It has been a long time since I last had a good paella. I was pretty stoked to find it on the menu online and decided I must try it when in Calgary. It was Sunday morning when we got there and the place was fairly empty. I found out most people only came out after 12pm to the downtown area, so if you like a quiet meal, go in the morning. I had the seafood and chorizo paella which was meant for one. Perfect! Most places served it in a big skillet meant for 2-4 persons. The dish was delicious with slightly charred rice at the bottom as it sat longer in the hot pan. I liked it a bit crispy at the bottom. The seafood was good and the chorizo was mixed in very well. I left with a happy tummy. The cocktails drinks selection was a bit limited so you would be better off with the typical beer and wine. On weekends brunch menu, there is an AYCE eggs Benedict. My friend had the avocado toast with eggs and it was good too. This is a place I will go back again. read more

See all

I was surprised that a Spanish tarven didn't have patatas bravas! The steak bites were extremely salty! They could've done the place look more Spanish but they kept it like the previous restaurant! read more

Barcelona Tavern - Steak bites - Mediterranean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

I feel disappointed because I think the people answering the phone aren't well informed. I called to ask if Saturday the 26th was going to be Latin night, and they said yes. I reserved a table for 10 people, but the night wasn't Latin at all. It seemed like just wanted a big reservation and ignored my question. The person who answered the phone and gave me wrong information was someone by the name of Monika. As result, my party and I ate and left disappointed. read more

We booked a table for 13. We were given an exclusive back room which was good. But it felt like we were sitting in sauna. The air conditioning wasn't working and the manager couldn't turn it on saying that they can only start when the summer season starts and it was beginning May. The food was so so. I ordered a vegetarian pizza which had Aragula. I asked the server what made my pizza salty so that I would be aware of the ingredients the next time. She said she would ask chef. Never got that answer lol. Giving stars for their white sangria and other drinks. read more

Nice spot in the afternoon for a drink and apps. Service was a little slow on a Monday afternoon and the sangria wasn't the greatest but the vibe in outdoor seating is nice and the staff are friendly. read more

A friend and I were out shopping in downtown and we're in serious need of reprieve from the rain - we saw Barcelona on our walk over and it looked busy and fun so we made our way back for a late lunch / happy hour session. Oh by the way, it's 4th of July and we're American. Naturally, when the lovely server mentioned all bottles of wine being half off all day - we dove right in to celebrating our independence with bubbly! We love tapas and as California girls we also love avocado so we ordered the shrimp avocado toasts and had the best little 4th of July brunch. Another 1/2 priced bottle later, 3pm rolled around and we got involved with the Tostada promotion. A delicious choice, for sure! The tostadas were stacked super high with delicious pork and the tortillas were so fresh! It was like we hit the jackpot by simply running in here from the rain. Strangely enough, our server changed 3x - I think we were there for maybe 2hrs during the afternoon and it didn't bother us much but I thought it kind of interesting that there was so much swapping. We would have stayed longer but Stampede Sneak-a-peek was calling so we grabbed our American pride and headed out. I'd come back for sure! Thanks for a great 4th of July! read more

See all

Came here with colleague and got the Barca Burger (Wagyu beef). WOW high quality meat. Beef was thick. The first bite was ok but it gets better as you bite further in. I am guessing its where they put the sauce. Over flavorful burger. It came with the tomatoes bisque soup. I loved the soup. I heard their paella are the best. Will have to try that next time. The atmosphere/ décor is nice. If you come here with a bigger group, its better to do tapas and just share that. read more

See all

Food was awful- very salty Service was extremely poor- waited 15 minutes to get seated waited 10 minutes to get served after that Poor ambience read more

Bad staff, poor quality food and poor atmosphere. We constantly had to ask the waitress to order drinks and food, but she never went around the table to complete everyone's orders. The only good part of the experience was the waitress told us the tip was included because there was 8 of us and didn't try to get an extra tip out of us. read more

