutes during dinner hours, the freshly made paella has a very appetizing aroma and is way better than the pre-cooked version they serve during lunch. However, if you don't have the time, the lunch version is still better than what I have had at other places in N. California.
I also like their Kobe beef. It is tender and juicy, and they top it with a pile of fried onion sliced very thin (so delicious). Like other reviewers, I also find the mixed green salad with the shoestring carrot simple yet tasty. The sangria is a little too sweet for me, but they use a good amount of red wine and the flavor is right. I agree with other reviewers that the place can get too noisy inside on weekend nights. The live music from the guitar player is lovely but often you can not hear it over the noise.
Overall, we like the place quite a lot and think it's very good value.
Let me give you a little background of myself. I just got back from Spain in January. I visited Barcelona, Valencia, & Madrid and the food their was so delicious. The tapas in particular is something I LOVE mainly because it's so cheap and it allows you to fill up on beer and IT'S DELICIOUS! How could you beat that? Well, coming back to Sacramento I went to this restaurant and I ABSOLUTELY HATED IT! First of all this place is definitely not a romantic gathering on a Saturday night because the loud noise could blow your ears out. Also, the food here is not authentic. The spicy tomato sauce for the potatoes, the paella, the sangria were below par to me. Maybe, I just have high standards because I have tasted authentic Spanish food, but for the price and taste I will never come back to this restaurant again.
If you're looking for an authentic tapas place and willing to drive here is a place in San Francisco, http://www.lalolasf.com/.
Never knowing where to go for dinner, last night I decided to indulge my curiosity and try out Tapa the World. It was pretty busy, but there was a sign that said grab some menus and seat yourself. I don't know about you, but I like this step of customer independence. The next step is to just leave a pitcher of water at my table so I can refill it. Anyways, we found a great little spot outside and sat down. Promptly a server came over and brought us some waters and a basket of standard bread. My cohort were only going to have tapas, starting out with 2, then we would see where our hunger would take us.
We started out with the cheese of the day, manchego, and the champinones al ajillo or garlicy mushrooms. Both were very good. The cheese was fresh and the mushrooms were cooked just right, not too tender and not too firm. The sauce was also just right with a good balance of garlic. It is also a good dipping sauce for the bread if you don't want to pay the $1.75 for the oil and vinegar.
Why I took off a star... Loving our first two dishes and still hungry we jumped at the opportunity to order another plate, calamares fritos or bar favorite, fried calamari. Do not order this, it was very rubbery, i've had better at actual bars and or bowling alleys, and it was one of the more expensive tapas on the menu. Save yourself the disappointment when there is so much else to choose from. After the grossness of the calamari we ordered the fried eggplant, which was just ok. For some reason when I took my first bite I got a flashback to when my mom would make me english muffin pizzas as a kid. Yeah it kinda tastes like that, but I liked them so I finished one. At that point I was full. I'll be back, but will be cautious about what I order. End scene.
Oh yes order sangria. The big one. Drink it all.
We were looking for somewhere relaxed that we could enjoy some great food and wine, and we definitely found it here.
The Paella was yummy, a great size portioned for 2 people. We had a really friendly waitress who brought out tastes of a few wines for us to try before we selected a bottle. Also, the guitar player was really good (when he played) and really friendly (when he socialized, which was most of the time). We had a great time, and a great meal.
-As a note, the paella takes about an hour to come out, so order some tapas (they looked like great portion sizes) and enjoy your wine
I had lunch there and Tapa the World was mostly empty. I can see how this place would be uncomfortable if it was crowded. Our waiter was quick and efficient.
The house salad with crispy shoestring carrots and sherry vinaigrette was one of the best simple salads I've ever had. The three course lunch special is a steal.
One of my favorite spots! I don't mind waiting...just more sangria. Food is great. Atmosphere is great. Love it and miss it.
Ehh, it was ok. Fun resturant I think. We just went on a night where they were busy I suppose, with limited seating. The table we were seated at was so small, I had to balance the basket of flat bread on my lap, when the little plates of food came out. Ridiculous. Plus, our neighbors were like a foot away and could overhear our entire conversation. But beside that, the food was decent, a few of the dishes were on the salty side, I can't remember what, which says a lot. The food was good, fun concept to have in sac, but nothing memorable. It's located in on a hip part of J street downtown, so there you go. I would go back again.
