My girlfriend and I didn't want entrees, so we visited Botanero. It's one vast room with a bar and…read morean array of tables. We were seated immediately and got a chance to review the menu. Then nothing happened. The few servers moved slowly and although they passed near our table on several occasions, none had the courtesy to even tell us, "Someone will be with you shortly" or something. Thankfully, the runner who seated us, (a kind and helpful gentlemen who got a separate tip) noticed and got Daniel to visit our table. My gin martini was excellent and the water was cold. We ordered several plates, which arrived rather quickly. The homemade hummus with the carrots and pickled onions was fantastic. We'd take creamy and delicious hummus like that any day. The deviled eggs were wonderful and came with an extra kick thanks to the jalapeno. Gnocchi with parmesan, carrots, and asparagus was creamy, comforting, and filling. The lamb over hummus, with their rich homemade gravy, rivaled any amazing lamb dish I had anywhere. The portions were phenomenal. I have been to places that give half as much with the same prices. The chef and kitchen staff are incredible. We'll definitely return to try new dishes but we hope the service is much improved.

Great little find in the King Farm area of Rockville! My friend and I stopped by Botanero for happy…read morehour and had a wonderful experience. The food was delicious, the service was great, and the prices were very reasonable. They also have a nice outdoor seating area, which is perfect for relaxing. Definitely a great spot to unwind with good food and drinks. I'll definitely be back!

Hidden gem! Atxondo puts out quality small plates and entrees in a relaxed atmosphere. Personal…read morefavorites include the grilled scallions and the seared scallops.

I went to Atxondo hoping to taste the work of a Basque chef, and found out that the new chef is…read morefrom El Salvador, but has studied cookery in Spain. After having a full meal with cocktails, appetizer, entree, dessert and coffee (about $70 per person), I concluded that Atxondo will be a definite future destination for Happy Hour and light bites, but that my full meal dining dollars will be spent elsewhere. The Patatas Bravas (Fingerling Potatoes) were outstanding, with their two tasty sauces and rich, crispy flavor and texture. The Hibiscus Margarita with its salt and tajín rim was good enough to warrant a second one... but the Sangria was lackluster due to the complete absence of cut-up fresh fruit in my glass. The "Crispy Duck Breast" is no longer served whole, but sliced on a bed of sauteed kale... and, sadly, seemed to be only a shadow of its former self. The Lamb Meatballs suffered from being mushy (a coarser grind would have made a world of difference in the texture) and lacked that meaty exuberance one treasures in any kind of meatball. My serving of Basque Cheesecake was almost comically tiny (at $9 per serving, perhaps not so funny after all). But my cup of Americano came out of the espresso machine strapping strong and piping hot, with a gorgeous head of natural crema from the oil of the coffee beans. So I will definitely return for a future Happy Hour to devour the outstanding Patatas Bravas and sip the good Margaritas, and to try the bargain Manchego Burger and other Happy Hour bites. For serious dining, Atxondo falls short of the mark... but for drinks and bar food, Atxondo turns out to be a real neighborhood gem. .

Confession - I haven't written this review for YEARS. In fact, please don't read this review. I'd…read morelike to continue to be able to get in easily to this restaurant without much of a reservation. They have great food, great service, and a nice chill environment. It's not a kid place but they're nice to my kid. Sadly they have pared down their menu but everything on it is excellent. The paella is worth waiting for, but if you don't want to wait the lamb chops are spectacular. Pretty much everything is great but we order the lamb chops every time. If there's three or more drinkers order a pitcher of sangria, otherwise singleton glasses should be fine. Whether you've had tapas before or not, you'll love this restaurant. But ssshhhh! for goodness' sakes don't tell anyone! 'Cause I'd like to keep being able to get in...

Delicious tapas and paella! Every dish we ordered was worth ordering: charred octopus, gambas…read more(shrimp), croquettes, mixed vegetables to name just a few. The paella marinera was absolutely cooked to perfection. Service is very friendly and attentive and the restaurant is quite cozy.

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. :)

I usually love this place because of the tapas and atmosphere, but this last time was so…read moredisappointing with the portion sizes. We ordered the steak, potatoes bravas, mussels, chicken, and cheese bread. The steak was extremely tiny compared to the usual portion sizes. Half of the mussels had nothing in the except the shell. I don't think I'll come back after this time, which is so disappointing because I usually come here when I'm in DC.

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!

Ruben's Paellas are EXQUISITE! I'm not sure how he gets such great texture out of his rice, and the…read morelayers of flavor. I take great pride in being able to cook excellent tasting rice and his skills far exceed mine. I look for another opportunity where I can hire him again to feed a small army. In addition to his excellent cooking skills, he's such a jovial and entertaining person to be around. He'd make a great addition to any party or social event you host, large or small.

THE BEST!!! I've had paellas from Paellas & Cos at different parties and they are absolutely…read moreamazing! Always cooked on the spot (so cool to watch the process). Ruben is extremely friendly and clearly knows what he is doing. Highly recommend!!

