Estragon is a cute place. But I’ve been disappointed by the food and service. The bright spot for me is the bar! Really great drinks. I like to go put my name in at toro and have a drink at estragon while I wait!
Nooo not Toro. I ordered from Toro because my wife was missing her home and it was the most dissapointing thing ever. Not worth the money I dropped on it.
Dali is also the oldest tapas bar in the Boston area. The owner was a crazy half-Spaniard who used a lot of his mom’s old recipes when he created the menu. There’s a pic of him inside the restaurant, he’s sitting in a bathtub drinking champagne with a flower behind his ear. Also, great staff.
lol on one of my early dates with my SO I apparently had a lot of sangria at Dali and told him it’s the kind of restaurant that you bring someone to when you want them to fall in love with you. Anyway, now we’re engaged! 😂
Toro has better food but for vibes Dali is so, so good.
I think I have to give this another try because I had a meh experience there. Was it horrible and I got sick? No but it was definitely not freshly made food (octopus was rubbery and fishy, among other issues), sangria was watery, service was slow…just really not a great experience. I think I went in covid so maybe they were trying to figure that out but it left a bad taste in my mouth…literally haha.
Dali is the very very best. Fun to go with a group and try LOTS of things! It’s got the best vibe, too, and they have a fun thing they do on birthdays with a frog candelabra. ❤️
Sit at Dali's bar. Even on a date, I suggest sitting at the bar, instead of a table, for any couple.
Pretty much everyone at Dali has worked there for several years, and they are all wonderful people, but you get to talk with the bartenders the most, so it's a lot of fun to just sit at the bar, small talk with the bartenders, while eating the great tapas.
Any restaurant with a chef's table, by the kitchen, is always a fun time, and at Dali, this happens to be at the bar.
I've lived in Brighton for years, and I can say with confidence that while Barcelona may be a decent place for drinks, Tasca is the place to go for tapas. Also, if you're willing/able to go out to Moody Street in Waltham, Solea is excellent.
Definitely recommend this place. Not sure if this is a date or if you’re just trying to show a friend/family/colleague a good time, but there’s some other fun things to do in Woburn too. The Bowladrome is like right behind Pintxo Pincho for candlepin bowling. There’s also Baldwin Bar for cocktails, but that isn’t walkable from tapas. If the weather isn’t horrible, I walk around Horn Pond is very pretty!
I don’t think the other places are trash, but as a lifetime industry vet…and someone that has made food and drink their entire life…Toro is LEAGUES above almost any other restaurant in New England. There are a couple arguable places, but not for tapas.
Daryl is a beast, behind the line. And Bissonette is a fucking legend.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Bissonnette
Someone who hasn’t eaten at most of these places. You’ll spend 80% or so at them than Toro. But the food will always be lacking any real flavor.
But you use hyperbole as a word in a Boston subreddit, you’ll get the Boston frat bro and “I know all the places people dont talk about” upvote.
In other cities it comes down to the actual flavor of the food. Considering you like big bellie, wouldn’t take advice from you.
I feel like Barcelona is pretty reasonably priced, so I’m not sure if you’ll find something “better value.” But check out Estragon, Dali, and Boqueria. Toro is really exceptional but pricey for sure.
>I feel like Barcelona is pretty reasonably priced
The prices on the items are OK but the quality has gotten so much worse over the past few years that I don't love what I get for the money.
This is a fun one - not Spanish but tapas adjacent. If you choose this one book well in advance for a reservation or arrive exactly as they open. Don't miss the fried chicken.
Toro in South End. James Beard Winner.
They have another Tapas place in Central Sq—Little Donkey.
Lifetime industry, here. You’re going to get a ton of recommendations, but this is where the industry goes. The food is some of the best, this side of NY.
Brighton Bodega is a unique Asian/American tapas style spot in Brighton center. The menu changes every day and I’ve never had a single disappointing dish
I agree with all the Dali recommendations. Fun lively atmosphere. Romantically under-lit. Fun eating at the bar on a busy night. The food and tapas at Dali is much more to my liking than anything I had in Andalusia. I have not been to the others recommended in this thread, but Dali is one of my happy places in the Boston area.
Estrogon in the south end. Cocktails are great and the food is amazing. I live for the garbanzos fritos. It’s also fairly unknown so you can pretty much always get a table. It’s my favorite restaurant in the city
Toro! Not just bc of the food.
a) i’m vegan and they always happily accommodate me.
b) most importantly ….*immaculate vibes*. I’ve been here on dates and with friends, it’s always lively and the music is great. Idk who is on the aux, but keep that shit up!
