Tapeo: Bar De Tapas y Vino  

Let me put it simple.

Do: Pork Belly, Beef Cheek, Churros con chocolate
Don't: Sangria, Tortilla ( I ordered Crab Tortilla but since the way to make different tortilla is more or less the same I wouldn't recommend it), Lamb stick

I also ordered Pulpos de la Gallega and Gambas Pil Pil, they were not impressive but doesn't hurt trying.

I am a tapas freak, I used to study in Granada and I basically lived on tapas everyday.
Went there with two friends for lunch, the price is unbeatable 100HKD+10% without drinks.
So I ordered the most typical tapas and some not so typical ones.
It started with Gazpacho, the cold tomato soup. I was never a fan so I just had a tiny little sip, garlic tasted stronger than tomato which was a bit weird.
Truth is the tortilla was truly a bit disappointing, any homemade ones I've tried is much better.
Sangria as well was too light, not sweet and all and not fruity enough. My friend ordered Lamb Stick, I'm not a fan of lamb, but the reason I don't recommend it is that I couldn't really tell what kind of meat i was eating.

BUT, i loved the atmosphere there, it's tiny but a lot of tapas bars in Spain are, the open kitchen is to facilitate the communication between the customers and the chefs but sadly we were a bit late and didn't get to sit by the bar.
Anyway the service was overall efficient and pleasant though I do expect more interaction if it wasn't full-house.
Definitely loved the Pork Belly, best I've tried in HK so far. Beef Cheek was as well quite impressive.
Finally the churros con chocolate, it's FAT, but not quite as fat as the authentic Spanish one, the chocolate they use is probably with higher percentage of cocoa. And also the sugar was not sticking to the churros, which might not be the common practice, but was good for me cuz I could get rid of some guilty calories

Okay I just realized my review does not look THAT positive, but actually I loved it and would definitely go there again especially not that I know what NOT to order The food looked great in pictures but I'm too lazy to upload them, maybe next time!

It was my second time coming back to Tapeo. I love the casualness and interaction with the staff since you will be seated at the bar counter. This place is located on hollywood road just right across the former Central police station, a lovely place to watch people and be one of them on a Friday night Only 2 girls this time so we didn't order a lot.

The one on the left upper corner is "Crispy Pork Belly with Quince Aioli", this is actually recommended by the manager. The pork belly has been slowly roasted and dressed by quince garlic mayonnaise. If you like pork belly in regular Cantoese restaurants, you will definitely like this dish as well. They are similar - but I would say the Chinese version gives extra crunchiness of the skin. Anyway, who doesn't love pork belly? The portion is a little too much for 2 girls since it is still quite a fatty dish.

In the middle, the darker pieces of meat is "Braised Beef Cheek" and the paste underneath is pea puree. The meat is so tender it was literally melted in my mouth! Serving with Pedro Ximenez reduction, it does give this dish a very sweet - almostly honeyed flavour.This sauteed prawns with spicy sauce has a mild heat that is not overwhelming, prawns are fresh and the presentation is awesome - it is served on a sizzling hot pan. This is my favourite dish!Besides all the filling meaty dishes, we also ordered the fig salad which is not on a regular menu. It is very refreshing with the promegrante molasses, like a concentrated promegrante juice and it provides a good balance with the bitter greens.

All in all, I always enjoy Tapas Bar and Tapeo is one of my favourites in Hong Kong. I'd suggest to come with a bigger group of friends so you can try more!

I want to just start out by saying that I've never been to/ near Spain, and that if you asked me to imagine Spanish food, I'd probably just think of Mexican food. So don't in any way take what follows as a report on how the food is-- it's how I responded to the food, being a n00b.

