Toro

★★★★☆ 4.2 (2564) • $$$

"Fantastic. We had so many dishes and everything was so good. The mushroom and potatoes were among my favorites. Can't go wrong with churros as a sweet option. The place itself was smaller than I initially thought but it made for a super nice dinner ambiance. This is a tapas place worth trying out! You can't go wrong!"

Barcelona Wine Bar South End

★★★★☆ 4.4 (1535) • $$

"I may have reached the point of no return where I've become the old man that yells "Get off my lawn, you rotten kids!" I realized that when Jamie W and I entered this darkly stylish tapas restaurant. We were drawn here because the name Barcelona evoked one of our favorite travel destinations. However, this was more of a Gen Z gathering spot given the deafening music they were playing over their speakers.One song that got on my nerves was "Don't Trust Me" by 30H!3 where they repeated the lyric "Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips!" Ugh. How juvenile. Good thing we were separated from all the cool people who couldn't see me pinching my nose during the song. Fortunately the food was a marked improvement over the cacophonous music. We decided to share four plates since it was a tapas place after all.The rustic sourdough toast sticks and olive oil arrived at our table (photo: https://yelp.to/53BAII0AwY). We started with the $9.50 Grilled Chicken Thigh which was ladled with mojo verde (photo: https://yelp.to/LZ_3TVgz1N). Tasty and tender with a spicy kick. This was followed by a couple of veggie plates, the $9.50 Roasted Mushrooms with a thick scallion chimichurri sauce (photo: https://yelp.to/QfIdSmWRKs) and the $8 Grilled Zucchini with salsa verde and Calabrian pepper (photo: https://yelp.to/f6k8rh_Iv3). Both were just fine.The last dish was the $28 half order of Paella Salvaje where the savory bomba rice was mixed with chicken, pork belly, chorizo, chickpeas, green olives, carrot, and cilantro (photo: https://yelp.to/YGYir71IHS). That was easily the most satisfying part of our meal. Perhaps it was the curmudgeon in me, but the club-like atmosphere just wasn't enhancing our dining experience at all. I might be the wrong demographic to do the Helen Keller.FOOD - 4 stars...paella was stellar, everything else was pretty goodAMBIANCE - 2 stars...there's an audience for dark, loud and crowded...it's just not meSERVICE - 3 stars...they blitzed around usTOTAL - 3 stars...too dark and loud for my tasteRELATED - Exploring Boston? Here's my collection of places I've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3XtfnFc"

Tasca Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (1142) • $$$

"We haven't been to tasca in forever because it's a bit far from back bay. We went last night and it was great! The food is more of a 4 for me but with service & price it becomes a 5. Always had a great time here!We had the following:Patatas bravas - Good, liked the red kinda spicy sauce Croquettes - SO much jamon. Highly recommend!!Shrimp - Yummy, also a little spicy!Lamb - Loved this, cooked perfectly and the mint sauce was great Churros - Enjoyed these but would try a diff dessert next time No pressure here to hurry and leave. We had sangria and took our time after eating. Will be back!"

Solea Restaurant & Tapas Bar

★★★★☆ 3.7 (676) • $$

"Solid 3.5 restaurant had just opened an hour before we got there for lunch so there was plenty of seats to choose from. Our waitress was sweet and although she was the only server on the floor, she got to every table without missing a beat.Everything was seasoned nicely and portions were perfect for the price and to share. The only thing I had to send back was the shrimp in garlic sauce... I'm fairly familiar with traditional tapas and shrimp in garlic sauce is usually flavorful and packed with garlicky goodness. Their version wasn't even sauteed, just swimming in oil and the garlic didn't even look like they tried to date it one bit. Took a flan to go and that was delicious as well. Definitely a solid spot to stop in for a good meal."

Estragon

★★★★☆ 3.8 (526) • $$

"Update 2022! We come here all the time!! The bartender that I previously mentioned has been gone for a few years now. Now we have Sahil who is literally amazing! I love seeing him every time we visit. Our go to items are still the same. Estragon has been super consistent over the years!Gambas Al Ajillo - Big shrimp! Perfectly garlickyChuletillas de cordero - Love this and we order it every single time. The lamb is a perfect medium rare and the cauliflower mash is sooo good! We rotate through a few other things (patatas/croquettes) and will randomly try something new once in a while. We had the carrillada (braised pork cheeks) and it was a great portion as well as a nice change from our typical choices. We've also recently tried the xoxolata (chocolate mousse with olive oil). Omg to die for. Don't forget to mix the olive oil in BEFORE taking a bite."

