Went for a mid-afternoon snack and ordered the Patatas Bravas. They do it perfectly! The potatoes were the right size and thickness and there was plenty of orange-y brava sauce on top. The sauce had some kick, but not overly spicy. My eyes are watering and my mouth is salivating just thinking about it. read more

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The food was tasty, as usual, but the service was not. We sat at the bar and ordered cocktails and several items. We were quickly served our first order of croquetas. But after one bite we realized they were under cooked and still frozen inside. Shortly after sending those back our second order (different type) of croquetas arrived. One bite in and you guessed it, frozen inside again. Other items arrived while we sat waiting for both orders of croquetas to be remade...and for our cocktails to arrive. The remade croquetas, eventual cocktails, and everything else were fine. The staff was seemingly apologetic, but upon receiving our bill there was no compensation provided. Neither of the two croquetas that had to be remade were removed, just expected a minimum 20% tip as if we had a perfect meal being served at one of the tables rather than taking responsibility for serving uncooked food. Just remove one or even a comp a drink or dessert and it all would have been ok. You can do better La Marcha. read more

Amazing food and great service. A must try. Everything was wonderful. Hope to come back soon!

Despite having high expectations, I was incredibly disappointed. I waited over an hour for my food to arrive, we had ordered the marinara paella. I understand to expect a 45 min wait, however an hour and a half made it far upsetting. The food itself was extremely oily and rice was overcooked, making them all mushy. Overall, the food was disappointing despite the reviews I've seen before about this place. As for the service, it was extremely rude and dismissive. Immediately when getting hosted to our table, the hostess did not say hi, nor a single a word. He kept walking around, noticing our water glasses empty yet not filling them up. However, if it were other people he was happy to tend to them. I was truly an upset. read more

A popular Spanish tapas bar, La Marcha not only survived the pandemic, but it is thriving. I passed by there and decided on the spot to have dinner there. It was on a late Sunday evening. The place was packed, filled with groups of young people as well as families and solo diners. The hostess was very courteous and tried her best to accommodate those of us without reservation. Service was friendly and efficient. The hostess, the waiter, and the busboy worked in symphony, serving and turning over diners smoothly. The seafood paella was on the mark, delicious and satisfying. On-street Parking after 6 PM was easy. They still have Happy hours as they did pre-pandemic. read more

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We were in the area for a show so we came to La Marcha on the recommendation of a friend. Street parking was relatively easy since we were there early in the evening. We ordered several tapas to share and wine by the glass. The food was excellent but service unfortunately left much to be desired. There was little to no follow up from our waiter, my silverware was removed and never replaced (we had to take a set off another table in order to continue our meal), one of our dishes seemed to have been forgotten, finished items were not cleared... you get the idea. It was very disappointing. That said, the meal itself was quite good. I particularly liked the Coca (foccacia with jamon, carmelized onion, manchego, pear, walnuts, and honey dijon), the crab and squid ink croquettes, and the Fabada Asturiana, a white bean stew with chorizo, blood sausage and pork belly. Perhaps it was an off day. read more

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Our first time at a tapa's bar. Since I see a lot of 5 star reviews for this restaurant I'm thinking my taste buds, and pocketbook, are different from other reviewers. Since those are subjective, I will keep this review to my overall experience of the menu and restaurant. That said, here goes. They offer one free tapa for each beverage ordered and 5 if you order a pitcher of sangria. (It may be one free tapa per alcoholic drink, I'm not certain.) I think that's awesome and we definitely took advantage of that. We also ordered several other tapas off the menu as well as paella. The paella was larger than expected and we couldn't finish it. My thoughts on the tapas (the free ones at least) is that they're very small. For someone who wants to drop in for a drink and a small bite they are perfect. For a meal, maybe not so much. The drinks (alcoholic) were very good. The service was nice and the restaurant was clean and had a cozy feel to it. I would recommend this restaurant. read more

