Food was amazing, staff was amazing. We ordered so much food but my top 3 favorites were the costillas, coles de bruselas and albondigas. We left very full and very happy. The staff really went above and beyond to accommodate our hectic party of six. And they made it look effortless! We ordered these items also and enjoyed them as well Patatas Alioli Coliflor (they made us regular & vegetarian) Setas Al Ajillo Bunuelos de gambas Piquillos de rellenos Champinones Patatas Bravas We will definitely be back to try the paella and a few other dishes we were too full to try read more

OK, so the good...the food is still sublime. The paella is like God came down from heaven and decided to communicate through rice. Now the bad. First, they reduced the number of free bites you get with happy hour. Just one per drink now. No biggie...it was kinda generous before. But the service. Oh boy. They seem to hire college students rather than professional bar staff. It took ten minutes of me sitting at the bar before they even thought to offer me a menu. There's "fleabag lookalike" who spent ten minutes polishing a glass while she was watching the movie they were playing. They play the same movie every night, so who knows what she was getting out of it. Then there's "blonde gormless dude". He spent most of the evening staring into space, or talking to his co-workers. And then there's "hoop earrings" who managed to forget our order as she walked the two yards from the bar to the POS. It was three items. Not once did any of them check on us. Seriously...fire them all and hire one professional bartender. It would be a huge upgrade. read more

Amazing food, great quality and ingredients! The paella was perfect as well, nice and crispy on the bottom. Great service too!!

Very disappointing. Lunch was over so all they had was happy hour items not many choices and not kid friendly. There was no customers beside me and the food took over 35 mins. Paella came out very hard and uncooked. I highly suggest the crab balls thats about it. read more

Oh the flavors of the squid ink, rich paella, with the trout roe giving it a salty briny finish. Total delish and a must try. Also the patas bravas perfectly crispy, lusciously soft in the inside with the smokey paprika red pepper aioli on the outside; the ribs were succulent, with layered flavors that make your tongue tingle; and the octopus was soft, not chewy, on a hummus reminiscent inspired bed of deliciousness. Croquettes of chicken were savory crunchy crispy power packed with flavor and also served with a romenseco type sauce. Service was fine, it's on San Pablo giving it a gritty hip neighborhood feel, all in all a wonderful experience. read more

Amazing food, every dish we ordered was good. Shout out to the Brussels sprouts, pork belly and paella. Chef's kiss! read more

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We enjoyed everything we had here, except the churros with chocolate sauce dessert. The sauce was bitter and watery. I also take exception to charging for more bread, when the meatball dish with tomato sauce dish comes with VERY little. But, we will definitely come back. read more

Fabulous tapa happy hour! The price is great and their food! The place is kind of small so make a reservation ahead of time! read more

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What can I say? Been coming here for years And it's always good. Usually choose the back patio. Have a lot of favorite spot really anything hair I like. Also great service. read more

Hate to do this but I did not have an enjoyable experience here mainly because of the service. Went by around 10pm at the beginning of happy hour. We sit down at the bar and start looking at the menu. Waitress tells us they're only serving from the happy hour menu. I have to get up and get the menus placed by the door...waitress didn't even offer to get us a menu. As we wrap up our meal we're enjoying conversation after signing the check and the waitress starts reaching over us and wiping down the bar while we're still there and talking. Like wtf?? Won't be back here anytime soon read more

Decided to visit this spot on Saturday night while in Berkeley. Good, decent tapas, terrible service. To be fair we had no reservations, so we were told the waiting would be about and hour. So we waited at another local spot. It was 7pm. Got back at 8pm, we were told to wait until a table was available for us 4. At around 9pm we were finally seated albeit i asked why we had to wait for so long when there were 2 tables available. I was told people had reservations however it must have been that they never showed up. Having reservations at such a small place like this one clearly doesn't work. It was so bad that we were told that to sit at the bar reservations were needed. The hostess clearly is out of place. She apparently hasn't been around the industry too long. I do not know if this was because of the day or that this place has a good clientele but it wasn't that crowded to begin with. The hostess was overwhealmed from the get go. When it comes down to it their food was just ok, the paella was decent but nothing worth a return, the drinks were good, service brings this place down. Good for a quick tapas fix, but nothing more. see some funny pics i took!! read more