Absolute garbage service. Waited 15 minutes and they didn't even start by bringing me a water? Server visited the table beside me twice and just ignored ours. Joke of an establishment. Avoid. read more

Friday lunch with my girl Deb...seated quickly by a window at the front of the resto. We arrived at 11:30am but by 12:15 it was completely full and loud. Our server was very helpful and attentive and answered questions we had about the menu. Since it's a tapas style resto, we shared Greek ribs, patatas bravas, fried machego and split a med pits with string fries. Manchego was perfectly crusted with salt flakes and not greasy. Patatas were roasted with a half fried egg on top to smear around also yummy. Ribs were my fave! Tender fall off the bone with a good blend of seasoning. We were quite full but had committed to the pita that the kitchen cut in half for us and also left out the tzatziki on mine due to my lactose intolerance. This pita had smoky chicken, tomatoes, arugula, a few unique sauces and a falafel with fries on the side. We were happily stuffed. Would have lived up try the churros but had no room!!! I really enjoyed it here and will definitely return to try other dishes. Be aware that these small plates aren't that small. Count the number of ribs in the pic and look at the potatoes. Better suited for 3-4 to share but was a lot for the 2 of us. I absolutely could make a meal out of the ribs alone! With a glass of wine and tea, we split the bill which cane to $35/pp taxes included. For the service, quality and ambiance, I'd take hubby here for date night or for an upscale client meal. read more

Had lunch here. Ordered the short rib dip and it was very good. Short rib meat with cheese and crispy onions. All served open faced. Also had the tomato soup and it was just ok. My companion had the Mediterranean grilled sandwich. The sandwich comes with Chorizo sausage in it. She said it was very tasty. She had the fries with her sandwich and the fries were much better than the soup. The service was good. read more

Barcelona Tavern - Mediterranean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

We were visiting Calgary and chose this place because it seemed like something a bit out of the ordinary. It more than exceeded our expectations! Love that it has a G&T menu, as that is our favourite drink. Started out with a sage and grapefruit gin and tonic, which was delicious - just flavoured with fruit and herbs, no syrups or additives. We ordered the roasted cauliflower to start, with a sumac tahini Crema, goat feta and pomegranate seeds. We got an entire cauliflower head, cut into sections and browned beautifully before being very artistically plated in the sauce. It was worlds away from any cauliflower appetizer we've had before. Our waitress, Cassidy, was extremely helpful in assisting us to pick a wine to go with our chosen meal. It being Monday, it was half-price wine night. We had a lovely Sauvignon Blanc to go with our blackened chicken paella. The meal came in a cast iron baking dish which gave the traditional crunchy browned rice in a convenient serving size. Super flavourful with smoked paprika and the blackening spice on the chicken. Reasonable prices for the quality and portion sizes. Cassidy was so friendly and even gave us some recommendations about our trip. read more

See all

I love this place! They have great specials, fantastic food, a good selection of drinks and very helpful staff members. My first time there, I couldn't decide on what beer to get, so the supervisor allowed me to taste a few before making a final decision. Every time I go, I see a wide range of clientele -everyone is welcome! Because of its location, it is very popular among people working downtown and can get super busy at lunch during the week. Because of that, the atmosphere is a little loud. I wish more people knew about their brunch, too, because it seems to be pretty dead on weekends, but it's still a great place to eat and drink -no matter what time! I may not have the best knowledge of their food, because I get the same thing every time, but I can't help it! The Alberta Greens salad is so good :) (Pictured) read more

Barcelona Tavern - Alberta Greens salad (no strawberries.) - Mediterranean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Service was great but my sodium intake from our meal basically made me feel like I was ET when they found him in that ditch ....lighten up on the salt and this place will be the shit .... read more

