Spent over $700 there as we were in Chicago for 10 days. It was the worst restaurant we went to during our trip. One of the waiters spilled my buddy's red wine on him and didn't even say sorry, let alone offer to dry-clean or buy him a glass. Seafood Paella was way too salty. Ordered our beef medium rare and it came out almost well done (no pink). The Shrimp were OK. Don't waste your time or money as there are many other restaurants in town read more

The bar is inside the hotel of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection. When you enter into the main lobby of the hotel make a right and follow the staircase to the restaurant. The décor is open and airy and there are a ton of windows taking advantage of the views. We sat at the bar and had a drink but you could also order food at the bar. The food did look good though! The back bar was impressive and had a cool vibe. The bartender wasn't great. He wasn't personable and barely spoke. He did not engage and instead just stuck to getting our drinks and that was it. I went with the Rosado Sangria which was on tap and very good. It was sweet and refreshing. My husband got a well drink and was happy. Very pricey, as expected. Our bill was about $24.00? It was a nice time people watching and enjoying the Chicago views, while killing some time. Drinks were good but service was poor. read more

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I had the best pork I have ever had in my entire life here !! I got the chefs choice where they pick your dishes and everything was TO DIE FOR!!! Would definitely come back read more

Stumbled upon this restaurant because I flew in later evening, and this is the restaurant at the hotel I was staying at. Greatttt service and AMAZING food! Every dish I had was delicious. Highly recommend! read more

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My partner and I came for tapas and paella. We enjoyed the bacon wrapped dates, paella negra, goat cheese croquettes and a couple drinks. The dates were some of the best I had! My Roja drink was delicious! (Would have loved it in a coupe). The prawns in the paella is where we were displeased. Cut like butter but was a mushy texture. Did not eat, moved to the side. Our server was pleasant and looked busy! Great location for afternoon tea. Would love if they offered that. read more

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Great selection of top shelf liquors and a variety of mixed drinks. Scotch, bourbon, tequila-you name it. Visited this bar while staying in The Blackstone. Worth the experience. The ambiance and early 20th century vintage design will take you back in time. read more

Great place for Sunday brunch. Excellent views overlooking Grant Park. Super Bloody Mary bar: help yourself! Trendy and upscale. Delicious food! read more

The best Spanish tapas I've had in the city in awhile! Came here for dinner and had a wonderful experience. The space and ambience are open, airy, and feel nice/upscale but also comfortable. There are some seats by the window, and since it's on the second floor I think that view would be really nice. For drinks, I tried the rose sangria and it was perfect! So tasty, light, and refreshing. Probably the best sangria I've had in awhile. The color was also pretty :) For food, we tried the patatas bravas, tortilla espanola, spanish cod beignets, and cous cous with veggies. Everything was outstanding, flavorful, and filling. I could have done with one less aioli (everyone comes with aioli!) but maybe that's authentic, and it certainly made it that much more filling. That was the perfect amount of food for two people and we left stuffed. I wouldn't say the food is light by any means, and I wouldn't eat this way for every meal, but it was all delicious and felt like a real treat. We also got dessert - the chocolate torta, which was sooo goood. The coffee (?) ice-cream that came with it was so delicious and it was the perfect amount of sweet treats for what we wanted (neither of us have a huge sweet tooth). Had a great experience and looking forward to returning! read more

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We have been eating here yearly for a group dinner and this place used to be slammed with people and the food was excellent. In 2022 the food was not great but acceptable and the restaurant was pretty busy, but not like it had been. This year the food was just OK and there was hardly anyone else there. It is too bad because this place used to be great but all things come to an end. read more

Arrived for an anniversary dinner just to find out that their special Barcelona menu that was being served Thurs-Sun through the end of March as advertised on their website was not being served Friday March 22. Their risotto and lamb was good but everything else overpriced. read more