La Marcha Tapas Bar - How can you seat yourself if there is a reservation system that doesn't work??? Very funny!! - Spanish Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Wonderful from start to finish. My girlfriend and I haven't had an experience like this in quite a long time, and we can't wait to bring our family and friends back here. We ordered four plates: Costillas Bruselas Pan con tomate Monte Enebro Literally every part of every dish was prepared perfectly. Our server was incredibly knowledgeable and gave wonderful recommendations. During our dinner, a live guitarist sat down by the front and played beautifully for us. Can't wait to go back!! read more

La Marcha Tapas Bar - We forgot to take a picture until the end! Look how happy she is! :) - Spanish Near Me - Berkeley, California

Had an amazing Paella... actually had several of their Paellas over the course of several visits. It is very busy and hard to get a table or a spot at the bar. I recommend having a reservation. It is worth the visit.....again and again! read more

When I had the paella before, it was delicious (see the previous review). My friend wanted to have her birthday here and definitely appreciated it. We all got some tapas so we were able to try some of the smaller dishes - they had a great happy hour deal where you could get a smaller version of the dishes and a drink. We also got 2 paellas to share amongst a few of us. There was one with rabbit and snails - interesting and delicious. The other one - with squid ink was really interesting as well. Overall, great dishes - definitely worth it to try. Protip: paella! read more

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

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Deeeeeelicious. They were highly recommended to us by our friends, who had them cater a paella at their wedding! So definitely had to check this place out. Their appetizers were yummy, highlight to their meatballs and clam/bone marrow balls. Then the squid ink paella with roe and clams was amazing. Probably the best paella I've tasted in the U.S. I would definitely come back here for the paella, but just be warned that it takes 30 minutes+ for it to come out. Also, come early or late as the space is small and it fills up quickly. read more

We came here during Berkeley Restaurant Week and it was great! Not sure of the prices regularly, but the food was really yummy. The paellas and croquetas were all tasty, but the patatas were really a highlight. Will definitely be back here, even for the full-priced menu ;) PS. The sangria was great too. read more

Different, fun and delicious! What's not to like? This place has become our new favorite and we always leave with something new out of the experience. First off, if they ever take the Brussels sprouts off the menu, I will have to go into mourning. Such a lowly little thing, elevated to utter scrumptiousnous! And the many sliders are to die for! And the calamari! And the, and the--well you get the picture. Plus, the young lady who helps me pick wine knows her stuff. She listens and then chooses something for me to taste and it's been spot on the first try almost every time. Talking to others eating nearby, the atmosphere is convivial, the service is always attentive, and the food is soooooo good! read more

The appetizers I had here were seriously some of the best food I've ever had!! The calamari had an amazing crispy outside and was so tender on the inside. I think I've had many years of overcooked calamari but this was truly perfect. The meatballs were also cooked perfectly and just melted into the cheese and sauce. I wish it came with more bread to scoop up! I was sadly disappointed by the paella. The duck was cooked very well but the snail tasted rubbery and overcooked. It was my partner's first time having snail and sadly he wasn't a fan. The only other time I had escargot was this amazing buttery dish so this really didn't compare at all. I felt the rice needed more flavor too. The chocolate churros were a much needed pick up after the paella let down. I think I would come back here again and just get the appetizers I loved so much! read more

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The food is delicious. Calamari was tasty and the black sauce that comes with it as interesting. Both the red and white sangria are good. Papas bravas are ok read more

Great non pretentious real Spanish tapas! I specially loved the wild boar albóndigas, the stuffed piquillos and the gambas! They have escalibada too!!! The churros con chocolate were fabulous, and the sangria was perfect! I like the friendly environment and the service Will go back for paella and arroz negro read more

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THE WORST!!!!! Hell no, don't come here if you love yourself. Made a reservation at 8, didn't get seated until 9. The whole time none of the staff updated us about the status of our table. But if we leave we have to pay a $30 cancelation per person. The food is mediocre at best but the service is absolutely horrendous. Will not come back unless I want to be disrespected and treated like a second class citizen. read more

