After eating at The Melting Pot we went to SER to have a drink at the bar. We sat at the bar and our first impression was.... this bartender is a jerk, and he was.... BUT.... There was a bar back named Daniel that was willing to explain to me "the pride of his country...". Jamon Pata Negra! Amazing ham! This stuff is like butter... the fat just melts in your mouth. You need to really savor it. Daniel taught me that. He told me about how the pigs are mix of wild boar and domesticated are only fed acorns and it affects the flavor of the meat. He has such excitement and passion for this food and his country of Spain. I thought that he was the owner and he said "I wish!!" The owners should be so thankful to have him. read more

SER - Jamon Pata Negra --wow!!! - Spanish Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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I cannot support a restaurant that continues to serve octopus, a highly intelligent species, and unspecified shark species, which affects the entire food chain when it is overfished. I spoke to the owner about this two years ago, but unfortunately, it seems that environmental sustainability is not a focus here. read more

I had an amazing time here. I cant remember the last time I've been this satisfied by my dinner. Everything I put into my mouth was delicious (I had 4 tapaa ans a main plate) and i am hella picky. I sat at the bar and Jecson was speedy and attentive for a Saturday evening and the service simply made the experience superb. read more

My fiance and I came here on a whim on a Wednesday night and were very pleasantly surprised. It can be pricey depending on how you order, but we felt the value was there. One note is that, while they had some small plates, and while it is a Spanish restaurant, I wouldn't characterize this as a tapas restaurant. The focus was much more on the mains, with a lot of emphasis on fish and various meats. A vegetarian could find things to eat here, but it isn't the focus. Some of the tapas items you might expect to find listed under small plates, like patatas bravas, are actually listed under side dishes. We split the grilled squid entree and a halibut special. We loooove grilled squid, and this was cooked beautifully, and came with a really nice rice that wasn't too saucy. Food here is done simply, but cooked to perfection, and it lets the fresh ingredients shine. The velvety texture and grilled flavor of the squid were excellent. Halibut is an expensive fish and, again, it was done simply but perfectly. This was a special and ended up being pricey ($40), and a pro tip to eat here more affordably is to stick with the clearly priced menu, but it was GOOD. Just pan seared with olive oil and lemon but fresh and cooked perfectly. It was served with a really nice and satisfying assortment of grilled vegetables. On visual inspection, portions appeared small so at first we worried about value, but they were so flavorful, healthy, nutrient-dense and fresh that we found ourselves perfectly satisfied by the time we left. It helped that we supplemented our meal with some Manchego cheese and a side of brussels sprouts, plus I had a beer, and they provided free table bread. These other food items were weaker than the mains. The cheese was, you know, cheese, and would have been the same cheese you can get anywhere, so did we need to spend the money to have it in a restaurant? Probably not. The brussels sprouts were the weakest part of our meal - I've had better crispy brussels elsewhere, but they were ample so helped ensure we had enough to eat. Next time I'll plan on skipping the brussels and will try more of the small plates. I was pleased with my beer - a Spanish red (Alhambra rioja) that they have on tap and was really nice and moderate and paired well with our food. I hadn't tried a Spanish beer before so this was a nice touch. Ambiance hinted at Spanish culture but wasn't like a theater set, which can be the case in some tapas places, and was fresh, bright and modern. Service was also impressive. Our server was pleasant and attentive, and was at our table just at the right times for just the right amount of time. Meal timing was good. Our server also knew the menu really well, and was able to tell me what items had basil (which I'm allergic to) from memory, answer other questions and make recommendations. All in all, we enjoyed it and will be back, and were pleasantly surprised given how little we had heard anyone say anything about this place. One note on parking - there isn't a ton of street parking but they validate parking in the underground garage, reducing the price from $13 to $4, so make sure to bring your parking ticket to the restaurant with you. You can just hand it to your server. The garage can be a little hard to find/navigate, and when we were returning from the restaurant we couldn't get in through the same door where we exited, which was actually a different building from the restaurant, so we ended up walking down the driveway where we entered with our car. read more