We went to Mercat last Saturday because it is so closed to our place and we always wanted to give it a try. The food was good, but not good enough to justify the price we paid. We ordered XORIÇO, EMBUTIDOS IBERICOS, CORDERO, COCA DE ESCALIVADA (FLATBREAD) and BACALAO. XORIÇO - smoked paprika-garlic sausage - I love the taste of paprika spice and I like sausage in general, so I thought this would be a good appetizer to start the night. The smell was excellent when the plate was served. After I took a bite, I was disappointed. The sausage was very chewy and too salty for me. However, fiance loved it because he likes salty stuff. EMBUTIDOS IBERICOS - selection of spanish cured meats - the taste was good; however, I didn't expect that much of olive oil on the plate. It felt like the meats were soaked in olive oil. My fingers got very messy when I tried to wrap the meat around the finger bread they provided. CORDERO - two lamb chops - I love how tender the lamb was and the taste of the sauce. The lamb chop is thicker than the ones you can get from other restaurants. However, $15 one piece and nothing else on the plate? Maybe a little expensive... COCA DE ESCALIVADA (FLATBREAD) - flatbread pizza with roasted eggplant and yellow squash - interesting topping for flatbread and it tasted fresh and delicious. Also loved the whipped goat cheese. BACALAO - Atlantic cod - cod was tender with crispy skin. Some spice they used was very spicy, so be cautious when you order this dish. For dessert, we ordered TORTA DE XOCOLAT and ARROZ CON LECHE CROQUETTE. Both were so-so. Fiance also got a soft drink and had 2 re-fills. Total bill went up to almost $130 with tax. Although tapas are usually expensive given the portion, this place is comparably more expensive than other tapas places given the taste and amount of the food. read more

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Staff were very friendly and helpful and ambiance was nice, but food quality not that great. Some of the seafood smelt/tasted like it had gone bad or was close to it. Would not recommend the Calamari or the oysters. Crème brûlée dessert was quite good though. read more

Pequeno Mercat - Créeme brûlée - Tapas Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Big on presentation, big on expense. The environment was quite breathtaking. We ate here on the way to the airport. If was okay for expensing, but nothing I'd want to spend my own money on. While I'm sure that many view the legs-on shrimp as "authentic" or somehow avant-garde, it's a hassle having to clean your seafood and mix bits of shell or appendage in with the things you're trying to actually eat. read more

I'm catching up on Yelp reviews from months ago, but better late than never! Mercat a la Planxa is located in the Blackstone Hotel and is a Spanish Tapas restaurant. But some friends and I came here for brunch after the Hot Chocolate 15K. The atmosphere was very cool as it had vibrant colors and cool architecture. We had an 11am reservation on a Sunday and it wasn't too crowded. I ordered the Traditional Eggs Benedict with potatoes and a side of bacon. The hollandaise sauce was rich and very good. The potatoes were very crispy and the bacon was a good portion size. The food was very good! Service was meh... Our waiter disappeared for long periods of times and never came back for coffee/water refills or came back to see if we needed anything. Prices are a little expensive, but that is expected being right across from Millennium Park. Main dishes run about $15-$30, tapas run about $15-$40, and sides are $6. Overall, Merca a la Planxa is a solid brunch option in the Loop with very cool atmosphere! read more

Pequeno Mercat - Eggs Benedict with potatoes. - Tapas Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Atmosphere 5/5 Decor 4/5 Serrano Ham & Fig Salad 5/5 (my favorite) Dates Wrapped in Bacon w/ Almonds 2/5 (a pit was left in the date in which I bit right into and hurt my teeth and jaw... Manager was nice enough to take the plate off bill though) Sangria 3/5 Flan 4/5 Service 2/5 (Waitress commented negatively on Tip as we were leaving after tipping her 15%... never happened to us before) read more

Pequeno Mercat - Serrano Ham & Fig Salad - Tapas Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Everything was delicious. Our server ,Missy, was great, and funny as heck. We had great service from all the staff there. The food was amazing. We did the chef course, for $75 per person, the food portion was perfect. read more

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Another trip to Chicago so we finally decided to have dinner at Mercat. The atmosphere is nice, dimly lit, and service is excellent. Didn't know what to order so proceeded with chef choice. Excellent. My favorite are the following: 1. Olives and bacon wrapped scallops 2. Scallops 3. Butter grilled shrimp with bread 4. Meat Paella 5. Steak Highly recommend. read more