We met up for a date night at La Marcha on Thursday. I've spent a lot of time in SF and I'm eager to explore more of the East Bay and he suggested this place. It was hard to get a reservation and the only one available was at the bar. It turned out to be a good idea since I was late (took too long trying to look nice for my date) and he had a chance to chat with the bartender. By the time I arrived, all of the ordering was done. I'm kind of a control freak when it comes to food but it was actually quite pleasant to not be faced with more decisions when I'm starting to feel overwhelmed with decision overload with everything that is happening in my life. The TVs above the bar were playing some interesting things: one was showing a college basketball game with two terrible non-local teams that I'm sure no one in the restaurant cared about and the other was showing a crazy early Antonio Banderas movie called "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." We watched both without sound or closed-captions and had a good time trying to figure out what was happening. We got two tapas: croquetas de bacalao and albondigas. I guess he really likes balls. He said that where he's from, bacalao is very popular and thought that the version at La Marcha wasn't as good as he had hoped. I wouldn't have ordered bacalao myself as I'm generally not a fan of things that are too salty. The albondigas were on the light side. He had a beer of some sort and I caved in to drinking alcohol (even though I've been saying for the past month that I don't want to drink anymore) and ordered a Sangria. The sangria was just ok. Finally, the star of the evening came - Paella Tres Cerditos. How could we pass up 3 different types of pork? I loved the arugula that we mixed into the rice. The chorizo was the best out of the 3 types of pork. The paella was certainly delicious; it was glistening in oil and fat so if you're not into that, you have been warned. read more

La Marcha Tapas Bar - Tres Cerditos Paella, yum! - Spanish Near Me - Berkeley, California

I have never been to Spain but several guests in our group have and they told me it was just like walking into a tapas bar! Restaurant Week 2020 Berkeley is amazing, and we were so lucky to be able to snag a reservation for a large group today. Our entire group of 9 decided on the special 5 course meal. I arrived early and had a glass of their house sangria at the bar....it was still Happy Hour! Gracious host and bartender despite the crowd! The place was hopping....a very cool Spanish TV drama on one big screen and soccer on the other. Noise levels are equivalent to the passion and love the kitchen puts into the food and the service the staff provides. Yes, a couple of small missed tapas (Happy Hour) but no big deal. The servers graciously made everything right. I am still floating on a wave of great food, wonderful service, and sharing a meal with family and friends. Check this place out! read more

This was my 2nd time dining at La Marcha and the flavors were on point again. I think we ordered about half of the menu: croquetas de champinones, pulpo gallego, bruselas, patatas aioli & arroz negro. This was some of the best paella I have ever had! All of the food presentation and taste was exceptional! The service was quick and professional and the owner Emily stopped by our table and chatted which was a real treat for our table! Its nice to be in a bustling restaurant on a Sunday night. read more

Food was amazing! Service was also top notch thank you Caroline for superb wine recommendations.

Amazing food and cozy place. The paella is unbeatable! Will definitely come back.. the only drawback is that there are limited seats in the dining area read more

I came with my family for my graduation dinner. It was Sunday at 5pm so we also came during their HH which was awesome! Half of sangrias and with each drink, you can get a small tapas. We ordered a pitcher of sangria which was half off, and that included 5 small tapas. The sangria was good! It was fruity but didn't taste watered down. The HH tapas we tried were: Albodingas Brussels sprouts Piquillos rellanos Patatas Bravas Shrimp and Garbanzo Bean fritter Croquettas de championes Loved them all!! For tapas we ordered the octopus and calamari. The octopus was incredibly tender, I wanted another order! The calamari was flavorful as well, and I enjoyed the squid ink sauce. We ordered the Arroz Negro and my family really enjoyed it! Service was on the slower side, but friendly! Reservations were easy to make and recommended. read more

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Unfortunately, we went there when the bay area was getting too hot. They do not have AC in the restaurant so it was very very hot inside. The food was okay and I must say it is a little too pricy for what you get. I think to enjoy their food maximally you need a bigger party than 2. Bravas, calamari, and croquetas are all great. They are probably not filling as much as you'd hope because it's a tapas bar! read more