Barcelona Tavern is a totally funky space with bright coloured, graffiti art, large glass vases and plenty of space. Spread out over two levels with plenty of booths and a large floor that could be opened - you could throw one heck of a party here! And this very well may be the case during a Friday or Saturday night, but on a mellow Monday, we had quite the different experience with some incredible moments and some not so note worthy. How you play your card at Barcelona will depend whether you have an ok experience or a great one. For the sake of positivity and if you know what to expect, I'm going with 4-stars in this review.:) Here's what to do: What to do: 1. Go here on a Monday night for their 10 pizza special. Our group of yelpers went with the Truffled Mushroom one and the Cow Pie and fell head over heels for the mushroom one. For $10, this is a steal of a deal and the perfect item to wash down their delicious and creative Gin & Tonics. 2. Get their delicious and creative Gin & Tonics! I had the Strawberry Basil and the Saskatoon berry ones. Both were incredible. Fresh fruit and herbs and so many Saskatoon berries muddled in their it was almost difficult to drink. This is a great choice for an after work or after dinner drink. 3. Monday Sangria special - These were right up their with the Gin & Tonics and if you come in on a Monday, they're cheap too! A jug of Sangria and a Mushroom Truffle pizza for $27? Such a great offer! 4. The Churros are out of this world. I may have finished the chocolate sauce on a spoon and dipped in the leftover sugar. What not to do: I'm not too fully versed in the world of tapas, and while I know they are small bar snacks, I've always ordered a variety to share among the table, the end result being a decently balanced multi-course meal that everyone gets to share into at one time. At Barcelona Tavern, the tapas seemed a little more like an appetizer section on a pub menu. Great as a snack, but any combination of them isn't really going to add up into what you would call a full dinner. Certain items were plated really strangely for sharing, like the Tomatoes Barcelona on two large pieces of bread (which we then awkwardly tried to rip apart with our butter knifes so we could share with the group) or the Lobster Ravioli, while freaking delicious, is only two raviolis. Really hard to share between multiple people. I think some friendly advice or suggestions from the servers to order a good tapas meal with the right amount of food would go a long way here. On such a slow night, it seemed there was plenty of room to be wowed by great service, but it was pretty much non-existent. I'd love to come back to continue working my way through that delicious cocktail list and to order that Mushroom pizza on a Monday again. But for a seated meal with table service, as of right now, I think I'd give it a miss. Seriously though.. Those gins! Go now! Huge thanks to Sarah W. for throwing an Unnoficial Yelp Event here so we could check it out! If you don't already follow her reviews, you definitely should! - https://www.yelp.ca/user_details?userid=h1Vsz24g7TLA9ZfIDiFjbw read more

See all

Considering we are big fans of small plates and flavours, Barcelona Tavern seemed to be an ideal adventure. The place is expansive and very open. No crowded feeling here. The food is simply outstanding and there is a variety of drink choices. Wine list is very good with some great values across the spectrum of the new world in both red and white. The menu theme is - Mediterranean Inspired and locally infused The menu has some amazing treats like the Veal Bomba and the Greek Ribs, both outstanding in presentation and flavour. Add that to excellent service and this place is a winner. Great social spot to meet up with friends and those looking for a intimate date night with a good vibe. read more

Barcelona Tavern - Greek Ribs that fall off the bone - Mediterranean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

A very unpleasant experience during lunch time. Had a reservation at noon. Waited at the table for 20 minute before the waitress showed up, took our order and after another 25 minutes some manager guy came to tell us that basically the food is not ready and asking if we are OK to wait longer or get something else. We couldn't wait any longer, so we left without eating, wasting almost an hour and getting an angry look from the waitress on our way out. Not going to go back ever. read more

Great location. Spacious & modern. Professional servers and good service. Good alcohol selection and interesting menu. However... Bad food! We ordered burgers, pizza, and 2 other items. all were greasy and bad. the pizza was wet and soggy. They need a kitchen to match the other parts. I will give them a 4-5 stars when that happens. read more

