Who Would Have Thunk: Tapas Served in the Heart of Caldwell Enjoyed our dinner at Xunta España. We tried a tasty Chorizo a Prancha (Grilled Chorizo with Caramelized Onions), hearty Caldo Galego (Broccoli Rabe, White Beans, Potatoes, Chorizo and Ham Soup), Champinos Bevedos (Mushrooms and Onion in Brandy--would not re-order), and perfectly cooked medium rare Faldra a Prancha con Espinaca (Skirt Steak with a Chimichurri Sauce and side of Sautéed Spinach). See pics Pluses: + Most dishes offered in Tapas portion and regular portion size intended for sharing (ración) + Fresh ingredients. + Complimentary olive bread + Friendly staff. Owner stopped by our table. Said they opened June 2013. + BYOB. Wine was opened and served in quality wine glasses without corkage fee + Some dishes marked Gluten Free Gripes: - Only one: For a small restaurant, it was noisy on a Saturday evening. Open daily for lunch and dinner with exception of no lunch on Sunday. Will return. I will also attempt to make at home the Caldo Galego soup...many recipes online. Tip: Avoid hassle of finding street parking. Park in rear. Public parking lot. read more

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The food here was absolutely incredible. The tapas are made to be shared, and you'll need a group of friends to help you make a dent in these delicious dishes. The Croquetas are a decadent start, and their accompanying sauce is a perfect pair. The Chourizo a Prancha were perfectly seared, decadently flavored, and paired with perfectly sauteed onions; an absolute must-have. Our party of 12 kept ordering dish after dish, and each plate was inexplicably better than the last. Seriously, if you haven't been here yet, you're sorely missing out. read more

Food and service was excellent. Would definitely return. Everything was delicious. You should order a variety of tapas portioned dishes to try. read more

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We will be going back as this was our first time here. Great selection of Tapas and BYOB. Such a friendly staff who helped us with our menu decisions and we were happy with a the selections. read more

I cannot understand the multiple great reviews of this place. I have been there three times, always forced to return by friends who seem to like it. The food is terrible, is extremely overpriced for what you get), and the tables are so close together that the lever of noise makes everybody scream to hear each other. The croquettes are truly disturbing. They look like fried bread. Tasteless. The patatas bravas where drowning in a spicy mayo. Not the way they are supposed to be. The steak ok-ish but the chimichurri in the side was terrible. I've been to Spain, I've eaten really good Spanish food and this is not it! read more

4 stars for the food, 2 stars for the service. Came here for the first time with a friend and was very excited about this place as I love Tapas. FYI they are BYOB, so if you want sangria you have to bring your own wine and they'll bring the chopped fruit. Being pregnant, that didn't matter much to me although when I asked the waitress if the cheese was pasteurized she had no idea what I was talking about. I explained I was pregnant which was why I was asking. She claimed not to know English well so my friend who happens to be from Ecuador asked her in Spanish, and she still had no idea what that meant. She apparently didn't want to bother asking the kitchen so I decided not to bother ordering any cheese. My friend ordered more complicated dishes than I did, yet they brought out all 3 of his tapas which he even finished before they brought out a single one of my dishes- and one of the dishes I ordered was simply olives which requires no cooking and little to no prep. Waited a very, very long time for the 3 tapas I ordered and waitress never even checked on us despite flagging her down. Never apologized either. Not fun for a hungry pregnant woman. My food was good when it FINALLY arrived (especially the mushrooms and patatas bravas!) and my friend said the Hamon was good. I'll take his word for it as I couldn't partake. However, I wouldn't return to this place with such poor service and disorganization. 3 stars is very generous of me. read more

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I cannot recommend a place better than this one. The food was absolutely incredible! I couldn't take pictures because I couldn't put my fork down long enough to take some. We went with a big group of people and we got a large variety of the tapas to share. Some of the best ones included the croquetas, the chourizo a prancha, the costelas refogadas, and the datiles con touciño, and poblo romesco. The flavors were amazing, everything was cooked beautifully and the service was amazing! If you haven't been here yet, you are missing out. read more

Great service, small plates to drool over - small quaint atmosphere Need reservations for sure