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Good tapas and even better happy hour! We had the mushroom and crab croquetas, both were excellent. Cheese of the day was so good also. The patatas bravas were good and the Brussels sprouts were decent but I would probably skip next time. Sangrias were great, especially the white one which was refreshing and less sweet than the red. read more

It was definitely happy hour! Literally made it minutes before happy hour was over and got to order our glasses of white and red sangria for $5 each which included a choice of tapas which was a free $7-10 Value! Tapas can get quite expensive so I highly recommend checking this place out during Happy Hour. What we ordered: Croquettes- Chicken; Mushroom; Duck liver. Which were all delicious. Scallops- Looked like it was seared well but unfortunately it was undercooked in the center. Cumin Sliders- On point, extremely flavorful and well seasoned without being too greasy and heavy. Squid Ink Calamari- Well fried and very tasty! Cauliflower- Huge portion for a tapas and it was a tasty veggie dish to have. Ambience: Social and Casual vibes. Food: Tasty and worth trying everything once. Sangria: I preferred the red over the white. Well balanced taste, wasn't watered down or overly sweet. Verdict: Would 100% visit this place for Happy Hour on a weekly basis. Give this place a try! read more

Made a last minute reservation with them online! If your craving delicious Spanish food, definitely come here! We ordered 3 tapas : potatoes, ribs, and calamari! It was heaven. It paired well with our meat paella (such amazing variety) would like to try the negra one next time! Also, the best server Jason. Super helpful! read more

La Marcha Tapas Bar - Inside! - Spanish Near Me - Berkeley, California

I guess yelp now considers us regulars here we have enjoyed many of the top of the dishes. We have also enjoyed several of the sherry wine tasting menus. Today were having the dry sherry wine with fino, amontillado, palo cortado manzanilla and oloroso wines, all dry all delicious. We also had seasonal crab paella, not to be missed. Enjoy your visit! read more

La Marcha Tapas Bar - Seasonal Dungeness crab paella (paella de cangrejo) - Spanish Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great food, and the back patio was lovely. The staff was helpful and engaging. Hope to come back!

This restaurant has the perfect set up for a date or to go with friends. The food is amazingly delicious, and the service is EXCELLENT! I've been coming to this place for little over a year now, and it never disappoints. read more

Great place for very authentic Spanish dishes, especially for Arroces! We made the reservation through Yelp, and it seems a good idea given the restaurant has limited space, and it may not be good to have groups of people coming since all their tables are pretty small. We had their famous Paella Mixta and it was so great! The waiting time is around 30-35 mins, but it's worth it. It is also large enough for a party of 4. I would definitely want to come again to try the other Arroces options. For small plates we had the brussel sprouts and bravas (crispy potatos). Both are great to try and may be better with cocktails ;) Definitely recommend to my friends. read more

La Marcha Tapas Bar - Brussels sprouts and bravas - Spanish Near Me - Berkeley, California

Standard to good dishes - there are other Italian restaurants in Berkeley and EB which steals a lead. A major piece which works against this spot is if you are seated in the 'garden' (car park glam!) you cannot enter the building to use the restroom. (Doing so would involve walking through the kitchen!) For that you have to walk a good three minutes + around the car park and behind the buildings to the front row of shops and entrance of restaurant. Then you have to hope there isn't a line! read more

Do not make a reservation for this restaurant. We made one for 6:15pm and it is now 7:00pm and we have not been sat. The rude egotistical host said. "I can't make people eat faster so you have to just wait." This restaurant shouldn't Even be taking reservations as it only has less then 40 seats. Live update: we got seated now at 7:45pm. read more

Great place, however, the Paella was swimming in oil which made it almost inedible. Left almost half of it. I'm used to a drier version with fluffy saffron infused rice. The other dishes were all wonderful and staff were nice and there selections of wine are excellent. It's is a smaller restaurant so tables are cozy spaced and it can get a bit noisy. read more