Cold meat platter: Pretty good stuff. The aged Iberico ham tasted a bit like cheese, if that makes any sense. The chorizo had to be the best chorizo I'd ever had. On the whole though, the sausages were a little dry for my tastes, and I'd prefer (good) Italian ones in a heartbeat. Still, these were good. A-

Pan con tomate:Very simple tomato/ olive oil/ garlic thingy, but very good as well. Close to my favorite of the evening. A

Chickpeas and spinach:Exactly what it sounds like. B

Tortilla:"Tortilla" means "omelet" in Spain, which I'll admit I didn't know (I'm from Texas, where "tortilla" has but one meaning, and it ain't "omelet"). This I thought wasn't bad, but a little on the dry and bland side. Hot sauce is just what this puppy needed, and didn't have. B-

Blood sausage with shrimp and quail egg: Blood sausage is precisely the sort of thing that I would never order if I were on my own. However, having ordered and eaten it, I quite liked it. I found myself putting the blood sausage on the pan con tomate and eating it like a blood sausage pizza... amazing. The sausage came with grilled shrimp and fried quail eggs on top: the shrimp were overdone, but not terribly so, and the quail egg was "meh" compared to its hype (quails!!). Overall, the dish was worth purchasing. A-

Sherry: Oof, how does something that's only 15% alcohol taste like it's hard liquor? We had half a bottle of sherry, and it was a nice accompaniment to the food, if a little sharp.

Overall, the food was great. Our server was polite, informative (I asked for recommendations), and attentive. Comparing this to our other upscale tapas dining experience (Fofo by El Willy), I'll say that it seemed more authentic here, but there were fewer dishes that knocked my socks off. Overall: A-

Since arriving in Hong Kong in May we've been trying to stumble across a Spanish restaurant, but with no such luck, so out came the Open Rice app and a quick search revealed this little gem with lots of positive results, and the highlight for me was an open kitchen! I love watching chef's work their magic and creating art on a plate.

If you are a person who understands and appreciates Spanish food then you will clearly understand that Spanish food isn't about colourful presentation or trying to show off, its all about simplicity and bold flavours, and boy were we in for a treat!

When we arrived at the restaurant the place was already lively and the smell of food surrounded us with warmth. We ordered drinks whilst we waited for seats and to our luck when space became available we were seated right in front of the head chef! (The best seats in the house in my eyes.)

Between the 2 of us we ordered 7 dishes (we were feeling particularly greedy and to be honest 6 would have been enough), and they were:

Olives - Nicest tasting olives we've had in H.K so far, hint of garlic really gives it a nice kick.

Cold Meat Platter - A little taster of all 5 cold meats on offer and each one had its own little charm! I recommend it, if you are stuck for which one to get, why not get them all!

Patatas Bravas (Potatoe) - Fried potatoe with what I believe to be paprika and a dipping sauce that had a very slight hint of heat to tingle your pallet. A simple dish, but had you wanting more!

Tuna Tartar - When the dish arrived I thought it had tomatoes mixed in, but to my surprise it was actually all finely chopped tuna! I would say this is a fusion dish to satisfy the Oriental market, and for me it hit the right spot because I love Sushi as well. It might not be a dish for everyone, but we enjoyed it, and the lightly toasted bread discs complimented the tuna very well.

Clams, Ham and Sherry - When the dish arrives with you it might give you the illusion the flavours might be quite light, but boy when you put it into your mouth the flavours just run at you! The clams were fresh and the ham packed a flavoursome punch, and the mellow taste of Sherry helps to fuse it together.

Chorizo and tomatoes - I've always loved the taste of Chorizo, in my eyes its the Spanish equivelent to our preserved sausage (lap cheung). Strong bold flavours, so not for people who like bland "clear" foods.

Beef cheek - I've saved the besh dish til last. This was my favourite dish of the night! The beef cheek was cooked to perfection, the beef is cooked until it is quite soft, but yet it looses none of the flavours, and it sits on a bed of, smooth as silk, pea mash. At first I thought this might be an odd combination but after the first taste you just end up wanting more!

To top it all off for desert we ordered the Churros with chocolate. Churros is very similar to a dohnut, the essential difference is that it is straight and not round. The cooking process is the same, however when I took the first bite after dipping it into the rich chocolate sauce it brought back memories of when I had this the first time in Paris many years ago. Some people may call it bland and just a dohnut with chocolate sauce, but all I would say is form your own opinions after you've tasted it.

The service overall was great, it wasn't difficult to get hold of waiting staff and the head chef was always happy to chat with you and tell you more about the wonderful dishes he makes and a little history about each dish. A perfect night out and now listed as one of my favourite places to dine in Hong Kong.

