Tapas in LA

[vbabe]

Can someone recommend a good tapas place, other than AOC? Thx!

[peterboy]

copper room in san pedro has tapas in wide array. They even have the tatas bravas (sp?) i loved in Barcelona.
nice place....trying to be the hip spot in pedro.
no flop flops allowed.
worth a visit if you are in the south bay.
The Copper Room 589 W. 9th Street San Pedro, CA 90731 310-831-6200

[TonyC]

That's "Papas bravas" and..

Bistro Verdu is closed.

Papas bravas is completely easy to make even out of In-N-Out fries: squeeze some mayo and squeeze some Tabasco sauce over that. voila.

[graffitipassion]

*gags* I've never had papas bravas that tasted like THAT.

[mc michael]

Of the places I've been, my ranking would be
AOC
Orris
[big huge gap]
Vertical
Cobras & Matadors
La Luna Negra

[AquaW]

On top of what everyone else mentioned, Ciudad in downtown does a "tapas Sunday" with interesting small bites & good sangrias.

I also second the Celadon, Bin & Violet recommendations.

~H.C.
http://la-oc-foodie.blogspot.com

[vbabe]

A friend recently suggested Luna Negra in Pasadena, anyone been?

[SauceSupreme]

I realy like La Luna Negra - someone described it as a tapas place that also did paella and that is probably the best description, really. They play flamenco music some nights also.

[Kitchen Queen]

Had frequented and enjoyed La Luna but a recent (1 yr ago) visit was very dissapointing. Hope someone had gone more recently with better results.

[vbabe]

Food was overly seasoned, either too sweet or too salty, and uninspriring to say the least. Service was TERRIBLE :P What a disappointment!

[notmartha]

IL Capo at Pasadena also have a selection of tapas on the menu. No sangria though.

[Jwsel]

For tapas with an Asian theme, Celadon at Third and Fairfax is very good. They have a lot of items on their crudo and yam cha menus that have 3-5 pieces, and the fish, meat and noodle items are intended to be shared. We loved the different dumplings, the special spicy scallop cones, a pork short rib special, and the scallops. I was very surprised at the quality of the food.

The drinks were good and unusual, though the warnings about the "female" and "male" elixers were a bit precious.

http://www.celadongalerie.com/main.html

[bern1]

Another sleeper, but a great place offering small plates is the happy hour at ocean ave. seafood in Santa Monica. Before 6pm the prices can't be beat and they have specials on wine and beer. You have to sit at the bar or in the bar area, but a small price to pay for quality sea food near the beach.

[JBC]

Not previously mentioned is Upstairs 2, they built their whole dining experience around tapas and wine:
http://upstairs2.com/home/

But really, aren't Tapas just another term for appatizers? So any place that had a large & appealing selection of apps would work (you don't have to order an entree).; therefore, for example, you should also include Alcazar which has 50 mezzas (apps) to choose from. And on Friday & Saturday night they do 10 (+ 3 entrees) for $43:
http://www.al-cazar.com/home.html

[nn91604]

cobras and matadors is the worst restaurant in LA. their service will make you want to kill someone.

try la paella on san vicente in weho...pretty solid.

[umeakai]

I'd have to agree - I found Cobras and Matadors to have mediocre service and food. Plus, there's absolutely no where to park so you have to valet.

I prefer The Courtyard in weho off of Santa Monica - the atmosphere is very romantic if you sit outside on a nice evening. And they have a free dedicated parking lot.

http://www.dinecourtyard.com/

[bassbiz]

Vertical Wine Bistro in Pasadena has a very good selection of small plates as well. Would highly recommend the pull pork and gelato.

[dollallama]

I agree in regard to the Beverly Blvd. location, but I find the Silverlake restaurant to be much better.

[djdebs]

I agree with dollallama -- it's not AOC, but the Los Feliz/Silverlake Cobras & Matadors has consistently good food and friendly service, with a nice list of Spanish wines by the glass (they love talking about the wines and you can usually taste anything you want to try).

[Dave and Stuff]

Yatai on Sunset in Hollywood.

[Kitchen Queen]

Not sure where you are but, I've been wanting to try Bistro Verdu - www.bistroverdu.com - tues thru fri - happy hour with 5$ tapas and glasses of wine
5-6pm Can't beat that!

[vbabe]

As long as the food is good, anywhere is worth the drive :)

[Kitchen Queen]

Good response from hounders..type in the name and you'll find many comments. If YOU go, let the board know what YOU think. I plan to take in Descanso Gardens on a weekend afternoon then Bistro Verdu. Great relief from sitting at a computer pumping papars for grad school! :)KQ

[patz]

I've never had the tapas, but I've eaten at Bistro Verdu many times (also as a grad paper-writing break!) and have always had great luck. I've never tried any of their wines, their corkage fee is so low that I normally bring my own for dinner -- how are their wines by the glass?

[Reeter1]

Sorry guys, but Bistro Verdu is now closed. They are moving, I think.

[aching]

Cobras and Matadors!!! The lentils are my favorite - absolutely addictive.

[Marianna215]

I second C&M - some of the stuff on the menu is only *okay* but the Lentils are absolutely awesome. Go to the one in Los Feliz and get some great wines to go with your menu.

[SauceSupreme]

Wines are available at both locations, because while the one on Beverly does not have a liquor license, the wine shop right next door has the same owner, and C&M does not charge a corkage for the beer and wine bought there.

I'm a big fan of C&M; the only bad thing on their menu IMO is the octopus, but that's because I'm not into its chewy consistency.

[Cinnamon]

The Minotaure in Playa del Rey

[chica]

Not as "good" as AOC, but here are some tapas/small plates places that have been recommended:

Cobras and Matadors
minibar
Orris
Tasca
Bin 8945
La Luna Negra
Neomeze
Violet

[breakfastofchampions]

C&M is WAY overrated! Expensive and most of the items are over cooked.