Rioja Spanish Tapas Avg. Prices (excl. tax, tip, & drinks):  Lunch 10  Dinner 18   Brunch 10   Updt 6/9/2008 Hours: See Profile   11920 Westheimer Rd at Kirkwood Houston TX 77077 281.531.5569 You might also be interested in these:     Food Delivery    Outdoor Dining    Spanish Restaurants    Tapas    ZIP 77077 Profile Description: We welcome you to Rioja Restaurant and hope you will enjoy our authentic tapas, and two year, award winning, Paella Mixta. Also, we'd love for you to sample from our also award winning wine list that features the best venues Spain has to offer, all while being relatively inexpensive. Come share in our passion for Spanish tapas, we know you'll enjoy it!   Add Review PROFILE     MY REVIEW: In five words: Pushy service and mediocre tapas! I was initially very impressed by the warm atmosphere and the friendly greeting from the host, but soon was less than impressed by a hovering, almost pushy server, who barely allowed my husband and I time to look at the menu before coming by and asking twice if we were ready to order. This became the norm, as he came frequently to the table, pushing tapas, drinks, and desserts more like a salesman selling cars than a server suggesting food. My husband had a glass of wine which he enjoyed, and I ordered a margarita. Perhaps it was my mistake to stray from sangria, but I have thoroughly enjoyed margaritas at other tapas restaurants, and usually can't go wrong with ordering a margarita in Houston. In any case, the margarita was bitter, flavorless, and priced at over 10 dollars, which would not have shocked me in DC or NY, but did in Houston. Now for the tapas: The roasted goat cheese dip was quite delicious, but the crab empanadas were mostly pastry with limited amounts of chewy meat that tasted more like cod than crab, and the roasted lamb and potato tureen tasted more like shaved roast beef than roasted lamb. Overall, we were not impressed by the quality of the food, drinks, or service, and will not return. NAME: Katie C. SUBMITTED: 10/17/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: October 2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Having been to Spain many times, I was excited to go to this restaurant and see if it was better than the awful place in the Rice Village. From the moment you walk in the door, you are greeted with a friendly "Hello, we are glad you are here tonight". The decor is typical and cozy. The service couldn't have been better. The presentation of the food was amazing. We only ordered the tapas. My personal favorites were the white asparagus rolled in Serrano Ham, the fried calamari, crab empanadas and the giant scallops. The food could not have been fresher. You must know that they do have great spanish wines which are not listed on their wine list and must ask your waiter for them. This restaurant is a MUST! NAME: RB SUBMITTED: 5/31/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/30 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I've been here a few times, usually for business meals and haven't been disappointed. My family is Spanish, so I've grown up with a lot of these dishes. I've also spent a lot of time in Spain and I can say this is the closest a Houston restaurant has come. Brought my girlfriend here recently for brunch, and though she typically is not a fan of Spanish food, she liked this place which, trust me, says a lot. Service has always been decent. I met the owner once and he was very nice. FYI...Some very good value for the brunch deals. Beef Tenderloin with Manchego was quite good. NAME: D$T SUBMITTED: 1/1/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/30 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Strong points: An extensive listing of both hot and cold tapas selections. They even have a vegetarian selection, if that's your thing. Our wait staff was prompt and courteous. We ordered about 6 items and devoured them all. The crab empanadas were especially delicious, and we will be going back. (Bonus: They weren't fried in peanut oil, for those who have but allergies.) Weak points: Take a jacket -- it was freezing in there. The cold air blew in everytime someone opened the door, and there's no little vestibule area to prevent the cold air from reaching you. We'll definitely be going back. NAME: gardenwzl SUBMITTED: 12/16/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I really enjoy tapas and owning a property in Spain means I have enjoyed a lot of it, so I was excited about the prospect of dining at Rioja. I think I may have hit an off night; we booked ahead but the restaurant was not crowded, though we were seated at a table right near the door which suggested little consideration for making reservations! Staff were friendly and prompt, we placed an order for 4-5 different tapas all of which were pretty good. However, we were somewhat suprised that the tapas all arrived at different times rather than together, almost as though the resaturant was attempting to serve the meal in courses. Only explantion I can think of is that we ordered a mix of hot and cold tapas, suggesting we were served cold tapas as an appetizer? Not usual tapas eating! It was this that blinded us to the major issue which was that they forgot to cook and deliver the pork tenderloin I ordered. We sat there with the patatas