The total bill for both of us was $814 including service and drinks. Some will say its expensive for 2 people, but to witness the joy of seeing how your food is prepared and cooked, and flavours that entertain your pallet for hours after your meal, I can safely say its worth it.

Tapeo, you've just gained another fan!

Stopped by Tapeo to curb that tapas craving - and the lunch set is thoroughly worth it.

Between the two of us, we settled for 4 tapas, grilled prawns, beef cheek, crispy pork and chorizo and tomatoes, about half way through the meal, we added an order of bread and olive oil- Initially, we had thought that 4 tapas might leave us with room to spare, yet the portions were hearty and the food was delicious. The beef cheek with pea puree with light, yet flavorful. the meat was tender and i absolutely enjoyed the dish, one of my favorites for the day. The crispy pork was little to fatty for my liking, but the aioili on the side helped take the oily taste down a notch, and there was a touch of sweetness, balancing the salty porky flavor. Though the flavor of the chorizo wasn't the best I've had, the tomatoes were a great compliment to the dish.

Overall, lunch was great at 100 per person, the churros at the end were made fresh, but a bit too doughy. The setting is great, and very intimate with bar stools, I can definitely see myself coming back to sample more of their tapas, especially some of the specials i spotted written on the board.

Food: in a brief, doesn't like tapas (at least barcelona tapas).

1. Freshness:
Chicken(dunno the exact name): Not fresh, chicken like chinese style one, nothing like tapas style.
Bravos: Most horrible dish, nothing like spain taps, sauce is like a thick glue, without any fresh taste. it suppose to use fresh sauce with warm to hot bread, but none of them happen in here.
Churro: Nightmare, this stick, at least have to be fresh and warm. However, it didn't happen in here. Just the worst churro ever.

Service:
There is a waitress serving all tables, however, only 24 seats in restaurant, suppose not that bad. Unfortunately, this waitress wanna spend most of her time to look at the chef to cook. I spend more than 15 minutes to draw this waitress attention to refill some water, nightmare services. I can't believe what would happen if it's in the peak hour.

Speed:
Serving speed is acceptable, base on waiting for 10 minutes for the bread with tomato sauce and olive oil when only 2 tables and 4 customers (2 of us and 2 of others). It's really laid back style if you wanna classify it.

Do not recommend this Tapas restaurant, try something else like ole (much better experience)

We were walking in Soho in search of a nice and not too loud restaurant to catch up. We ended up walking along Hollywood Rd. and passed by Tapeo. My friend mentioned that they serve some of the most delicious Tapas in town and the atmosphere is quite cosy.

With no doubt this would be our restaurant for a lovely evening. It was around 8PM and when we entered the restaurant most chairs were occupied. The host was very friendly and said that we could wait for a couple of minutes since a couple of tables were close to leaving. We made ourselves comfortable at the seats in the back of the restaurant and ordered a pitcher of Sangria. In the meanwhile we were checking the menu on what to order. The menu is not extensive, but features signature Spanish delights such as: Albóndigas, Calamares, Patatas Bravas, Tortilla, Paella, etc.

Through the aroma and delicious looking Tapas from other patrons we were encouraged to try out a lot of different Tapas. Our order:
- Bread and Olive oil (2x)
- Crushed Olives
- Cold meat platter
- Patatas Bravas
- Squid a la Plancha
- Pulpo a la Gallega
- Pork belly with Aioli sauce
- Roasted pepper salad
- Palm heart salad
- Churros & chocolate
- Sangria (1 pint)

Everything was presented elegantly and tasted phenomenal. If I have to point out, the Palm Heart Salad was my absolute favourite. Fresh, punchy, engaging flavours, and I almost wanted to order another portion when my friend pointed out that it might be nice to try another salad they offer, which is why we ordered the Roasted Pepper salad. Which was again exquisite.

From the decor, atmosphere, food, service, presentation, everything is in it's element. I must admit that they are a little bit pricey, of course I am now comparing their prices with what you would actually pay in Spain, but it is definitely worth it.

For sure one of my favourite Tapas restaurants in town

lunch with my girls in Central- was struggling between Egyptian and Spanish. at last we chose the latter. So here we are at Tapeo. We were walking along Hollywood Road and missed the place several times -.- Its among those galleries and you can't miss it if you see the Old Central Police Station.