We went here for a last minute birthday choice. I recommend reservations especially on weekends. The croquetas are amazing, the mayo is unreal. The Morcilla con Cebola is great, not minerally or livery like blood sausage can be. We can wait to go back and spend more time. And remember that it is BYOB, they have sangria mix. read more

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My friend and I went here for Caldwell Restaurant Week, not only because they offered the best looking menu, but also because there seems to be a shortage of Spanish restaurants in the area and I was craving some tapas. Big time. I spent a semester in Spain, so while I'd like to think I know a thing or two about Spanish food, my host mother was cheap and didn't feed me too well. When she did feed me and my 7 native Spanish host brothers, even they agreed her cooking sucked. So after being denied quality Spanish food for 4 consecutive months as a 19 year old college sophmore, I was relieved to learn about this place as a 30 year old adult. From the 4 course restaurant week menu, we split the Spanish tortilla, the spicy potatoes, the bacon wrapped dates, grilled chorizo over caramelized onions, the croquetas, and the grilled chicken brochette. They only had one option for dessert (churros). Let's break it down: - The tortilla was awesome and had perfect consistency. Not too hard, but not falling apart either. - The spicy potatoes were spicy indeed and probably reached the top of my list. - The grilled chorizo was nicely seared and not overcooked, which happens more often than it should. It blended well with the onions. - I'm convinced the croquetas were just filled with cheese and were missing the advertised ham. Oh well. They were still good and we really enjoyed the dipping sauce, which I think consisted of bell peppers. - The brochette was good, but just a tad uncreative. The rice was cooked just right. - The "churros" were unlike any churros I've ever had. They were a tad too sweet, unusually stuffed with caramel, and not served with chocolate. Overall the food was great, and while the service could have been a little friendlier, I think I was mostly annoyed by the fact that we were served in whatever order the kitchen felt like, which was not at all in sync with the way the courses were outlined in the menu. Either way, I'll be back. BYOB is a huge plus. Street parking isn't so bad, but there's a lot in the back too I guess. read more

Wandered in here completely by accident the other night and am more than happy we did. This is a small, well decorated place with great food and outstanding service. In interest of full disclosure, it was around 6PM on a weeknight and they were pretty much empty. Not sure of how that might change on weekends because we were told they get packed, as they should. I have some sort of cuisine ADD. For me, small plates with a variety of textures and tastes work best to hold my gastronomic interest. I also love BYOs because my taste in wine tends to run high and I would rather not fork over a couple of hundred dollars for something I can pay $60 or $70 for at Bottle King. This place wins on both levels. It's always great stumbling upon someplace local with no preconceived notions and being thrilled with the outcome. I have already recommended them to a few friends and will certainly be paying them another visit in the not so distant future. While parking is a bit of an issue, I assure you that it's well worth the search for a spot. We will see you again soon, my friends :) read more

Trying something new is always an adventure. I was not disappointed. An elegant lacquered wood table and spotless wood floors. Spanish themed photos line the walls (check out the lady matadoras). The waitress was very nice. I asked if the portions were very large. There are two sizes: tapas & raciones (small and large). She said "get two tapas instead of one racio! Try a little of everything!" Well, the food was delicious. The croquetas were light & crunchy with a wonderful potato cheese filling and an orange squash looking mayo (mayo doesn't do it justice, I'm just not sure what to call it). I asked for the steak medium rare and it was perfect. The chimichurri had a nice little zing. The steak came with sautéed spinach with garlic and a nice hearty and rustic marbled bread. With a diet coke it was $28. I left a little extra on the tip. Ok so it's not every day but totally worth it. I'm going back. read more

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Great tapas place!!! We made reservations for 7pm on Friday night and the restaurant wasn't very busy when we arrived. It filled by 8pm tough. We parked at the back and entered the restaurant through the back door. We passed by the open kitchen that looked very clean and organized - great first impression. We ordered 4 tapas for 2 of us and all of them tasted amazing! It was croquettes filled with Serrano ham and cheese, dates stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon, skirt steak and chicken empanada. The smoked paprika sauce that came with croquettes was amazing! The skirt steak was made to perfection!!!! We ordered almond lemon cake for dessert - it was the right level of chewy and soft combination. The place is BYOB so then bill was very reasonable given the quality of good. read more

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Terrific menu with many tapas choices available in small plates or larger meal-sized portions. A bit pricey, but worth it.