bravas (good but a little heavy on the paprika) getting cold waiting for a dish that was not about to arrive. Finally we checked and the waitress who at first argued that I had not ordered the tenderloin, then remembered I had and there were profuse apologies. They even comped a glass of (relatively expensive) wine as a result, but frankly it did spoil the meal. Overall no better that 5 out of 10, but I felt the quality of the food merits a return, hopefuly to be seated somewhere with a little more ambience and a little more attention to what is ordered. NAME: Britdiner SUBMITTED: 9/20/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: September 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My first trip to this restaurant, and it is now my favourite restaurant in Houston! The food is EXCELLENT, as is the decor and atmosphere. The best eating experience I have had in Houston since I arrived from Europe 2 years ago! The best PAELLA and TAPAS I've had outside of Spain! Recommended to everyone! A very, very enjoyable and authentic experience! NAME: Londoneater SUBMITTED: 8/4/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: July 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I've lived within 5 minutes of this place for the last 2 years, but for some reason just hadn't tried it yet. I'm kicking myself for waiting so long. Went last night on a rainy night, but there was still a good crowd. We decided to sit on the (covered) patio out front. I've reviewed just about every restaurant on here in the Westchase area, and let me just say this - This is quite possibly the best service I have ever had a restaurant. The staff was amazingly nice and the service was prompt. The food was just as good. You must try the pork tenderloin, it was out of this world. We also had the mussels, which were ok but I've had better. The papas fritas were fantastic though and rounded out the meal nicely. I highly reccomend this place. Don't wait so long like I did. Thanks again to the Rioja staff, keep doing what you're doing. NAME: H-Town Reviewer SUBMITTED: 6/23/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My first time at this restaurant with 5 other adults and 1 kid. Food were good, not the typical fare we get every day. We thought the food was pricy at first but the higher-priced tapas contains more food than the lower-priced ones. Since I was with a crowd, we ordered several tapas dishes and 2 paellas, a bottle of wine and the bill came out about $180 ($30 each). That was not too pricy I thought. Some of my favorites were the white asparagus wrapped in serano ham, calamari in garlicky olive oil (not on menu), mussel in some kind of sauce. I didn't care for the sirloin steak cubes even though they were very tender and my friends liked it. Paella was good. Rice was nicely cook, not grainy nor mushy. Overall, we enjoyed the dinner very much and I will definitely come back. I saw the lunch special for ~$14 and you can pick three different tapas. That's a good value and I would at least come back for lunch and see if lunch tapas are any different than dinner taps. NAME: Amy SUBMITTED: 5/10/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: May 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Strong Points: The Paella is Awesome. They truly use quality ingredients. Reviewrs who do not like this Paella have never had good paella. Food is out of this world. Tapas are great. Service is good. Ambiance is very fun. Half off wine Wed and Thurs!!! NICE!!!! Weak Points: Service is good, but staff has a strong Spanish accent. Restaurant is busy and reservations are recommended. Can sometimes be loud. I have all of my corporate events here and all my staff and clients love it. It's fun and refreshing. Some of the best Spanish food in the USA. NAME: IR SUBMITTED: 5/7/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: it's nice, 'poshy' place service was great and the waiters very friendly and helpful.... enjoyed the meal and the sangria immensely but was a little disappointed by the paelle and the rice was grainy (undercooked maybe)? a little on the pricey side. we ordered 3 cheaper tapas. shared 1 paella and some sangria and bill was about $75 still, i think it's cheaper than mi l*una...and definitely less crowded/noisy NAME: dc SUBMITTED: 4/27/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: march 07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Strong Points: The food in general is great, great drinks too. Good ambiance and service. Weak Points: IS becoming pricier and pricier. I dont think I will be back anytime soon. Each tapa is almost 10 dollars. NAME: AM SUBMITTED: 4/25/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: March 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Previous reviewers were right, the paella isn't particularly good. Mine had rice grains which were kind of hard, dry. It was not a cornucopia of seafood and sausage and meats, only what I'd call adequate amounts. It was OK, nothing special. However, the total dining experience was nice (the paella is only one item, after all). I enjoyed an assortment of hot and cold tapas. The crab empanada was particularly good. The live Caribbean music was fun. I recommend it as a fun place to go to; just don't get the paella. NAME: Peter SUBMITTED: 