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Fantastic brunch spot in South Loop, if you're looking for savory Spanish dishes! We ordered the cheese croquettes as an appetizer and then the omelet and mercat Benedict for the main course. The atmosphere was very open and upscale, with large windows alleviating any seasonal depression. The texture on the croquettes were fantastic with the melty cheese in the middle in contrast to the fried dough on the outside. Also the mercat Benedict was one of the best Benedict's I've had in Chicago since the ham pairing went really well with the hollandaise sauce. Would recommend for a classy brunch in the city. read more

Pequeno Mercat - Tapas Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This tapas restaurant seems to be thriving, and I can see why. The gambas al ajillo (shrimp in garlic and chili sauce) was excellent, and needed only a touch more garlic to be comparable to the version that can be found in Spain. The crusty bread that comes with it is INCREDIBLE. I could easily eat it every day. The patatas bravas were also excellent and authentic-tasting. The hamachi crudo was tasty too. I wasn't thrilled that my beer was served without a head on it. Our server was harried -- not her fault, the place was jumping -- but she was friendly and efficient. Recommended for anyone looking for a place to eat before or after a show at the Studebaker or Merle Ruskin Theatre, or a concert at Orchestra Hall. read more

We were staying at the Blackstone Hotel and opted to go downstairs for supper instead of out on the town. The tapas are fine, I suppose - our mistake was we'd been in Barcelona and Menorca last year, devouring tapas for days. Everything tasted "like" Spanish tapas but wasn't Spanish tapas... the flavors continued to remind us of the amazing food we'd had in Spain... the wine was good. The pork chop likely the best, the Bravas were tasty, the charcuterie board was dismal with COLD cheeses... I might suggest drinks and just a couple nibbles at the bar, rather than an entire meal of tapas. Service was mediocre. Beautiful room! read more

We enjoyed the Mercat a week ago as we an our friends totally enjoyed a dinner & wine-tasting / pairing! My wife and I had never been to either the Mercat or Blackstone Hotel, while our friends had dined there previously. We left the selections for each course in our very competent waiters hands and he didn't steer us wrong. All the tapas choices he made were excellent. Whether : the tasty tomato bread; dates & bacon w/ blue cheese sauce; a wonderful potatoes dish ; mussels; lollipop lamb ; special cheesecake w/ raspberry compote; dessert, etc. everything was excellent and temperature perfect for our table. The wine pairings were outstanding ... a white followed by perfect reds topped off by cava. So good that we DID stop in the bar area and finished a bottle of our favorite red from the meal. Service again... well coordinated and paced perfectly for our leisurely dinner. The wait staff was experienced and it showed! If anything was not five star it was the look or appeal of the room. A unique room with the sunken dinning area and round private areas were nice, but lighting and decor seemed outdated and overlooked. Yes....the historical look and potential were obvious but the lighting and colors were not what we anticipated, especially in comparison to the restaurant's choice of on-line PR photos. Would the " look" of Mercat, aka ambiance, change our minds about returning.... NO. Love to return for the tastes of Spain & Barcelona!! read more

Terrible foods and over price!! $18 for 6 shrimps and over cooked. The waitress was rude and racist. read more

Pequeno Mercat - Tapas Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Three of us went for tapas at Mercat a la Planxa yesterday evening and it was superb. We each ordered three plates, as recommended: Paella Vegano Gambas al Ajillo Scallops a la Planxa Datiles con Almendras Sardines in Olive Oil Pan con Tomate Coliflor Patatas Bravas Cana de Cabra Croquetas I am a pescatarian and do not enjoy sardines, so did not try everything, but *everything* I tried was exquisite and my companions loved it all. The dishes were brought out one at a time in a carefully orchestrated manner and announced by our personable and efficient server. The paella was the closest dish to an entree and was luscious, including artichokes, peas, asparagus, and green beans. It is hard to name a favorite, but, in addition to the paella, two were especially heavenly: patatas bravas and the Cana de Cabra Croquetas (goat cheese croquettes with quince puree. Really, everything was superb. Our bottle of Monastrell blend was also excellent, although I would get Cava next time. For those concerned about the price tag, considering the reviews mentioning it, it should not come as a surprise because you can peruse the menu online before visiting the restaurant. One way to moderate cost would be to order vegetarian dishes and Cava. Our dinner for three including tax and wine was just under $200 and would have been less if we had ordered all vegetarian dishes and a bottle of Cava and would have been equally delicious! read more