See all

We came to Calgary for a weekend getaway and stayed at a hotel in downtown area. The restaurant is on a very busy street with a lot of bars and other restaurants. We went in because we like tapas. There you can find a good variety of drinks. They have a good selection of gin tonic , beer and Spanish wine. Regarding food, they had tapas (small portions) and also some main courses dishes. We really enjoyed the place and if we are back in Calgary again, we will definitely return. read more

Barcelona Tavern - Steak and frites - Mediterranean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Honestly wasn't sure what to expect from Barcelona, another Spanish tapas restaurant in Calgary? Alright, let's do this! I don't think you can go any more Spanish than paella (which is what I ordered) and for the life of me, I can't remember what my friend got (not a good sign, food should be memorable!) Presentation was great, bright yellow rice and a plethora of seafood. Sadly, it was pretty lackluster. I think I ate all the seafood and didn't eat much of bland rice. We did get dessert though! The churros were everything I expected them to be - delicious deep fried goodness sprinkled with icing sugar and side of dulce de leche. Would I be back? For dessert yes (they have raspberry cheesecake and smore churros) but probably not for anything else. read more

Barcelona Tavern - Churros - Mediterranean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

See all

Service was very good, I must say. Was there with 4 people and we were well taken care of. The food selection was refreshing to see, lots of different options rather than the same ol same ol. The food was so so to good. I wasn't blown away, thought there would be a little more taste, a little more wow factor. Ambiance is good, wait staff are gorgeous and they do their job well and actually look at you to see if you need anything, I would just step the food up a bit. I would go back. read more

Hosted a Farewell party there last night and had a blast!! I worked with Molly, their event coordinator, to set up the event and she was amazzzzing and so patient even when I was flip flopping ideas. The interior has great ambiance, the food was perfect and all the staff were super friendly and on the ball! Very pleased and will keep on returning there, and you should too! read more

See all

Really enjoyed the tapas here. We had the chicken empanadas prawn tostadas for starters and they were very good, flavorful but not too spicy. I followed up the tapas with the seafood and chorizo paella. Although the paella was very good I thought it was a little over priced. But I would definitely recommend the tapas and the paella. Now for the not so good part, our server was not very attentive. It took longer than usual to get our drinks ordered and our food. I had to call her over to take our dinner order. I wouldn't let that discourage anyone from not trying this restaurant but unfortunately our service was not very good. read more

I went for lunch and after looking at the menu ordered ribs, what i got was a sickening disappointment. The ribs had little to no meat, were the bar style ribs you should never pay more then 6 dollars for at a seedy bar, had a really bad taste and the after taste was so bad I was mildly sick for 30 minutes. These ribs cost me $30 after tip. (Yes, I still tipped) This was by far the worst ribs experience and at a crazy price considering what they were. I will not be going back. There are much better places downtown to grab a good lunch. read more

I cannot rate the food but I can rate the service. A new friend and I decided to use our time during a break from a U of C conference to explore Calgary via the C-train. He's from London & myself from Topeka, Kansas sogged about in the drizzle and decided to step in from the weather at this establishment. No one is waiting to be seated and not one of the hostesses looked over at us as we stood there. My new friend says let's just sit at the bar. We take seat, three bartenders, not one greeting. I say loud enough for one to look up, here's a menu as I grab it from behind the bar. One of the bar tenders says, "you might want to see the drink menu". No one says anything to us or comes near. My friend says this isn't for us and we leave. Embarrassed for Calgary. read more

