Fresh User Reviews for Spanish in Melbourne

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  8     

Our night at Movida Aqui was great. The food had plenty of character and was fresh (as always). Service was also top-notch, there was always a waiter visible and were also very attentive to our queries.

Since this was my second visit to Movida, I decided to try one of our favourite dishes (the Bomba) and was left slightly disappointed. In comparison to the Bomba we got in the past, this one was much larger and didn't give a wholesome 'bomb' of flavour that we got when we first tried it. In saying all this, my partner and I thoroughly enjoyed the sea urchin dish special (the 'Erizo'). The bill totalled to around $50 per head but we were more than satisfied with our dine here. Highly recommended!

May 28, 2012

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  9     

This is a little hole in the wall restaurant in South Melbourne Market. It is a very small room but has lots of seating outside. I have rated this place very highly. The food is really good but is even better when you consider the low prices (if you know what I mean). Tapas sharing is the go here and we found everything to be really flavorsome and the servings were a good size.

May 28, 2012

4.3 Below Average

Food  1      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  3     

Lovely location and cosy space with a mixture of couch, table and bench seating. Did get very noisy though. The service was very good. Unfortunately,m the food was terrible.

Overall there was a distinct lack of seasoning. The best thing we tried were the Chefs Choice Croquettes (Mushroom, Leek and Parmesan). On the bland side but still nice. From there nothing else impressed. The dips were flavourless and served with lumps of Turkish Bread instead of Flat Bread as described in the menu. Pork Belly was not cooked/rendered enough so was fatty and tough. The sauce tasteless.

But by far the worst dish was the Chorizo. It was barely poached in a horrible apple/mint watery gravy. I took 2 bites and could not eat anymore. Never had such bad chorizo. It should have been all caramelised, crispy and brown on the outside instead of pale with the skin hanging loosely. We didn't risk ordering dessert based on the standard of the mains. Having been looking forward to going here for ages I was beyond disappointed.

May 16, 2012

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

I've been to Terra Rossa a few times now and am quite fond of it.

The ambience is great, providing an environment really conducive to a good chat over a meal.

The service has been good each time I've been there, with helpful and attentive wait staff, the meals have been very nice and the price is reasonable for the quality.

May 06, 2012

1.8 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  2      Service  2      Value  1     

We found the venue on the web and going from the menu were quite impressed.
Upon arrival, great building but the mediterranean theme was lacking. We decided on the thursday special Tapas for 2 with Sangria, for a start it was 8pm and were told they had run out of Sangria we were offered another drink.

Service was extremely slow for a small venue with 3 floor staff who were all over the show with there service. The amount of time between tapas was long portions were very small for the price for 2 people. The food was bland, the meatballs lacked any flavour. A shame as the Venue could be so much better with some more thought into food, service and ambience.

Apr 06, 2012

6.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  6     

My first time at De Los Santos, although I have walked past it many times over the years. Not many dining on a Wednesday night and the place looks a bit shabby and devoid of characetr, even though it is a really lovely place which have so much potential.

Ordered a very nice bottle of Pinot Grigio from the Mornington Peninsula, and a selection of Tapas, which was tasty. Service was friendly and in keeping with the atmosphere of the place.

Nice for a weeknight dinner but I don't think it would fit the bill for the big night out.

Apr 05, 2012

4.5 Below Average

Drinks  5      Ambience  1      Service  2      Value  10     

Went in on a Monday night to find the placed packed with Brunswick St hipster uni students and really loud doof doof dance music blaring out of the sound system. Walked through to the back and then had to wait for the waitress to finish chatting with her friends before being told to "just sit wherever". Left without trying anything, and this was disappointing as had heard good things about this place.

Mar 28, 2012

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

By far the best Cafe in Frankston, I would even say the peninsula. Food is well thought out and everything is fresh and lovely. Family friendly, owners are lovely people, staff are so welcoming. Coffee is yummo. You have to have the breaky, we usually order a few dishes and share because it is all so inviting. I hope they stay forever.

Mar 28, 2012

3.3 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  4      Service  2      Value  1     

Waiter and manager had zero respect for our complaint about value of tasting menu, which I might add was not that tasty. $20 for 8 pieces of lettuce.

Mar 24, 2012

5 Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  4     

We were quite disappointed. This is definitely not authentic tapas, but with a contemporary twist, which seemed like an excuse to overcharge for small portions with average quality ingredients. Jamon was poor quality. Chorizo was ruined by being served with apple cider foam, making it too sweet. Patatas bravas were unnecessarily presented and stingy. Calamari and olives were nice. Nice selection of Spanish beers. Staff were Irish and Swedish, again robbing it of any type of authenticity. Wouldn't recommend it.

