Castilla has been a restaurant I've heard of for a long time, but honestly never really had plans…read moreto come in. We did a belated Christmas gift exchange with friends recently and our friends made reservations here. So glad they did! It's literally right down in the main Bellevue Square hub, so we were able to easily park at the mall and make a short walk to Castilla. Vibes were perfect with low lighting but still a bustling atmosphere. Our server (unfortunately forgot his name) kept solid recommendations coming all night and was so funny and personable! As this is a tapas spot, we tried quite a few dishes and split them amongst the table. Mixta Paella: our server promised us that the smaller size paella was good for 2-4 people and man he was RIGHT. The portion was absolutely insane and I don't think we even finished all of it. Everything tasted so fresh and there was so much flavor to the dish. They warn you ahead of time, but plan for the paella to take 30 minutes for them to prepare. Grilled Octopus Leg: Every time I have octopus (which is two times now LOL) I'm a little worried about the texture, but it was prepared beautifully here and the sauce that it was in was delicious. Salmon & Artichoke Dip: I'm a sucker for any type of artichoke dip and this was no exception. Creamy, rich, and great flavor! Beef Medallions: Tender and cooked to perfection. Definitely recommend. Chorizo & Onion Empanada: Another banger. So crispy and the filling was so good! I actually was on the fence about this one but my husband insisted, and it was a good choice. Patatas Aioli: Crispy layered potato with a garlic aioli? I mean, come on. You can't go wrong. Delicious. This was our first visit to Castilla and I'm sure it won't be the last - would definitely return if I'm dining up again in Bellevue!

My family and I came here to celebrate my father's birthday, but unfortunately it turned into one…read moreof the most unpleasant restaurant experiences we've had. I had made a reservation in advance by phone. When we arrived, however, the restaurant told us they could not find our reservation. While mistakes can happen, the interaction felt dismissive from the very beginning. After we were eventually seated, we were not given menus, even though other guests around us received theirs immediately. We waited and asked multiple times but were still left without menus. Eventually, I tried to get the attention of the front desk and asked for a menu. Instead of helping us, the owner came over and told us that we were being "not polite" and that because we were "not polite," we would not be given a menu. Wanting to document our experience, I posted a Google review while we were waiting. Shortly afterward, the owner came directly to our table with the review on her phone and confronted us about it while we were eating. I politely asked if we could discuss it after the meal, but was told that we needed to change the review immediately or leave the restaurant. I was honestly shocked. I've never experienced a restaurant owner approaching diners during their meal and pressuring them to modify a review. This was my father's birthday dinner, and the confrontation made the entire evening uncomfortable and upsetting for my family. To make matters worse, after we got home, we realized that one of the dishes we ordered was never served at all, and no one noticed throughout the entire meal. I understand that service mistakes can happen. Losing a reservation, forgetting menus, or missing an item can all be corrected. What disappointed me most was how these issues were handled. Instead of acknowledging the problems, we were blamed, confronted, and pressured to change our feedback. I rarely leave negative reviews, but I believe future customers deserve to know about our experience.

This restaurant is two in one. Not only is it a Paella Bar it's also Burrata Bistro. You can choose…read morefrom entrées or get a bunch of tapas to share! The drink menu was great and everything we had was good. The Ambience is dark and cozy, but it does have a nice outdoor patio area for seating as well. We had a party of 6 which automatically included a 20% gratuity charge. I know some restaurants are doing that. But I did not like was an extra 7% per check on top of that. I didn't like feeling obligated to tip 27%. Our service was good. We did go on a Friday night so we expected it to be busy. A few tapas took a little while to come out. Parking is street parking right off the restaurant. Or there is a parking lot walking distance. Overall the food was good. It's pricey but quality is there. We didn't care for the Cuban sandwich. It wasn't gross just wasn't anything special. I liked the paella. It had calamari, clams, mussels, shrimp, and chicken. All of the tapas are delicious. My husband is a big fan of their coffee. Everybody else in our party enjoyed their food. Is it worth the drive? For the food, yes but the extra taxes, no.

The food is exceptionally good. The service is exceptional…read moreas well, when they get around to you

Absolutely amazing meal! We had the pleasure of sitting at the counter and were able to see the…read morechefs work. The esparragos asparagus with romesco sauce was a great starter. We also enjoyed the torrilla espanola but the stars of the night were the Iberico de bellota and the tarta de queso.

