Amada

Had an excellent brunch at Amada with a co-worker.It was a very hot day in Philadelphia and we were out looking for a spot for brunch.Amada was open and still serving, we looked at the menu (great) and the cool interior in both senses of the word and were seated right away.Our server came right over with really solid coffee and we immediately ordered a "bread basket" for $5-which consisted of Mallorca bread, olive oil cake, croissant, cherry & fig jam and whipped butter. I mean...can I move in next door?We also ordered two red wine sangrias, also $5 that were large and iced and fruity and perfect. So far, so GREAT!It was ROUGH choosing just one entree, I flip flopped back and forth for far too long and then landed on the Breakfast Hash of green chile & potato hash, fried eggs, arugula, marinated tomato and paprika aioli. I was slightly worried about it being too spicy, but it was not at all and over all I was extremely happy with it even though I did glance longingly at my friends avo toast a few times!

I always enjoy eating at Amada and I always find the final bill surprisingly high. Which reminds me why I don't go to Amada more often. We stopped by Amada for a post-movie bite to eat. There were three of us who were moderately hungry but by the time we got the bill it was well over $250 which included three drinks. But everything was delicious:- manchego cheese with truffle lavender honey 5/5 - not enough crostini though- gambas al ajillo that come with crostini - 5/5 - used crostini from this dish to finish manchego :) and sop up all that lovely garlic sauce- ensalata verde - 5/5 - I do love this salad with the greens, tender asparagus, fava beans, haricot vert, avocado, some thin slices of cheese, and a yummy dressing- bruselas catalana - 5/5 deliciously done- arroz temporado - 5/5 a nice side dish to go with the lamb chops except they arrived at different times- cordero - 5/5 we ordered an extra lamb chop so each of us could have one delicious, meaty chop- vieriras - 4/5 the only item that didn't wow me, the scallops were a little on the mushy side and the sauce a bit saltyFor dessert we ordered a chocolate mousse 3/5 (nothing special about it) and some other dessert that I can't remember but recall liking it more than the chocolate one so let's give it a 4/5. Amada is definitely a special treat place given the price point but the food never disappoints.

What a marathon of a meal. Located in Old City, this upscale restaurant knows how to take care of their customers. The interior is dimly lit and intimate and can get loud. Our party of 10 came here on a Thursday night and tried the tasting menu. My friend Theresa D. has all the photos :DThe tasting menu has a bit of everything. Lots of dishes - I lost track after about the 12th dish. One thing to note is that the paella takes 45-60min to come out, so if you're going to order it or the tasting menu (which comes with paella), get that order in quick. Also, don't forget that the paella is coming - it's easy to get lost in the delcious tapas, then get surprised by the cast irons that come out!So many great dishes, and I'll highlight a few that really stood out to me. First, the bacon-wrapped dates. These have the perfect balance of sweet and salty, and the textures complement perfectly all on the skewer. Second, the flatbread. The combination of the cheese and mushrooms on crispy flatbread was probably my favorite dish of the night. Third, the honey with the apple, cheese, and bread. The honey itself was amazing. Such a unique and deep flavor - I could have probably eaten all of it. That, coupled with the tartness of the apple and the crusty bread - yum! Fourth, the paella. I love the crispy bits of rice on the cast iron. The mussels were so good - perfectly cooked and not shriveled up like I've seen at other places. All of the other components of the paella were delicious, and the touch of lemon added a brightness to the dish. The last one I'll mention is the dessert. As a disclaimer, I was very full at this point. But the waitress assured me that the dessert was small, and she was right, thank goodness. The coffee caramel rice pudding was really good. Honestly, I could have probably slurped that up in one go if I wasn't so stuffed already.Some people at our table had the tasting menu with the wine pairings. I think I counted 5 or 6 wines that came out? I'm not entirely sure. There was so much action at our table with the many, many dishes and drinks that it was hard to keep track of.I think the tasting menu was a great choice for us, since it was our first time here. But next time, I probably wouldn't do it. There was simply too many dishes. By the time the paella came out, many of us were already stuffed. Taking out the subsequent dishes and bringing out the dessert would have left me satisfied, not overly stuffed. That being said, it was very good! Friendly service who accommodated dietary restrictions throughout the night adds another level of detail that I really appreciated.