Mar 17, 2012

6.3 Average

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  2      Value  8     

My partner was very excited about taking me here for an impromptu lunch and he had only great things to say after his initial visit a few weeks ago. Not really an ideal setting for an intimate lunch as there's probably more chance of achieving said intimacy with the people crammed in at the next table but I was prepared to not let that get in the way of a much anticipated meal.

The service was great to start with but that steadily got worse as time went on. The food itself was faultless and they have some great vegetarian options. We ordered Queso Manchego, Tomatitos, Puerros, Bunuelos De Bacalao Con Pil-Pil and Ensalada Valenciana. The latter came complete with a blonde wavey hair. We made the decision Not to bring this to our waiter's attention as we just wanted to have a nice lunch without any fuss.

During the meal there were a number of small fruit flies buzzing around our table which took a little too much of our attention and made our dining experience much less enjoyable. We did advise our waiter and he very nonchalantly replied that yes indeed, they were fruit flies and they're nothing new or to worry about. Having to drink from the same glasses that the flies had just been sitting on the rim of beforehand wasn't our idea of "nothing to worry about".

One of the dishes we ordered more of never arrived, we figured 30 minutes was more than enough time to wait as we had finished all our other food so decided they were definitely missing in action and asked for our bill. Funny how they remembered to charge us for the missing dish...

We brought this to another waiter's attention who then checked with our waiter, he advised us quite adamantly that we were charged correctly...Not the case and after a rather flippant apology, it was removed from the bill. We left here with a rather sour taste in our mouths and won't be dining here again for a long time to come.

Mar 05, 2012

7.8 Recommended

Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7      Food  8     

I went with my brother to Movida Next Door as Movida was full. The waiter had originally told us there would be approximately a one hour wait before we would be seated, however, we were seated within 40 minutes, which we were quite pleased about. The staff there were friendly and nice, always apologising for the wait time, presented themselves with a smile on their faces, and explained the specials for the night happily and eagerly.

We had about 6 dishes, which 5 were what we had ordered and 1 was a complimentary starter, bread with oil (olive oil?). The bread was quite chewy and wasn't fresh. One of the dishes, tortilla, wasn't fresh either, it was precooked and just sliced out so it was quite hard.

The rest of the 4 dishes were superb! We ordered anchovy with tomato and cracker, bomba, quail, and octopus dish with potato. We even went for seconds with the anchovy and bomba!

In terms of the value, it is on the pricey side, however, I am still willing to pay the price for each of the four dishes mentioned above.

I thought the ambience was great! I like the idea of a small cozy tapas bar for a light meal and a nice get together for a couple of friends. Though this place is not suitable for group gatherings of more than 4 people. The restaurant does get quite loud but I do like it as I feel as though it is part of the culture, and everyone is enjoying their time there. It is also not suitable for those who want a nice quiet meal.

Overall, I will be returning, and I will be taking some friends down there too!

Feb 24, 2012

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  4      Service  5      Value  1     

We made a booking for valentines night two weeks ahead. I was only informed on the phone that day that it was a set menu (in a tapas bar?) for Seventy dollars each. I was forced to go ahead with the booking as it is very hard to get anywhere else at that late stage on valentines day. I can't eat seafood and my girlfriend can't eat meat so I rang and told them. They told me the chef would make "special arrangements" for us.

Firstly, we were told we couldn't have tapas because valentines day is too busy for them, that's why we have to have the set menu. The restaurant was about a quarter full! When we arrived, I told the waitress a booking for two. She said "oh yes, you're out the back there". So we walked unaccompanied by ourselves to find our table beside the noisy kitchen. She came over and poured us a glass of water, mine had a big hair in it.

The "special arrangements" mentioned above consisted of loads of burnt garlic toast with dips, potato chips and average meatballs. My girlfriend's special vegetarian dish was a big bowl of undressed chickpeas with a few leaves of spinach! They tried to make up for the lack of selection by loading us with piles of poorly cooked bland food.

I had been trying to keep a brave face on it because it was valentines night. But when we got to the main course we both just looked at each other and started laughing. We nearly walked out at this point. My main course was a standard chicken dish with even more potatoes (fairly sickened by them at this stage).

My girlfriend's was one of the worst main courses I've ever seen. A vegetarian lasagne (clearly prepared and reheated) with several layers of pasta as filler with very very little veg (4 slices of courgette/green pepper) and guess what, the base was filled up with potatoes! It was warm only in places and the sauce was unseasoned and just tasted like chopped tomatoes from a tin.

I would put her main course at being worth about $5 and I still wouldn't eat it. Yet this set menu cost 70 Dollars each. She ate 6 spoonfuls and the waitress/kitchen staff offered no feedback, just cleared the plate.