3/24/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: All I have to say is "WOW"! What an awesome restaurant! Showed up 1 hr before closing on a stormy Tuesday night, with our 4 children in tow, but were still welcomed and treated wonderfully. Great tapas, with many items I had never seen before. Best Paella I've ever had. Desserts were out of this world. Prices seemed about average for tapas, but portions were larger than a lot of places. I will be back! NAME: nickhead SUBMITTED: 3/14/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: This was my first time at this place and I absolutely loved it!!! Who cares if the waiters aren't up to "par" at least everyone there is friendly and the food is delicious. In the end what matters is how well the whole experience was and for me it was great! I'm from the holy land and the ambiance of the place reminds me of back home. Go for yourself and try it I promise you won't be disappointed:) NAME: abu hisham SUBMITTED: 3/14/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: March 10 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I agree with previous reviewer that the poached pears are excellent. They've moved up with the stuffed piquillo pepper tapa that I want when I first walk in the door. We've had several different waiters but all have been effiecient and catered to our desires. I can't imagine anything falling on deaf ears there unless there's more to the story... and then someone orders an entree sauteed in oil with an oil-based side dish and complain about the oil. More garlic would have been available. Rioja is one of my favorite restaurants at lunch, happy hour, and dinner, have had the paella every visit, and agree about the fresh seafood. I've even taken some home and it's great for breakfast! Landscaping around patio dining is so inviting, food is always good, and waitstaff is definitely trained toward service. I'm sorry about other poster's experience but have not found that to be the norm at this place. NAME: Gloria SUBMITTED: 8/26/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: August 9, 2006 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: 1st timers. There were 3 tables the entire time we were there - 1 hour at Noon, Friday. Of the 3 of us, 2 are latin - one Cuban, one Spanish, one French. We ordered 1 paella, and 2 of the same Chicken sauteed w/roasted garlic and sherry; one flan and 2 poached pears. The desserts were good, the meal wasn't. The paella, which the restaurant brags about, was at best mediocre - the seafood being fresh was the only saving grace. The chicken dishes were left half eaten. The little pieces of chicken were greasy, not much garlic, and no hint of sherry. The side veggies were overdone and mushy, the potatos al oilio were overy mayonnaisy with no taste of garlic whatsoever. Everything seemed to lay in a pool of bland oil When asked by our waitress how everything was, we let her know in short, that we were disappointed and couldn't finish eating our dishes. This fell on deaf ears. NAME: ComoTuMeQuieres SUBMITTED: 8/21/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: Aug. 4, 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I went to La Rioja to have lunch with a couple of friends and the service was as good as it was the first time I went for my graduation party about a year ago. We had the "Jamon Serrano" and the Spinach Tapa, both were delicious. We also had the PAELLA, OMG!!!! I felt in heaven. Even though the portions weren't too big, I was very satisfied. I'm definitively going back for the Thursday live music. NAME: Alina SUBMITTED: 8/17/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Wow...now I know what all the great raves are about. After reading all the reviews I knew I would be trying this restaurant out. I had a great dinner there. The atmosphere is great/romantic, the waitstaff are very nice and helpful. We ordered two tapas, the homemade chorizo and the lamb with potatoes. They were both good tapas. And we also ordered two entrees, the lamb chops and the paella, they were both great. Plus the half price bottle of wine. The bill was a bit pricey but next time and yes there WILL be a next time we will order just the two entress with drinks. Or maybe even just two or three tapas. Between two people, ordering probably two or three tapas should be enough, depending on which ones you order. They also serve bread. We went on a Thursday night, live music night. It was great music. Some people were up dancing having a great time. I do recommend this restaurant. We will be returning. NAME: Tracie SUBMITTED: 7/21/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My wife and I just went last night (may 17th a wed). They still have the 1/2 off wine on this day, but since my wife had never tried sangria we got a caraffe of that. The price is still $18 as we had read on this site. Th sangria was homemade and tasty. My wife and I ate outside and there were a few mosquitos, but the atmosphere and food were fantastic!! the service was very friendly and helpful with the menu and were mostly speedy. The staff will recommend the shrimp, and the good but not outstanding. We got the filet mignon in brandy cream sauce and the white bean soup (a lot loike a french cassoulette) and if nothing else those will bring us back. This is a