Chose this spot based off the reviews. Swanky little spot that is definitely popular amongst the locals. Service was somewhat slow, as our waiter apologized multiple times for the wait. Food was decent, as the flatbread and garlic shrimp stole the show.

Because I enjoyed the brunch so much, I wanted to try the dinner because it has more options.Mojito: it doesn't have much alcohol. I have low tolerance of alcohol but I did not feel anything with this drink. It is a refreshing drink for a hot summer day.Patata bravas: fancy plating of the bravas. Square cut potatoes are individually placed on an ornate plate. Each of the potato is garnished with vibrant orange aioli. Really good.Scallops: my favorite dish of the night. Two thin scallops per skewer. Perfectly cooked. Pork tenderloin: overcooked and dryLamb meatballs: it's ok, not memorable.Setas: mushrooms with truffle. It's super salty. I didn't enjoy it at all.Our waiter was very attentive to my friend's food allergy. He warned him that the bravas was fried in the same frier as cod (he has fin fish allergy). Good call from the waiter.

INCREIBLE! I hesitated on coming here, because I used to live in Spain and I'm pretty picky about Spanish food. But when I saw an Iron Chef was at the helm, I decided to give it a try, and I'm glad I did!Before I list out all the food, I want to say that we tried EVERYTHING on the tapas menu and it was all DELICIOUS. The sangria was great, too. This is one of the most authentic Spanish cuisine experiences I've had in the US. Came here for a business dinner and we were sat at the large table in the center. The restaurant wasn't too noisy and it was in a lovely location. The service was great, as well. As you can tell, I highly recommend Amada and know where it gets its name (loved).

Only stopped in for a drink at the bar on a Saturday afternoon a few weeks back. Our bartender was awful. My husband had to get up from his barstool & walk to the other end of the EMPTY bar to flag the bartender down. He was too busy taking to his co-workers, couldn't be bothered with customers. Anyway the place is cute so 2 stars.....but we won't be back.

Incredible. I truly loved EVERY THING I put in my mouth here. And with about six dishes that is quite impressive. The ambiance is very date like and our server was extremely friendly and accommodating. I cannot wait to go back to try even more dishes. The majority of our dishes were vegetarian as well, since my companion does not eat meat. And still I was blooown away. The drinks were also light and tasty, so there's really no area to go wrong here.

I've never eaten here. We brought at least 2 or 3 dozen relatives and friends here to eat Friday night last part of our wedding party for our daughter and the ambiance, service and food considering it was a busy Friday night on a holiday weekend were superb.This is a Spanish/Tapas style place with an excellent location a fully stocked bar and an amazing menu. We pretty much ordered plates to share both appetizers and entrees and as the plates arrived each was remarkable. They ranged from tasty to spicy and each had a tasty twist. The paella was very good indeed.Highly recommended, especially as they brought birthday cake out for my wife!

My rating is reflected upon how well the staff handled the situation. My husband and I are huge foodies and I've attended culinary school. We had high expectations for a restaurant by an Iron Chef. We ordered the tasting menu, which has certain expectations. It was very different from what we expected. We are not their average clientele. The food is good and elevated for the normal person. We are not normal people.The service was amazing! They were very attentive and the atmosphere is very warm and inviting. The drinks were fabulous. I had the sangria which was spiced and not sweet and a chili tequila drink. For food we had the tasting menu each. Progressive tasting menus should be light to heavy and follow a certain pattern. The items on the menu didn't reflect what a normal tasting menu should be. The items were very heavy and had execution issues such as, very oily green beans, soggy scallops, and steak that had no acidic salsa verde. Many of the sauces were broken and oily. The traditional tapas were elevated than the normal tapas, but consideration should be into the types of dishes and ingredients. Also brightening things up with citrus and vinegar. For the average person, it's amazing. I should have dug deeper into reviews from food critics. If you are looking for traditional tapas and nice cocktails, this would be your spot. If you are a foodie like us, I would reconsider.