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Andalucia Tapas & Taverna

MY REVIEW: Last night, husband and I went to Andalucia Tapas. Having read reviews that said the sangria was good but that it would be a better value to get a pitcher ($20) than a glass ($9), we asked our waitress, who said that the pitcher was $30 and a glass was $5. (I told her what I had read and she just stared blankly.) We ordered a glass each. That was plenty because the glasses were big. However, when the bill came, the glasses were $9 each! Husband questioned the waitress, who went back and confirmed that the bill was correct, but made no offer to amend it in our favor.

Contrary to what I have seen in this thread, the service was prompt and all 6 of our dishes came out at the same time. After all, it was early (6:00) on a Tuesday night.

The place was not full, but was fairly noisy, as there are absolutely no soft surfaces in the place. Can't imagine the din with flamenco!

Now, to the menu--the food was all very well presented. It was quite good, but the fried crab cakes were dark brown--overcooked. Six dishes, each consisting of 2 servings, filled us up nicely. Five would have been sufficient, but we had bought a promotional voucher from TravelZoo --$29 cost to us, with a value of $65.70, plus an automatic gratuity of 18% of the full value is added to the bill. The voucher said it was for 3 cold tapas and 3 hot tapas.

The problem is not the food--it's the wait staff. Many, many of the reviews I have read have reflected shortcomings of the dining room service. You would think Management would get a clue.

I don't understand why this chef and this menu are not in a more accessible location, in an environment that is warmer and fuzzier, like a real Spanish tapas bar. Yeah, yeah, I know it's right next to all those entertainment venues. The walls are painted white, but they could have achieved a more authentic ambience with an earthy shade of yellow. Just saying.

Frankly, I enjoyed the food, but my husband was so unhappy with the waitress that he says we won't be going back, even though he bought 2 vouchers and we have one left(TravelZoo has refunded it.) Silly us -- we go to restaurants for the food, but if you like a lot of noise and entertainment, you might enjoy a Friday or Saturday night here.

(BTW, my husband grew up in the restaurant industry and may be pickier than most.)

NAME: yoyosma
SUBMITTED: 1/16/2013   LAST VISIT WAS: January 2013
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: This place is so delish and I go here all the time for lunch. I usally have some chicken wrapped in a type of flat bread or believe it or not the hamburger they have is one of the best I've eatten.

We've tried the paella which is okay and i'm sure they have a million other wonderful dishes however I can't get past that chicken wrap and hamburger.

Go give it a try

NAME: Mean Troy Dean
SUBMITTED: 11/5/2012   LAST VISIT WAS: Oct/12
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: I must say I was BEYOND impressed with this place. I just met my daughter for lunch and we decided try Andalucia. We ordered 5 tapas each thinking the portions would be small enough that we wouldn't be overwhelmed. These are not your normal tapas size tasters. And I'm not complaining at all. We literally had to split the leftovers (because I was neither one of us wanted to say "no you take that home with you"!) We had the Albondigas Morunos, Queso Brie Horneado, Empanadillas de Res, Marguez Salteado, Croquetas de Pollo. Everything was perfect. And the waitress, Chrystal, was extremely attentative and courteous. Will definately be back!

NAME: Cozy Cuisine
SUBMITTED: 11/22/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/22/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: My Husband and I tried this place for my birthday. I had such a wonderful time! The entertainment was wonderful! I have been to Barcelona and I literally felt as if I was there. The wooden tables and the red hues made it so cozy and romantic. The sangria wasn't the best but it was good. We tried several tapas and were satisfied with all of our choices. My favorite dish was the lamb. My husband and I shared the halibut to give it a try. Awesome!

We plan on going again:) Great memories were made that night.

NAME: B Mc
SUBMITTED: 11/14/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 10-8-10
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: This most recent visit will make our third. We had the same problems with the paella the first time. This got us to meet Lawrence the manager. We adviced him about the website and consistent concerns. However, we did find dishes we cannot live without green potatoes, oxtail, mussels, and morrocan meatballs. They are delicious. I could drink the mussel sauce, literally. We even tried the paella a second time with some friends, much better. Maybe is was because the manager brought us everything...

