I've always loved this place. It's on the pricey side but their happy hour is great and has a lot of the regular tapas like boquerones on it for a reduced price. They have a great wine selection to pair with a variety of bites and the ambiance in the restaurant totally resembles a real Spanish tapas bar. The servers are knowledgeable and kind. Going in a group and trying a variety of items is really fun! read more

Food was very good, however, very unfortunate. The whole experience was overshadowed by very rude service from the hostess to start off the night. Restaurant was not even half full and hostess sat us in the very back corner against the wall by the restrooms, we had a reservation. When we asked nicely to wait for another table or move to a different spot, hostess rudely snatched menus off table and move tables without speaking. Just put a very bad taste in our mouth prior to what would have been a very delicious and enjoyable meal. read more

Costera - Apps were delicious - Spanish Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

A Stylish Spot for Spanish Tapas Costera offers a classy yet rustic ambiance that's perfect for enjoying fresh, flavorful Spanish tapas. It's an ideal spot for date night, but even better with a group of friends sharing a variety of small plates. The food is consistently delicious, and the service is always attentive and friendly. While I do wish the beer list were more extensive--since beer and tapas pair so well--the wine selection is solid. Overall, Costera delivers a consistently enjoyable dining experience with great food, great service, and a welcoming atmosphere. read more

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Wow were we impressed and we just ordered from the bar off the happy hour menu. We've had tapas in Spain and around the world. It was a spin on traditional tapas. We ordered a variety of dishes based on the bartender recommendations: pan tomate, bombas, seared tuna, octopus, patatas bravas coupled with some cocktails and ending with tres leches cake. It was delicious from start to finish. read more

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Costera is a Spanish-inspired restaurant with good food/drinks, excellent service, and an intimate yet lively atmosphere. I stopped by during their happy hour, which I highly recommend! HH cocktails and tapas were good. The standout dish was the Bombas, which had a great exterior crunch, tender beef shank filling, a tasty aioli, and acidity from the pickled chilies. Loved the concept of the Crispy Pork Belly with olive oil yogurt, apple and golden raisin mostarda, and hazelnuts. It was delightfully crispy and smoky but a tad too sweet. read more

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We went here for a reveillon dinner and absolutely LOVED it. Their take on the Reveillon dinner was different than a lot of the ones I have done, in that it was more of a chef's choice menu than the normal prix fixe menu. The online menu that we saw didn't make that clear, and I'm happy about that because I don't know that I would have tried it, since there were things on the menu I am allergic to and would have been worried about that. However, our server explained that if we had preferences or allergies they would accommodate those, and they absolutely did. It was supposed to be a four course family style menu, but I swear it was more like 7 courses. The two of us got four appetizers, and they were huge and delicious. I especially enjoyed the bombs,, olives, and white beans. The second course was a salad (that was bigger than some entree salads I have had) and another of the "sides" from the menu. I'm embarrassed that I can't remember exactly the order of food, but there was so much, both quantity and variety, that it is hard to keep it all straight. The bottom line is that everything was more amazing than what I had before, and it started at a high bar! For the main entree we had the gulf fish (which was sheepshead) and the hanger steak. The fish was fantastic (I don't usually eat or enjoy fish) and the hanger steak was to die for. Since it was a surprise what was coming from the kitchen, we didn't get asked for a temperature on the steak, but it was perfectly cooked. Desert was a hazelnut ice cream with peanuts and a berry compote, and even though I was hurting from so much amazing food, I managed to fit it in my body. There was one small mistake, and it wasn't a big deal, but we ordered a tempranillo from the list, something in the $60-70 range, but when the bill came it showed a price closer to $100. There was some miscommunication between us and the server or the server and the sommelier and we didn't notice that we got the wrong bottle. Not a huge deal at all, and both the server and sommelier apologized for the mix up, but we didn't check, so I'm not going to put that mistake on them. Plus, we had a delicious bottle of wine! read more