Yep, been wanting to check this place so finally did 1/22 for brunch! There is a parking garage around the corner and they validate parking capped at $2, so that's a plus! Place was lively and busy and a cool vibe. Waiter was somewhat inattentive or seeming to ignore my request for a glass of ice or ice on my water--I had to ask 3 times after he delivered a glass of water with no ice -this was my biggest complaint! As for food, my hubby's seafood plate was $60 with 6 shucked oysters and 4 shrimp was pricier than its worth. Shark bites I ordered tasted bland if not for the sauce. The croquets were good my friend ordered and a huevos & potato sandwich and a side of potato was meh and unimaginative. Worst, grilled skirt steaks i'd have preferred it not swimming in that watery roasted peppers & onions and while it tasted good, texture lacked for me. Octopus was cut in small bites with cubed potatoes was boring, I mean really! Good thing the Red Sangria I had was refreshing! The vina real rioja tempranillo my hubby (he had 3 glasses) was very smooth! All told my total was $165 (mine) plus $145 (my friend) not including tax $310 plus $31 tax = $341 for 4 at brunch was a bit much, and that total did not include tips at 18% ($61) =$402 was a bit much for uninventive and prétensious food especially with hiccups in service! read more

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A bad place to even spend other people's money. Here for a 1 night business trip and had oysters, revuelto de setas and steak of the day. Oysters were totally bland, and were served such that there was no brine in any of the shells. No flavor no texture. Revuelto de setas was very tasty. Steak of the day was advertised as American wagyu flank steak. It was as chewy as a usda select grocery store cut steak with lots of stingy sinewy bites. Served with crispy potatoes and no veggies. Red wine flight was decent for the price. Vibe was fine but cost was very high. Poor execution and ingredients. I really wanted this place to be better as it seemed to have alot of potential and I spent a ton of money. read more

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Whenever we go to Ser it feels like we are going to see family. The food is delicious and all the staff have hearts of gold. Our children walk around giving high fives and hugs. It's hard to find a dining spot where you can enjoy it all. You can't go wrong with Brunch, Happy Hour or Dinner. There is something for everyone. read more

Took my sister here for a suprise birthday dinner and it didn't disappointment in terms of its ambiance and offerings! We ordered the Cheese & Meats mix platter and it was delicioussssss along with their Seafood Paella (did not add lobster and don't think you need it iether! Server's Amazing Touch: Really appreciated that our Server set up a little table next to us for our bread basket and water + wine bottle so our little 2 person table fully taken over! Area of improvement: 1/ Noted that it was her birthday and the server came to us and asked - "Are we ready for the suprrise?" In all the years I've dined for a birthday, that has never happened. For this discretion is required! 2/ Server also jumped straight to proposing the most expensive wine when we asked for a recommendation. Better to send another team member over if unsure veruss upselling us. read more

SER - Seafood Paella * - Spanish Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Good service, ok tapas at Ser. The banuelos were meh, the garlic butter shrimp were tasty, the olive bread was a hit, Tortilla de Patatas too, and the Piquillos de Rellenos were the best tapas dish. read more

I am genuinely surprised this place is still in business. We ordered 4 small plates, and they were so BLAND I asked the server to bring us spices. She brought little bowls with salt, chili flakes, and paprika. When she asked whether we'd like the papas brava sauce, I said "yes" but thought "why would you serve us the papas bravas without the sauce?" Grilled veggies not marinated or rubbed. Papas bravas were neither seasoned nor crispy. The croquetas weren't what I'm used to, which is jamón and manchego cheese. These are mixed meat croquetas, which was texturally fine but flavorless (to match the other dishes). Gambas were best of the 4 plates because they were cooked perfectly, but again...completing lacking in any enhanced flavor. For a gorgeous interior with lovely service, there's just no way I can recommend food that isn't seasoned on any basic level. What a disappointment. read more