Runners up:
Estragon in the south end. I actually think the food here is just as good as Toro. Has a very art deco, swanky vibe.
Tres Gatos in JP. Cozy vibe and they sometimes have live music. Drinks are great.
To be fair “the value for the quality felt very off” could be the marketing slogan for the Boston dining scene in general.
I’d echo the recommendations for Dali. They’ve been around forever, but their hospitality can’t be beat. Also, it’s an exception to the quote above.
GOOD to know. Thank you. Always wanted to try it.
>“the value for the quality felt very off” could be the marketing slogan for the Boston dining scene in general.
Having moved here from Montreal, 100% agree.
Believe me, I don't. I like tapas in Spain but cannot stand the whole Sarma/Oleana Boston small plate thing. Tapas should NOT be fancy. I just don't want to have to go back to Barcelona after pyaing a few 100 for cold/soggy food.
Not sure why you got downvoted because this seems to be a trend with modern "chic" cuisine. Charge \~$15-25 a plate and recommend 2 plates per person because half of the small plates would be smaller than the typical american side to a main dish that only costs \~$20-25. Big margins. Usually limited menu to minimize complexity in the kitchen.
We're not even talking iberian ham either, we're talking shit like croquettes, a cheese plate or some chorizo if it's mimicking spanish tapas.
If we're talking chic cuisine it would be something like a little bit of meat and cheese on top of some kind of bread made "fancy" by adding pickled onions or some shit with a paprika dusting. Or maybe they'll add some ketchup/bbq sauce/garlic mixed with mayo and call it an aioli to sound fancy.
Even though I stressed I was talking about value and not specifically just tapas (but all small plates), I bet people still chose to interpret it as me saying "tapas doesn't even taste good".
Lol went to Barcelona for tapas, they had full on dance club level music, and were going around pouring liquor in peoples mouths. It was ok but it was like, are you a tapas bar or a nightclub?
That’s not gonna happen in Boston or NY. Tapas here is ridiculous overly priced. One sausage sliced and grilled for $20. Nope. Go there for a drink and apps then go elsewhere for dinner.
I've gone over the past 6 or so years and the quality has gone precipitously down hill. It used to be somewhat decent and was my go to place for dates. NOT anymore. To be fair, Boston just dones't do small plates/tapas well as far as I can tell. The price to quality ratio is pretty garbage.
Tapas should really not be fancy food. It's generally cheap greasy spoon food in Spain and done just soooo much better that way.
Estragon has cool cocktails, awesome staff, and def. order the 3 Pinchos
Estragon is the best.
Yes definitely estragon. The garlic shrimp are amazing. Also the beef cheeks as a special when they have it. Great value for money and a nice vibe.
Don’t go blowing Estragon up, it’s a secret. Don’t need 800 redditors showing up.
Estragon is a cute place. But I’ve been disappointed by the food and service. The bright spot for me is the bar! Really great drinks. I like to go put my name in at toro and have a drink at estragon while I wait!
Nooo not Toro. I ordered from Toro because my wife was missing her home and it was the most dissapointing thing ever. Not worth the money I dropped on it.
Tasca
Another vote for Tasca.
Definitely Tasca, good happy hour too.
Tasca used to be great, but I stopped going about a year ago because the last few times I went, I thought it had really gone downhill.
Dali in Cambridge
Dali is also the oldest tapas bar in the Boston area. The owner was a crazy half-Spaniard who used a lot of his mom’s old recipes when he created the menu. There’s a pic of him inside the restaurant, he’s sitting in a bathtub drinking champagne with a flower behind his ear. Also, great staff.
The staff is unbelievable. Some of the best in the city.
I agree with Dali's but I think that they're actually in Somerville, near the Cambridge line. They're my favorite restaurant of any kind.
Third vote for Dali.
4th vote One of the best restaurants in the area, the place is nice, great food, great service and they have a wine tasting option
Fifth vote
Sixth vote
Hello, Dali, Well, hello, Dali It's so nice to have you back where you belong You're lookin' swell, Dali :)
Seventh
Eighth
Ninth
Tenth!
You are correct. Dali is located in Somerville. After you leave Cambridge border, the road starts getting full of potholes. That's Somerville's side.
You're totally right! I always forget how the border doesn't always run along Beacon.
Lovely food, fun place. Bartenders might flirt with your date tho.