Costera - White beans, meatballs, and excellence - Spanish Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Lovely service, beautiful ambiance, and VERY TASTY paella! Since dining here, I compare every paella I've had to Costera- they set the bar really high for me! I've yet to have a paella like theirs, which is sad because I don't live in New Orleans but that just gives me even more of a reason to visit I believe the paella is served on certain days, so go on one of those days and make sure you have a reservation. read more

Costera - Seafood Paella - Spanish Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Just want to mention that the manager reached out and apologized for the food being burnt. I honestly didn't take a picture because the paella was perfect. The seafood was well cooked and no rice was stuck to the pan. I was so pleased and we had an amazing wedding Anniversary! I feel like the bad paella was a one off. Devin read more

This restaurant features amazingly great food and beverages. I have tasted almost everything and loved it. Prices are fair. Service is fine. The problem with this and many other good restaurants is the noise. The four of us were seated at a small table but literally had to yell across the table to be heard. I could not wait to get out of there. The noise level is brutal. This place is way too noisy to enjoy a comfortable meal. read more

Tasteful setting on Prytania with long views and romantic lighting. Some decent dishes with Spanish names. But it isn't Spanish food. The servers were in a very disgruntled mood the evening we went, which says a lot about how the restaurant is managed. I'm not sure what was / is going on but for the prices it is no fun to have an uncomfortable experience. read more

Costera in NOLA is the lovechild of a tapas bar and a Gulf seafood boil--hip, sexy, and a lil' chaotic. The vibe's industrial-chic with a side of swagger. Food? Gulf shrimp and seared yellowfin tuna are giving ocean flex, while the American red snapper crudo is fresh enough to slap you awake. Seared scallops? Buttery perfection. Grilled hanger steak brings the meaty vibes, and the Affogato is the closer--sweet, bitter, and ice-cold. Sip "The Snozzberries Taste Like Snozzberries" or a Chai Old Fashioned, and you're basically in flavor town. Happy hour's the move--cheap drinks, fire snacks. Not pure Spanish, but when it slaps this hard, who cares? Bring stretchy pants and a crew ready to brawl over the last bite. Costera, you're a mood. read more

I went to Costera recently for a work related happy hour. One of the things I really enjoy about this place is at has really great vegan and gluten free options on the menu. I don't have any dietary restrictions but sometimes I want a lighter meal that's still satisfying. They have a great wine list and a killer espresso martini! read more

Costera - Happy Hour menu - Spanish Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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We had an awesome experience last night. What stands out most to me, was the service - Anika is among the very best server I have ever had! Her partner Jordan was excellent as well. And I have been eating out for a long long time. With family living in New Orleans, we get here once or twice a year. We never miss a visit to Costeira - the paella is that good. So too are the shared plates. We ordered several and they were excellent. I could not resist the beet salad and I'm glad I added that to our order. It was that good. In fact, I could very happily come here for cocktails, and starters in abundance. Now to the paella, it was delicious and very very generous. Would have preferred a few more mussels and clams in addition to the shrimp. And as a suggestion would love the option of adding more crabmeat. Lastly, be advised that corkage fee is $45 per bottle. Which is why we had two rounds of cocktails. We will be back! More props to Anika. read more

Costera - Spanish Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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What an excellent place!!!! Love this place! It was my first time here and I came with my best friend. Service was on point! We sat at the bar. I love the style of this place...the vibe is great. It's kinda intimate but not over the top. Still maintains its casualty. We both had drinks to start...she had wine, I had the On Wednesdays, We Wear Pink. It was so summery...watermelon and cava. Delicious! My other drink was the Strawberry Queen, also tasty and summery. For food we shared everything. We had the olives, octopus, gambas, crudo, roasted mushrooms, papas bravas & blistered shishito peppers. Everything was so good. We were so full at the end. I can't wait to get back!!! Check them out! read more

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As a happy hour enthusiast, this place was right up my alley. Their happy hour is every day from 4-6 pm, with a wide selection of mazos and tapas under $6. I tried the Innocent and the Basque Terrace and the flavors were very unique. The atmosphere of this place was also very eclectic. The decorations were fun to look at and it just overall had a cool feel to it. I was here at 4:30pm so the place was pretty empty, but everyone working at the time was really nice and we had great service. Costera was a very pleasant surprise, and I plan to come back soon! read more