We dined at Mercat a la Planxa with the group of 5 people. Our waiter was very friendly, and energetic, although at times was interrupting us abruptly which is just lack of manners and etiquette. The service was good overall. Seafood paella was good, although it takes about 45 mins to get prepared. The large portion is quite large! Most favorite dishes here were asparagus and cauliflower! Other dishes were okay as well, just nothing too exciting or unique. Good flavors though. read more

Mercat a la Planxa is definitely an interesting restaurant. Came here on a Thursday for lunch (6/8/17) not knowing what to expect. A vendor suggested we try this place, and I was along for the ride. The menu is somewhat small, yet slightly difficult to decipher. We asked our server for a brief rundown, which was super helpful. After some indecision, I decided on the ravioli d'anyell (lamb ravioli), priced at $17. This place is a little pricey. The atmosphere is great. I really enjoyed the open space. The decor was on point. Exactly what you would expect from a restaurant with the name that it has. No complaints about the ambiance. I'm not sure what the first floor is all about, but we sat on the second. Service was slow at times, but friendly. I thought the food here was really good! I loved my ravioli. Everything was on point. The serving sizes were not very substantial, however. For the price, I was expecting a little more, but I've definitely been to worse. Bring some extra cash if you come here hungry. While the food is great, I'm not sure a simple entree will fill you. That being said, I think this restaurant is more of a small plates/tapas kind of a place where you share. Now that I think about it, I guess we went about it all wrong! I would definitely recommend this restaurant to those looking for a unique experience. Go ahead and check it out! read more

Pequeno Mercat - Menu - Tapas Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My friends and I dined here for a birthday dinner this week. Beautiful space with a lovely view of the snowfall. Tapas style -- We ordered about 75% of the menu for 7 of us. I thought the portions were a bit large on some dishes for the recommended "3-4" plates to feed one person. Overall delicious food, no complaints there from our table. The shishito peppers were my favorite; and I was blessed to choose not one but two hot ones. Service was fine but the cuisine was the star. read more

I was staying at the Blackstone Hotel for two nights on a business trip. Side note- I highly recommend this very cool historic hotel!!! Monday night it was raining so badly outside I did not want to go out so I decided to try Mercat right downstairs for dinner. I am so glad I did!!! Mercat is a Spanish tapas restaurant with a lot of great options although a little pricey but not so bad when you consider the location. I was so bummed that it was just me because I would've loved to have tried a lot of other things. I had the chicken croquettes which, although a little bad for me since they were fried, they were delicious. I also have the scallops which were amazing. I enjoyed a glass of sangria with my dinner and the service was also excellent. I would definitely return if I was staying in this part of town again. Highly highly highly recommend read more

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Hibiscus gin and tonic was amazing! Service meh. Sat at the bar and had a couple apps. Was not very fond of the octopus, but the croquettes were good. Would definitely come back as the atmosphere is the best part about this place! Positioned inside the Blackstone Hotel. So if you're into architecture and atmosphere it's an amazing feast for the eyes. Enjoy read more