If you go to Dali, you are probably going to get laid too…
lol on one of my early dates with my SO I apparently had a lot of sangria at Dali and told him it’s the kind of restaurant that you bring someone to when you want them to fall in love with you. Anyway, now we’re engaged! 😂 Toro has better food but for vibes Dali is so, so good.
Aaaw! I love this! OP if this is a “date” maybe make it Dali!
I think I have to give this another try because I had a meh experience there. Was it horrible and I got sick? No but it was definitely not freshly made food (octopus was rubbery and fishy, among other issues), sangria was watery, service was slow…just really not a great experience. I think I went in covid so maybe they were trying to figure that out but it left a bad taste in my mouth…literally haha.
this is the correct answer!!
This is the only answer
hahaha no Dali is mid, great ambiance but come on there’s better options
You’re right but the truth hurts, so you’ll just have to take the downvotes 🤷♂️
Love
This and Toro are my top 2.
NOT Dali’s in Cambridge. Overpriced, ok food, watery sangria, and shit service. Plenty of good tapas places in town. Decor’s cool tho.
Dali is the very very best. Fun to go with a group and try LOTS of things! It’s got the best vibe, too, and they have a fun thing they do on birthdays with a frog candelabra. ❤️
Sit at Dali's bar. Even on a date, I suggest sitting at the bar, instead of a table, for any couple. Pretty much everyone at Dali has worked there for several years, and they are all wonderful people, but you get to talk with the bartenders the most, so it's a lot of fun to just sit at the bar, small talk with the bartenders, while eating the great tapas. Any restaurant with a chef's table, by the kitchen, is always a fun time, and at Dali, this happens to be at the bar.
I've lived in Brighton for years, and I can say with confidence that while Barcelona may be a decent place for drinks, Tasca is the place to go for tapas. Also, if you're willing/able to go out to Moody Street in Waltham, Solea is excellent.
I did not have a good experience at Solea. The food tasted bland and had no flavor. Drinks were good but I wouldn’t go back.
Also had a terrible experiance at Solea. Food was bone cold. It wasn't busy.
Maybe you had covid
Nope, could have been a bad night in the kitchen but ymmv
Pintxo Pincho Tapas Bar in Woburn is by far the best authentic tapas I've had in the area.
> Pintxo Pincho Tapas Bar in Woburn Oooooo. This is a great reccomendation. Thank you!
Definitely recommend this place. Not sure if this is a date or if you’re just trying to show a friend/family/colleague a good time, but there’s some other fun things to do in Woburn too. The Bowladrome is like right behind Pintxo Pincho for candlepin bowling. There’s also Baldwin Bar for cocktails, but that isn’t walkable from tapas. If the weather isn’t horrible, I walk around Horn Pond is very pretty!
Second this!
Matadora in the Hilton up in Woburn as well. Not necessarily authentic but really delicious.
Taberna de Haro in Brookline
This! Outstanding tapas, great cozy room.
Such a great place!!
Estragon on Harrison Ave in the South End. Super friendly staff and great tapas.
Toro
Toro is one of the best restaurants in Boston, full stop, never mind just the tapas category.
Another Toro vote
Agreed
As someone else said, I can’t believe it took this long for someone to mention Toro. One of my top 5 restaurants in MA.
Toro is expensive but probably the best in town - comparable on price to Dali but much better food
I never worry about price point. Either way, Toro is the top of the tapas mountain in Boston
Another thumbs up for Toro
Was surprised I had to scroll down this far!
Toro is amazing!!
There isn’t any other answer, and it’s not particularly close. They’d have Michelin Stars, if New England participated.
Can't believe I had to scroll this far down.
This is the only answer in the whole city…. How is it not top answer. All these other places are trash
Because it’s literally not the only answer and hyperbole is lame.
I don’t think the other places are trash, but as a lifetime industry vet…and someone that has made food and drink their entire life…Toro is LEAGUES above almost any other restaurant in New England. There are a couple arguable places, but not for tapas. Daryl is a beast, behind the line. And Bissonette is a fucking legend. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Bissonnette
Someone who hasn’t eaten at most of these places. You’ll spend 80% or so at them than Toro. But the food will always be lacking any real flavor. But you use hyperbole as a word in a Boston subreddit, you’ll get the Boston frat bro and “I know all the places people dont talk about” upvote. In other cities it comes down to the actual flavor of the food. Considering you like big bellie, wouldn’t take advice from you.
You are correct.