We ordered the potatoes, octopus, chicken & steak. Everything was well cooked, good seasoning. We didn't realize it was BYOB so we didn't get to enjoy with our food but we know for next time. Food was served in good timing. I felt as though the seating arrangement had tables a little too close to each other. read more

GREAT food!! We had the stuffed dates (a must!!) crocettes (a pass) chorizo (YUM) and the cheese board (HEAVEN) It was soooo noisy but it was a busy Saturday night so it's to be expected. Go support this local business!! read more

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EVERYTHING IS SO LOADED WITH FLAVOR!!! Second experience with this place. Last time was date night in the summer. It was great. Did I write a review? But tonight was pick up. So for $44 we got the kale and beet salad, bacon wrapped dates, empanadas, potatoes and croquettes. Perfect. Go to this place. read more

Xunta - Tapas España - Yum - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Caldwell, New Jersey

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I heard great things about this place and was very disappointed. The owner sat us and we never received water or any attention for about 20 minutes . We finally got an opportunity to get a waitress' attention and ordered sangria w our byo wine. Sangria was tasty. Our order took an additional 30 minutes there was no bread (they ran out). Food was ok we only ordered 3 tapas but it all came out scattered because they were "backed up" Won't come back despite the sangria. read more

Legit tapas place. Super friendly staff. My folks lived in Europe for years and loved us taking them here. Sardines were my fav. Mussels were so tender. The bacon wrapped dates were amazing. We had eight courses all were great. Chef was great. I'm a fan. read more

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My new favorite restaurant! What a hidden gem! Authentic to the core, amazing service without being too clingy and the food ... omg! Every dish was perfectly balanced, the flavor, the spices. the texture was perfect. If you are looking for a great culinary experience, this is the place! PS. Make sure you order their potatoes!!! read more

Fenomenal authentic tapas. Menu is ample and reasonably priced. Great atmosphere, service has always been excellent in all my visits. Highly recommend this spot. read more

The patatas bravas are very good! The chicken brochette was also good, as was the skirt steak. We didn't like the "empanadas" -- it was dry and not a ton of flavor. Cheese plate was good but not worth $18. I would go again and try some different dishes. read more

I finally made it to Xunta and boy am I glad! First this restaurant is super clean and they distanced the tables. We did all tapas and tried so many delicious dishes. We Started with the kale salad, bacon wrapped dates, pataka bravos; also had the prawns, croquetas and chorizo con cebola ao vino. Everything was so flavorful and delicious. Carmen one of the owners is delightful and made sure everyone was satisfied. We enjoy one of the best cups of coffee and their churros. I highly recommend trying this lovely place read more

Excellent tapas! Wonderful people working here! I've dined inside (pre-Covid) and have gotten take out several times. The food is consistently delicious! read more

Really enjoyed this meal! Menu is great, food was flavorful and very well cooked. Definitely check it out- try the potatoes!

Tried 8 or 9 different tapas plates for our party of four. Everything was very good, other than the prices. In my opinion, it seemed about 25% overpriced (we ran just under $200 for a table of 4 with tip, without any drinks). The prices would prevent me from going back again. read more

This restaurant is truly a diamond in the rough! I have lived in North Caldwell my entire life and have never really noticed the quaint restaurant. I noticed Xunta when I was getting my nails done across the street. It intrigued me the second I saw many patrons entering the restaurant. I decided to look up their menu online and research. It is safe to say I called that day to make a reservation, the amount of awards their tapas restaurant won were quite impressive. I called the restaurant that afternoon to reserve a table for four, the person on the phone accommodated me and sounded pleasant. When we walked in we were instantly greeted by the waitstaff and the decor was subtle and relaxing. Pictures of Spain decorated the red accents of the restaurant, it was beautiful! My friends and I ordered the steak, ribs, patacas bravas, grilled chorizo, and the croquetas! All of the dishes were made to perfection, each tastier than the next. Lastly, we ordered the rice pudding and tarta de Santiago, all homemade by the owner herself! Safe to say I will be back and with more friends!! P.S- bring your own bottle of wine. The sangria is only made with YOUR wine. Muchas Gracias!!!! read more