We came on Tues night and the place was packed. So glad we made reservations. Ambiance was cheerful and busy, however a bit loud for conversation. The food was superb. I'm quite a fan of tapas and have tried it throughout the Bay Area. La Marcha is now my favorite Tapas place in the SF / East Bay. The slow cooked octopus was amazing - so many textures and tastes in one bite. The abondigas (boar & beef meatballs) and the stuffed pepper w goat cheese were both very tasty. Sangria was deliciously fruity tart & sweet. Compared to other tapas places, prices was very reasonable. I can't wait to come back to try the salads and paella! read more

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I was so excited to attend my first restaurant week event. I chose La Marcha as it indicated it came with 9 plates, which I thought would be a great way to get a feel for the restaurant. I was geared up for trying a wide array of flavors. However, the tapas were small, often single fork stab sized portions and were very cold. The churro and hot chocolate dessert was the only truly warm item. Their $25 fixed menu was not worth it, due to the portion size and quality. It would have been much better if they had a 3-4 course menu, like many other restaurant week participants, and had executed the dishes well. La Marcha's overall flavors were underwhelming. I will not be coming back again. Service- I made a reservation for the start of dinner. I was seated at the bar and ordered the restaurant week menu. My server asked me if I wanted anything to drink and suggested the happy hour sangria. So I ordered a happy hour sangria after my menu had already been taken. The server did not indicate that the happy hour drinks come with a free tapa. I researched the menu in advance and remembered this. I had to flag down a kitchen staff and he confirmed with my server about my free tapa. If I had not remembered and asked, I probably would not have been told about it. There were large waits between the arrival of each of my tiny bites. It seemed like they were preparing all of the restaurant week tapas in large batches and were serving them to everyone as they were completed. If that was the case, they should have been hot. These batches were not continually heated so they became cold. Aceitunas- The sherry vinegar brined, green olives worked very well with the coriander seeds. The olives were plump and perfectly salted. Great appetizer for drinks. Ensalada Achicoria- The salad was composed of small cubed sweet pear, light crumbled blue cheese, candied pecans, and kale. The moscatel vinaigrette and chicories gave a bitter flavor, which created a nice contrast with the sweet pear and pecans. The salad was the largest of all the tapas. Bruselas- The outside of the brussels was fried and crispy, while the center was more mushy. It was covered with a balsamic reduction. This dish was cold. If the dish had been served hot, the balsamic reduction would have been able to provide a flavorful zing. It was ok, but I wouldn't get it again due to the mushy center. Piquillo Relleno- This was my favorite dish. The cooked pepper was soft and stuffed with goat cheese. Goat cheese, even in small amounts, can overwhelm dishes with its intense flavor. However, the goat cheese in the dish was light and I wanted more peppers! Pulpo- The octopus was tender and seasoned with cracked pepper. It was buttery and amazing. However, the portion size was so minuscule. It came with fried whole chickpeas and a bed of chickpea purée. The chickpea purée was heavy and clashed with the tenderness of the octopus. The dish would have been more balanced and tasted better with a lighter sauce. Coca- I ordered this with my happy hour sangria. This is a bread topped with thin ham slices, pear, and Manchego cheese. The thinly sliced meat was dry/very salty and detracted from the dish. The bread was drenched in too much oil, was way to crispy, and also cold. This drew further attention to the saltiness of the ham. This Coca was advertised as being sweet, but I couldn't get too much of the sweetness, due to the salty elements. 1 paper thin pear slice and the Manchego cheese, were a little reprieve from the salt. Boar albondigas- The boar itself was tender , but severely under seasoned. It came covered in a sherry tomato cream sauce, that tasted like creamy tomato soup. Boar is exotic and to pair it with a common flavor like tomato soup is disappointing. This sauce was not a smart choice of vehicle for the boar, as it overwhelmed the boar flavor. Tortillita de Gambas- This fritter is made of shrimp and onion. It tasted more like squid. It was okay. Pollo Croqueta - The chicken was soft and fried. It came with a creamy pepper sauce. The flavors in the croquette were good, but not amazing. Churros con chocolate- I was looking forward to dessert. Perhaps La Marcha would end on a high note. Alas, the churro was dry and over fried. It came with a large glob of plain, uninspired melted dark chocolate sauce. The chocolate sauce contained a lot of oil, which was used to melt the chocolate. Noooo! Churros should be lightly fried and have a pillowy soft center. read more

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