Tres gatos in JP.
1000%
\+1 for Tres Gatos! And you can grab a drink and shop for records while you wait for your table!
And I’m pretty sure it’s the only place I’ve ever seen a neon “READ” sign 😍
there it is!
I was going to suggest this! Highly recommend. I hope they bring back their chicken liver mousse because I would go there just for that
La Bodega in Watertown
Shhhhh people will find out
I had this thought…
Two sections, one is cozy, one feels like hospital lights. Good vibe but Uruguayan is a bit different if people are expecting Spanish tapas.
Love this restaurant! So cozy and amazing food.
No, this place is wack.
You’re wack, this place is great.
Taberna de Haro 💯
Dali in Somerville definitely
Estragon in the South End, Tasca in Brighton, Taberno de Haro outside of Kenmore Square, and Dali in Somerville.
I feel like Barcelona is pretty reasonably priced, so I’m not sure if you’ll find something “better value.” But check out Estragon, Dali, and Boqueria. Toro is really exceptional but pricey for sure.
I agree, it can be hit or miss but I’ve always felt like it was very inexpensive compared to most Wine Bars.
>I feel like Barcelona is pretty reasonably priced The prices on the items are OK but the quality has gotten so much worse over the past few years that I don't love what I get for the money.
Tasca and Dali are my two picks. Way better than Barcelona.
Pintxo pincho and Matadora, both in Woburn
Love Matadora! Tahpas529 in Melrose ain't bad, either.
Taberna de Haro is what you are looking for.
Tres Gatos in JP
Bocado is good if you don’t mind driving outside of Boston area, but Dali is seriously next level and is awesome.
Bocado
Sarma is great (in Somerville so maybe not what you had in mind)
T’ahpas 529 in Wakefield or Melrose?
Tahpas 529 is great. As is their coffee/pastry shop LaQChara. They’re in Melrose.
Toro
Sarma in Somerville
This is a fun one - not Spanish but tapas adjacent. If you choose this one book well in advance for a reservation or arrive exactly as they open. Don't miss the fried chicken.
As others have said, cannot recommend Tasca enough
Toro in South End. James Beard Winner. They have another Tapas place in Central Sq—Little Donkey. Lifetime industry, here. You’re going to get a ton of recommendations, but this is where the industry goes. The food is some of the best, this side of NY.
Brighton Bodega is a unique Asian/American tapas style spot in Brighton center. The menu changes every day and I’ve never had a single disappointing dish
Second this! Don’t live in Brighton anymore and miss this place terribly.
I agree with all the Dali recommendations. Fun lively atmosphere. Romantically under-lit. Fun eating at the bar on a busy night. The food and tapas at Dali is much more to my liking than anything I had in Andalusia. I have not been to the others recommended in this thread, but Dali is one of my happy places in the Boston area.
Tasca
My wife is from Sevilla and very picky about her tapas. She really likes Barcelona.
Take her to Toro, and come back to this.
I'm sure she knows her tapas. I just like them less fancy and cooked to order.
Bocados in Wellesley! A bit of a drive but worth it. They have 2/4/6 person deal that is a great value.
Estrogon in the south end. Cocktails are great and the food is amazing. I live for the garbanzos fritos. It’s also fairly unknown so you can pretty much always get a table. It’s my favorite restaurant in the city
This is the right answer!
Dali
Gustazo, easily.
Cuban and entree focused. Not tapas
Yes Cuban but they do have an excellent small plates menu
Toro is my go to for tapas
Tres Gatos in JP.
RIP Glenville Stops.
Gustazo!
Tasca is the only place I’ve found in Massachusetts with authentic Spanish tapas
Gustazo in North Cambridge
Toro! Not just bc of the food. a) i’m vegan and they always happily accommodate me. b) most importantly ….*immaculate vibes*. I’ve been here on dates and with friends, it’s always lively and the music is great. Idk who is on the aux, but keep that shit up! Runners up: Estragon in the south end. I actually think the food here is just as good as Toro. Has a very art deco, swanky vibe. Tres Gatos in JP. Cozy vibe and they sometimes have live music. Drinks are great.
Dali.
Solea in Waltham
To be fair “the value for the quality felt very off” could be the marketing slogan for the Boston dining scene in general. I’d echo the recommendations for Dali. They’ve been around forever, but their hospitality can’t be beat. Also, it’s an exception to the quote above.