My wife and I had a very pleasant experience here. We had a sampling of what seemed like everything on the menu. First the food. We started with the Patatas Bravas which were out of this world. This was followed by delicious marinated Steak and grilled sardines. Our waitress was attentive and very knowledgeable about the Menu. Keep in mind it is BYOB. We will definitely return. read more

holy.... freakin... sheeeeeeeit. so many people told me this spot was their jam and i knew i could come whenever i wanted because it's 2 blocks from the crib. it took me a year of living in caldwell to dine here but wow... new favorite spot for sure. me and my man decided to get 4 tapas plates, and if we wanted more, we'd get more if we needed it. the grilled chrorizo was very very good. best i ever had? the caramalized onions and whatever juicy au jus it came in... wow. then the dates arrived. bacon wrapped. piping hot. burned my tongue. 5 to an order. steve got three because i only wanted two... very sugary. delicious nonetheless. then the potatoes arrived. what the HELL??? who orders potatoes at a restaurant? um, everyone. crispy perfection cubes on the outside... perfect soft goosh on the inside. the aioli was perfection. then we ordered a short rib entree because i was like I AM STILL HUNGRY BABE and he was like get the short ribs. but then our skirt steak tapas arrived. i would have been fine without the short ribs but he wanted to short ribs... skirt steak was perfect. the spinach was perfect. i sopped it up with potato aioli. the short ribs were amazing. i already have another reservation on the books for this weekend! viva xunta. read more

The prices are a bit high for the food quality and taste but we got take out. I'm sure they're reasonable for people dining in! Can't wait to dine in and see if I'll change my mind read more

Came here for lunch this afternoon. I go to Caldwell so the campus' cafeteria was closed so I ventured out. Found this little gem! I must say, the quality of food and "Tapas" is amazing! It's super clean and when I walked in, I think I walked during prep/cleaning for them. So thankfully they didn't turn me away. Service is excellent. The man serving me had a chefs jacket, super clean and so nice. I ate by myself at the booth and the the owner came out to have his lunch and even offered me anything that I may have needed. I had Guicho de pollo picante. Oo and a tapas three cheese plate. Delish!!! The chicken was not spicy at all, however had all the flavor and the rice was delish. As much as I wanted to eat everything on my plate, I had to share leftovers with my husband to make this a place for a second visit! I'm definitely looking forward to trying other options on their menu! Thank you for the service gentlemen! read more

Made a reservation for four. Arrived with two as the rest of the party cancelled within the last 30 minutes. Older shorter woman approx early-mid 60s at the register said she can only sit four and not two. Said we will take the table for four. She said she can't sit as a reservation was made for four. And other folks were waiting and she has a small restaurant and it is not fair to others. Side note - no one else waiting for a table. Seats in the rear waiting area were empty. No one waiting outside at the front either. Asked if she can split the table for four since they were two tables put together and take a wild guess what her reply was. She advised if we wanted to wait 30 minutes there would be a table for two. She should have said let me see what I can do instead of being curt. End of the day - they lost a sale. They did gain a one star Yelp review though. read more

Food is good but the female owner is nasty!!!!una bruha (witch) when we first arrived the restaurant was empty and we asked if we could sit at a table for 4 even though we were 2 she said no. By the time we left 30 minutes later there were still 8 Empty tables for 4 people. Then, my husband told her the air was blowing on him and she made a face and said no she would not make it any warmer. What a bitch. NEVER EVER COMING BACK HERE AGAIN. We try to support local restaurants but not this one. read more

We Love Xunta and have been going there for years but not since the onset of the pandemic. We have been getting out a bit more of late and my wife noticed that Xunta was open for lunch. We arrived at noon and we were the only people in the restaurant. We were met by Max who could not have been nicer or friendlier. The tapas were as good as we remembered. We shared the bean and broccoli soup, the croquettes, the chicken brochette and of course their famous spicy potatoes with aioli sauce. Everything was excellent and Max was very attentive. We are already planning our next visit. read more