I love the late night eating. I love knowing I wont run into an ex at 11pm there and that you have great flavors and are something different on the Sacramento scene. This last week we had an all new staff we had never seen. I missed the regulars who had an easy laid back temperament but also hustled and got a lot of tables taken care of. This last time it was relatively quiet in there but my dinner partner and I had to resort at looking bored and staring at the ceiling for quite some time for someone to finally notice we were done with out meal some 20 minutes prior. Flagging help down only works if they are willing to look at you. That said, I think they were only young and inexperienced and not intentionally indifferent. Will I go back? You bettcha!
Tapas is a Sacramento classic in my book. There have been a few moments in the past 10 years that I… Read more »
Tapa the World is one of the better restaurants in the Sacramento area and is the best Spanish restaurant in town. Not all the entrees are great and it helps to know what to order and what not to. The chicken pasta sounds good but is boring compared to all the other delicious dishes. I like the Kobe steak sandwich and the bread with the dipping sauce is really good. Many of the tapas are tasty and it's nice to order a few of them and share them rather than getting an entree.
The service is alright but sometimes it's not great. The food makes up for this, however. On some nights they have live Spanish music which is nice. However, if you want to carry a conversation during the music it can be difficult because of how loud it is. Tapas is great for a late night dinner and also good for lunch.
Friday, 7:30PM.
Oh, it was bumping tonight! Unfortunately, that meant poor seating for the lady and I. No reservations so we were at the will of random waiter selection. We eventually got stuck in the corner near the kitchen - one of the worst seats in the house! The tables are small to begin with, generally need two to handle all the tapas we order. Besides being only one table, we couldn't push our chairs all the way back. Ack!
Munchies:
1. Special: Panko-covered soft-shell crab
+ Spain's version of Japan's fried soft-shell crab appetizer: super juicy
inside and easy to cut up
2. Queso Español del Día: Baby Manchega
+ Cheese full of bold flavor without the moldy aftertaste, yummy!
3. Gazpacho
+ Chilled tomato soup, refreshing kick on a hot day
4. Grilled vegetables
+ There's a reason why we ordered this two times now; veggies
retained their flavor
5. Dessert empanadas
+ Warm breaded pineapple with vanilla bean ice cream blends
deliciously
6. Guava Sorbet
+ Hits the richness just right - fresh, tastes like a more a solid slushy
Final Call:
Two stars tonight because our waiter failed to tell us of a menu item switch (vegetarian version to a meaty version). That's bad news for strict vegetarians. They were nice enough to subtract an item and a beverage from the bill but it was too late, the mood was dampened. We'll let this one go and give them one more chance, only because the two other times we've been here were amazing.
Coming fresh off of a performance by Chelsea Handler, we were in need of some serious grub. I've… Read more »
I love this place. I love the food and I think the people that work there are totally fantastic. For some reason every time I go there I see the most beautiful customers there. I don't know why.
Anyhow the food is great and you won't go wrong ordering anything in the menu. I had fish last time and it was out of this world.
Love it.
Best Sangria in Sacramento: I'm not crazy about their food but their ambiance and Sangria's are off the hook. Great place for a date night and they have outside dining.
*Their bathrooms are a bit out of the way, you need to ask for a key and walk around the back of the building
A-OK is the perfect description for Tapa The World, A-OK.
Tapa Burger - 5 stars. If this review was on the burger alone it would be a 5'er across the board. Served on a slightly toasted Onion Bun, the beef patty was cooked to perfection. I asked for medium rare and as requested, my beef came slightly pink in the middle, topped with caramelized onions and manchego cheese. I don't even know what "Manchego" cheese is, but it's delish.
Now here comes the hate:
Chicken strips were over grilled
Empanadas were stuffed with potatoes, come on meat!!
Picher of Sangria was 90% ice, 10% Sangria
Service was polite, friendly, but extremely slow, on a Wednesday night!
I'm not sure why it's called Tapa the "World", I thought it was latin?
I really try to not write bad reviews based on service because I'm a server and I know how irritating it can be. But my birthday night at Tapas was over 5 months ago and it still makes me a little upset.
Our server was unfriendly, unhelpful, and just really.....depressing.
He would come by our table every 10 minutes or so with a half-hearted "so, you guys want anything else?"
After ordering our 3rd pitcher of sangria, he proceeded to fill everyone's glass except for mine.
My friend hinted that it was my birthday. But I guess this guy doesn't take subtle hints as my dessert was brought out sans candle. My friend took a more blunt approach and asked for a candle. He brought it out and stuck it in the dessert and asked if we needed a lighter.
Uh. No, dude, it's cool. I'll just light it with my superhuman laser eyes.