If you are in the area, definitely check out this busy tapas bar. There are two seating areas, inside and on a covered patio reached by walking around the corner and through a parking lot. The patio was great and had several space heaters. We had a carafe of their delicious red sangria and an assortment of tapas. I was enjoying my dinner companions so didn't take pictures (except for our desserts!), but it was all fantastic. We had the potatoes with aioli, octopus, the mushroom croquettes, the bean stew, and a savory donut. As it we weren't full enough, the desserts were tempting and we gave in! There was an olive oil cake, a Spanish crème brûlée and a tasty type of cheesecake. Yum! read more

La Marcha Tapas Bar - We had three delicious desserts! - Spanish Near Me - Berkeley, California

Super busy night around 8:30p on a Saturday. Came in without a ressie but were able to get a seats at the bar for two in less than 10 minutes. Note: sitting at the end of the bar by the restrooms is the corner where the staff seem to hang out in between checking on tables. At least tonight it felt like being stared at a lot. The food is SO flavorful. Take your time with the tabla de ibéricos...each variety is pretty nuanced so pause for the cured meat cause to really appreciate the differences. The patatas bravas were nice and crispy, each bite having some crunch. Not a single soggy patata. And the paella marinera tasted like the sea. SO good and a generous amount of shrimp, clams, squid and mussels. SO worth the time for it to come out. Very delicious meal! read more

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Excellent tapas, and the PiriPiri sandwich was outstanding. Not easy to eat, but simply delicious.

Service took an hour to bring the food out. The ambiance was okay, the music was relaxing but the service just didn't satisfy me. First they forgot about our drinks and didn't bring them until we got our food and then our food took an hour. Bread looked like it was soggy out the microwave. Menú had something called "Rabo Dip", ordered a Pollo Frito but it still tasted like rabo. read more

I've been dying to try this place for years now. Whenever I browse Yelp-curated Berkeley restaurant lists, this place always seems to pop up. To cheer me up this week, my friend suggested we try this place out during happy hour and, since I'm never one to turn down a sangria, I obliged. The restaurant is definitely intimate with its cozy, smaller dining room. But, don't be fooled, the humble establishment comes equipped with both a bar and pretty extensive happy hour menu, two ingredients that make for a great restaurant. My friend and I had a sangria, hers the white and mine the red. The sangria was simply delicious and super refreshing with its various minced fruit toppings (definitely one of the best I've had). We ordered a few croquetas, the patatas bravas, the albondigas (boar meatballs), tortilla, and the tocino. The tocino looks good in pictures but like every Tinder profile, it has its shortcomings. It was nicely fatty but too salty and almost too much in flavor. The tocino's fruit reduction on the bottom would've made a great sweet contrast to the meaty pork had it not also been heavily salted. The croquetas were all incredible (I recommend the lobster one), but what else could I expect from La Marcha whose specialty is the croqueta. The meatballs were also great which is surprising considering I'm not a meatball girl. I was more entranced with the zesty, fresh tomato sauce that came with the meatballs more than the meatball itself. Though, that's probably just a personal preference. Similar to how I evaluate Korean restaurants using the quality of their kimchi, I really gauge the quality of a tapas bar using their execution of patatas bravas. The potatoes were delightfully crispy and laden with that creamy red sauce. Definitely a solid patatas bravas, so definitely a solid tapas bar. I definitely want to come here again with my girlfriends and try the more expensive offerings on their regular menu. read more

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This was my first time here and the tapas was really good! I really enjoyed the salad, really refreshing with the grapefruit and the coqueta was great. As for the paella, it was ok. I had better paella elsewhere. I would come back for the tapas! read more

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Service was horrible! I went for my birthday with a group of girlfriends, the staff was rude. They rushed us and said we can only sit for 90mins! The food was delicious but all the servers had a bad attitude and being a woman of color being served by colored women didn't feel welcomed at all. Definitely not returning. read more

Everything I got here was wonderful and I will definitely be back again. I would order everything I ordered. Get the red wine sangria with real fruit bits, the chicken croquetas, the meatballs, and the potatas bravas (slightly spicy). Great place for a date night. The food above was more than enough for one person; I had to bring most of the potatas bravas home for leftovers. read more