Pequeno Mercat - a drink in a wine glass - Tapas Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Rough go at the place in terms of getting food and value proposition. I ordered the boquerones, an anchovy dish which I have had at places before so I know that I like the dish. The execution here was very different, being the orange slices served with it and the green olives. One wouldn't think green olives with an already salty fish & oranges together. It actually worked. I did wish there was some sort of starch with it, though - it needed it. At the same time I ordered the boquerones, I ordered one of the pulpo dishes (which is octupus). It took about an hour. And it was a very tiny piece of tentacle. They clearly had an issue, at the expense of my time, but the bartender serving me did remove it from the bill so that was fair/nice. Even though the cost is about $30 (not including tax, tip, drinks) for those very small dishes, I had to order more. Those tiny bites of food weren't close to being enough for dinner. I don't have a problem spending money on food... but come on! Next I went with the ravioli, it had oxtail, fresh peas and a light sauce. It seems like there were bonito flakes on it, and ended up tasting more like a tuna past dish. Weird though because it was oxtail. It wasn't bad but seemed misrepresented and need more seasoning. The fresh peace were really good. I even went with a dessert, which I don't often do, but since I did not really get very full. Olive oil cake sounded great. I ate about half and that was all I could do. It wasn't very good. The cake was dense, cold, almost gritty. The accessories to the cake overdid it on the citrus. What is with this chef/restaurant and oranges?? There was orange marmalade in between the cake, a dried orange in top, citrusy orange sorbet on top of the cake (should probably go on the side) and a sweet caramel sauce. They should've probably taken it off, too but since the pulpo fiasco, I didn't expect any more. Overall, the bartenders were great (I ate at the bar). Food was good, kitchen needs to improve timing, and again the value proposition is way off. I've spent $100 or more on dinner before, and that's fine, but it's gotta be worth it. read more

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Excellent Tapas restaurant inside the Blackstone hotel. Sam, our waiter was very attentive. My ding partner and I shared the Mussels, Dates wrapped in bacon, Pulpo a.la.planxa, Lamb Chops and patatas brava. My only complaint was the kitchen sends out food as it's prepared not necessarily in the order you want. So when the potatoes came as the last dish, I was a little disappointed as they would have been a great accompaniment to the Pulpo and Lamb chops. No complaint the quality of the food, the combination of different plates and the prompt courteous service by both Sam and the runners, busboy etc. Would definitely come back. BTW they have a nice assortment of cocktails and a ni e wine list , by the glass (gave the option of a 9 0z pour!!) Or bottle. read more

Firstly, my sister is a seasoned chef and gourmet who absolutely loves Mercat a la Planxa and insisted I try it. So, it's VERY possible that I just ordered wrong. I was in Chicago on business and was trying to make the best of my cancelled flight that kept me in Chicago over the weekend (#BombCyclone). My sister rants and raves about this being one of her favorite dining experiences and insisted I make a pointed stop here. I ordered a coffee and "Mercat Benedict" and posted up to knock some emails out. The service was GREAT. Everyone was so kind and attentive, with warm smiles, and kind personalities. I very much enjoyed the people who just wanted to ensure that I had a pleasant time. The food, however, was trendy... at best. The Mercat Benedict was such an overwhelming conflict of flavors with so little forethought to the balance of flavors. The texture of the brioche was dry (and an oddly dense choice given how decadent the other ingredients are). The chorizo was overpowering, and a horrible clash of oxymoronic paprika-laden truffle hollandaise that was both somehow offensively pungent and bland?! I don't know. I can only assume that I did this wrong because my sister would NEVER recommend this place if she ate what I did. That being said, the ambiance is darling and the food photographs beautifully. I would just never ever eat here again. read more

Pequeno Mercat - Mercat Benedict (chorizo, paprika hollandaise, and toasted brioche) with roasted potatoes. Photo by Oanh McClure. - Tapas Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Came for drinks before dinner. Pleasant atmosphere and patient bartender. The decor is beautiful in a very open space with an exposed kitchen. The drinks were good. I would like to return to try their tapas. read more

Pequeno Mercat - Tapas Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Fabulous desserts in a Sexy Space - small portions mean buttons won't burst as romance blooms! Came here on a wild and stormy night to have an after dinner dessert feast. Bar seating was available at 8pm & the space loosened up after about 9pm but if you're coming earlier be ready to stand or wait n wait without reservations. read more