This a very interesting, albeit a little bit confused, upscale-ish pub downtown. Here's a few things it does really well: drinks (particularly gin-based), food quality, restaurant layout. On the other hand, here's what it doesn't do so well: atmosphere, service, some food prices. Best bet here is to come on Monday night to take advantage of their pizza specials. We had the mushroom pizza and the veal one. Very high quality with fresh ingredients. These will run your $10 each and are a sizable portion. Sangria is on special that night as well for $17 a pitcher and is of very high quality and comes in three varieties. The tomatoes Barcelona was delicious as well. Things to avoid are the lobster ravioli ($12 for two pieces... not exactly a share plate) and the manchego fondue (which is 8 pieces of bread a very tiny cheese-based dip). Barcelona has a number of gin-based drinks. I tried the lemon-ginger, strawberry-basil, and grapefruit-sage. All were excellent. I do not recommend the $3 tonic upgrade, however, as it isn't particularly noticeable. The restaurant was completely dead; roughly 8 or 9 tables of 2-4 people, yet service was surprisingly slow. We had to flag down our server to order food, and he seemed a bit surprised. Plenty of staff, mainly hostesses, roaming around. Seems to me that there are some kinks to work out but it's nothing that can't be fixed. read more

Fun menu and interesting design, bright and lively. Always nice to have different options and this one delivers. Ordered a few tapas such as the lobster rolls, calamari, manchego and cheese platter. Calamari was pretty standard but appreciate that they stepped it up with a couple great dipping options. These were decent but not exceptional. Paella for dinner was fantastic - served on a cast iron plate with fantastic seasoning. Would certainly go again. read more

Went here for a Canada Day dinner to escape from the downpour, and I'm honestly so surprised at some of these negative reviews because my experience was stellar! It was understandably busy when we walked in, however the wait for a table was under 10 minutes. Our server was really personable and professional, someone who I could tell actually takes pride in her job and providing customers with a great experience, I wish I could remember her name. I had the flat iron steak sandwich with the parmesan truffle frites and everything was delicious, very different (in a good way) from your typical steak sandwich that's usually just piled with mushrooms. Great flavors. Everyone else at my table devoured their meals as well. This place looks awesome for a date night or a get together with friends. I noticed they also had a separate private room for functions that looked pretty decent. I will absolutely 100% return. read more

I'm glad we finally got to try out Barcelona Tavern last Friday. Our teens, who love tapas and paella were thrilled that they could enjoy the experience with us (until 10 pm anyway!) Our server was very busy but managed to serve our group quite well, with the exception of water refills... The dishes that we ordered arrived within a short amount of time and they were all amazing! I particularly loved the 'Bomba', Veal meatballs, and the Paprika Prawns. The Paella was good too, though we did find it a tad greasy. I love that they have a Gin bar and hubby and I were both very happy with our cocktails. It is a fairly loud spot because of the acoustics of the restaurant but it has a fun, late night vibe. Oh, and the churros were pretty darn good too! read more

Had breakfast here, their breakfast menu is not on the website so wasn't sure what to expect. The choices were great and the food was excellent and very reasonable prices. Excellent service. Definitely will go back again! read more

When you're at a private event and the waitresses are more drunk than the customers How are the waitresses allowed to drink shooters on the job? read more

An improvement over the previous Belgo concept. Newer, fresher look, good menu and service is definitely more attentive and professional. I brought my small but mighty work team here for a goodbye luncheon. They were quick to take our drink order without making us feel rushed. They returned in a reasonable amount of time for our lunch orders. I had the chicken prosciutto club and it was very well made with a great presentation. The side salad was tasty with a perfect balance of lettuce and fixings with a tangy house dressing. The sandwich had a tomato type dipping sauce that also was quite good with a lot of flavour. Another coworker had a burger and he said it was tasty, albeit large. Service remained spot on throughout the meal. Its a larger space and therefor can fit a lot of tables but the noise levels were still comfortable - we could still converse. Things were quite clean and fresh looking to in terms of layout and design. The menu had a great range of options from share items to more traditional sandwiches, entrees etc. There are a few other things I'd like to try next time I go (always a good sign if you are thinking of a next time). You can reserve online which also always gets points with me! read more