Service
There were 4 of us. we were quite clueless when we see theres only a long bar table in the restaurant. we randomly picked 4 seats in the middle But the male manager was quick to ask courteously "why you sit in front of the pillar?, you can't talk in this way" . True and then he pointed to the corner and said "its better here". Apart from this manager, other staff were also very well-trained and cheerful. you know I look upon a lot on the people factor so yeah thumbs-up for Tapeo's service.

Food
We ordered 4 set lunch which include 1. Soup/Salad 2. two tapas 3. Dessert. As you know, tapas means snack. I was thinking maybe its not enough. (My appetite has grown bigger than ever as it was 2ish already and I just had a small breakfast.) - But i was wrong. it proved to be a very fulfilling set lunch.

Salad: Unfortunately the soup was sold out and the only option for our appetizer is salad. (sorry didnt take any photo this time). Salad is typical- onion, some greens and tomato with olive oil.

Tapas - ok we had 8 but I've forgotten most of their full names already . From the little memory left, I would recommend the following few:
1. Crab Tortilla - omg this is so good. its like a big potato cake with crab inside. It looks good as well. If you like starchy (or you're starving like me), this is a must-order!
2. Beef Cheek - the beef cheek was very tender. and it comes with pea puree (the one you get with fish and chips). The pea puree was done in a nice way - its greener and smoother . i dont know why i felt so good about the pea puree but i just did haha
3. Squid - very soft, cooked just right - not chewy at all. its better than the octopus.
4. Gambas Pil PIl - what a cute name - anyway its Prawn. i LOVE the sause and the little fried garlic which came with the prawns - a bit greasy but its totally worth it. and it was served in a hot metal plate - heat me up lol

Others: the lamb. the octopus and the salted sausage were okay.

Dessert: we don't have a choice - today its churros with chocolate, which is basically some pastry strips rolled with sugar. Not very impressive but not bad.

total its $440 for 4 , reasonable i guess.

Spanish food, especially Tapas, was one of the most memorable cuisines amongst my few Europe trips (although nothing beats real Italian food the way Italians cook it). So when I felt like Tapas one day, I was worried I wouldn't find a good, authentic one in HKG after experiencing a few in Barcelona and Mallorca! Looked on Openrice and found out about this place. Good reviews, nice presentation, menu in Spanish, open kitchen ... can't really go wrong, I thought. Definitely lived up to my expectations.