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We, 3 of us, went on a Wednesday night. We had reservations and we were glad we did! The atmosphere was really nice and the smells were great! We had a cocktail to start and all 3 were beautiful and tasty. We ordered 5 different tapas that were fabulous! The scallops were one of my favorites, so were the fried shrimp balls, we also had a board of Spanish Serrano ham, pickled onions and almonds and cheeses. I would highly recommend La Marcha! Really great food! read more

A week later, and I can't stop thinking about how disrespectful the octopus serving was. We got there at 4 pm and they said they wouldn't have octopus til 5pm. We didn't mind the wait because we were with a big party. It's 5:30 pm and they come out with one super skinny tentacle. For $20. Crazy lol. We also thought everything else was mediocre and tiny. 2 stars instead of 1 cus we should have checked Yelp pictures before going. Out fault. read more

A lovely quaint tapas eatery to take a date or friend to--especially during happy hour! My partner and I had a hard time figuring out what to eat for dinner and found La Marcha on a whim via Yelp! Seeing that we have been eating a lot of Japanese/Korean food these days, we wanted to try something different and La Marcha definitely hit the spot! My partner and I initially had thoughts of grabbing a few plates and then having to go to another restaurant on the way home to feel completely full, but we were wrong! Despite how small and "tapas"esque each plate was, each plate gradually filled our tummies to the brim! Prices were pretty affordable for the quality of food given! About $8-15 a plate, which in my honest opinion, is a reasonable price! Take a look at the photos and see how IG worthy and yummy each plate is! I'm still thinking about the albondigas tapa (Spanish for meatballs). I wish I took a note of the plates that I ordered, but I was so hungry coming out of work with no lunch that I inhaled all dishes that came to my table, lol. I enjoyed all plates, but would like to say: be wary on how many plates you order with aioli sauce included. By the end of my meal, I didn't want to take another bite of any dish with aioli lol. I think almost every single dish had some sort of inclusion of aioli, with the exception of the cheese plate of the day and albondigas. Don't get me wrong--it's delicious, but was just very overwhelming in the end to eat everything dipped or covered in aioli. Try to balance out your meal with a tomato sauced dish or even paella! That's probably what I'm going to get during my next visit here! :) With that being said, dishes came out relatively quick! Once we finished a tapas, we were given another one, and another one, and (in the words of DJ Khalid) anotha one! Service was generally okay. We didn't really hear much from our servers and were generally left alone (totally fine by us though, as food came out quick). Highly recommend taking a date or a friend to La Marcha for some delicious tapas! My favorite was the calamari plate with squid ink aioli! Tip: Happy Hour starts at 4:00pm and you can make reservations on Yelp! read more