NAME: Fobus
SUBMITTED: 10/11/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: Oct/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: We tried 8 tapas.....four were good.....four were nothing special, but not bad and I was not impressed with the gazpacho. The portions were large for tapas (turned out to be too much for two people), the Sangria was good and they had my preferred gin. Biggest down side was the noise, even though it wasnt particularly crowded. I might give the paella a try.

NAME: face of downtown
SUBMITTED: 8/4/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/10
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I have eaten at many tapas restaurants, and even eaten authentic tapas in Spain. On my first visit to Andalucia my expectations were high, and...for the most part..I was highly satisfied. My only complaint was that the first time I went the sangria didn't taste how I am used to, but was vastly better the second time around.

I read the other reviews on this site before going and despite the complaints about the paella, which I love, I was astounded. Mark my words...the paella at Andalucia is AUTHENTIC and DELICIOUS. In Spain paella can take over and hour to make properly, these guys made it in half that time without compromising the integrity of the dish. I will absolutely be back! Don't knock it until you try it!

NAME: Melissa
SUBMITTED: 3/11/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: March 2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Upon arriving, our party of nine was seated. The ambiance was good -- nice Spanish music. The waiter was helpful, but most of us did not notice the long list of tapas on the menu, thus none were ordered. The 2 hors d'oeuvres and main course talipa were good. I ordered lamb tagine. It was lacking in flavor and the meat was well under cooked. Needed more vegetables. The kitchen was unable to deliver the sandwiches in a timely manner. The waiter kept apologizing. The pork sandwich was dry...the wrap too much mayonnaise.

Hopefully, this is constructive criticism. I have eaten at most of the Bella family restautants and found them very good.

NAME: KFactual
SUBMITTED: 3/8/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/10
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Cool place... the bartenders/wait staff were extremely friendly. The first problem was the smell. It didn't smell like old Spain, with a hint of wine, or a fresh fire crackling away, but it smelled like burnt grease which seem to stay in place for the duration of our dinner. The really need to open a window or close off the open part of the kitchen. There is nothing enticing or romantic about lingering bad smells. Our second problem was some of the food....everything we tried seem to be way over seasoned. We couldn't taste the anchovies in the Bouqeneros, or cheese that’s way overpowered by honey in the Bombas de Queso. Also, with the Escabeche de Berenjena, any shred of eggplant taste was gone..too much of everything on that dish. They just need to tone everything down, not to the point of being bland, but just to let the natural flavors of the main ingredient shine.

NAME: Chris
SUBMITTED: 2/22/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: There was four in our party, all Hispanics, all having visited Spain. Our reservation for 10PM on a Saturday night was promptly honored. Friendly, helpful waiter Joel, explained and decribed the different tapas, wine, etc. quite well.

We started with some complementary bread, then started with a simple, fabulous-tasting spinach salad followed with outstanding Oxtails, pinchos de rez, spinach empanadas, beef empanadas. To this point we truly enjoyed and frankly impressed with everything...then came the paella, which we expected to be the coup de grace!! To our disappointment, as noted noted in other reviews by others, the paella was mushy and basically tasteless. My brother and sister in law, in our party had spent a number of years in Spain and knew paella!! Turns out there is special, harder rice used to properly make paella...to keep it from getting mushy...we relayed this to the powers present.

In place we ordered the monk fish en meil. This wonderful fish was unduly salty...otherwise great and would order it again, with much less salt! All in all, a wonderful & memorable time! Will definately return, but skip the paella, until they correct the rice in it.

NAME: RichAlva
SUBMITTED: 1/25/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: To begin with, the ambiance of Andalucia was perfect. Dim lighting provided a cozy atmosphere, a large bullfighting mural on the back wall gave the place a Spanish feel, and heavy wooden tables and heavy iron accents around the restaurant gave the locale a very rustic touch. In short, the decoration and setup were stylish, functional, and appealing.

The service was excellent, as all the waiters were friendly and patient, despite a packed house. Service was also very timely.

Now on to the juicy part, the food:
The Patatas Bravas were mediocre in that they were not so flavorfull. They were on the drier side and could have used more seasoning.

The Setas al Jerez (Mushrooms) were absolutely to die for. They had a bold and delicious garlic taste without being overwhelming.