fantastic date restaurant, but bring your wallet with the sangria and 5 tapas and a shared dessert it was $92, we left full and happy, but price wasnt an object. ENJOY!! NAME: eating viking SUBMITTED: 5/18/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/17 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I just went to Rioja's for the first time tonight. I was very impressed. I went alone and sat down at the bar. Several wait staff recommended their favorite dishes when I told them at it was my first time at the restaurant. Having never experienced a tapas restaurant before, I can only say that I will returm with friends. Delicious food (the empanadas are amazing) and wine; wonderful, welcoming service. Thanks for the great night :) NAME: Jessica SUBMITTED: 4/29/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My wife and I visited for the first time. On Sat nite, we did not have a reservation, but they graciously fit us in. I stronly recommend reservations, as they are very crowded. The food was excellent. The manager recommended some of his favorite tapas and he was on target. However, portions are small and more expensive than I am used to in other tapas restaurants. The paella portion was small also for $17+. Although the paella has supposedly rated as the best in Houston, I have had better. Ambience and waiter staff excellent, but bring big bucks or a good credit card to eat here. NAME: Eric SUBMITTED: 4/5/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I visisted Rioja Tapas for the first time at dinner time and what an experience!!!It started with Luis (owner) pampering us with the best attention and service I've experienced since I moved to Houston. I strongly reccomend you try what we had. Salmon fresco, beef tapa, pastry empanadas and top it up with the paella. The presentation was so nice I didn't want to eat it and mess it up but you have to because is the BEST paella in town! It doesn't stop there... The wine selection is outstanding and the entertainment superb! Have to give it a try. NAME: mann600 SUBMITTED: 3/29/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: March/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Food was amazingly tasty and service was extraordinarily attentitive! I wish it was not so far from my home as we would go there on a weekly basis. Wed and Thurs nite is 1/2 price wine bottles and our server recommended the most fabulous dar, rich red which complimented the food wonderfully! the paella is the best!!! NAME: lisapisa SUBMITTED: 3/10/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 03-10-2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Food is fantastic, wine is very affordable, atmosphere is fun, this is a place that you can truly enjoy, even though it is not perfect. There are two problems I find when I dine here: the service is just like previous reviewers have described it, or even worse: hesitant, inexperienced, sporadic, etc. Don't even try to ask the waitstaff for suggestions, as some (not all) of their staff prefer not to admit that they are new or don't know, and they just tell you whatever comes to their mind, sounding like a scripted character in a bad TV sitcom ("Manzanilla Sherry means that it has… manzanilla flavor, like the tea"). Somehow, people who go there don't care that the service is not the best. The second issue is: the place can be very noisy, and can even make for an unromantic experience, particularly if a couple gets stuck next to a big group, or in one of the horrible tables for two, right in the middle of kitchen traffic (I'll eat in the parking lot, on top of my car, before I eat in one of those tables!). On the other hand, there are great reasons to return: a) some dishes are outstanding, like the cod-stuffed piquillo peppers, their baby lamb chops, the pears in Rioja, the beef skewers, or their paella are all my choices. Even though most dishes are delicious, some are not very enjoyable, and it all depends on the person's palate, or perhaps even the cook's mood that day. However, the dishes are $4 to $8 each (mostly), so having a dish I don't like every once in a while still doesn't deter me from coming back. And b) their wines are affordable. For $50 you can get an excellent bottle, but if you have never had a Rioja before, you should buy it by the glass until you forget about CA Chardonnays and weak Merlots. Your experience won't be the same if you plan to commit blasphemy by drinking bud light, or mixed drinks. --- In summary: This is one of my favorite places in Houston, but this is a restaurant that you have to try a few times before a bad first-time experience keeps you eating at O*utback. I can see this place having a standing-only bar area one day, just like a true tapas bar in Mexico (wink, wink). NAME: Cowman-not-Cowboy SUBMITTED: 2/14/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: Feb/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Excellent food, excellent service. The owner was very attentive and walked around greeting everyone. He generously gave my wife and I a complimentary sangria after we told him it was excellent. The filet mignon was awesome. Will definitely come back, especially on a day the performers will be there. NAME: Pedro SUBMITTED: 2/13/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY