Tapas in Dallas?

[Frijole]

I was wondering who of you in Dallas are familiar with great Spanish tapas and if so, where you would recommend going to have some. I haven't lived here long and am just beginning to really get into finding amazing restaurants. I've been to Hola and actually thought they had both great food and wine but always love trying new restaurants. Any suggestions?

[BradT]

Cafe Madrid was good when it first opened but since the owners got divorced it's gone down hill fast. We stumbled onto Sangria Tapas on Cole and loved it. Great lamb dishes and a terrific paella.

[Myempire1]

I vote for rouge. I personally like the tapas and atmosphere at rouge more than cafe madrid.

[simply_victoria]

Is Rouge closed? It says so in Guidelive.

[vktp]

Yep, closed sometime last year.

[dg1873]

Hola is now closed as well :(

[chefwannab]

Cafe Madrid is the original tapas venue in Dallas. They do have some dishes that are authentic and some that are, shall we say, Spanish influenced, not authentic. They typically have specials that change from time to time. Their tapas list is extensive, so there is more variety than Hola. I've never had a bad experience there and almost always try something new. I like Hola as well but I find them to be a little pricier for some of the staple tapas items (jamon serrano, tortilla espanola, etc.)

[kuidaore]

Cafe Madrid isn't authentic at all. I don't consider their food Spanish. After I ate there, I had to e-mail my friend in Madrid about what is considered Spanish food in Dallas.

[BillK]

Cafe Madrid is tops on my list as well. Also, if you are up in the northern burbs, Tres Meridas is a great place. Incredible mojitos as well.

[Kirk]

I beg to differ with you about Tres Meridas, which in my family has been nicknamed Tres Mierdas. Their tortilla española was inedible the last time I ate there.

[Kirk]

I would say Rouge had very good Basque- and Spanish-influenced food when it started out. The menu seems to have varied little since then, and the last time I was there (shortly after Gutierrez left) the food was still OK. But Rouge has never focused on Spanish food, as much as Spanish fusion food.

[Frijole]

I'll have to try De Tapas. Kirk - what has your experience been at Rouge? A lot of people seem to like it. You seem to know a bit about authentic Spanish food. I thoroughly enjoyed Hola when I went. Their shrimp is wonderful and the wine was great too and was very reasonably priced.

[Kirk]

De Tapas is owned by the mother of Hola's owner. Cafe Madrid is owned by the ex-wife of Hola's owner.

De Tapas and Hola both have much better and more authentic Spanish food than what you get at Cafe Madrid. De Tapas sometimes has Spanish music and flamenco. Sometimes it is good.

[Scagnetti]

We were long time customers of Cafe Madrid until we found Hola.

Cafe Madrid has always been too frenetic with poor seating in that first dining area. I always thought the menu and the food at Hola was better.

[sl1]

Has anyone been to Hola? It looks like a cool little place. Is it somehow related to Cafe Madrid?

[Balonpie]

I've only frequented De Tapas, but evidently Cafe Madrid is the place to go. I've also heard good things about Rouge; however, I've yet to go.

[Jambon_It]

Cafe Madrid fans...they now have another location in Bishop Arts in Oak Cliff!!!!
Yay!

[BJD1r]

I would have to recommend Cafe Madrid. They have excellent fried calamari which we always get with the spicy brava sauce. They also have a pretty good tortilla espanola. Our other standard is to get a plate of cheese with bread and some of the jamon serrano.

[Kirk]

When was the last time you were at Rouge, ieatdallas? It changed hands about a year ago.

[gavlist]

ah - that explains it. I have noticed a decrease in quality the last couple of times. Same dishes, though - and many are still good (if not excellent).

[ieatdallas]

Rouge is hands down the best I've had here. Don't let the outside fool you.

[BellaDonna]

Cafe Madrid is very authentic.

De Tapas in Addison is good too. They are also BYOB.

[Kirk]

De Tapas has an extensive wine list and sells beer, too. Are you sure it's BYOB?

[laurie]

I agree that Cafe Madrid is has the most authentic tapas place in Dallas. I particularly like their tortilla espanola, oxtails, Manchego cheese, Sangre de Toro table wine, and sangria.

[gavlist]

I'd recommend Rouge (on Lover's, a little west of Inwood). They have some great tapas, many of Basque origin/influence (I've read that the chef is from the Basque country). I've also been to Americas which is on McKinney - the tapas are pretty good, and they have great drink specials.

[vktp]

I love Hola. The only other place I can recommend is Cafe Madrid (http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?...).

Although I hear there's a great tapas place in downtown McKinney. . .

[vktp]

Cafe Malaga:

I had trekked up to McKinney Thursday night and ended up having a late dinner at Cafe Malaga, a Spanish tapas restaurant on the square in downtown McKinney. Amazingly, it's open until midnight (in case you're ever in need of late night sangria). The food was pretty good. I went with couscous, chorizo, and bacon-wrapped dates. The couscous was pleasantly garlicky. The chorizo served as links, cut into pieces, and fried with large chucks of garlic bread. The bread had soaked up a good amount of the oil and bordered on being too much. The bacon-wrapped dates were the high point of the meal, a fantastic marriage of sweet and salty.