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We've been here several times before over the years, the last time about one year ago. This time we came with two friends that we dine out with somewhat frequently. We take turns choosing the restaurant and tonight was my turn. In the past, we've always had to book at least two weeks in advance to get a Friday or Saturday night reservation, I tried on Thursday and got one for 7pm Friday! Traffic was a bit goofed up and we were running late. At 6:30, I called the restaurant to let them know that we were running behind. Their website says that they offer a 15-minute grace period, and I was afraid we wouldn't arrive until 7:20 or 7:25. They said no problem. That was a pleasant surprise. When we arrived near the restaurant, I managed to snag a parking space right around the corner on University Avenue. Those were the highlights of our dining experience. We walked in at 7:10 and were seated right away by the hostess. I will admit that the aromas wafting through the air were very enticing. Menus were presented and then we waited for a bit before a carafe of water was delivered. The runner put it down and then went to get glasses. I asked for a glass of ice. He came back with three glasses and then stepped away again. When he returned, he had a glass with water and about an inch of ice. Eventually our server came to take our order. I had to ask if there were any specials. She had to confirm with another server and then told us that Artichokes were the only special appetizer for $10. For four hungry adults, we ordered five tapas, two paellas and a carafe of red sangria. We got: Patatas Bravas - 2 - Every opportunity that we have to get tapas and or/paella, we always order Patatas Bravas. This was the most disappointing version that we've ever had. The sauce was good. The potatoes tasted like twice baked potatoes. Dry surface and somewhat soggy. Coliflor - 4 - This dish was decent. The cauliflower could have been blistered harder but perhaps that's just me being persnickety. Keep in mind though that caramelization of many vegetables makes them more palatable to picky eaters. Tocino - 4 - Who doesn't love pork belly? Yes, that lovely layer of fat is not the healthiest thing in the world for you but for most people, an occasional taste won't kill you either. Calamares Fritos - 3 - Another frequently ordered dish. It looked beautiful when it arrived at the table (sorry, I forgot to take a picture), but this serving was particularly rubbery. One member of our group enjoyed it this way and the rest of us encouraged her to keep enjoying it. Croquetas De Bogavante - 5 - By far, the star of our meal. This dish usually only comes with three Croquetas but our server asked if I would like to add a fourth so we could each have a complete one. I said yes and it was a good thing too. Mine was so flavorful and delicious! Paella Mixta & Paella Marinera - 2 - Two separate paella pans and both had the same problem, undercooked rice. All four of us are Asian and between us, we have experienced over nearly 300 years of eating rice. There is no way that anyone could convince me that the bomba rice in our paellas was properly cooked. Seasoned yes. The flavors were on point. But the center of each grain of rice needed at least another four minutes on heat. Not the seafood though. Most of the seafood was good with the exception being the prawns, head-on or off. Those were most likely overcooked as the shells were extremely difficult to peel from the bodies. This was very disappointing as we've always considered the paellas to be the signature dishes of La Marcha. More than 1/2 of each paella went home with me. I removed all the proteins, added about a tablespoon of water and nuked the rice with the take-out container lid on for four minutes, let it sit another two minutes to steam; added the proteins back, nuked for one more minute and steamed two minutes and the rice was now decently edible. Perhaps another teaspoon of water and two more minutes of nuke time on the rice would have made it perfect. Service was also lacking. Once our order was taken, sangria order and wine glasses delivered, our server did not stop by again until we asked the hostess for our check. When the hostess told us that the server was on the way, I handed my credit card to the hostess to pass on. When the server arrived, she had our check in hand. I signed it and left a tip and at the same time told her that I was very disappointed that the rice was undercooked. She said that she would pass it on to the kitchen. Okay, that was my fault. I could have made my complaint before I signed the check. She also could have showed a bit more concern and professionalism. She should have come by the table and told us that she had my card, but would we like any coffee or dessert first? She could have held the check and sent the manager or the chef over before closing the check (it was done on a hand-held, so perhaps not). There are always options. read more

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Had to go back a second time, because I realized I'm not a fan of paella generally. Their Tapas were stellar and complimented a nice bottle of wine very well. Staff was accommodating and helpful. Ambiance was nice as the interior design is warm and welcoming! Would recommend as a tapas enjoyer! read more

La Marcha Tapas Bar - Calamari - Spanish Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The worst restaurant experience of my life. Do NOT come here if the weather is warm. They have no AC and no fans. We were all melting including our 11 month old baby. It was much cooler outside and it was one of the warmest days of the week . We quickly ran through our water and had to repeatedly ask for more as they didn't notice our cups were almost always empty. Also they have NO ICE. Who doesn't have ICE!? We ordered 2 paellas which we were told would take "30 mins". Over an hour later they finally arrived.. They were awful. So overly seasoned and salty. One of us ordered the oxtail brunch plate which came with one measly oxtail peace. Very unsatisfying. I gave 2 stars instead of one because some of us tolerated the saltiness and thought the food was decent enough. I would never come back and would not recommend this place to anyone. The cherry on top were the flys.. probably would have been avoided with AC or a fan. read more

The food was just okay. Went there for brunch but there was no brunch being served when we arrived. Super bummed. Paella Marinera needed some work - very very "oceany" texture was also a bit under for me liking. My fav was the pulpo. Service on a Friday with reservations and only 2 other tables in the restaurant was non existent. Asked if there was Aperol Spritz or something like it, server said no but on our way out I did see Campari. I don't see any of us four going there again. Would rather drive out to Zuzu in Napa. read more

