I hate to say it but the food here was mid at best. Service was very quick and they were on top of…read morerefilling waters. Took a little while to get the check but they were on it during the main service. The ambiance is excellent. Lots of old world charm and they usually keep some doors open for that quintessential indoor/outdoor euro-vibe. Street parking wasn't too hard to find at 530 PM on a weekday and parking is like .35 cents since it's free after 6. The food though was nowhere approaching Spain quality I'll tell you. Even looking at the food items here I'm pretty sure you can just tell. A potential caveat here is we only had vegetarian items so can't speak to the meat but honestly 9.5 times out of 10 if the veggie options are great so is the rest of the food... just sayin'. MAYBE in the future I'd come back for a tapas or two and a drink prior to going to a show at Metro Gallery but I wouldn't order too much or go out of my way.

It has been a long time since I ate here or a drink here, but I was at the Charles recently and got…read morea preshow drink. I highly highly recommend their vermouth sodas. It's just a really light drink and you get an olive. It's nothing super special but it does taste really special. The cool thing about tapas teatro is that you can order a drink here and take it inside the theater. Honestly, this place is one of the most solid institutions in the city so I'm very glad that they were doing well. The food here was a mix. My favorite bite was probably the octopus and romanesco sauce. A few things were a mess like the random loaf of bread they gave us to start that was dry. The ambience probably hasn't changed much since since they opened, which was probably around the early 2000s it's giving very much a sex in the city vibes of the years past but honestly there's nothing wrong with it and it's a solid place. I really hope they never go out of business.

Good food, nice staff, nice decor, good for groups, upscale pricing…read more We planned a gathering of friends from all over the area. Tío Pepe came to mind as an old-school favorite, and it drew in some folks we havent seen in a while for a chance to get haircuts and dress up a little for a memorable dinner. Reastaurante Tío Pepe is a nicely decorated taste of old Spain and Europe, a little north of downtown Baltimore. Look for the deep red awning over the descending stairs. There's an ample garage across the street. Around 6:30pm on a Saturday, we entered a lush hall and a dark comfortable bar area, with a coatcheck room just to the right. We arrived a little earlier than our group, so we found seats at the smallish full-bar with the imperial-red or ruby-red granite top. We had a great old $15 Catalonian Yzaguirre sweet red dulce vermouth rojo, caringly flavored since 1884 with distinct yet mild herbs reminiscent of the way the beverage is custom-infused in the old small bars across Spain. It was slighlty-sweet and richly complex. Quite refreshing, and they have even nicer vermouths on the menu, too. And we had an $10 rich amber dry white sherry, possibly a Gozales Byass which we noticed mentioned on wall décor, milder than the vermouth yet also fully flavored. We liked the authentic ambiance of white-painted stone walls and well-chosen items of décor from Spain. Our group of 20-or-so was split into two tables. And the eleven at our table also went through three $32 pitchers of tasty sweet sangria! So it was a lovely evening :-) Waiters in bright red jackets were very attentive. The food we chose from Pepe's extensive menu was good. We got $14.50 garlic caracoles, snails in butter, to pass around as an appetizer. A fun gently-flavored rather-chewy treat for the adventurous! Well, "caracoles". We had $10 Crema Escarial, a flavorful bisque with seafood and Brandy de Jerez. It had only the tiniest brunoise-size chunks of seafood in it, though, or whatever the Spain equivalent of "brunoise" is. We had a $13 Sopa de Pescado y Mariscos, a soup loaded with shrimp, mussels, clams, fish and lobster chunks, plus rice and some veggies. This was a much heartier choice. We had $17 Ostras Gratinadas, an oysters-Rockefeller of five large oysters loaded with spinach and cheese. They were very tasty and satisfying. We had a well-made $10 salad that included artichokes, beets, watercress and a sweet vinaigrette.  Many of us had different fish dishes, most around $36. They were fresh and tasty in a variety of flavorful sauces. The $36 sole, Filets de Linguado Alcázar, was perfect, with hollandaise made with bananas! That was a real treat! Ask your servers about off-menu apps and mains, too. We ordered fun twice-fried "puffed" potato wedges for everyone, hot, light, and just a little salty. We shared $14 Tortilla Sorpresa Fantasia Española, a baked Alaska, prepared table-side by red-jacketed staff. An exciting delicious spectacle! And a number of us split huge tasty $12 Brazo de Gitano a los Piñones, lush pine-nut whipped cream rolls.  A few weaker points: it was a busy night for the restaurant, and staff seemed a bit behind the curve. Food took a very long time to come out, around 3 hours from start to finish, and some of us had entrees half-eaten while others were still waiting. Several of us said their rice was only lukewarm. A couple of folks were unimpressed by the tenderness of their fish. For two of us, the total at dinnertime was $135 before the tip, and we had really modest dishes plus we paid for one of the pitchers of sangria. I imagine others were over $175 per person. The restaurant at large seemed happy, and we liked our food and drink. But for me, i expect everything to be quite delightful at those prices. I admit, most of the time we have previously come here over lunch, which has lower prices. It was fun evening, and our group seemed very happy, with several toasts and homages to our family of friends, and the hospitality of Tio Pepe :-)

Absolutely incredible restaurant. Our Go-To for birthdays, anniversaries, special anything…read more Atmosphere, staff and food have been putting a smile on my face since almost as long as it has been open. Will be celebrating my birthday there on Saturday. Can't wait for that first escargot to hit my tongue. My belly then knows it's in for a feast.

