Dined on a Thursday evening around 6:30pm and had no issues finding a table for 2. Warm bread,…read moregarlic butter, and olives were brought to the table after ordering. Nice start to the meal! FYI, they don't have wifi and the 1st menu we got was for a typical meal (appetizers, entrees, dessert, etc). We separately asked for the tapas menu. Our waiter spoke English, Spanish, and German equally well and their website is in English as well. There also seems to be a separate smaller restaurant next to it...this review is for the main restaurant on the corner. We ordered bacon wrapped dates, octopus salad, and a shrimp dish from the tapas menu. All were outstanding. We also ordered a bottle of rose and fish & seafood paella. Fish & seafood were cooked pretty well but the rice was a bit soft for my liking and lacked flavor. However, the paella portion size could easily serve 4. Overall, a very good meal with great service and competitively priced. Would recommend.

Nice wine list and great tapas. Pleasant atmosphere with good service. The tapas that stood out…read morewere - Grilled cuttle fish Clams with the broth Octopus and potatoes Baby squid Dates with bacon

A great meal and very classic genuine Spanish food as the owner said no tapas & no paella…read more So

It was an honor to dine at Germany's first Iberian Steakhouse and to try my first authentic Iberian…read moresteak. We were at Royal Iberico for a Yelp Elite event and were greeted by a well-decorated, chic atmosphere and our warm and friendly restaurant hosts. The restaurant is small but intimate and cozy. On to the food- we started with a delicious and smooth Cava Apertif which was refreshing and tasty, and an olive bread with a garlic dip. The appetizer was a beautifully presented zucchini hors d'oeuvre, and we also enjoyed a charcuterie platter with Serrano ham, cheese, and chorizo. The main course was the highlight of our evening- Iberian steak with potatoes and mixed vegetables. The steak was both crispy and tender, flavorful and delicious. It had a tad too much salt for my taste, but overall it was very good. In between courses, we enjoyed live violin and accordion music, which was a great surprise. They played dynamically and romantically and added to the charm of the evening. Five stars for a lovely dinner and evening.

I knew I would love this place from the second I walked in. We were warmly greeted by an…read moreEnglish-speaking waitress to a cozy little restaurant with wine bottles lining the walls and a whole Iberico ham in back waiting to be carved and eaten (I love that stuff). This was my first night in Cologne and I was pretty hungry so we both opted for the large tapas sampling... excellent decision. Way too much food, of course, but what a blast trying it all. The highlights were the ham (duh), vegetable gratin, prosciutto and cheese dates, and well pretty much anything with cheese in it. The manchengo- yum, the honeyed Brie like cheese with walnuts - awesome and some kind of bonus feta says that was really tasty. And before all that, some delicious bread and rich garlic sauce. The best part of this is that everything is served "tapas" style, small sample size dishes, so you can try it all... and I did. Throw in a great bottle of Spanish wine for less than 25 euros and it was a great meal all around. Lucky this place was close to our hotel and we stumbled in...

We stopped in for lunch on our arrival to Cologne. Our server was lovely and speaks perfect…read moreEnglish as well as several other languages! She and her partner are from Spain and recently added a new tapas menu to their offerings. We had a lovely experience and very good food. There is interior seating but we sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful day. The lentil soup was delicious and the cod with spinach was cooked to perfection. The tortilla was a little different than the ones we enjoyed in Spain but still very good. Spanish tapas in Germany are a nice break from the traditional German fare.

Such a great meal. The boquerones, pata negra, albóndigas and octopus stood out particularly…read more The waiter was cool despite us being 17.. Only complaint was the heat/humidity in the restaurant

We went to La Bodega with a group of 8 people - with a reservation. We joked about the name under…read morewhich the reservations was placed with the gentleman at the front desk ... he unfortunately didn't find us funny, hinting that we were making up names to get in. He had to verify that the phone number from which we called was that of the person who was in attendance. (I was ready to get a Döner at that point...) The highlight of the food is the Aioli with the unbelievable amount of garlic. Everything that followed thereafter was absolutely mediocre and easy to replicate on your own at home... and much cheaper. I tried to go the somewhat healthier route, with a salad and sparkling water. My partner ordered a few (3 - 4 appetizer dishes) and 3 beers. We left the place paying 65 Euros... What you need to know about Spanish Tapas in general is that the majority of the menu is made up of deep-fried or heavily greased up items. A healthy item is difficult to come by. We were in Spain recently and had lots of Tapas there as well... and one thing I've learned with Tapas: price is by no means an indication of a good Tapas place whatever. So.. not my fav and will not be back.

