In town for a conference and so many choices to eat, love SF for that. The Ramen as well as the Tai place down the street had a line out the door and this place was surprisingly empty and we were up for Tapas. What a great find ! The hostess and waiter were great and engaged in giving us some feedback on our dishes. We ordered Pear Confit, Octopus, Ox Tail, and the dates. Portions were generous and the four orders was plenty for two. The oxtail, octopus and dates were worldly. The pear confit was a bit too spicy but sweet pears gave it good balance. We really enjoyed the ambience, service and food! What a nice meal! read more

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The food, the service, and the ambiance was on point, especially my waitress and waiter. Mahalo! read more

Food was amazing and the service was great. Keith was knowledgeable about the menu and made amazing recommendations. Must try!

Food and service was amazing!! Came here for breakfast with my family, since you enter you feel warm and charming, all the food was great , 5 star to the chef and staff!! read more

Amazing paellas, ox tail, and yummy patatas partnered with great service! We were a party of 6 and the service was incredible. Food tasted very authentic to what we ate in Spain and would highly recommend this gem to anyone looking for great Spanish Tapas. The Bar and Lounge looks very nice too, but we didn't try that this time. Kudos to Chef and his team. read more

Great Tapas. Octopus, oxtail. Never a bad moment here. Been here multiple times always consistent. read more

Bota - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

Welcoming ambiance, friendly staff and absolutely amazing food. Jamón Ibérico, dates with bacon and ox tail. And to top off, churros read more

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The environment was fantastic, the staff was engaged and courteous, the food was phenomenal, and the drinks were unique/delicious. If you are looking for good food and a lovely time, this is the place for you. read more

Food was delicious, service was excellent and in a great location! We had tapas and the paella and loved everything! Would definitely come back read more

Fantastic! Walked in without a reservation; they quickly accommodated a party of four; they graciously allowed us time to figure out which tapas we were going to order; and the food was wonderful! A perfect meal for our family. Highly recommend the chocolate ganache! Thank you Bota! read more

The vibe was absolutely wonderful. Amazing and collaborative wait staff. The paella takes 25 minutes but the tapas take less than 5!! 10/10 would recommend. We loved the bacon wrapped dates. read more

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Paid by card. Bota is on the street and offers street parking. I was easily able to walk here from The Marker and since it wasn't too busy, my party of 2 was able to get seated right away. This restaurant has indoor seating only. The server was very friendly. This place was ok. I thought the food was a little bland and the churros too sweet. The squid ink paella tasted better after putting hot sauce though. The sangria was ok. Overall I think this place was ok. I may go back to try other items. read more

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This was an amazing experience. The Service paid attention to us at every turn. Even when something dropped, he came to apologize for the noise. The food was extraordinary. We loved the plates with the octopus. The oysters were amazing. This is definitely a place we would recommend. The card stuffed with piquillo peppers was our favorite. But it was a special. Don't miss it if it's there. read more

Bota - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place was fantastic! So much wow! The saffron old fashioned was unexpected and perfect. We had the cannelloni de pollo special along with a delicious pear confit and the bacon wrapped dates. Such a perfect evening! read more

Fantastic experience at Bota Tapas & Paella Bar for my birthday celebration. We ordered Sangria, Pinot Noir & marinated olives mixed appetizer to start. Comfortable seating, clean, beautiful interior. Easy to make reservations online ahead of time. Entrees grilled Octopus & Lamb Chops. Perfectly grilled and presentation was very nice! The restaurant is in a hotel & I recommend Bota since it was so close to the Union Square. Attentive and friendly service. Looking forward to returning to Bota & trying the Squid Ink Paella! My birthday and the kind, talented kitchen staff made a small dessert to a enjoy chocolate, strawberries, shortbread dessert. It was so delightful. Made my celebration so memorable! Highly reccommed the grilled Octopus! Enjoy! read more

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Our group of five really enjoyed the food here. The Spanish meatball, gazpacho, and the surf and tilled paella were especially good. The service was also excellent. The wait staff were very efficient, attentive, very friendly. We will definitely be back. read more

Fantastic! Small but cozy atmosphere. The food reminded us of Barcelona; tasty and the right temperature. The Staff is very welcoming and attentive. The saffron old fashioned cocktail was well prepared, too. Overall, a wonderful experience. read more

