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    Iberia Restaurant

    4.0 (406 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 8:00 PM

    Iberia Restaurant Tapas/Small Plates Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    IBERIA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Intimate
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Iberia Restaurant

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    Reviews With Photos

    Pistachio and Mocha cake
    Robert U.

    I absolutely love their food here. The beef carilleras were amazing (beef cheek and tendon stew), the bacalao, the Lomo de orzo and the bread service were all amazing. Also their alcauciles con champiñones were some of the best artichokes and mushrooms I've ever had. Can't wait to go back! The service was also very attentive! Love the ambiance and the high back chairs.

    Dinner time
    Cheryl M.

    One of those outings you end up dining alone as a friend cancels last minute...heck, I'm still going...Don't have to deal with picky eaters and order what you like! Weekday visit a couple years ago and had an enjoyable meal of Spanish tapas and sangria in the bar area. I admit I splurged (don't judge) and had leftovers for 2 more meals :: Bomba - beef-stuffed fried potatoes :: Pastel de bacalhau - salt-cod / potato pie :: Jamincito de pollo - chicken leg stuffed with pork and button mushrooms :: Dates filled with chorizo and wrapped in bacon Dishes flavorful and wonderful. Service minimal in the bar area. Place is small with Old World ambiance and great place for special occasion. Would return to enjoy a seafood paella, other dishes and a dessert! $$$ - Highly recommend reservations even for 2 people. Parking on busy El Camino Real.

    Paella Iberia
    Anthony Z.

    Craving paella? Drive to SF, park'n'dine, drive back, and you would've still saved time as compared to coming here and waiting for your food. I called around 5PM for a 6PM reservation, and they were able to fit me in. In hindsight, do I regret that phone call? Yes. There is only street parking, but luckily the street is pretty empty so it shouldn't be a big issue. The restaurant is cute and small, which makes it perfect for date night...right? Well, if a date night means yelling to hear one another, over 1 hour wait times for food, and ears hurting from a party of 15+ people next you in a restaurant not built to accommodate such a large party, then this is a pretty decent spot. If any of the above is a dealbreaker, then avoid taking my steps. Noise levels were through the roof, and paired with how long I had to wait for my food to come, it was basically 1 hour of overstimulation in what I was expecting to be a quiet date night with my wife. The restaurant is basically the size of 2 or 3 living rooms, so sound insulation/dispersion was nonexistent. Tables were shouting to hear and talk to each other. Wait times were CRAZY. I came in at 6, ordered at 6:10, and food came exactly 1 hour later. Around the 45min mark, I was seriously debating to c(r)ash out on my check for an appetizer and leave. Did I mention that they force a 20% "tip and service charge?". This method makes this place have ZERO incentive to prepare your food in a timely manner, much less try to give you good service. NO ONE checked up on us when they know we've been waiting for a hot minute, and you'd expect with the long wait you'd get some free bread right...? Nah that'll be $8, and with the service charge, basically $10. For some bread to accompany you in your painfully long wait. Let's move on to the food. It is objectively decent, but portions are pretty small. I ordered a fideau and Iberian paella. The fideau is pretty good and flavorful, and the meat was tender. The price is a little steep for the size, but at least it came served in a cute little cast iron pot. The Iberian paella says that it serves 1 to 3 people, but it probably served 1 with some left over. My wife and I were NOT full at all, even after the paella and appetizer. The dish itself was pretty good, but again, price to portion ratio is not competitive if we're being nice here. Given that the bottom turned into crispy rice, it's a lot like seafood dolsot bibimbap (korean stone pot rice). Horrible wait times, ignorant service (no check ups during our long wait time), too loud for what this place advertises itself as, and overall low price to portion value makes this place a hard miss for me. HOWEVER, if you enjoy this kind of thing, then objectively the food is not bad. If you're not, then I'm sure there are better choices out there for paella, date night, you name it. But hey, maybe I'm just not accommodated to life on the Spanish coast!

    Grace M.

    We did a walk in for Valentine's Day and had the prefixe menu. The food was all tasty and I liked the atmosphere it felt like an old renovated home and with low ceilings and cozy interior. The stars of the show were definitely the potatoes with the steak and the baked scallop dish for appetizer. I'd be interested to try their regular menu, and their paella

    Seating
    Albie E.