Desserts were nice (a platter of 3 desserts between 2 people) yet we noticed that we got served a smaller portion than the other 8 people in the restaurant for some reason?!

I have never written a report on a restaurant before but this place made me so angry I felt compelled to warn other people. I genuinely would not have paid 30 dollars for our meals, never mind 70. When we were paying and informed the waitress of all of this, she smiled, said sorry and proceeded to charge us 147 dollars. We were actually laughing by the end of it and agreed it was our worst meal together ever. Not only in melbourne, anywhere in the world, especially considering the cost.

We were insulted that they thought they could charge what they did for the tripe that was served to us. I have eaten far superior meals on smith street for 10 dollars.

In addition, the toilets were disgusting and I had to climb over discarded boxes thrown out from an open door to the kitchen to get to them.

I will be warning anyone I know against going here in future. Thank you for ruining our valentines night.

Feb 17, 2012

5.5 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  4      Value  5     

6 of us went to Movida a few weeks ago. We had heard great things and were very excited about it. Unfortunately, our waiter didn't seem to want to be there. He was not attentive with pouring the wine and when we asked for the wine to be put on the table he promptly smashed it down on the table and walked off. He was incredibly rude and his actions and bad service ruined our experience.

We had the set menu and one of the meals was a plate of honeyed carrots. Very disappointing. The other staff who served us were very polite and explained the dishes very well. We will not be going back in a hurry. Movida did not live up to expectations. Somewhere else in Sydney is much better.

Feb 04, 2012

7.3 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

Went here for lunch after purchasing a deal for an 8 course tapas meal.Pretty small restaurant inside it was good there wasn't to many people inside. Each tapas came out right after the other which was good as they let us have a break in between. Tapas tasted amazing and was something different. The standout were the fried goats cheese balls and the crispy chicken wings.

Jan 23, 2012

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  6     

The service was great and the staff really made us feel welcome. We all had a great time and didn't want to leave. My Spanish friend really enjoyed her birthday party and said the food made her home sick. Thankyou for a great night.

Jan 18, 2012

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Came of a very busy Saturday night and waited some time of be seated. Booked for outside but were lucky to get a table inside. Must say the wait staff were doing the best they possibly could considering the amount of people. In saying this the food was absolutely excellent and I am not surprised they were fully booked. I would definitely recommend this restaurant and go back, maybe during the week would be good.

Jan 13, 2012

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  5      Ambience  2      Service  1      Value  3     

We have never had to wait so long for service in our lives. Nice food, nice drinks, but totally overshadowed by pathetic service and long waits for anything. Usually one, maximum of two bar staff serving while 2 queues of 20+ people waited, 15~20 minutes for beer and wine at a time, heaven forbid anyone in line orders a cocktail.

Remaining staff fluttered around the bar looking busy and but seemingly doing nothing, avoiding eye contact with customers at all costs. The minimal bar staff were also filling table drink orders for the Nuevo restaurant, compounding the anger of those Sotano customers waiting. When served, the bar staff got our order wrong and then overcharged us, we received a refund of the difference but "we haven't overcharged you, our computer system is correct, it's just that the menu prices are wrong".

Food was nice, however, so overpriced, sky-high prices completely overshadowed what was a nice tapas meal. One of our meals never arrived, despite 6 enquiries to staff over a 1.5hr period, starting from when remainder of our group was served their meal. Refund given for a totally different meal, after a further 20 minutes wait at the bar.

Advertised as a "wine & tapas" bar, menu options were severely limited. Staff don't seem to know what's going on, misdirecting customers wanting drinks/ coffee to the wrong bar, for customers to find out only after a long wait to order.

Sotano functions like a bar that has just opened and is still ironing out the many kinks, after more than 2 years in operation, the Hilton South Wharf should be utterly ashamed! Will never return.

Jan 13, 2012

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  8     

2nd time I had a meal here. Service is great, staff very friendly and helpful with clarifying anything on the menu. We chose the $55 9 course taster option.
Top Spanish food, not too sure about the authenticity of actual Spanish cuisine.
Great taste sensations all the same. Great choice of Spanish, beiro, vino.

Jan 11, 2012

3.8 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  1     

Meatballs dish arrived cold and were sent back this took 20 minutes to return to table. Croquettes were almost cold which was disappointing. Obviously tapas here is reheated. Sangria was excellent! (Thank god I needed it). Serving sizes are small eg ordered croquetted and got just two and you get 3 meatballs so when you share 1.5 meatballs @ $14 a serve. This is just plain frustrating.
Would not go back for the price you pay here.

Jan 07, 2012