This place was so good. Bota is a Spanish restaurant in SF and the food honestly blew me away. The menu isn't super big, but they have a few special tapas that are packed with flavor. Some have meat, some have seafood, and some have both -- and every one we tried was amazing. For dessert, the churros and cream puffs were fire. Super tasty and a great way to end the meal. They also have a good amouselection of drinks -- cocktails, mocktails, wine, beer -- you name it. The service was normal. Not super friendly, but not bad either. The only thing that kind of threw me off was the vibe. It was super quiet when we went -- only like 5 other people in the whole place, and not much music or energy. It just felt kinda empty. But overall, the food was so good that I gave it 5 stars anyway. If you're into Spanish food or just want to try something different, definitely check it out. read more

The food was incredible, the service was amazing! The service makes me want to keep coming back and the cooks seem like they have passion for food. If you like simple foods I recommend Patatas Bravas and if you want something a little more flavorful I recommend The Paella Vegetarian with added chicken. Also an honorable mention is that the ambiance is relaxed and is a nice vibe! read more

Yes, excellent service, excellent food. We were headed to Alcatraz in less than an hour and 2 tapas plates, Pollo al Ajillo and Mejellones Escabechados. Enjoy!! read more

Food & service is excellent. Our server, Keith, was very helpful explaining dishes & accommodating preferences (eg having the sauce on the side). The tapas come out quickly, paella takes about 25 minutes. We ate at 5pm (had a show to go to) & were the 1st ones there. Will definitely come back! read more

Everything is on point! Love the paella with a little crunch. Lamb is next to perfection and potatoes with bravas do not dissappoint. We will definitely come back again read more

Bota - Bestie is having her moment with seafood paella #crunch - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

Nicole is Awesome! She always helps with me with my drinks - 5 Stars. I come here ever weekend

Nothing special. Their paella was so salty, it took me 3 glasses of water to push it through. Shrimp - over salted. Brussel sprouts were okay at best. Service is good. But food sucks. Won't come back. read more

Had the absolute best squid ink paella here last night. I was there with a couple of friends. We loved it so much we literally scraped every bit off the pan. I was first introduced to squid ink pasta in Venice, Italy and was hooked to the taste of it however, finding something comparable to that is rare until we ate here last night. My friends told me I have never looked happier any other meal, then eating the squid ink paella last night, you should have seen the joy on my face and you should have seen how we cleaned the pan, it was that good! read more

This was a disappointing experience on a couple of levels. We made reservations to have dinner prior to a show at the Rembi theater. We got there on time and stood waiting at the podium. Servers were rushing around, and the staff saw us, but it was a while before we were seated. Our server took our drink order as well as our tapas order. In a relatively short period of time, all of our tapas arrived, but no drinks. I asked the server where the drinks were...."they're coming." A while later, after we already started eating, the drinks did arrive. The drinks were very 'meh.' I'd stick with wine if I were to return. The food was okay. Not great, but not bad either. The paella was dry and the lamb was tough. The server never returned, so we were flagging down people to get our water refilled. Total for 3 people was about $220 (not including tip). read more

I ate so much it hurts. Great food, what a variety. Great ambiance, come to hang, come for a date, stay for the churros. Great service and quick. Try the Iberico !! read more

Arrived early for the Cher show at the Curran Theater and saw Bota across the street. Could not tell if it was open or not so took A chance and it was. Perfect spot for appetizers and a drink before the 100pm show. We were disappointed that cocktails Were not available until 500pm They did have sangria and beer and some wine by the glass. Robert was our server and he was a complete pleasure. He was so personable had great suggestions. He brought me sips of all the had to offer in attempts to Locate something that pleased my pallet. Upon his suggestions we ordered the dates, tomatoes and charcuterie plate. Everything was a flavor bomb with the dates being the winner. Would have been a perfect experience if cocktails were available. We will revisit for dinner soon. Very clean, good selections and great happy people there. The bathrooms are part of the hotel next door so a bit of a trip but they were very clean. This was a great choice and unexpected find. read more

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Wonderful food & Service - Dio made my birthday celebration special and fun! Would absolutely come back!

I came here with my partner for Valentine's Day. We ordered a few tapas, paella, and a pitcher of sangria. The waiter pushed another table over to ours so we'd have a bit more room for all our food :). The patatas bravas and vegetable paella were very good! read more

beautiful food!!! amazing atmosphere!!! fabulous service!!! I had the most amazing tomatoes and a delicious chicken dish!!