3.5 stars but bumped for 4 for the cocktails, space, and service. Came to Taberna on a Monday…read moreevening and had an overall nice time. Service was great and attentive throughout with multiple waiters serving our table and the space is beautiful and cozy. It wasn't too crowded around 5:30 when we came and wasnt too busy overall. We left a little before 8 and it never got too loud or too crowded. I think walking in without a reservation would be fairly easy. They have a great cocktail list and I really enjoyed mine! It was a unique cherry and almond flavored drink while my friend went for a cucumber type drink. Both great. We shared 4 tapas which were surprisingly quite large and ended up being plenty for the both of us. We did patatas bravas, mushroom croquettes, fried manchego, and calamari. The tapas were good/average but nothing to rave about. Our bill came to about $120 which is probably about standard now but felt overpriced for what we got. They do a 20% service charge with 5% being operational and only 15% going to staff. Not my favorite...I dont mind a service charge but burying an operational charge into it made us confused on whether the expectation was to still tip or not. I wish restaurants were more transparent about this. I wouldn't come back for a full dinner but drinks were nice and service was great so I'd consider spotting in for a happy hour if in the area. Worth a try overall. I hope they consider giving their servers the full 20% of the service charge. 5% for operations should really be baked into the prices or otherwise listed separately.

We met here with family for a nice meal and what we had hoped would be very good paella. My husband…read moreand I are usually the only 2 that do not eat seafood like mussels and shrimp, so we have been out of luck at other paella places. So, we were very pleased to see that Taberna offered 2 different chicken only paellas. Right off the bat, the location is very nice. It is clean and well decorated. We were there on a Tuesday night, so it wasn't crowded at all. The entire staff was amazing. Very friendly and attentive. We ordered the Tortilla De Patatas (Spanish omelette with potatoes) as appetizer. It was very delicate and creamy, but had zero flavor. Not one hint of salt or any seasoning. The sauce with it was never explained. We think it was some sort of aoli. Again, not a hint of salt. The main flavor from it was from the olive oil it was cooked in, which was not the flavor we were hoping for. My husband and I ordered the De Pollo Y Txistorra (chicken and chistorra sauage) paella. The amount we got was rather large and would have easily fed us both. However, the sausage was not at all what we expected. It looked like Slim Jim's had been broken in two and placed on top. Granted, the sausage was flavorful, it just wasn't visually or texturally appealing. In addition to the sausage and the chunks of chicken, the paella had chunks of some other meat that we think was pork. Also, Canelli white beans, which my husband hates, and large chunks of artichoke. Again, no salt and no real flavor. The one thing I was extremely excited for was the socarrat. But, there was none. I am not sure if the staff just didn't scrape it off the pan and give it to us, or it wasn't cooked properly and just didn't have it. Ours was not the only paella without it. It was very disappointing to not have that vital element. Of our party of 8, only 2 finished their paella. We really could have made better rice a roni at home and saved the $74 (just for my husband and myself). At the end, one person got the Arroz Con Leche (Spanish rice pudding) and another couple got Milhojas De Crema Con Almendra Tostada (a puff pastry and creme dessert). The rest of us had coffee and cappuccino. We were also brought a plate of tiny cookies. One was a chocolate no bake cookie that ended up being pure cocoa and rice cereal. The other cookie was a bland butter cookie. For the price of what we got, and the mandatory 20% charge, plus a tip, we felt this restaurant was very overpriced and not worth the trip. I don't think we will be coming back.

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!

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.

We were so lucky to come here during Restaurant Week. It was just excellent, 3 course meal, the…read morethree of us had different dishes and they were all superb. We liked it so much that two of us came back the following day for lunch, to try the dishes we had also wanted the evening before. This is really a top restaurant, one of the best in the area, if not the best. It was the best meal I have had since Volterra, Italy, almost a year ago. All the ingredients were perfect and perfectly prepared. The pisco drink was great, the beef filet, the chocolate mousse, salad, very well made and creative, particularly the sauces. This is a world class chef!

Honestly, Taco Bar has been the best taqueria I've had in the east coast. I used to order it almost…read moreweekly, in college. Their ingredients are fresh, quantities are great, and service is pretty good--given that it's not the most upscale setting. I would've given it 5 stars but they accidentally dropped meat on some of my vegetarian bowls prior (however they've always reimbursed us for mistakes, which is great customer service). The ladies working in the back work very hard and their labor of love does shine in the food. This place actually rivals SoCal mexican food. If you're in the area, skip Chipotle and come here to try their burritos, tortas, nachos, bowls and horchata, and tres leches. Also if you're brave check out their spicy red sauce! It's literally one of the best hidden food gems of Moco.

They are back. Very close to the previous location. Just across the street. Same quality…read more Surprisingly same low prices. They have a salsa bar with Pico, cilantro, onions, etc. Plenty of seating, compared to before. Happy to be back.