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    El Pulpo & Tapas Bar

    4.3 (318 reviews)

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    EL PULPO & TAPAS BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Intimate
    Classy
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - El Pulpo & Tapas Bar

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    Chocolate strawberry cake
    Allison C.

    I only recently learned that this tapas bar existed in Middletown's Main Street Market, and I'm so glad that I visited! They had a huge menu with choices to fit anyone's preferences. Highlights for us were the paella, croquettes, and even the Brussels salad because it had such a great truffle flavor! Their drinks were fantastic - we're still talking about the spiked Barbie one we had in a unique glass! Definitely save room for the delicious chocolate strawberry cake for dessert. Loved the ambiance, and our server was professional and attentive!

    Brussels sprouts!
    Dan S.

    Oh El Pulpo! I adore thee. Every time I come here (or formerly the Southington one) I'm reminded how good this place is. It's a Spanish Tapas place which might seem foreign but all the foods are so familiar and fresh. Take the tuna tartar. The raw tuna is so tender and flavorful while sitting on top of guacamole with yucca chips. It'll top any sushi place. The key for me is to ignore the main dishes and load up on the tapas. Their the most fun part of the meal too. We tried the Brussels sprout salad which is shaved and mixed with Parmesan cheese. Yum. And a meat stuffed squash. Don't miss the ham croquettes and the chicken empanada. Both were outstanding. Desserts were quite good too. We had a pumpkin pie and flan. All are made fresh daily and were just the icing on the cake of the meal. Service was friendly and attentive and the place is cute inside too. A hidden gem in Middletown. Don't miss this place. Seriously.

    Squid Ink Paella
    Jason P.

    El Pulpo has been on my Try List for years. I had an appointment in the area and finally had the chance to visit for lunch. El Pulpo is a Spanish, Mediterranean and Tapas restaurant. I'm not sure how many people still think of El Pulpo's space this way, but it's in the old It's Only Natural suite tucked in the back of a building with Main Street frontage in downtown Middletown. The decor is simple, but classy. It reminds me of Spain. El Pulpo also has a great deck with outdoor seating. I ordered Squid Ink Paella from the lunch menu. The rice had the trademark black color and was dotted with scallops, shrimp, mussels, peas and salmon. The rice was very flavorful, and the rice that stuck to the pan had a nice crunchy texture. The seafood was spot on, with one exception. The shrimp were over-cooked. They were still edible, but noticeably cooked past prime. My meal came with a choice of Caesar Salad or House Salad. The Caesar salad was pretty tasty. Service was mostly good. My meal took longer than I expected. This next comment applies to this meal, but it's really a service industry-wide recommendation. When food is running late, there is no value to a server saying "They're finishing right now and it will be right out." In my experience, ninety percent of the time, the meal does not come right out. It's almost always more than 5 more minutes when somebody says that. For my El Pulpo meal, it probably took 10 more minutes for a meal that was already running a bit on the long side for lunch. Four stars for this lunch, but it was an encouraging Four Stars and I look forward to my next visit.

    Very cozy dining room
    Leslie R.

    Went early on a Friday night to check out the place for happy hour; very inviting and comfortable, the bar had a good amount of high top tables if you don't want to sit at the bar. Ordered the grilled shrimp and a cocktail from the HH menu and the ham croquettas and a Spanish Rose from the dinner menu. Cocktail and wine were perfect selections and the grilled shrimp and croquettas were very tasty. We decided to order the Valencia Paella, which has a combo of sausage and shellfish. The paella was really well flavored, although not crispy enough for us. The bartender said that we could order it crispy, but they don't automatically do that because patrons may think it's burnt or over-done. We would order again and just specify our liking. Ended with chocolate, raspberry cake and coffee that was almost too pretty to eat! Overall a very good experience, and will visit again!

    Salmon Tartare
    Alex M.

    I've visited El Pulpo when they were in Southington and this was my first visit to their Middletown location. I'll get my one piece of negative feedback out of the way quick...the service was a bit slow. However, it was Mother's Day and in general, people need to relax and give service industry an opportunity to recover. Also, US is the only place in the world that rushes through their meals. Sit back and enjoy. We had a variety of tapas, and they were all delicious. - Mediterranean Salad (Cauliflower, tomatoes, artichokes, asparagus, eggplant, cucumber, olives, and tarragon garlic per vinaigrette & grilled shrimp) was superb. - Salmon Tartare with avocado served with potatoes chips was very tasty. - Pan seared crab cake served with sautéed vegetables and lobster champagne sauce was very flavorful. - Oysters were huge! - Rack of lamb, with beats and sweet potato pure was delicious. - Chorizo/fig in balsamic reduction was yummy. - And to end it all, we had crème-brule. It was a great time spent (we polished off a rather large bottle of wine), with very friendly service. Can't wait to go back!