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Great food and a good happy hour. Love the location and it's a great place to get together with friends, a date or take a small group. Intimate with a nice buzz in the air. Loved the happy hour martinis (delicious olives) and the boquerones. Looking forward to another trip. read more

Costera - Spanish Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Most important comment - if you've ever had tapas is Spain you know that the accompaniment of small pieces of fresh baguette is integral to the experience. Why do they not serve it here? (Disclosure - I worked in various regions of Spain for a while and enjoyed the food there immensely). Amazing shrimp in the most savory garlic sauce and nothing with which to sop it up. . Delicious albondigas with succulent sauce and nothing with which to sop it up. Well, I did resort to using my spoon but it's not the same. Wonderful, thinly sliced, perfect Jamon crying out for a foundation. . Please, please, please rethink this, Costera. The boquerones were served on a garlicky, pesto toast, which was yummy. But I need some plain, old sliced up Leidenheimer's or Dong Phoung or Gambino's. God knows we don't lack in this city for the right kind of bread to serve with tapas! The only dish I'd skip are the potatoes. The bravas sauce was just off. The place was bustling. The service was adequate - we waited too long for some dishes and then many came out at once. I like a nice rhythm to my meal. Those little plates add up quickly so this was not an inexpensive meal! Decor was pretty but clearly no thought given to acoustics. All hard surfaces and background music that couldn't really be heard but just upped the ambient noise level. Still, the dishes were delicious. read more

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Went for Valentine's Day. Paella was really good. Service was terrible which is why only 4 stars. The lady was so rude and didn't want to answer any questions about the menu. Place was nice as well read more

Costera - Paella - Spanish Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

My mom said she wanted paella for her birthday -- and originally we were going to go somewhere else that I had been but they happened to be closed for that week. So I said costera it is!! I had never been but heard great things. Our server was awesome! My mom doesn't normally drink but wanted a sweet wine and he helped us pick out the perfect glass for her. My husband and I also enjoyed our cocktails. For appetizers we got the crispy potatoes and the broccoli. The potatoes were amazing and the sauce was not too spicy for my mom we really enjoyed the broccoli as well it was well flavored and had a nice bite to it. Now on to the main event-- the paella. Oh my stars. It is amazing there is chorizo, shrimp, calamari, mussels and crab. It is so good I only want to go here for paella. My mom told everyone they have to taste it, and I recommended it to an old coworker for her birthday! Lastly we had a peach crumble type thing for dessert with ice cream and of course it came with a candle! My mom said it was the best birthday she has ever had! We can't wait to comeback! read more

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Everything was ok with the exception of the paella, I did not care for the lima beans flavor, it is also pricey for the amount served. Octopus was a 10, the potatoes tasted just like potatoes. Overall was alright, nothing impressive. read more

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Quite busy place. Ambulance was lively. Cocktails were delicious. We really enjoyed the overall service. They were so busy that we were seated at the community table which was unfortunate but still nice. read more

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Love the happy hour here! 1/2 off glasses of wine or a plethora of cocktails to choose from! 4 lovely appetizers for tapas and we had two which were delicious! Then we ordered the mushrooms and albóndigas which were equally yummy! Great service too, and our waiter was a beautiful and charming young man! Go early and get a table! The beet salad was excellent as were the patatas brava! read more

Really enjoyed my happy hour at Costera! The service is fantastic and the food is pleasant. I got the beef shank (AMAZING), beet salad (flavorful) and the papas bravas (not worth the hype), with a peach tart for dessert (crust was very good). I really like the vibe here: lowkey, comfortable, but simplistically elevated. I will definitely be back! read more

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One of my top New Orleans restaurants. Love everything on the menu and service is great! Fun cocktails too.