I love a good tapas bar, as it aligns with my entire dining philosophy of trying as much food as possible at every restaurant. And La Marcha did not disappoint. We started with a pitcher of white wine sangria, which was very refreshing during the hot Berkeley day. The fruit chunks were a bit too finely cut, so we had to work a bit with each sip... but it was tasty enough for us to quickly forgive this transgression. For food, we ordered: patatas ailoli, piquillos rellenos (goat cheese and basil stuffed peppers), coliflor (cauliflower), croquetas de jamon, tocino (braised pork belly), and churros con chocolate. We were thoroughly impressed with everything we ordered, though standouts for us were the patatas, croquetas, and coliflor. The potatoes were crispy and perfectly smothered in creamy za'atar aioli, the croquetas had a delightful fried texture and a perfect balance between the ham and swiss interior, and the cauliflower (which I normally don't care for) was possibly my favorite item! Though it took about 15 minutes to initially be served, once we placed our order, the food and drinks came out very promptly. Our waiter was very friendly, and the other servers were very attentive to refilling our waters, which is something I always appreciate. The tables were a little small for the copious amount of tapas we ordered, so it was a bit of a balancing act getting everything to fit! The interior had a hip, lively feel, and I saw a mix of couples and groups that made for a very fun atmosphere. Loved my experience here, and will definitely be back (and will ask for one of the bigger tables!). read more

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I don't understand how this place is so popular. I've had tapas for years and enjoyed them, so when I went here a few weeks ago, I thought I'd like the food. But they've put an unnecessary spin on the traditional tapas that in my opinion is "doing too much." The result is absolutely not appealing to my taste. It's a case of "leave well enough alone." Tapas are delicious as they are, but this place has managed to make them taste terrible! Also our server was in a bad mood and it showed. I won't be going back- truly don't understand the hype. read more

This is my second time coming to this restaurant and I am still amazed by how good the food is! It was so delicious, from the yummy happy hour drinks to the tasty appetizers and the paella.. omg was sooo good!! read more

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Paella is good, tasty but a bit mushy (for Brunch). The croquettes are delicious but too tiny (3 pcs)...we were hoping for better size serving of 4 maybe. Will go back to try other apperizers. read more

Calamari and the albondigas in that creamy tomato sauce was delicious. Small but cute ambiance. Chill service :)

Food is completely overrated and overpriced, the front personal are rude and not helpful at all. If you are looking for poor tasting overpriced good this place is for you. I will never return to this place. read more

Very disappointed in our experience. new website did not have a link for making a reservation. Had to sit at the bar. Croquettes were undercooked and were cold in the middle. cheese plate was ok seems like they are resting on their laurels. read more

Great place! Sergie and Emily used to work at the Trattoria La Siciliana. Sergio and Emily..:) great paella!! read more

La Marcha Tapas Bar - From Pismo - Spanish Near Me - Berkeley, California

It's my first time going to a Spanish tapas bar, so I had high expectations of La Marcha. Luckily, we stopped by when the restaurant had just opened for the evening, but it's recommended to make a reservation in advance to avoid the long wait. The food came out quickly, starting with the albondigas which were honestly the highlight of the meal. The succulent meatballs over tomato sauce were phenomenal and as we continued through the evening, we had some very interesting and tasty dishes like the croquettes de cangrejo which were packed full of crab in a creamy squid ink aioli. I'll be stopping by again soon for more. Pros: Reasonable prices, good portions, beautiful presentation. Be sure to stop by around happy hour for reduced prices on some popular dishes. Cons: Street parking can be a challenge. read more

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Hip and trendy Tapa bar. Dishes not food, are large for small tables. Liked all the menu choices we made. Pricey. A great place to hang out and talk story over drinks and food. Red Sangria- skip it. Order a nice glass of wine instead. The little fruit chunks are annoying and not a cute drink to have if on a date. Calamari - its deep fried calamari. Recipe didnt stand out. Its your typical calamari fried well and tasty. Its good for us calamari fans. read more