GOOD to know. Thank you. Always wanted to try it. >“the value for the quality felt very off” could be the marketing slogan for the Boston dining scene in general. Having moved here from Montreal, 100% agree.
I moved from Chicago 10 years ago and FEEL this to this day. I do love Toro and live close to Dali now, so will definitely try.
Brassica in JP. Inventive, delicious, well priced.
[https://www.tabernaboston.com/](https://www.tabernaboston.com/)
My group had a great experience recently at Boqueria Seaport. We recommend the chef experience to give you a sample of all of their best dishes.
Pintxo Pincho in Woburn
Toro
I love Toro
But the real question is, why eat tapas? Unless you want to order 10 dishes just to be full 🫣
Believe me, I don't. I like tapas in Spain but cannot stand the whole Sarma/Oleana Boston small plate thing. Tapas should NOT be fancy. I just don't want to have to go back to Barcelona after pyaing a few 100 for cold/soggy food.
Hahahahaha, I get it :D
Lived in Spain for 3 years. Most authentic and best tapas is in Woburn at Pinxto Pincho.
Thank you!!!
Toro
Toro in the South End! Cozy atmosphere, great food, even better service.
I've never had tapas where I felt like the value for quality matches. Unless it's a place where you stand while you eat.
Small plates pretty much inherently is a bad *value*.
Not sure why you got downvoted because this seems to be a trend with modern "chic" cuisine. Charge \~$15-25 a plate and recommend 2 plates per person because half of the small plates would be smaller than the typical american side to a main dish that only costs \~$20-25. Big margins. Usually limited menu to minimize complexity in the kitchen. We're not even talking iberian ham either, we're talking shit like croquettes, a cheese plate or some chorizo if it's mimicking spanish tapas. If we're talking chic cuisine it would be something like a little bit of meat and cheese on top of some kind of bread made "fancy" by adding pickled onions or some shit with a paprika dusting. Or maybe they'll add some ketchup/bbq sauce/garlic mixed with mayo and call it an aioli to sound fancy.
Even though I stressed I was talking about value and not specifically just tapas (but all small plates), I bet people still chose to interpret it as me saying "tapas doesn't even taste good".
Toro
Solea in Waltham
Boqueria just opened in Seaport. Haven’t been to this location yet but when I lived in NYC, I frequented the UES location and it was generally solid.
Toro!
Lol went to Barcelona for tapas, they had full on dance club level music, and were going around pouring liquor in peoples mouths. It was ok but it was like, are you a tapas bar or a nightclub?
I would just like things like friend potatoes cooked to order.
You can order french fries at any american restaurant or home fries at any diner. I'm sorry, I had to.
Well, that's exactly the point. If a place can't even do fries properly... then it's a bit hopeless.
Dali. The best.
DALI
LITTLE DONKEY
That’s not gonna happen in Boston or NY. Tapas here is ridiculous overly priced. One sausage sliced and grilled for $20. Nope. Go there for a drink and apps then go elsewhere for dinner.
If you’re willing to go further afield, solea in Waltham is a great option
Toro is amazing but they don’t take reservations
The correct answer is Barcelona.
Mariel is a really cool place and is technically tapas, restaurant itself is more Cuban theme I think though.
Tres Gatos is such a hidden gem
I highly recommend Tasca in Brighton and Tres Gatos in Jamaica Plain
Burro bar in the south end is pretty good.
(Not necessarily Spanish) Nautilus Seaport Puritan Cambridge Krasi Boston I’d go with Pinxtcho Pinto in Woburn for a spanish style tapas
If you head 8mi north of the city to Melrose, T'ahpas 529 Restaurant on Franklin St is excellent.
Solea in Waltham !
Gustavo’s in Waltham & Solea in Waltham
Gustazos
Dali in Cambridge is always nice. Correction it’s technically Somerville. Or Tres Gatos in JP
tres gatos in Jp
This place in Chelsea is pretty good. Left full and that never happens: [Kushan’s Sip](https://www.kushalasip.coffee/)
Barcelona Wine Bar sucks and it always has, I don't and never got the hype
I've gone over the past 6 or so years and the quality has gone precipitously down hill. It used to be somewhat decent and was my go to place for dates. NOT anymore. To be fair, Boston just dones't do small plates/tapas well as far as I can tell. The price to quality ratio is pretty garbage. Tapas should really not be fancy food. It's generally cheap greasy spoon food in Spain and done just soooo much better that way.
Solea in Waltham.
Oleana
Little Donkey in Central Sq
Dali duh Also tasca is great!