The Croquetas de Patatas y Queso were fantastic. To be hoenst with you, when I tasted them, I was not quite sure what I was eating. All that I knew is that it was the perfect balance of sweet and salty, mushy and chewy. A must for those feeling adventurous.

The Empanadillas de Espinaca were so rich and flavorful, I think I ate the whole plate all by myself. The spinach was perfectly cooked and filled with flavor, and the apricots gave the empanadas an unexpected and friendly surprise.

The Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp)was by far the best dish I sampled during my visit. The shrimp was cooked to perfection- not too tender, not too hard- and the garlic flavor was delectable.

The Calamar a la Romana (calamari) was a bit too greasy for my liking. But, this thought was sent to the back of my mind once I tasted the spicy piparrada sauce that came with the calamari - it gave the calamari an extra zing and left you craving more.

The Albondigas Marroqis (meatballs) were good but could have been gerat, had they been cooked just a tad bot more and seasoned with a it more salt and pepper. Other than that, they were the perfect (bite) size, and the peas were the perfect addition to the meatballs in the tomato sauce.

The Pinchos de Res (meat skewers) were juicy, flavorful, and served with green bell pepper for the grand opening. This is a menu-item that is safe for anybody (the young, the old, the picky) to try and enjoy.

Finally, the PAELLA! While I wish I had better things to say about the paella, the only thing I can say is that the consistency of the paella was too mushy and overall flavor-less. It seemed as if they has the right ingredients in it but needed to perfect cooking time and seasoning.

Despite the paella being a disappointment, my trip to Andalucia was highly enjoyable and I would highly recommend it to anyone! I also recommend you take lots of friends when you go so you can sample many of the impressive tapas!

NAME: carlasoriano
SUBMITTED: 1/1/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: December 2009
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Wow! after reading Kyle's review, I want to go to Tapas with KYLE!!!

NAME: khou11
SUBMITTED: 12/23/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/10/2009
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I stopped in for dinner on a Friday night. The restaurant is all dark wood, with the stage on the left as you enter and the bar on the right, with tables stretching back to the back wall, which features a mural of a matador fighting a bull. There was a band playing and a flamenco dancer on the stage (this is featured Thursday - Saturday, I believe?). I sat at the cocktail table, a T-shaped bar counter in front of the bar, serviced by the bartender.

I ordered El Jinete, which is described as tequila, agave nectar, lime juice with a sea salt rim and a jalapeno stuffed olive. It didn't have any salt on the rim and the olives were standard cocktail olives, but the drink was good, a pleasant marriage between the margarita and the dirty martini. $10

The tapas were all $4-$10. I ordered Croquetes de Potatas y Queso, described as "potato and goat cheese croquettes served with raisins and caramelized leeks". They were very good, just what a croquette should be, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside topped with a tasty sauce, but there were definitely no raisins or caramelized leeks. At $5 for 4 croquettes it was a good value, but I sure would have liked some leeks. Empanadas de res ($6), 3 beef tenderloin empanadas, was mediocre. The flavors were good, but it wasn't all that crispy, with the puff pastry shell slightly chewy. Finally, the braised oxtail ($7) was fantastic. This rivaled oxtail I've had at a very good tail-to-snout place on Westheimer. The meat had been cooked perfectly and just fell apart when I dug into it. The band quit around 10 and they played Spanish guitar music after that, which was nice.

The bartender was tied up making drinks at the bar and the manager or something came by and asked me if I needed anything, so I ordered El Matador ($10), described as a habanero infused Bloody Mary with a pickled veggie skewer. She brought me another El Jinete rather than the Matador. They straightened it out. El Matador was alright, though they really need to kick up the spice on it, and rather than a pickled veggie skewer it was the boring cocktail olives again. When I closed out, they had overcharged me $2 on the oxtail.

The food was mostly great, the staff was friendly, and I liked the atmosphere and the band, but they really need to shape up their game and deliver what the menu promises both on drinks and dishes. I'm happy to pay ten bucks for a cocktail if its something special rather than something typical. I want my pickled veggie skewer! If they improve these things, this is the type of place I'd love to bring some friends on a Friday or Saturday, or a good place to knock off work for some happy hour specials.

NAME: Kyle
SUBMITTED: 11/21/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/09
FREQUENCY: Visited once

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