    If you're looking for some authentic, Spanish cuisine in the SF Peninsula, I recommend this place! From the moment you get there, the exterior looks very European! Once inside you feel transported to a small Spanish town. The interior is very cozy and intimate. We ordered several typical tapas. Patata bravas, croquetas and pa amb tomaquet to start. The food came out and looked so delicious. Tasting them also was another level. The food tasted fresh, full of flavour and an authentic. The food tastes as if you're at a family dinner, full of good seasoning and flavours. We ordered the paella to share, and of course you have to order it sacarrat style which is with crispy edges. The desserts were amazing and súper good! The service was great, with our hostess checking in with us throughout the dinner. I've driven by this place hundreds of times and finally got to try it. Parking is along the street. I also highly recommend making reservations as this place is on the smaller side. It's a must try!

    Amy C.

    Came here for dinner with a friend. Parking is difficult - street parking only along a busy street but it is close to the Caltrain station. They have happy hour at the bar on weekdays until 6pm. We were able to try a bunch of different dishes. Overall portions are pretty small for the price - often the tapas are one piece or 3 small dates etc for $5-$6. The paella was pretty good and filling. For two people we ended up spending about $60 each without dessert. I dislike how they add an automatic 20% gratuity regardless of size of party, which defeats the purpose of having a tip.

    Paella Iberia
    Stephanie F.

    I am less than a 5 min walk from this place and have dined at Iberia at least 3 times. After not having been in over a year, I ended up dining here twice within a week! I organized an adults only dinner for a party of 6, and it was so much fun sampling all the tapas! The gambas al ajillo is my favorite dish! I've dined at many Spanish restaurants, and I think it's the best at Iberia. The sauce is very garlic and seafood forward, I always order the bread service to sop up all the sauce. The bienmasabe, fried cubes of mahi-mahi, was a flavor bomb in my mouth. The fish is lightly fried, and a small amount of vinegar is released when you bite into it. It's so tasty! Surprisingly, the callos ala madrilleña, was quite delicious! Who knew trotters and tripe could taste so good? We also ordered the small paella Iberia to share, and it was totally delectable! The saffron rice was cooked perfectly and it was full of seafood, chicken and pork. My only gripe would be that I wished it had more socarrat! Otherwise, the flavor profile was spot on. All the food paired well with the house made sangria, which we ordered a pitcher of. Some places make their sangrias too sweet or with too much hard alcohol, but Iberia's version is perfect. We enjoyed the food so much, I brought my sister and brother in law to try Iberia the following week. My brother in law is part Basque, so he was excited to try! We ordered some of the same dishes, but tried new ones as well. This time, we tried the oxtail and a pasta dish, similar to a cannelloni in a cream sauce. My daughter who has an aversion to tomato sauce would love this dish! We're so fortunate to live so close to a fantastic Spanish restaurant! I just perused their website and discovered that they offer cooking classes as well. We're actually going to go again in a few weeks to treat my parents for my dad's birthday since he's never been. I hope he enjoys it as much as I do!

    HH Empanadilla de Pollo
    Judy C.

    Great HH destination on the Peninsula for 1-2 people. Available only in the bar area. My friend and I ordered about 2/3 of the HH menu and liked everything. Our favorite was the pintxo de atun. The paella was the perfect portion for 2 people as part of a meal or enough for 1 person who wants to make it their whole meal. It's not my favorite paella but I liked that it came with a lot of seafood. Be careful though because if you keep ordering, the tab sneaks up on you. We ended up spending over $150 for 2 people.

    Trea leches heaven
    Gino C.

    Yes we are back again and still very happy and glad nothing has changed. Authentic Spanish dishes and offerings. Place is still immaculately clean and the staff are so friendly and they remember you always on your next visit. 3 tapas 2 glasses of Alberinio white wine and 1 dessert along with cappuccino and we were smiling again. Portions are generously priced and plentiful.

    Mak C.

    We came here to celebrate my wife's birthday with family last night. Every dish sparked conversation around the table, thanks to bold flavors and fresh ingredients. Located on a busy stretch of El Camino Real in the heart of Belmont, you might drive by without realizing what you're passing--a small portal into old-world Spanish charm. The ambience is that of a classic Southern European restaurant, with warm décor, comfortable chairs, and an intimate layout that transforms this small space into a cozy escape from the Bay Area. Chef Jose Luis brings something special with his authentic Spanish cuisine, infused with creative touches that make the experience both genuine and distinctive. The tapas were fantastic, and the standouts for me were the gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns) and the trumpet mushrooms--both bursting with flavor and GARLIC! We chose the large seafood paella, which takes 20-40 minutes and was perfectly cooked: rice al dente, rich and savory, with fresh seafood you'd expect only at top-tier Spanish restaurants. Did I mention they have a fresh(salty?) water tank in the back to ensure all your seafood is just as if they have just pulled it out of the ocean Highly recommended--we'll definitely be coming back!