I would not reccomend this restaurant to friends and family. I would not eat there again even if I…read morewas given a gift certificate or card for a free meal. The menu is very limited. What they do serve is not good. Nearly 50% of the menu items were American. The beans are soupy, the chicken and steak are bland, and the salsa is watery. A Velveeta-like cheese sauce was used on nachos. They give about two cups of rice with each plate, about 1/4 of a cup of sour cream, and a cup of shredded wet lettuce. It is freezing cold and smoky in the restaurant. The smoke from the kitchen all creeps into the dining area. The seats, booths, tables, and decor were all outdated and old. I had to go home and immediately wash my hair and clothes (including the jacket I wore while dining because it was freezing). My husband, who is normally hot also had to put on a jacket. I was looking forward to this new place; was sadly disappointed. It was bad; really bad. I doubt El Nopal will stay in business long. Single Pro: a bartender the night I went made a good margarita. I did not ask for a name.

Wish I could give more stars. The papusa's were good and the burrito was decent. Although I do…read morebelieve there was some type of processed cheese food on top. They forgot 1/2 of our order and it was freezing cold in there.

Great outdoor dining area. The complimentary warm bread and olive oil are amazing. Save some…read morebread for the tapas especially the ALBONDIGAS. Dipping the bread is the Jamón-Tomato Sauce is almost as good as the meatballs themselves. The crispy okra was fried perfectly. The pescado frito was good but probably not worth the money. Extensive wine by the glass selection, several good draft beer and signature cocktails make this a great dining experience.

Barcelona is the perfect spot for a romantic date night. Every tapas we ordered was absolutely…read moredelicious, and the service was attentive, friendly, and fast. Our favorites were the patatas bravas, the pork belly, and the seasonal pork ribs--which were so good we ordered them twice... and completely forgot to take a picture lol. Highly recommend if you're looking for an incredible meal and a great atmosphere!

Finding this restaurant can prove difficult...if your GPS lands you at the back of the building…read morekeep going around. If you lands you at the train tracks, yes that tiny road leads to La Cuchara. Prompt greeting by the host and very attentive service throughout our dining experience. I enjoyed all appetizers (Pintxos) but my absolute favorite was the beef empanada, it was so full of flavor. The tapas potatoes and salad were very tasty too. I had the rainbow trout for entree, for which the cuts were coming up short so they asked if shrimp was ok to add. I enjoyed the flavor of the shrimp, but I think the fish lacked seasoning- it was the only plate I didn't enjoy. Had the Aim to spark cocktail, a very well balanced drink! I'd visit again!

My friend and I had an amazing experience here. We came for happy hour and found seats at the bar…read more The bar was huge with ample seating as well as it appeared to have plenty of tables for dining. We both got a glass of wine and ordered two small plates to share. After quite a while of waiting for our food, the bartender checked to ask what we had ordered. He had forgotten to put our order through and to apologize, gave us a bit more wine to compensate which was super appreciated. Our dishes came out quickly once they were placed. We had gotten the Beef Empanadas and Dumpling Squash Beignets. The beignets weren't what we were expecting but were delicious. They were fried balls with squash cooked inside - very tasty. The empanadas were just as good with plenty of beef and a great aioli. All around, an amazing first experience here. The ambience was lively and service was great. Food and drink specials were just as amazing. We will definitely be back!

My daughter treated me for early Mother's Day. This was my first time there and it was a great…read moreexperience. Our server was wonderful. Our food came out within a reasonable amount of time and it was freshly prepared. Everything I had was so delicious, I certainly have to go back to try some other things. My daughter and I started with a pitcher of red sangria which was the best I've ever had. Our food was Gambas Al Ajillo (sautéed shrimp), Ragut de Setas (sautéed mushrooms) and a board (I don't remember the name) which contained fried cheese, chicken strips, fried pork chunks, empanadas and more. We had plenty to take home! The atmosphere was nice. I really liked the booths.

The food was so salty we couldn't eat it. We went to see the flamenco dancing show but there was no…read moredancing. A woman sat in a chair while a man stood with a guitar. They sang 2 short songs, but the entire time they mostly just sat and stood there in a corner while we wondered if there was an issue. The guy didn't even play the guitar during the silence. The waiter was somewhat rude and even slightly shoving us out even though we never said anything. We just paid tipped as we would any other time. It was not a good time or a good meal. We had to cook when we got home because we over paid for food we couldn't eat.