We basically deduced that this guy was here for his gratuity and not much else.
On a side note this is the first time I've been there and encountered bad service and the food is always delicious. However, after my last visit, it'll probably be a while before I go back.
I would love to give this place four stars but I can't. And a five star rating is totally out of the question.
If money is no object to you, bravo, you're doing something right. But for me, it's an object, and it's a scarce one at that. For what you get, I'd pay half. It's overpriced to the point where I've asked, "Was that it?" The portions are ridiculously small.
And ya, the "Tapas are small appetizers for everyone to share" excuse is as tired as the service staff. I've had Tapas elsewhere that were tastier and more generous. In the Bay Area.
There are a few things working in Tapa the World's favor. This is the classiest place open past ten, and in this case, it's open until 12. It is also a great date restaurant AS LONG as you don't trip on the cobblestone out front and fall, quite literally, flat on your face. Ow.
Some things are absolutely delicious. The Chicken Pasta with Asparagus and Harissa is certainly outstanding and cheesy. I get it without the onions.
But the tapas are just small, and the service is very "don't give a fuck" to the point where it is very annoying. When I'm paying 60$ for two people, that is not acceptable. And this has happened over 5 times so I'm not the exception. It's the rule. It's a bad thing. The best service at Tapa the World is at the bar. Taka my word for it and thank me later.
I went to this restaurant for a friends birthday dinner. It was my first time at Tapa the World, so I was excited to try. Maybe it was just me, but I did not enjoy my food at all. The only good thing about MY personal experience at Tapa the World was: 1. the company 2. the singing cook (he sounded way better than the radio!) 3. our waitress - total sweetheart!
I ordered the Chicken Pasta. Instead, it should be titled "Chicken Pasta Bathing in Oil." The plate had more oil than pasta or chicken. Everyone commented on how "greasy" it "looked." Maybe it was just my dish, but my stomach and I definately left the restaurant rather disappointed.
Personally, I think this restaurant is for meat eaters, and I am definately not one. So, all ya'll meat eaters out there! I didn't taste it, but everyone at our table made great compliments on the Grilled Tri-Tip.
Again...guess it was just me. Tapa the World...I'll give you one more chance when the occasion comes up, but for now...no thank you.
So, my husband and I went to visit my cousins in Sacramento, and they kept talking about this place. Apparently they try to go there every month and they rave about the paella. So, of course, we had to go. It was a Sunday afternoon around 1:30pm, so this review is of their lunch. We parked across the street and walked - since it was a Sunday, we didn't have to pay for parking (A+). We walked in and it wasn't crowded (A++). Not sure how it is at night, but we were told to seat ourselves, so we did. They immediately brought us 4 cold waters (A+++) and it really hit the spot since it was crazy HOT out and we had been walking the streets of Old Sacramento.
The focaccia (not sure how many c"s are in that word...haha) bread is delicious. We ordered some dipping sauce (sweet balsamic in olive oil) which we paid $1.50 extra for, but it was worth it - so GOOD! I ordered the pesto chicken pita, which included a side salad, my husband ordered the paella mixta (along with my cousin) which also came with a side salad, and her husband ordered the filet mignon (I think) and the empanadas for appetizer. He kept raving that the empanadas were really good, but because I don't eat beef and there was veal in it, I didn't eat them, but they looked good.
It didn't take very long before they brought out our food. I ate ALL of my salad and loved the pita! It came with grilled chicken with feta cheese, tomatoes, spinach and an aioli sauce that made it really good. I ate some of my husband's paella which is a Spanish rice with saffron, mussels, shrimp, chicken and chorizo, and that was DELICOUS!! It wasn't a sticky rice that us Asians are used to, but it's more of a wet rice similar to the texture of risotto. YUMMMMY! My cousin's husband took one bite of his filet mignon and made this face like he had just tasted a bit of heaven. HAHA. His filet came with veggies and a sweet potato mixture that was very different. I tried some of it, and I love sweet potatoes, so I enjoyed it, but there was something extra like a citrus flavor, almost like they added orange zest. A server later told us that it was a mixture of sweet potatoes and yukon potatoes with a hint of ginger. It was different, and it wasn't too bad meaning it wasn't over the top. All in all, when and if we return to Sacramento, I'm sure we will visit this place again. We spent $48 for all 4 including tax (gotta love the smaller Sactown sales tax!). Keep in mind we only had waters too - so I'm not sure how much their alcohol or sodas cost.