Read on OR that you can't reserve in advance here, so didn't even bother calling. Arrived before 1PM and the restaurant was about half full. The layout of the restaurant is perfect for what it does. Its long and relatively narrow, majority of the space taken up by a continuous bar table facing the open kitchen where most of the cooking happens. It's a different story when you watch your food being prepared right in front of you. The aroma, the whole process from start of prepping to finishing your dish - its just somewhat, somehow more satisfying! It's also tricky for the restaurant themselves though, hygiene is an extremely important factor that comes into play, the way they handle the food, the chefs' own presentation and behaviour and how tidy the area is kept - all are aspects which put their reputation at risk. Tapeo does it well. The food, the presentation, the whole layout, the service, even down to their music. They brings these things together to make a perfect atmosphere, for tapas at least. The sound of your food sizzling, smell of garlic and the upbeat Spanish music put together a great experience for my friends and I. The cute Spanish chef, I think? A bonus!
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As big eaters ... wasn't surprised when it turned out that we over-ordered our tapas. We started off with 2 jugs of Sangria between 4 people as it was scorching hot outside. Sangria was good - I enjoyed it because it wasn't too strong. There were many fruits: grapes especially. They put enough ice in the glass so it was so refreshing and fruity. Perfect start to the meal. The jugs are a little smaller than expected though, maybe compared to those in Spain!Pan con Tomate (Bread with Tomato), $35: Oh my gosh, so good I had to order seconds. How to describe? Very refreshing. Unexpected, because I've never tried this way of preparing tomato bread - the difference lies in their tomato paste. Served on extremely thin slices of toasted bread, it is so crispy and light. The paste covers the whole of the bread so that it is flavourful enough. Sprinkled with some green herbs (parsley? not sure but) it looked great and tasted great. ESPECIALLY with jamon!!!! Jamon Serrano, $108 and Jamon de Jabugo, $188: tried both their hams, both great! The Serrano came first, it was sliced right in front of us, yay! Nicely presented on wooden boards, it was like a show ... which we got to eat after! Both hams were good in their own way, but you definitely pay for what you get. The more expensive one was better in texture - thick, more chewy, slightly fatter. Nonetheless, both were very nice. Crispy Shrimps with Chilli, $55: I found this less impressive than the first few tapas. It was quite spicy, but the sauce was too thick for my liking and it didn't go too well with the shrimps. The shrimps were quite fresh though, it wasn't a BAD dish, just could have been better. Marinated White Anchovies, $58: Great! Refreshing with the lemon, it was tangy and suitable for a hot day. Anchovies aren't for everyone, I've only learnt to like it recently. These were great with bread. Yum! Sauteed Mushrooms: This tasted much better than it looked! I am a veggie fan much more than a meat fan so I always order some greens. When it was brought onto our table, it looked a little dry and and boring compared to what we already ate. However, once I tried it, it kind of surprised me. It wasn't anything spectacular like the tomato bread but it genuinely tasted good! Smelt really nice of garlic as I remember and the mushrooms totally soaked in the flavour. Not bad! Crispy Pork Belly with Quince Aioli (Garlic Mayonnaise), $72: This is one of their signature dishes, recommended by the waitress. Lived up to its expectations! At first sight, the meat looked tough. I think this was due to its brown colour, it might appear a little overcook. However, it was delightful! The pork was crispy on the skin and outside, but the inside was tender and soft. The garlic mayonnaise was nice paired with the pork, brought out the fatness of the pork, yum yum. Tapeo Paella, $1xx: This was by far he most disappointing part of the meal, no doubt. It was nicely presented with a tall tower of seafood piled on top of the paella on a stone plate. Smelt good, but taste did not match up to the rest of the meal. There was barely any taste, really lacking in flavour. It wasn't cheap either, for a small portion. My friends and I barely touched this, also due to the fact that we were full by this time of the meal!

This wasn't everything we ordered, believe it or not. We also had their Chorizo and Spinach Tortilla which was average. I am not a big fan of potato thus never really order tortilla and don't really know what an authentic tortilla tastes like. This was a very thick piece of tortilla, but nothing special as I remember. Wasn't very flavourful so didn't bother posting the picture! Also had their Chorizo and Tomato, $78 but wasn't too impressed with it either. I think the chorizo wasn't fat enough, just the texture of the whole dish wasn't too appetizing.
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I had nothing to complain about their service, the waitress was friendly, polite and humble. Don't think she was a Canto-speaker though, so we spoke English to her. She had good recommendations, always smiled and quite efficient with the food and drinks.

Apart from the food, I think I would really come again just for the atmosphere. Upbeat and casual, it's great for a chit-chat lunch with some girl friends. Tapas allows me to try many different dishes to share, perfect! The tapas here is nicely presented too, great even just to look at Overall, really enjoyed this lunch - the taste and presentation of their food, the vibe, the service - great combination! Would definitely come again.
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Likes: Crispy Pork Belly, Sangria, Jamon, Tomato Bread
Dislikes: Paella, Chorizo and Tomato
Come Again? Yes!
Room for Improvements: Paella needs more taste!

I was told on the phone that the early bird special ($150 for 2 tapas and a glass of wine) was available, but when we got there it turned out this wasn't available on Sunday. However the waitress was friendly and attentive, so that made up for the botch up over the phone.

The last time I was here was in 2009 and my review of the place back then was good, and even now it's kept up its quality. No wonder this place is still doing well and the similar one next door was completely empty the whole night.