Friendly little Peruvian restaurant in the heart of Cologne. Okay maybe it seems odd to go to a…read morePeruvian restaurant but I had just got into town after a very long two days of travel. And honestly I wonders in because it was close to my hotel. I was glad I did because I found some really friendly owners (two sisters) who have been in Germany for 26 years. One of the owners felt talkative and we practiced our communications skills in my terrible Spanish and her English to the amusement of us both. I learned all about the challenges the family faced in moving to Germany and learning to modify recipes so Germans would eat it. So the food, once they learned I knew what Latin food was supposed to taste like and more importantly that I actually liked real Latin foods they decided to give me something off the menu. She said I won't like what they have on the menu because it was all designed for German tastes apparently Germans don't like things very spicy and they don't the flavors that their traditional Latin foods have or at least they don't purchase them. so the meal they made me was something she would normally make for her family. It was a kind of marinated steak and Yucca plants and other vegetables. Then she brought out what she called a chili sauce that was very hot but also very flavorful, she said Germans would never eat it and she was surprised when she saw that I liked it. The owner said most customers don't like chilis or peppers here. we enjoyed the rest of the evening I ended up staying probably two hours. Everything that they brought out was very good. I got introduced to other members of the family, I got to go back to the kitchen and made friends with everybody there. I was invited to come back and made me swear that I would return before I leave to tell them goodbye. It was really good experience and fun to be close to the people who are serving you. Normally I would not like so much interaction but being alone it was perfect. If you go in ask to order off the menu if your adventitious.

It's very true....this little, easy to miss spot is a MUST NOT MISS!…read more Beef empanadas were so good that we fought over the last bite. Arroz y Mariscos - so flavorful, so fresh, and such an amazing depth of flavor and seasoning. The crispy Peruvian bread was fantastic. Ask for the HOT chili paste, mix it with the tasty sauce they bring out with the bread for a creamy and hot spread. Staff was charming. They were working on a mural of South America on the walls. Service is in Spanish or broken English/German. Point and smile - you'll be fine!! Enjoy!

Ok the Südstadt is the centre of a good Spanish restaurant tradition. You have tapas and fine food,…read morebut a spanish cafe restaurant was missing. Now we can sleep well knowing there is a good place for a tasty breakfast like in España! Food is great, it really brings the Spanish feeling and taste to Germany. Tasty café con leche (missing only a Marbú cookie). Omelette manchego and chorizo (tasty but please don't try to kiss anybody afterwards) and you get that tasty bread with sofrito and olive oil! The tortilla is great and they have a very nice selection of jamón, lomo, etc. The staff is very friendly and gives the place a nice comfortable local feeling. So imho five stars. I am just missing my Marbú cookie and maybe a brunch on Sunday but that is really nitpicking.

Boy am I glad I didn't let the stench by the front door put me off. Otherwise, I wouldn't have…read morefeasted on the finest steak I've ever enjoyed in Germany. I ordered the fliet rare, and for once, that is exactly what I got. It melted on my tongue. It evoked memories of my youth in Texas. The relationship I had with that steak is something that will echo in the songs of bards for all time to come. Or it would, if I could locate a bard. HEAR YE, ALL BARDS! The Toro Negro serves delicious Argentinian steaks cooked perfectly to order, with minimal seasonings, so robust is the natural flavour of the meat they grill! The wine was okay, and the potato tasty in its own right too. The prices are fair, especially considering the location, but be prepared to pay with cash as they do not accept payment with any kind of card. The waiter informed us that such was standard in that area of town. RECOMMENDED.

This place has great food for the price, but I would stick to their specialty..steak. The dinners…read morecame with bread, salad, a baked potato. All of this was 15 euro. The steak was cooked to perfection and was super savory. My girl got the lamb chops bit they were not as good..very fatty. Everything else was great down to the atmosphere..the aroma of the grill hits you as you walk in.

*Very rude staff, bad experience for tourists*…read more My friend and I are visitors in Cologne. We were walking around the city and all public bathrooms were closed. We went inside and politely asked if we could use the bathroom. We were ready to pay. The lady at this restaurant was extremely rude to us. She treated us badly and made us feel unwelcome. Other restaurants nearby let us use the bathroom for just 1 euro. But here the staff was horrible. We are tourists spending money in Cologne, and this was a very bad experience. Think twice before you go to this restaurant.

the staff is extremely rude. food is just ok. you can skip…read morethis place when in Cologne