I am originally from Barcelona, so I as very excited to try out a Catalan restaurant in Chicago. I was very unimpressed. And, I say that when comparing to other Catalan/Spanish restaurants in the US. I would be much less impressed if I compared to the local ones in Barcelona, of course. The big positive for us was the "pa amb tomaquet" (bread with tomato). This might sound like an easy one to get right, but it is not. The bread was thin and toasted to perfection, so kudos for that. The Bask cheesecake was also really good. The ambiance is upscale and nice. Not Barcelona at all, but I would say still on the positive side. The food was all meh. We had a few traditional tapas including octopus, and iberian ham, and a seafood paella. Nothing was above the 3 stars. Even the jamon was far below the quality of what you can have at similar Spanish restaurants. The service was very mediocre also, and I am not saying this only because the waiter could not understand my spanish pronunciation of the dishes LOL/ The biggest disappointment for me was the wine list. As a Spaniard who is also a wine enthusiast I get really sad when a restaurant features such a poor selection of Spanish/Catalan wines. All the wines by the glass were bad (like 3.5 stars on Vivino), and the only way you could get close to a decent wine was with the highest priced wine on the list for $100. Even that one is mediocre at best. If you are the owner of the restaurant and are reading this, I volunteer to help you update the wine list with Catalan and Spanish wines of much better quality available in the US, without increasing the average price at all. I will finish with the G&T, which was sold to me as one of the best in the US. I know a bit about G&T, and this one was not even better than the one I prepare at home with the gin I bring from Barcelona. In fact, the G&T from The Gage, bar next door, is far better. read more

It was alright. Went for the luxury tasting menu, thought the lamb chop, the iberico ham, the tuna salad, the bacon wrapped dates, and the chicken and scallops were good but nothing was phenomenal. Everything else was just alright, including the paella de carne. With a tasting menu with multiple people a part of the experience I think is getting individual plates but here they just give one or two plates per dish and have you portion it out amongst yourselves. When you factor in price, can't recommend the place even if some of the food is decent. read more

Absolutely not for a place a celebration dinner. Or any dinner I guess. $$$ sign by their name makes them snooty with not quality food. Dry paella You can find better tapas at many other places in the city. I think this place is over rated just because it's on Michigan avenue location. Staff is not helpful at all. They were all over the place with serving. The manager loves to micromanage the guests! Do not recommend. Not worth the Money or the hype. read more

Overall, this was a really good experience. The pan tomate was memorably incredible, as were the garlic shrimp. The iberico croquettes were tasty, but had a sort of mushy texture inside. The papas bravas were delicious. The paella was a little salty but had so much amazing seafood. The signature gin and tonic was ok, but the red sangria was really lovely. Our waiter made it sound like the dishes would be staggered more than they were, and I wish there had been some space between each small plate. Most of them came out within a few minutes. read more

Pequeno Mercat - Mariscos paella - Tapas Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Had dinner on 9/16/23 w/ party of 5. The entrance to the restaurant is through The Blackstone hotel off Balboa and then you can ascend the stairs or take the elevator. The table location and setup were very pleasant. The restaurant decor is beautiful. The food selections on the menus - chef's menu - and ala carte - were excellent. I would give the experience 5 stars were it not for our experience w/ our server Dante. While knowledgeable of Mercat's history and menu, he was disagreeable during our ordering insisting that we had to order the chef's menu is for everyone at the table (vs. 3 of the 5) or everyone would be ala carte. This is not anywhere on the menu as a requirement or direction. I have eaten tapas many times and the ordering experience was very off putting. The food, however, made up for the initial ordering misstep. Food was excellent, well prepared and flavorful. There was no menu left at the table or any explanation of the dishes as they arrived (e.g. on cheese plate we have Manchego and X and Y cheese...). Given the number of dishes it was a bit harder to remember some of the detail of items. In the end we spent more with the 3 chef's menu orders and the ala cart selections than if I had ordered chef's menus for the entire party. I would definitely come back again but would ask for guidance when dishes were delivered by the expeditors. read more

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Came here for Christmas tapas, overall not bad food and service. I've been here several times before but this is my first review. The bacon wrapped dates and croquettes were delicious. Wine and drinks were good. Area of improvement is the to-go containers, very cheap and trashy would expect much better. read more

One word. ATTITUDE! We stayed Friday through Monday it was off the charts rude. Also, being in the business, understaffed all 3 days. Friday night, I went to the bar to get a beer glass since the couple we were staying with brought their homemade beer. I asked for a beer glass since I just wanted a little. This was 7/5 evening. I rmemebr the same tude from him last year. The next morning and Sunday there was one srver for the whole room. read more