The service was excellent and the vibes were really good too. I loved the selection of Spanish…read morewines and beers too. The food was good, but we experienced the struggle that we often do with US Spanish restaurants. Basically it's just very pricey for portions and also this tendency to try to do something to the food to "elevate" it in a way. Which is cool if you wanna do Spanish fusion but most tapas are fundamentally bar food in Spain, not fancy haute cuisine. So while the food was tasty, it wasn't quite authentic to the idea of bar tapas. That said, I'd definitely come back for the cold tapas - the ham and the cheese platter was impeccable, the drinks were also peak.

Leslie made our night! So attentive and on top of everything! The food was fantastic and staff all…read moregave great recommendations. We never had an empty plate sitting for more than a few minutes before it was cleared.

oh wowowow! ive had this place bookmarked for so long and finally got to try it this week. it blew…read moreme away! came in with two girlfriends and got sat in a booth. the place was so cute, there were booths, bar seats, some patio seats, and i think a room in the back too. menu had options for everyone, veg options, meat options, entrees, and drinks. it was a good amount to choose from, not so much that it got overwhelming. we got pretty much all the potato options, and i loved every single one of them. all the flavors worked so well with one another, some subtle, some packed a punch. the aioli thats featured in a lot of the tapas we ordered is to die for! i would buy it if they sold it. the chop salad actually was kind of an underdog. it surprised me, the vinaigrette that its marinated in is so delicious, i probably would have slurped it up if i werent so full. for entrees, we ordered the lamb skewers and meatballs. the lamb was heavily spiced and came with a eggplant dip. the meat was a bit tough but still tasted good. the meatballs were delicious, also well spiced, and came in a tomato red sauce with crispy bread. i think we ordered 5-6 tapas and 2 entrees, and it was enough food! and price was actually quite reasonable for the quality and quantity of food.

Sometimes one has to break being a creature of habit…read more Panini & mocha (and cookies) always will be at my long time indie, Irwin's. But I also love supporting other indie cafes and mega bonus points when they're motorcycle themed like Two Kick (QA/near SPU), The Wick (down the street), and now also Top Dead Center. The latter opened sometime over the summer, located at 77th & Aurora. I found parking around the corner off of Aurora (11/6/25). Can't park on Aurora since it's the 24/7 bus lane for Rapid Ride E. The big windows at the former Moto International building allow for plentiful natural light. Curated for motorcycle-philes and like minded enthusiasts. Ample seating adjacent to the front counter. There's also additional seating under the Benelli Service signage. During the cooler months, dress in layers. It does get a bit chilly along the big windows. Just saying. Coffee bevs that feature both Stumptown and Nguyen Coffee Supply roasts. There's other chilled bevs, panini sandwiches, tinned items, baked goods like scones, empanadas, and pastéis de nata (Nata!). Plus there's merch onsite to peruse...with the upcoming holiday season, unique gift ideas? And yes, they have onsite WiFi. I had a mocha and a mortadella and brie panini. The latter also came with pickled curried cauliflower. Good place to hangout in North Seattle with plentiful onsite seating and decent music playing.

Friendly service. Based in an old motorcycle shop which was cool decor but a little smelly…read more Coffee was solid, but not spectacular. Pastel de nata was good. I believe the owner when he noted it was likely the best in seattle. It doesn't compare to Portugal, but that is not a criticism.

I was excited to come here and enjoy some simple tapas and speak Spanish with my family. I love…read morethe concept, and the intent. The service was also great, considering there were many people and only one server. The coffee was good and people were all making an effort to speak Spanish, which I very much appreciated. The tortilla de patata, was also fine. That was the good. Overall, the food, as simple as it was, was really, really dissapointing. First, they rely exclusively on a microwave and a toaster oven. This should probably mean they serve only a few premade pastries and maybe come fiambres and call it a day. But I did not realize this when I ordered churros con chocolate for the whole family. Instead of having freshly fried churros - the only way to serve these, and the only way you will ever have them in any cafeteria in Spain - they preheated some pre-baked abominations along with a schmear of cold fudge sauce in a saucer. For a place so infatuated with Spain to serve something so wholly inauthentic really surprised me. Is it that hard to make chocolate a la taza? Is it that hard to have a frier and serve up some fresh churros? That's what we thought we were getting.... The ensaladilla was also a poor imitation of a Spanish classic, with mostly mayo, hardly any tuna, and punctuated with a smattering of pale peas. Even the pan con tomate, jamón y queso was bad. I confess that I've never understood the Catalan tendency to grate tomato on bread for these montaditos, but Ole doesn't even do that. Eschewing this easy opportunity to use a fresh ingredient, they squeeze some cold tomato sauce on a slice of toast instead. Almost as bad, the jamon serrano they use is cold and presliced (meaning that the salt is brought to the surface of the meat), instead of room temperature like jamon needs to be, rendering it dry and hard instead of warm and tender. In short, Ole cuts corners at every turn, relying on premade dishes for nearly everything, a decidedly un Spanish approach to food. Seattle desperately needs an authentic little Spanish cafeteria where folks can get good, simple freshly made tapas made with love. This place doesn't even try. With all that being said, if you want a good coffee and to be surrounded by people who love the language, Ole offers this. And that's pretty good too..