Great new place in downtown Calgary! We went for drinks and some late night snacks and really enjoyed it. Tried the little fondue with baguette crisps, drizzled with a spicy oil. Really good! The patatas bravas were okay. The churros though! Oh, the churros!! They knocked it out of the park with that one! I tried a Strawberry and basil gin and tonic. Amazingly refreshing with real strawberry slices and tons of basil leaves, then topped off with freshly cracked black pepper. Perfectly balanced drink! Definitely going back again! read more

I hate to admit it but I enjoyed my meal at this establishment. I didn't expect much for this restaurant but will go again. The waitresses and hostess are very attentive and attractive! Lol read more

Been here twice for lunch. Both times have experienced good food and good service. One of my friends is on a gluten-free diet, and there several dishes are gluten free, though the server stumbled a little and had to check it out before coming back and pointing them out. She did it cheerfully so still full marks. I had the paella, and it was delish. Very nicely made and the seafood was very good. One of my friends had burger and fries and the fries (which were tested by the table) was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside (yes!). Overall, good noise level, high ceilings. One small minus - unless you get a table on the mezzanine up front or a booth, you will be seated at a table with high bar stool chairs, If you are uncomfortable with those, make sure you point it out or ask / reserve something else. I didn't like it, my legs dangled. Otherwise god place, fast service. read more

This place will be one of my favorites in Calgary!!.. Excellent ambience, delicious food, great drinks and good service!.. What else you can ask for??... The sangria was incredible!.. Probably one of the bests in downtown... The food was just amazing.. The octopus was awesome!.. The prawns delicious, the Parmesan potatoes were great!.. The ahi tuna was good was well... Why not 5 stars? .. Because if the manchego fondue... That was the only thing that was not good... Even when the service was great and they returned it.. I cannot recommend this dish... But everything else was just delicious!!.. I definitely would like to go back to try more things!!... read more

Barcelona Tavern - Mediterranean Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

This is a nice place to get together and enjoy a wide selection of bevvies and tapas. The servers are friendly and attentive, the drink selection very good quality, and the food is maybe not exactly what you'd find in Spain, but a great take on it at least. I was there during the Champions League final, and it was a packed house since FC Barcelona was in it! A great vibe. I didn't have a reservation, and was just a singleton from out of town, but they had set aside a room for randoms like us to get together and create our own party. ;-) The whole tavern worked hard to make sure people had what they wanted during the entire crush. A difficult feat but they seemed to manage well. There was an extra long wait for my Bombas (potato chorizo croquettes) to come out, so they were gracious enough to supply me with an order of paprika prawns on polenta. Which just so happened to be the next thing I was going to order! Both the bombas and the prawns were very well made. The croquettes were crispy on the outside, succulent smooth inside, and topped with a very rich tomato sauce and manchego cheese. The prawns themselves were standard tail-on frozen prawns, but the polenta made the dish delicious, lots of depth of flavour in the grits themselves, and then some great seasoning and lardons overtop read more

I came here for the first time today for lunch and I really enjoyed it. The inside is huge with a lot of seating available, which was perfect as we were a group from work and it can sometimes be hard finding a group table during the lunch hour in the core. I had the Blueberry and Lentil spinach salad with paprika prawns and it was very good. read more

See all

Decided on the Short Rib Dip with Kale Salad today. Really good dish! The Short Rib sat on top of a bun. The meat was so tender with that melted cheese on a bun. At the bottom of the bun, there was some white and creamy horseradish sauce. On top of the bun, you have a good heaping of thinly sliced deep-fried onions. Cut a chunk of your SRD and then dip into the au jus. Delicious! The Kale Salad was very fresh; there was pieces of cauliflower, quinoa, thin slice of cucumber, fresh, green kale and a nice creamy salad dressing. My friend had the same sandwich but with matchstick fries; comes with ketchup. She liked her dish, too! Well put together dish! The only little problem was the green tea. The water was not hot enough for my tea. The waitress changed it out and it was all good! read more