We started off with warm bread with olive oil and a splash of vinagrette, then ordered the grilled sardines, albondigas, gamba pil pil, crab tortilla, the daily special of stuffed peppers with tuna, and finally a tapeo paella. Everything was done with attention to detail and the ingredients were very fresh. The sardines were particularly juicy and smooth and one of my favourites of the night. Second best was a tie between the crab tortilla and the paella, as I love carbs and both had delicious chunks of seafood in it. The gamba lacked the kick of spice despite being fried in oil and seasoning. The albondigas were 4 juicy meatballs that was still a touch pink in the centre and nicely seasoned, with the tomato sauce being a perfect condiment to spoon over everything from the bread to the paella. The stuffed peppers were good, with a bit of melted cheese inside, served on a bed of creamy smooth mashed potato.The white wine rioja I ordered was on the lower range of the list but still an excellent wine to go with the seafood. The only thing was the meal left me a little thirsty. Although we sat near the cooking area, we did not stink afterwards from the smoke (well, did have a bit of lingering smell was wasn't overwhelming enough to make people avoid us).

I have done a review on another branch of Tapeo in Sai Wan Ho recently,
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2173548

We go to the one in Sai Wan Ho very often but never tried the one in Central, we thought we should give it a go as we work in Central, hope it may give us a nice surprise.

I range up for reservation at 8.30pm and was told that no reservation is required after 8.30pm. There are two reasons for that, one is that the restaurant is not busy or it is so big that it can fit a lot of people. I wouldn't think the later is possible in Hong Kong. I still hope that it is a restaurant has the same standard or better than the one in Sai Wan Ho. So we will see.

Arrived at 8.30, the restaurant is much smaller than Sai Wan Ho, saw some familiar faces behind the bar and they only have a long bar around the kitchen as tables. It looks like a bar more than a restaurant, not wonder I never spot it when I walked pass before. Anyway, told the waitress that we were 2. It looked full so no table. She gave us a wine menu and waited in the middle of the hallway…. awkward.

Anyway, we got the wine menu and waited for 15 minutes then we got seated. Disappointingly, it is not crispy at all. It is greasy and soft. Special menus are always good at Tapeo and scallops were fresh with crispy hams (again the hams are not crispy) But it still tastes good,It tastes good as always. The standard remains, however, it was not that cold when it served. Not sure how it could be as we sat right next to the kitchen.Special menu, nothing amazing but it tasted good.Special menu, very nice, right amount of cheese and the tomato is the highlight. PLease TRY.All in all, I think I have expectation when I come, so I am disappointed that it is not as good as the one in Sai Wan Ho. However, to be fair, looking at this restaurant standalone, it is a good place serves nice good and provide great service.So it is good.

Something to bear in mind, as you sit next to the kitchen, your clothes carry the smell when you leave the restaurant. Not a great place if you are planning to go out after unless you want to smell garlic all night.

I came here today with my mom for the set lunch - it's a soup, two tapas dishes and a dessert for $100. Anything, besides the cold cut meats, can be chosen for the tapas dishes.

The restaurant has no formal tables - it's more like a bar with many stools around the open kitchen. I quite liked this setup since the food comes to you pretty fast, and you get to watch the chef work.

Gazpacho Soup
The soup was very thick and "chunky". Nice taste and very refreshing.

Bread and Olive Oil
Bread was nice and crusty; the olive oil and balsamic vinegar used was good stuff.

Octopus with Capers and Paprika (forgot the actual name, but it's the only dish with octopus in it)
Good dish! The octopus was slightly chewy after being cooked. It was a very simple dish, with virtually no seasoning besides the capers and paprika, which already provided enough taste for it.

Grilled Shrimp (also forgot the actual name!)
Served without the shell, had some garlic and other seasoning. The shrimps were cooked well. The only thing I didn't like was that there seemed to be just way too much oil with it! I do know that they use olive oil which is good for you, but there was just too much - the shrimp was drowning in it.

Braised Beef Cheek with Pear Puree and Pedro Ximenez
The beef was great; it was very tender and came apart with my fork. The pea puree and Pedro Ximenez was okay, it just seemed that it was a bit sweet for my liking. Also, I would've liked more of that horseradish sauce that came on top of the beef - it was tasty!

Crab Tortilla
There was a good amount of crab meat in here (they really don't skimp). I saw some other reviews saying that it was runny but the one that we had was really good, looked like mashed potatoes inside.

Churros & Chocolate
My favorite dish of the meal! ...But that's probably just because I love churros and chocolate and have been craving it for a while. The churros, although deep fried, weren't oily at all when they came to us. They were golden-brown and crunchy on the outside, but still nice and soft inside. The cinnamon sugar coating was already tasty enough, but with the melted chocolate that came with it? SO GOOD!