    Herb Goat Cheese
    Lori D.

    Another late happy hour in Middletown. On Thursdays, it goes to 9pm! Since happy hour isn't served in the dining room, they made room for our party of 8 in the bar. When initially arriving, only half the group was present, so we put in drink orders while we waited for the other half. These drinks took about 20-30mins to be served. The rest of the party arrived by the time the drinks came out. I ordered the Grapefruit & Basil Paloma. While I enjoyed it, others weren't that happy with their orders. Mostly, consisting of margaritas. My food order consisted of the mussels, beef empanadas & the goat cheese. While the empanadas are beefy & they're served with marinara sauce. That's the first for me & I didn't mind it. I'm in love with goat cheese, so while these are simple, they were delicious. At first glance, the mussels looked scrumptious, but I don't think they were fully cooked. The shells were half open, not fully opened. The mussel itself were more tender than I'm used to. I finished them, leaving about 3 that were closed. The waitress came over to clear dishes but left the bowls of mussels/shells. After awhile, they actually started smelling to the point that I covered them with the linen napkin. Other apps that were ordered were quesadillas, & pork medallions. I didn't hear any complaints. They have many other happy hour drinks & food, to chose from, which is always a plus. The staff were all very nice & patient with questions we had. I will return to try other items & maybe sit out on the patio.

    Tuna tartare with homemade chips was the only standout.
    Glenn F.

    Disappointing. We dined outdoors yesterday, and had high expectations. Strengths: *You can dine outdoors or inside, and they are taking good COVID precautions *Hot bread with olive oil is a nice touch *The servers are friendly *Tapas options are a nice change of pace for the area *The tuna tartare with homemade potato chips was a standout Weaknesses: * Service is painfully slow. We were one of only two tables, and it took 45 minutes to get our first cold plates out *The wine offerings should always be strong at a tapas restaurant, but here there are limited options of generally low-quality wines *The seasonal sangria was mediocre * At a restaurant named "El Pulpo," one would expect a stellar octopus, but it lacked texture (it was neither grilled nor charred) and fell short *The paella also disappointed, with no socarrat to be found (the crusty, crispy bottom of the paella that becomes caramelized and toasted on the bottom of the pan when cooked correctly) *Although the escargot dish contained many escargot, it was served as a strange casserole and was bland *The other dishes (grilled vegetables, salad, bacalao) were unimpressive

    Torta de carne (steak). Bread toasted too much
    Shanice G.

    Did I enjoy my food? Yes. A culinary experience I can replicate at home? Also, yes. Which is why I'm not itching to return, but overall I loved the patio ambiance, service was phenomenal and the cocktail menu was better than many enough for me to deviate from my usual glass of wine. Now, my two biggest pieces of feedback is that between the fried element of the eggplant and oiliness of the cheese, the Lomitos appetizer could've use a bit more balsamic glaze to cut through it taste wise. I'd order again but with way more balsamic. ALSO, the Torta de Carne (steak specifically) the bread was toasted wayyyyy too much like .. crumbly I'm gonna lose a teeth toasted. Not pleasant when biting into a sandwich. Once again, my friend would order again but specify lightly toasted.

    many times for happy hours and dinner. love this place!!! always good food and kind staff.

    a piece of food on a plate
    Naomi R.

    Get the Brussels sprouts salad and grilled octopus tapas dish. Hands down worth the 40 minute drive against me again!! Beet salad is light and fresh, calamari can be skipped, crab cakes are delish, and the lava cake is kick-the-plate delish!!

    Soft shell crab
    Jan B.

    I met my friend here for a Sunday lunch. We had a great seat by the window and were actually the only ones in the restaurant when we first arrived. We ordered some drinks and had a nice lunch my friend had the Caesar salad with grilled chicken and I had the softshell crab. We had a second drink and ordered some dessert I had a cheesecake with almonds that was very good. I will definitely come back here.

    Happy hour sangria, kinda half a glass serving

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Great food! Service sometimes slow, but food is worth it! Highly recommend for anyone wanting to get a few small plates.

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    1 year ago

    We went there for a weekday lunch with friends. The food is good and service is friendly. We like it very much!

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    3 years ago

    Nice ambience. Open all day on Sunday. Tapas, drinks, lovely flavorful entrees. Attentive service.

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    2 years ago

    Very good food, lovely service, and nice ambiance. The food did take a bit of time,but when it did come it was excellent.

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Really friendly and knowledgeable staff, delicious appetizers, and awesome patio seating.

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Great casual atmosphere, the paella is the way to go here with authentic ingredients.

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    Ask the Community - El Pulpo & Tapas Bar

    Is this the same owner from the Southington location which is now closed?

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