As someone who has lived in Spain and spends at least two months out of every year in Spain, I can honestly say that Costera serves better Spanish food than restaurants in Spain. I had my favorite dining experience here at Costera, and I can't think of any other restaurant that I enjoyed more than Costera. The food was amazing, but the service was top tier. Everything about this place makes me want to gather my friends and go have drinks and tapas here. I cannot wait to go back and try more dishes. read more

Costera - Spanish Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Came here for coolinary week and opted for the 4 course family style. Full table is require to participate and it's $70/person. It was also chef choice on what we got. We felt a little spontaneous and heard good things about this place so why not. Our first course we got 3 small tapas which were the grilled sourdough, marinated olives, and shishito peppers. All were amazing but the grilled sourdough was surprisingly the tables favorite. Second course we had the white bean salad and the charred romaine with local veggies. Both delicious. Third course was seafood paella, 24oz ribeye with papas bravas. Seafood paella was hands down the winner of the night. I couldn't remember of the two dessert we got but oh man was it one of the best meals we had in awhile. Definitely worth the price! We all (4 of us) left happy. Friendly service. The only issue we had was being seating at a table with hardly any lighting but they accommodated us to one where we didn't need to use our phone light to read the menu. . Will def be back to try out other items on the menu! Perfect date night! read more

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We've taken adult grandchildren to Reveillon dinners the last two Christmas seasons and loved it! If you have a group, you essentially get their tasting menu for a reasonable price. Last year we were a party of 9 and they seated us in an area that allowed us to have a wonderful conversation throughout the evening. Plan to go back during the year. read more

First time at Costera after trying and loving Osteria Lupo their sister restaurant. Know my way around Spanish cuisine and this is by far the best in the area. Paella and rioja were my choices despite the coolinary menu and both brought me back to my times on the Iberian peninsula. I'm going to make this a regular spot. Oh and if you haven't been to Lupo, that's the best Italian in the city. Shout out to the bartender who served us at the bar. He was terrific read more

4 of us went to dinner, and had multiple different entrees and desserts. Everything was great except for the mussels. They were very fishy. Not slightly, but very fishy. We talked to our waitress, she went in back and talked to the chef. Then, several members of the staff talked for a bit before our waitress came back to the table. She said "technically, the mussels are fine." She said it was the type of mussel that was larger and fishy tasting. They later brought us a free dessert. We weren't given an apology or any explanation other than the mussels were fine and that we were wrong. Mussels should never taste extremely fishy. If the restaurant made a mistake, that's acceptable. What's not acceptable is the lack of accountability, while at the same time trying to make us feel like we didn't know what we were talking about. read more

Landed on Costera for this year's restaurant week venture. Had a great experience. We decided on the 4 course family-style tasting because we really wanted the paella and the 3 courses didn't include it lol. The website was a bit deceiving in that it looked like we get to choose the 4 courses, but it was the chef's choice. Service 9/10: Our waiter did an amazing job explaining all our questions about the dishes we were interested. We love when a waiter knows the menu in and out, rather than just saying everything is good lol. The only nit-picky thing I have to say is it took a little minute to refill my water. Really not a big deal, but I did notice they had a ton of staff working. Course 1: Boquerones were delicious. The anchovies on top of the crispy sourdough with sauce were an excellent combination of textures! Pretty yummy. I don't care for olives so didn't pick at that much, but they were alright. The bombas were crispy bites of deliciousness. And lastly, my favorite, the American Red Snapper Crudo was so goooooooood. I am a fan of raw fish so it may not be for everyone, but for those that enjoy the taste of the ocean, you won't be disappointed. Super refreshing and paired nicely with the citrus, pistachio, and chili for added texture. Course 2: The Mixed Mushrooms were a mix of various types of mushrooms topped with crispy bits and egg yolk in the center for aesthetics and richness. Super flavorful and juicy. I'm not a salad type, but I will say I enjoyed the grilled salad. Just a nice, flavorful, refreshing grilled salad. Loved the pickled vegetables and salad dressing. Course 3: The seafood paella!!!! If you get anything here, I recommend this. Truly a paella like I've never had. With an abundant assortment of different seafood including shrimp, mussels, clams, and octopus I loved every single bite of it. I think I'm missing a few other ingredients in the dish, but the rice was cooked and seasoned to perfection. All the different bits of vegetables added layers of textures and paired nicely with everything. Course 4: The chocolate mousse was good. I thought mousse was a bit more airy but I'm not too familiar so. read more

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Excellent! Enjoyable experience. Food and drink well, well above average. Highly recommend.

