I visited La Boveda as a party of two on a Monday night in the end of July 2013, so we were hardly surprised to find it jam packed. A waiter told us that it would be ca 20 minutes until we would get a table, but that we could wait at the bar. This proved to be an excellent choice, as the bar seems to be the only place in the restaurant where you will be served when you need it - therefore: try to squeeze in at the bar to avoid having to wait for one of the harassed-looking waiters. The place is, as others reviewers will tell you, understaffed, and the service is therefore slow and not particularly friendly. Our particular waiter behind the bar, however, was very sweet indeed. We noticed that the first waiter we encountered seemed to have no control over who were queueing for tables, and kept telling everyone that it would take 20 minutes, so my tip would be to wait and take responsibility for grabbing a table (or, preferably, a seat at the bar) on your own.
Most of the tapas dishes cost between 8 and 12 euros. We ordered pa amb oli (bread with tomato salsa and olives), spring onion omelette, bacon-wrapped dates, ham croquettes and fried padron peppers. Apart from the pa amb oli (which, to our palates was spoiled by consisting of the tasteless Mallorcan bread and being underseasoned), everything was delicious. La Boveda is where you go for the more rustic, traditional tapas, as opposed to the more creative and upscale fare served other places (like Ummo, which serves truly fantastic contemporary dishes). However, rustic was our choice of the day and we were not let down.
The atmosphere is also a key factor to making La Boveda a great night out, as you get that "I am at a real tapas bar in Spain"-feeling (although somewhat marred by the fact that very few of the people surrounding you are Spanish, but everyone seems to be labouring under the same illusion, so it works regardless...). The noise level is quite loud, and private tables are scarce, so it is not a good place for serious conversations, but this is pretty apparent when you view the restaurant from outside.
All in all a great place for a cheery night of plain good Spanish tapas in a great setting! read more