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First time trying this restaurant. Service was friendly. We made reservations last minute on a Friday. The only thing available was outdoor seating. They have heat lamps so it was a cozy experience. Do note that outside seating is in the back and not accessible through the main indoor restaurant. You have to walk out on San Pablo from the main restaurant and turn on University. The outdoor seating can be found in the parking lot by the emergency pet hospital. The tapas come out fast, but be prepared by to wait a bit for the paella. Most tapas we ordered are large enough to be shared. The albóndigas were fluffy and moist. Loved the marina sauce that came with them. The potatoes were nicely fried and seasoned. The calamari was crispy and fresh and the crab croquets were also delicious. The paella was very flavorful. We got the paella mixta that comes with chicken, chorizo and shrimp. The shrimp tasted fresh. Next up, dessert. The sangria is decently strong, refreshing and sweet. I cannot rave enough about the wine sorbet, especially paired with the crema catalana (crème brûlée). read more

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For dinner and a chat with the girlfriend. Somehow I confused the reservation time by 30 minutes but the host was so kind, he found a space for us in the back patio. I greatly appreciate the heat lamps and the abundance of space. I loved the lively vibe and warm ambiance. We started with sangrias. One of each, but I preferred the white To eat we shared the potatoes bravas and seafood paella. Potatoes were a bit spicy and a little bit of cream would have helped mellow out the taste but everything else was delicious. read more

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We wanted to try this place for the longest time, and yesterday was the day. I made a reservation for 5:30 pm, the old man at the door was very polite. It was still happy hour. With happy hour you get a bite sample of their tapas. The food is very good, 5 stars to the food. The ambiance was ok, cozy. But I wasn't impressed with the service. At the beginning Nelly was polite, but them she forgot to offer me a tapa with my second drink. Then I I decided to ask a question to the busser about the happy hour rule for a free tapa with a drink. That enraged Nelly and she just told me that if I have a question or doubt I should ask her. After that small situation, the service from Nelly went down the drain. I don't want a waiter/waitress to be happy and smiling all the time, but I do expect good customer service. Maybe Nelly wasn't having a good day yesterday, but for me, anyone working in the service industry should offer excellent customer service all the time. I will give 5 stars to Gabriel the busser for customer service. Next week we are going to try Teleféric Barcelona in Walnut Creek, maybe it will be a better dining experience. read more

I would give the food a 5 but the service a 1. We went for the 10pm happy hour which is a great deal on food and drinks, however, the employees that night seemed annoyed that we were even in there. They weren't friendly at all and it took 24 minutes for them to take our drink order. We had empty water cups for about half of our visit and had to ask for water. They decided to close early at 11:30 and started to stack the chairs. The sangria is amazing and the food is great too but we hesitate to come back because of that experience. read more

I loved the food but it smells of old shrimp. Gets very busy and crowded. I suggest booking earlier. Bathroom is old and needs an upgrade.

Food was great! The portion of the piquillo rellenos was smaller than expected, with only 3 peppers. The night I went, they ran out of pork shoulder so we decided to substitute ribs instead. The paella itself was amazing! I just wish we were able to try the shoulder because the ribs didn't seem to integrate well. It was a quite busy, so I'd recommend getting a reservation for dinner plans. The staff is all very nice and knowledgeable about Spanish cuisine. The restaurant itself is quite small indoors, but they have an outdoor back patio that looked like it maintained a good ambiance. I ate indoors, and it was all good besides being a bit squished. I would definitely come back! read more

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Happy hour is so worth it!! I came here on a Friday at 4:30pm with a party of 5. We made a reservation on open table so we didn't wait at all. They only seat you once your entire party arrived but it wasn't that busy when we arrived. We ordered a pitcher of white sangria, all the croquettes except the lobster, the potatoes, Brussel sprouts, calamari, pulpo, and squid ink paella. -My favorite croquette was the squid ink one but they were all yummy. I would personally skip on the ham and Gruyère one since it was too cheesy for my taste. -The pulpo was really tender! Loved it! -The Brussel sprouts had a sweet balsamic so it balanced the bitterness of the vegetable. -The paella was sooo good - it was full of seafood flavor. Honestly everything we ordered was good and I'm excited to come back the next time I want tapas. read more

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Parking - okay Only street parking Wait time - had online reservation, needed to pay holding fee Small indoor space Food quality + service - good Food came out at different times and seemed a bit disorganized, but the food itself was good. Order the paella first cause it takes a while to cook. Price - $$ About $10-$20 per small dish and you would usually order more to try different things read more

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