Warm and charming restaurant with friendly customer service. They serve tapas and paella. The seafood paella and the secreto iberico are delicious. The chocolate ganache with the strawberry and baguette was wonderful and the creama catalana had a tasty Spanish custard. A good dinner spot for a date or to catch up with friends. read more

It was super quiet on Monday morning of the JP Morgan Conference, which I point out because most places are absolutely packed during this week. I had the Bota breakfast with scrambled eggs, and chicken apple sausage. The chicken apple sausage was delicious and the potatoes were well-seasoned. Service was fast, which is essential during business conferences. I was able to get in & out and on to my meeting with a good meal, so no complaints from me! read more

We have eaten at Bota at least a half dozen times, probably more than that. I had not been there since the pandemic, however, until last night, and that visit is what prompts this review. In general, we have had dinner early, before a show at the American Conservatory Theatre. Its main space is across the street, a thirty second walk away. But we have enjoyed the experience enough to made reservations without being headed to a show afterward. My wife went there with some out of town friends recently, and they had fun. That is a good word to use. The place can be boisterous. So if you are looking for "serene," I'm not sure this would be suitable. For a first date, it would work if you both were more festive and less calm. The sangria is a good indication. It would be wrong not to imbibe. I'd highlight how accommodating they were. Our waiter was helpful. We were meeting another couple. Our show, the Lehman trilogy, was 3 hours 30 minutes, and it had an early start. They messed up the calendar. They texted as we sat down to say they likely would miss the meal. So we had to change the order. That was no problem. We were willing to relinquish a four top by the window. We volunteered to be reseated. But then our friends showed up, very late. We had not finished. They squeezed in next to us. They finished off the paella. That dish is their specialty. It is made as it should be. That means to order. They warn you it will be more than a thirty minute wait. That's a positive signal. If it came out immediately, that would mean they just had a batch ready, prepared in advance, and they toss in the proteins that they have reheated. In order for the rice to have the flavors imparted to it, they need the full process. As a side, we had brussel sprouts. Those have a bit of cheese. Those are vegetables that have improved in reputation. California is the place to have them. The cheese plate, while pricey, was flavorful and plentiful. It is for sharing. The play was great, much better than I had expected (I was dreading the length). The dinner was a prelude that fit the bill. read more

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My boyfriend took me to this really cute tapas place in downtown San Francisco for Valentine's Day. I was so happy he was able to get us a reservation. The ambience was very romantic but nothing compared to the amazing service we got! Our servers name was Keith and he was extremely attentive despite how busy it was. He gave us all the best recommendations for food and he was very patient with us when it came to picking our wine as their selection is a little pricey so he made sure we got exactly what we wanted. 10/10 dinner date would absolutely come again. read more

Bota - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

Went for an early dinner before a play. The whole experience was excellent. Staff were welcoming and attentive (but not excessively so). We tried 4 or 5 tapas dishes, plus 2 desserts. The special, octopus croquettes, were delicious, as were the garlic prawns, oyster mushrooms, and grilled eggplant. For the latter, the waiter recommended bread - crisply toasted slices - which was perfect for smearing the eggplant on. Both the churros and the poached pear were hits as desserts. The only slight downside was that it hard-surfaced with a pretty high noise level. I liked that all the staff worked together rather than the "oh, I have to find your wait person" approach. read more

I loved this restaurant! Tapas are a sentimental thing for me and I loved the restaurant's decor, and had a great experience service wise. The food options were amazing. I am a picky eater and still found several dishes I enjoyed! I can't wait to visit again:)! read more

We came in on a Saturday afternoon and were greeted with excellent hospitality. The music and atmosphere were refreshing. I was surprised at how well the dishes were prepared. The potatoes were perfectly crispy with a soft center. The seafood was crispy and still very moist. read more

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Cute spot for small bites/tapas! Their food is yummy and fresh, I just wish the paella had more seafood in it. Their staff is kind and accommodating. Overall Id go back, but their menu is limited and their alcohol is minimal. read more

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is it fair to compare this establishment to that of another in another city like NYC or Atlanta... ? Yes, it is fair. I have worked as a server/ waiter when I was in college.... the girl serving me was not attentive to remove plates, didn't bother to check in on me to see if I wanted another drink ( has the guy approach my table and I asked him to get my waitress/ server). The surf and turf dish looked nice but I haven't had my pasta burn like this at an Atlanta Tapas or NYC Tapas place... the drinks were definitely watered down and then the ice ... Save your stomach and your money read more