This place was great! We had the grilled octopus, chorizo, shrimp, skirt steak, empanada gallega, caldo gallego and patatas.... everything was very good. Service was very good also. We will definitely be back! read more

My husband and I came here for the first time last year and loved it. We wrote a review right away after that first outing and we've been back two times since. The women owner served us and was so friendly and the food was delicious. We were craving tapas tonight and went back. With everything going on right now with the Coronavirus, the place was sadly completely empty, but despite us being the only customers, we were again so impressed by the delicious food and impeccable service. The male owner, Carmen was our server. He was so nice and welcoming. If you love Spanish tapas, this is your place. The stuffed dates, potato bravas, both types of chorizo, and the croquettas are amazing!! Make sure to support this business during this difficult time, even if it's ordering take out, our local restaurants need our support! You will not be disappointed! read more

Eh. I don't get the hype. I was actually really pumped to try this place based on the reviews but was totally let down. Came here with a few other people and got a ton of stuff on the menu so we can try different things: the octopus, skirt steak, mussels, empanadas, croquettes, and scallops. Whomp whomp only really liked the skirt steak to be honest. The octopus had a weird flavor and was really fatty, the mussels had meh flavor, and the scallops were good but weren't anything to trite home about. Its BYOB, they made our wine into sangria for $12 and it didn't seem that strong. Other than that the atmosphere is great lol. Glad I tried it for the experience but never going back there. Way too pricey for a meh experience. read more

What a great addition to Caldwell's restaurants. We went on a Friday night. No entertainment this night. Probably 3/4 full. Decor - 5 stars. Nice and warm. Great colors and extremely clean. Service - 5 stars. Very attentive and not overbearing. Very knowledgeable and explained the dishes perfectly. Dates - 4 stars. Nicely done, but a little much blue cheese for me. Wife thought they were great. Chorizo and onions - 5 stars. I could eat this all night. Good kick with the chorizo and the onions were perfect. I liked that they gave a decent amount of onions. Skirt steak - 4 stars. Great flavor. Only reason it wasn't 5 stars is because we asked for medium rare and it came medium well to well Shrimp - 5 stars. Great flavor and cooked perfectly. Nice size shrimp. Scallops - 5 stars. I am picky about scallops and find many overcook them. Not here. Perfect. Stuffed pepper with cheese - 5 stars. This was totally amazing. I could eat a million of these. Almond tart - 3.5 stars. A little on the dry side but still good. All in all, a great place. Loved that everything didn't come out at once and you weren't rushed. Great service and great food will always have us coming back. read more

Xunta is truly a gem! Unique places like this, especially in Caldwell, do not seem to come around often enough. I've been here 5 or 6 times in as many months, because my family is just addicted to Xunta. For us, going to tapas is a fun evening of trying different bits of things over several glasses of wine (got to love BYOB). The staff is also very friendly and attentive, almost like you're eating in a friend's kitchen. Our favorites here include: * Datiles con Touciño (baked dates) - This is our favorite item on the menu and you have to try it. So many different, awesome flavors at play here. May not stand out on the menu but this dish blows us away every time. * Costelas sin Oso Refogadas con Arros Branco (braised short rib and cilantro rice) - Tender, juicy meat and the rice compliments well. * Chourizo a Prancha - Yes, chorizo can be made better when on a bed of sweet, caramelized onions. * Pementos Piquillo Recheos De Quiexo De Teta (peppers stuffed with cheese) - Again, it may not stand out on the menu but it's such a great mix of flavors. * Patacas Bravas (spicy potatoes) - I laugh because this seems so basic, yet it's a fantastic dish and an absolute must each time we go. Just the right amount of heat too. read more

I love Tapas and I was very excited for this restaurant to open in Caldwell. We ordered: Potato croquettes...don't miss these they were out of this world Mushrooms...these were OK, decent but nothing to write home about octopus...fabulously creamy chorizo...we had the version over sweet onions and they were wonderful chicken emanada.. really good, light flaky The desserts of the churros and ice cream on pastry were delicious. I would totally go again (not on a flamenco night) and try some other items on the menu to check them out. read more