    Fritters
    Ranjan P.

    Divine tapas with a cozy, warm, throwback era interior, plush and civilized not often seen these days. I'm sick of sleek modernist slick interior with awful acoustics and hard edges, where sound creates a cacophony of noise, can't hear echoing other. This place his the opposite: lush fabric and lighting, and. Though we went for lunch, and daylight makes it seem different, I can only imagine the glory at night. It's romantic and sweet. The food keeps up with this: everything (except the pot pie) was yummy the sardine appetizer, fritters with aioli, grilled octopus with charred edges and a bean salad and wait for it to... their cheese bread was one the best thing to slide into my mouth. No joke. It's decadently unctuous with grill mark, and just the right amount of cheesiness where it melts into the bread rather than sits atop. So many things on the menu we're excited to try next time. The only miss was the pot pie, but honestly WTF was I thinking? Why did I order it? It was hankering for those American dreams of home cooking. So it's on me that I ordered it. Their customer service is incredibly gracious and sweet, welcoming, down to earth, almost like a family welcoming. The proprietor came over to introduce himself and has a beautiful sense of transparency and communication skills that we can only aspire to. When we gave feedback about the pot pie, they took it off the bill (we did not eat it), which our server could see. The prices are more than fair and reasonable. We got free street Parking and no m after the day or time, I imagine you could readily get it. This is an absolute gem of a place and how I lucked out that it's close to my place.

    Griddle Day Boat Scallops, Smoked Salmon Mousse - Not bad
    Lingxiao C.

    Food was not bad, overall on the salty side. The oxtail was our favorite. The Paella was a bit soggy (for my taste) and had bits of seafood that tasted unfresh. Service was laughably bad (we actually laughed about it). One waitress was passable, but the other had so much attitude - blatantly ignored us when we tried to flag her down multiple times. But it alllll made sense when the bill came, as a "service fee" of 20% was automatically added to the bill. We were a party of merely three people. We had to pour our own waters, lol. A question for the owners: Why would your staff bother providing good service when the tip is guaranteed?

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    5 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    4 months ago

    We went there for Thanksgiving and had a traditional holiday meal. The food and service were both excellent.

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

    We had Thanksgiving here. How does anyone make Turkey taste that good. Excellent courses great food. Gourmet

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    10 months ago

    We just very enjoy it. Good food and good service and good owners. We have been there many times

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    Page 1 of 11

    Iberia Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Iberia Restaurant

    Is the automatic "service charge" of 20% a new thing? We also saw a line on the credit card slip for a "tip"

    Is this the same Iberia that was in Menlo Park?

    Yes!

    Do you have Spaniard horchata?

    Is outdoor dining available?

    Nope.

    We've been here once, and there were children there. Why does this say it's not good for kids?

    If there were kids there and seemed to enjoy the food , great. I didn't think of this restaurant as being one appealing to kids, but I could be wrong. If it's a family outing, probably better. If you're thinking of it, I hope the kids are… Read more

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    5 stars for a reason. I was looking for a chic reading spot and stumbled across this wine bar…read more Prices were very reasonable 25 for a flight of amazing Chardonnays and 22 for a Charcoochie board with multi-cheese bread bits that was very warm when it came out. I fear the cold cuts might be too exotic for me but the bread was delicious with the flowers Chardonnay. Given my clogging the main table, I inadvertently forced the server to bring an additional side table for the Charcoochie board. Service was actually amazing. Prices were amazing and the wine was delicious. Favorite wine bar in San Carlos so far (disclosure I've only been to one but bar is high (literally)) kudos.

    I don't do many reviews but when I do it is usually an exceptional reason. I absolutely love this…read morewine lounge! It is a true gem on the Peninsula. From the moment you walk in, you're transported by its European charm and warm, inviting atmosphere. The space is cozy yet elegant, with an intimate and stylish vibe that makes you want to linger. We recently hosted a retirement party here, and it couldn't have been more perfect. Steve, the owner, is genuinely one of the kindest, most welcoming people you'll ever meet. He makes you feel like you're not just a guest, but that you're being welcomed into his home. His attention to detail and care are unmatched. He worked with us on everything we wanted for the event and made the entire experience seamless and special. The wine selection is excellent, and the small bites are absolutely delicious...thoughtfully curated and perfect for sharing. Whether you're stopping by for a relaxed happy hour or planning an intimate celebration, this place delivers on every level.

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    Iberia Restaurant - tapasmallplates - Updated May 2026

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