Little cafe with a novel concept. This is a 100% Spanish language business. Step inside and…read moreyou're teleported half way across the world into a little Spanish bar. You hear and read only Spanish, and if you're well versed in the language, you will spot everywhere the signs of Castilian Spanish from Spain. Watching people struggle a little bit ordering drinks and tapas brought back similar memories from travels to Spain with one big difference. Here, the owner is also a Spanish teacher (there was a class in session in the back room while I was there), so she helps you through the experience without breaking the spell by resorting to English. It wouldn't be fair to comment on the food barely 24 hours after opening. We'll see how that develops. Their intention is to provide a rotating selection of Spanish tapas. They have no kitchen, but neither do many Spanish bars. The beauty of classic Spanish tapas (jamón, queso, boquerones, pan, aceitunas, etc.) is they don't require cooking. The key is quality ingredients and as they say in Spain, "poca floritura." Olé café is the perfect remedy for Spanish nostalgia. As I stepped outside and returned to Seattle, USA, I marveled at how small our world has become.

The four of us ordered 10 items in total and we were more than full! Everything was so yummy…read more Highly recommend! Would come back again Recommend items: -Paella (the rice is crispy and very well seasoned) -Croissant (perfectly crispy with well balanced tahini honeycomb sauce) -octopus (very well seasoned and tender, paired with pickled onions and crispy potatoes) -Apple pie (needs to preorder since it takes 45 mins to be freshly baked. Such a stunner. Puff pastry with stuffed caramelized apples and pork, sounds odd but u can barely take the pork just a hint of savoriness. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Perfect way to end the dinner

I was genuinely excited to try this new tapas spot. I love Spanish food and the idea of small…read moreplates and a Spain-inspired experience. To be fair, I'm not usually a fancy multi-course meal person, but at about $75 per person, I was willing to pay for a memorable experience. Because the menu was so different, our group decided to order à la carte. We had seen octopus empanadas and expected those, only to learn the empanada in the tasting menu was actually chicken. The server also explained that the tasting menu version would only be a one-bite portion, which made us stick with à la carte. The problem was that many of the à la carte dishes were tiny; around four bites, some barely an inch across. It felt more focused on presentation than flavor. What disappointed me most was that dishes inspired by familiar cuisines didn't stay true to them. The bacalao lacked the qualities I associate with island-style bacalao, the tahdig wasn't crispy as Persian tahdig should be, and the paella didn't evoke Valencia. The octopus dish and the bread were easily the highlights of the meal. After drinks, the bill came to around $120 per person before tip, yet the service wasn't particularly knowledgeable or passionate about the food. The biggest surprise? After spending over $300-400 for our group, I was still hungry enough to walk next door and buy empanadas. This may simply not be my style of dining. If you enjoy artistic, presentation-driven tasting experiences, you may love it. For me, though, it was an expensive experience that left me unsatisfied rather than impressed.

Server Inna who is fairly new on the job did a great job. Staff were all pleasant and accommodating…read moreto our needs. Foods XP Prawns Fajitas delicious as always. Chips and salsa on point and flavorful. Was a great experience!

Stopped by after a day of shopping at Bellevue Square with my family and I'm so glad we did!…read more From the moment we sat down, our server was incredibly sweet and welcoming. The service was also impressively quick, we had our drinks and food out in no time, which was perfect after a long shopping day. We started with Moscow mules, and they were perfectly balanced and refreshing. The chips and salsa while we waited were a great touch and super satisfying! For food, we ordered the carne asada, smoked brisket tacos, and the southwest chopped salad and YUM. Everything was absolutely delicious. The flavors were spot on, the portions were generous, and we genuinely enjoyed every bite. Safe to say... we left our plates completely clean! Overall, such a great experience with amazing food, fast service, and a warm atmosphere. We'll definitely be back!