T'ahpas 529

★★★★☆ 3.9 (335) • $$

"Made an online reservations for weekend lunch; was surprised that it was quite empty upon arrival.Usually an indoor diner but preferred outside in the after-effects of a pandemic; appreciate that it was available (reason we chose this place to begin with). Entered restaurant in the front and was told to loop around the block to the parking space-turned patio. Odd but ok.Interior decor is very nice; makes you feel like you're in a tapas-eating country. Only small inconvenience is that one has to loop around the block again from the outdoor area to the front of restaurant in order to use the restroom. Food:- the whiskey in Old Fashion is very smooth, my friend highly recommended it and it didn't disappoint. - Patata Bravas was ON POINT -- soooo good! - Burrata was not quite oozy as expected, but the plate was great overall with the flavor combo. - the waffle in the Chicken & Waffle a bit too soggy, but appreciate the savory flavors. - Churrasquisto would be the biggest letdown in the meal by comparison -- it was simply too well-done for quality beef, even at medium. Maybe it's a cultural difference in cuisines, but please don't do beef medium and up. If this beef really is Wagyu, then all I can say is that I'm sorry the cow sacrificed its life to become this. *sad face* Despite the hiccups, it was a fantastic meal overall.Service:- attentive and adequate- wait staff friendly and courteous- looks like they want to be there so it's a great plus. Price tag:- $130 for two people's brunch, but take away the 4 drinks (LOL) it'll bring you to $60-70 tab, which is a fair price rangeWould definitely be back if I'm in the area again."

Taberna De Haro

★★★★☆ 3.5 (372) • $$$

"I can't review the full dinner menu and tapas, as I only came here for the bar, but I did want to leave a review because it was a great evening. From 5-7pm Monday through Saturday, the bar does $2 oysters, and my partner and I had a whopping 24! We went on a Thursday evening and the atmosphere was great - not too loud or crowded, but not dead either. The service was amazing as well - the oysters came almost immediately after we ordered them and when we ordered the Sherry flight, the staff gave us a great explanation of each of the 4 drinks before leaving us to our food and drink.Oysters ($2 each) - I'm not usually a huge fan of oysters, but these were different from a lot of the others I've had in the past. They were slightly briny, but they also had a really sweet aftertaste that made them really pleasant to eat. They were served with lemon and also a little cup of vinegar - both options were good but I preferred the lemon. We started with 12 oysters and ordered a second dozen when we realized how good they were!Sherry flight ($30) - I had never had sherry before, but this was quite pleasant. The flight came with 4 different sherries and 2 croquetas which were tasty and filled with ham and bechamel. The filling was a bit dense, but not necessarily a bad thing. The four sherries were as follows, and my reviews are coming from someone who does not know much about sherry but enjoyed each one:- Manzanilla La Cigarrera - This was a light one with a very light alcohol taste. It paired nicely with the oysters.- Fino el Granero - This one had a slightly stronger alcohol taste to it, but it also paired nicely with the oysters.- Amontillado Rare Escuadrilla - This one tasted like a red blend and was my favorite of the four. It was nice to sip on after eating the oysters.- Olorosso East India Solera - This one was my partners favorite and tasted sweet. It almost had a taste like raisins, but it was quite pleasant.The order also came with bread, though I'm not sure if it was the drinks or the oysters that triggered the bread. The bread was nice, but they did not offer butter with it. Instead, you could have olive oil, but it was a fancy olive oil so there was a charge. We opted to just eat the bread by itself and it was nice - crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.All in all, this was a bit of an expensive night (we did eat a lot though!) but it was well worth it. I do know there are $1 oysters around Boston, but $2 oysters near our home is also a great deal. The sherry flight was nice to try, but I'd also like to try their gin and gin mixed drinks, as they are known for both their sherry and gin. I give this a strong 4/5 and we will definitely be back!"

Boqueria Seaport

★★★★☆ 4 (88)

"Boqueria was SOOOO good and was one of the highlights of my Boston trip! I love how perfectly portioned all of the tapas were - we had a large party of about 10 people and it was the perfect spot for us.Some highlights:+ Patatas Bravas ($13): SO good that we ordered another round after finishing the first lol. The potatoes were super crisp and the garlic aioli was addicting!+ Croquetas de Setas ($9): I love mushrooms and these croquettes were the best! Super crisp and the mushrooms were rich in flavor+ Jamon Iberico de Bellota ($34): A must get! It seemed to be one of their more popular items (hence the star next to it on the menu lol). The ham was packed with flavor!Our server was kind and super accommodating to our group. Try the white peach sangria!"

Antonio's Pizzeria

★★★★☆ 3.5 (90) • $

"This is honestly one of my favorite neighborhood pizza place and one of best in Dorchester. Boston truly has so many amazingly, delicious pizza places and this is amongst the top 20 for me. I always order a Hawaiian for myself. Cheese only is also soooo basic, but soooooooo delicious. I always order here when in the area and I mean it... always!!!!! I grew up on their pizza since it was called Hi Fi's.... I think it's an ownership change or whatever but the food is still as I remembered as a boy."