I recently made my 2nd visit to Costera and it wasn't as mind blowing as the 1st. While mostly everything was good, the scallops were disappointing this go around. The dish was bland overall and didn't have the nice flavor that I remembered. The wilted broccoli was a much smaller serving than expected (which was disappointing because it was so good). Also, the service was lacking a bit (more than likely because the server had a bunch of tables and didn't do well at managing them all). We wanted dessert but decided not to get it due to the already long wait. The experience was okay overall, but I think this was my last visit here. read more

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Costera does high-end dining really well. I stopped in with a friend of mine and I immediately fell in love with the atmosphere. The restaurant feels exotic, even though you're in city limits. I had the octopus, seared tuna, blistered peppers (app), and cheesecake. The octopus dish is small, but tasty. The seared tuna was perfect and this is the dish that I would absolutely get again. I wrote more in depth about Costera for Offbeat Magazine here: https://www.offbeat.com/articles/dining-out-costera/ read more

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The best tapas I've ever had in my life, including Spain. Every single dish was fantastic. I'm not sure how that's even possible. And their paella was the best I've had. Just ridiculously good execution all around. Great cocktail program, great service and a nice vibe. This place is phenomenal. read more

Delicious and friendly spot. Duck pasta and dessert were the standouts. I would highly recommend going to this restaurant. I need to get back there very soon. read more

I love, love, love this place. The food is amazing. I would highly recommend the tasting menu. Ideally for 4.

This is a great tapas place. I love feed me options at restaurants and this place has one for a reasonable price of $70 for the 5 course. This place has a great space and vibe. It is located in the previous La Thai restaurant and has plenty of space for groups. The place is clean and sleek too. We ordered the feed me option they call it the family style since you share it with everyone at the table. I thoroughly enjoyed the olives, the tuna, most of the desserts, but most of the all: THE PAELLA. Holy crap, that was such a huge portion after multiple mini courses, but I still managed to eat the majority of the dish. The shrimp was cooked to perfection, I honestly cannot stop thinking about it. I would order just that over and over again, if I were you. And I would ask for extra perfectly cooked shrimp. They are doing an amazing job and the clearly I am not the only one that thinks that. The place was packed by 5pm. read more

Costera - Spanish Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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Food - Happy hour specials are good value especially drinks. I was impressed by the water - so good because it is so pure. Asked the server about it and was told the restaurant has a state of art water filtering system. The investment really pays off because the water was noticeably good by itself, so as the food that used the same high quality water. Service - Good service. Two minor suggestions: One of our drinks was taken away before it was done. Not a lot left but it would be nice to ask the guest first. We were assigned to a table next to the window with bright NOLA sunlight on our faces and in our eyes. I got up and lowered the window coverings myself after about 10 mins. I would appreciate the staff to do that for us or at least ask. No biggie but small things do count (like the water!) read more

This was my first time trying Costera and all I can say is WOW! From the moment we sat down, the service was on point. The food was incredible. We had the mushrooms, scallops, and hanger steak! The smoky flavor on the mushrooms mixed with the crunchy bits on top were EVERYTHING! The scallops were prepared perfectly and the potatoes that were served with the steak were seriously one of the best things I have ever eaten. The servers were so attentive and it seemed as though I would merely think of something and they were on the spot to deliver. The drinks were incredibly tasty as well and they had a great selection of whiskeys. The fig mousse was one of the most interesting combination of flavors in a dessert that totally worked. Do yourself a huge favor and make a reservation as soon as you can! This was easily one of our best meals in a very long time! read more

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Tuna was so good!!! The romaine was also so delicious and I was really craving a salad. Never had this drink before but I loved it! Wait staff was very quick and catered to you extremely well. Pretty inside! read more

Costera - Seared Yellowfin Tuna ***** Charred Romaine with Fall Vegetables ****** Grilled Hanger Steak with Salsa Verde and Papas Bravas - Spanish Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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