We probably dine out more in the Frederick area than about anyplace. There are many fine choices,…read moreup and down Market Street, back and forth across Patrick Street and in the hinterlands (up by Wegmans, over on East Street, down near and past FSK Mall, out on the Mile, etc. All of them considered, we have a new (to us) favorite Frederick area restaurant and Isabella's is it. For taste, promptness and courtesy of service (ask for Jessica by name) value and most of all by taste, Isabella's knows just what its doing and it delights with every mouthful. The three-tapas lunch special wowed us beyond all reasonable expectations for taste, imaginative diversity of flavors and value. Portions are generous and you cannot go wrong with what you choose. Apparently, save room for the desserts which also are a point of pride. We simply had no room! But we will be back. And back...

Frederick, Md. has some of the best restaurants within an hour's drive from home…read more Isabellas's is right there amongst the best in downtown Frederick. Ii is a spanish restaurant and serves excellent food. I had the seafood paella (one of my favorite dishes). The rice was flavored and seasoned perfectly. It was loaded with shrimp, mussels, calamari, and My wife had the beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes. For our cocktails, we had the peach sangria. Absolutely light and delicious. Our server was excellent. He made excellent recommendations and was very attentive. The dining area was very comfortable, roomy, bright, clean and nicely decorated. Eaxh booth comfortably seats anywhere from 4 to 6 customers. There is a bar offering beer, cocktails and wines. The bathrooms were spotless and modern. There is paid street parking. I easily and strongly recommend this restaurant.

Food was Fantastic - I will go there again without a doubt…read more Service however was reareallyl bad - the waiter took the order had someone else deliver it and missed putting one of our orders in the kitchen. He never showed up to ask us how the food was and if there is something else we needed. After quite some time had to signal another waiter and explain to him yet our waiter never came out till it was time for the check. While exiting the restaurant we were told the front door is closed and for us to exit through the side - but there were people coming out of the front door. If the food was not fantastic we would never visit it again. Food was worth the money.

I highly recommend it. The seafood rice is very good, and the octopus is soft and glutinous, which…read moreis also amazing!

Listen, when it's still 95 degrees at 9:30 p.m. in DC, any restaurant requiring outdoor seating…read moreonly is automatically disqualified. After striking out at two other spots, we landed at Barcelona Wine Bar, and honestly, it ended up being a pretty good save. As expected on a Thursday night, there was a wait for indoor seating, so we did what any reasonable adults would do: grabbed a drink at the bar and waited it out. I started with a Sauvignon Blanc while my friend ordered an espresso martini made with tequila, which was surprisingly delicious. Since we'd already survived happy hour elsewhere and had plans to continue the evening, we responsibly switched to water during dinner. Hydration is self-care, ladies and gentlemen. For food, we ordered the garlic shrimp, crispy mushrooms, chicken thigh, patatas bravas, and branzino. The stars of the evening were definitely the garlic shrimp and the patatas bravas. The chicken thigh was also flavorful and well-prepared. The crispy mushrooms, however, didn't quite do it for us. The flavor itself was good, but there was so much breading that we felt like we were eating the concept of a mushroom rather than an actual mushroom. Now for the plot twist. Everything came out fairly quickly except for the branzino. After waiting about 30 minutes, our server kindly informed us that it would be another 30 minutes before the fish arrived. At that point, we collectively decided that while we enjoy seafood, we do not enjoy it enough to wait an hour for it. So, we politely waved the white flag and called it a night. The service throughout the evening was genuinely good. The hostess was friendly, our server was attentive and communicative, and the bartender was cool despite operating under what appeared to be combat-level crowd conditions. It was packed, so ordering required decisiveness and a strong sense of purpose. The restaurant itself isn't huge, but it's a great size with a lively atmosphere and plenty of outdoor seating--which I'm sure is wonderful during the approximately three weeks of the year when DC weather is actually pleasant. Would I return? Absolutely. I'd just skip the mushrooms, order strategically, and maybe avoid arriving after spending several hours participating in Happy Hour Olympics beforehand. As I always say: I'm not difficult to please. I just have standards.

No matter what city I'm in Barcelona does not disappoint! We have visited Barcelona in three states…read moreand always have a great meal and great service. They are a great spot for celebrating a special occasion because of the atmosphere and decor, liveliness, and complimentary desserts and drinks. At our last visit, we were celebrating a graduation and our server made sure our guest of honor felt celebrated. There was something for everyone on the menu, even our pickiest eater. Some of my favorites are the whipped sheep's cheese, croquetas, pork belly, and gambas. And we always order a pitcher of red sangria. :)