One more thing, our server was nice, and I don't know if he was the owner or not, but he seemed like it because he was just wearing a plain tshirt and jeans, and he didn't seem that friendly. He started to "warm" up to us near the end of our meal...
I went back the other night with some friends and I ordered the tapa burger and it was delicious (I will post pictures)! We also ordered the sangria pitcher and I actually don't like it as much. It tasted too cinnamony for my liking, and I guess some people add rum, which they did and it wasn't as refreshing as I 've tried at other places. After a glass of the sangria we were pretty buzzed because it was made strong!
We went the Thursday that just passed and there was live music which was nice. It gets pretty loud here and I would say it's a place to go with a few friends. The staff is GREAT and they are very attentive as always. One funny thing about our waitress was she served us the bread dipping sauce without asking if we wanted it and placed it on our table next to the bread. Granted it's only $1.50 but she didn't even asked and just placed 3 sauces. At the end we realized we were charged for it--No biggie but I found that funny and sneaky! It's expensive here so be ready to spend mula!
I would return but not for sangria.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere! I came on a Sunday so it wasn't too busy and the setting is very… Read more »
Pricey - tasty - small portioned - tapas. My partner took me here for my birthday last year. It was a good birthday treat, and if you like wine, a definitely must try. We went when there was a flamenco guitarist playing, and that made the evening. Not the best tapas place in Cali, but certainly good for Sacramento.
I had no idea what kind of restaurants I might find in Sacramento so I relied on a friend's suggestion and tried Tapa the World for dinner. The place wasn't very busy so I was a little surprised that they seated us at a tiny little table with a rickety little wooden folding chair. If we hadn't eaten so fast we wouldn't have had room on the table for all our food. Maybe they were expecting a rush at 7:30 on a Tuesday? The service was attentive and friendly. There seemed to be plenty of people available to take care of us.
We ordered a big pitcher of sangria to go with our meal. It was tasty in a juice box kind of way. If there was any wine in it, it was undetectable to my taste buds. Lets move on to the tapas.
First we had the champiñones al ajillo. This was my favorite dish of the night. Delicious mushrooms with lots of garlic and a white wine butter sauce worth clogging your arteries for.
Next were the grilled chicken strips. These were pretty tasty and cooked well but a little one dimensional. They were served in a creamy mustard sauce that was too sweet.
We ordered the emapanadas of the day which were supposedly stuffed with serrano ham and something else but really it could have been sawdust as far as I could taste. The crust was heavy and overcooked - like a Hot Pocket that had been in the microwave for 7 minutes. Actually a microwaved Hot Pocket might have tasted better.
The papas con chorizo were a pretty good combination but the sausage was really chewy. Maybe it's supposed to be that way? The flavors were good and the texture wasn't unpleasant.
I'm used to having tapas that are so delicious that I never want to stop eating them. This was not the case at Tapa the World, unfortunately. They also did not have ceviche or plantains which I thought tapas places were legally required to serve. The sangria was too expensive for what seemed like Juicy Juice. I drank at least half the pitcher and didn't get the slightest buzz. They had a guy playing Spanish guitar up by the front door, which was cool, but not cool enough to get me to go back to this restaurant.
We had a party of eight and the service was pretty good. It was fun to share the different tapas and they let us stay long after we were finished dining. We had the long table right in front of the kitchen, kind of tight but not bad. Here is what we shared:
KOBE BEEF - Merits top of the list !- YUM! The beef was super tender and tasty. It's topped with skinny fried onions in a blue cheese butter - WONDERFULLY INTENSE!
GRILLED VEGGIES - Super good and nice roasted flavors - just the way I like it!
Patatas Bravas - Uniformed bite-size cuts of potatoes that are nicely crisped on the outside. Comes with a spicy dipping sauce that was pretty good.
Calamares Fritos - Don't order unless you like salty rubber bands.
Gambas - Very good shrimp but be careful and don't bite one of those mean little red peppers!
Croquetas - They were crispy and potato-like, that's all I remember.
Empanadas - Crispy little turnovers with potato filling - not bad.
Aceitunas - Various green and brown olives from Spain. Not pitted which is good - that's where the flavor come from. A few were bitter but the smallest ones were the best. I've been to Spain and these did not compare, they were okay.
Flan - Very good and not too sweet.
Strawberry Sorbet - Refreshingly good, not too sweet. Very nice dessert!
Sacramento, CA
Category: Steakhouses
Sacramento, CA
Category: Spanish
Sacramento, CA
Category: Italian
Sacramento, CA
Category: Lounges
Sacramento, CA
Category: Restaurants
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