The service was also very good; the chef made all of his dishes for all customers (and even prepared for other dishes for that night) with great timing. They were served hot and cooked just right.

Overall, I really liked this place! The food was great, the portions were a good size, the dessert was fantastic and the price was at a good value, judging from how expensive the tapas usually are. I will definitely be coming back here again! (Y)

I've been to Spain many a times and I must say this tapas bar pretty much hits it on the head. Bar sitting, all cooking up front and noisy. If there were more along Hollywood road like this I would think I was in San Sebastian tapas hoping for the night.
Well I was in for the night as this was not the case. Started with some Jamon only one leg and it was only the Serrano the others were pre cut from what I could see. We had the platter which was good value. Croquettes were that perfect texture and salted well just needed to be a touch warmer in the middle. Crispy shrimp were fun when the manager told us to eat them as a hole head and all. Clams were amazing just a little bit of grit but I had that happen to me so many times all round the world it's not funny. Chicken with truffle aioli, stuffed pork and veal peppers and the Pork Belly were just mouth watering. We had one salad of Palm hearts which I never had before and it was refreshing.
They had loads of specials but we never got round to trying them maybe next time
What did we drink? Well we just let the Manager point us in the right direction with wine. I do remember we had Sherry to start loads of white and red in the middle and Sherry to finish which went well with the skinny crispy churros and chocolate.
Overall it was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. Service was fast maybe too fast but nothing to complain about.
Well done Tapeo We will be back for those specials very soon Mr Manager man.

Last night my bf and I had a frustrating experience at Tapeo. Granted, I will concede we showed up in Soho on a Saturday night without reservations; naturally we'd have to wait for a spot anywhere. But, when the host told us it'd be about 15 minutes before we got seated, I believed him (naively, I guess). After we got drinks and chilled, waiting for a pair to vacate one of the 20-ish bar stools in the place, I realized we'd been duped.

After nearly half an hour, nobody budged. After 40 minutes passed, I really wasn't amused, but by then we were already invested. I really should have known better when he said 15 minutes - after all, it's the host's job to get as many customers as possible, right? I think we got seated about 45 minutes after we arrived. I understand it's hard to estimate when people will leave, especially at a place like this where it's easy to linger over a glass of wine. But that being said, I really don't appreciate when wait people stretch the truth to get a customer.

Regarding the food itself, I'd say it's an approximation of Spanish tapas - good try, but not quite right. I was really looking forward to the patatas bravas and tortilla, staples of mine when I lived in Madrid, but I was a bit disappointed. The patatas were not crispy on the outside, and the brava sauce was a bit too ketchup-tasting to seem like the real deal. There wasn't enough kick to it either.

The tortilla was kind of blah. It was still quite runny when we first got it; it did firm up after it cooled down, the way they usually serve it in Spain, but even then the egg was still a bit soggy. And IMHO, there wasn't enough onion The mixed mushrooms al jerez were nice, but the top layers of mushroom lacked any taste of sherry while the bottoms ones were soaked in it. The winner of the night were the albondigas, or spicy meatballs. Good cumin flavor and nice accompanying tomato sauce.

Alas, we did not order the famed pork belly. Perhaps if someone wants to go next time, I'll try it. But I certainly won't go of my own accord. The food here isn't up to the level of authenticity I'd hoped for, and I'm still a bit miffed about the deceptive service.

I visited Tapeo with a visiting friend who wanted to have Spanish / tapas, having booked a table in advance, the staff was nice to re-confirm again in the afternoon.

As the flight was delayed, we had to postpone the booking to an hour later...
Arriving at 8ish, the restaurant's pretty packed.

What we ordered:
- Baguette w oil and balsamico
- Olives: I love olives
- Shrimps: so so
- Chrizo
- Salad: good
- Ham croquetas: this is delicous!

Desert:
- Bread pudding: just 3 slices and taste is so so... not impressive
- Creme brulee: girls' favourite, but too sweet for guys, according to my friend

Wine:
- A bottle of Rose at $360

BEA card: 10% off
Tho it's a bit pricey, it's probably one of the best tapas bar in HK...