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sooo first you have to understand that i am a ballston nationalist, i love ballston, i want all businesses in this area to suceed, and i cheer for every new restaurant, especially nice sit down places like Ser But sadly, my ser expereince left a lot to be desired first things first, the practicality of parking: there is an underground parking lot, you enter it right before ser, and the restaurant will validate. i ended up paying $3 with the validation, so thats not bad. the space is light and airy and truly elegant but service and food is where it fell apart. after our initial order we rarely saw our waiter (other members of the team deliver food to the table) and we had to flag him down for everything from salt, to ordering drinks to asking to order for dessert and asking to order more entrees, and then another long wait in which we had to literally walk over to him to ask for the bill. that said, all could be forgiven if the meal was amazing but it just didnt hit. literally EVERYTHING we ordered needed more salt, and not a pinch of salt, like a ton of salt was needed to make anything just have flavor. papas bravas- i judge all spanish restaurants by this because its such a staple, these were soft (ie not well fried/ no crunch), didnt have enough mayonesa, and were hot but not hot hot. also it needed alot of salt to taste anything. Berenjenas- this was one of the grossest things i have eaten in a long time. oily eggplant in a sweet yogurt? eek! Gambas al Ajillo- not salty enough, not garlicky enough, but well cooked shrimp and probably the best thing we ate, b/c the bread is amazing and once we added salt it came alive. and the bread was great to sop up the oil Magret de Pato- this got such rave reviews we had to order it and while the accompanying rissotto was delicious the actual duck was on the dry side Costillas- the braised short rib just wasnt what i expected. great mashed potatoes, an excellent thyme-forward sauce, but the beef was more like 3 medium/ large meddallions over mashed potatoes. good but not what i expected read more

Absolutely love this Spanish restaurant, that has the feel of a neighborhood joint. Very kid friendly, my 2 and 5 year old are big fans. Perfect spot for an easy weekday family dinner out or when showing off to guests visiting from out of town. We love the fantastic tapas or going big with the paella or the suckling pig or huge steak. The cava sangria is magic in the summer. read more

I came here for lunch with a few of my coworkers. It was a pretty good experience. I had one of the lunch sandwiches. It was amazing. It was the shredded pork sandwich with what I believe was goat cheese. It came with a really delicious salad. They serve you bread as an appetizer, which is nice. They do not have sugar packets, which is important to know for the ice tea drinkers- cubes only. Anyway, the service was pretty good, albeit a bit slow. The food was incredible and the prices are super reasonable. This definitely seems like a great happy hour spot, or a spot for dinner. It has a nice ambience, but was super dead during lunchtime. read more

This place has a nice menu... sooo much I wanted to try! We came for restaurant week. Half the group ordered from the prepared restaurant week menu. I chose to order from the Brunch menu. *Croquetas De Puchero-mmm melts in your mouth *Shark-deep fried but tasted like crab? *Hanger Steak-tender and tasty *Tortilla espanola sandwich-delicious! The bread is so light. The food quality was very good. Service was painfully slow for cocktails as well as food. So plan on spending some time. We would definitely return. read more

SER - Spanish Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Lost our favorite Paella place Jaleo in Bethesda and Arlington locations. I have to say this, SER, is now our favorite Paella place with authentic taste. I wish they have Squid ink seafood Paella one day. Our other favorite dish is this delicious Pulpo/octopus. It has this tiny spicy kick to it and melt in your mouth tender octopus. Tortilla de patatas has this exquisite onion fragrance and not feeling too stuffy. We also enjoyed this wonderful finale manchego cheesecake with the sorbet and pear puree. Friendly and great service staffs. Nice clean restroom. Will definitely visit SER again! read more

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SER is always a winning choice. Excellent food and service. We ate there on the 4th and had kids with us. They enjoyed the games. The food specials were great. read more

A wonderful place to experience great Spanish comfort food. We've never had anything on the menu that we didn't love. My favorite, the octopus! Excellent signature cocktails and service that is just attentive enough. If you want a very cool experience, try a seat at the chef's window! read more

First, the maître d actually read and honored my reservation request for a high chair. It was ready and in place when we arrived. Automatic 5 stars! I've been to Spain many many times, all over... and this restaurant is definitely authentic. From the decor to the atmosphere. Loved it the moment we walked in. Most importantly, the food was on point. Fried Shishito peppers took me back to the beach in Cadiz, Spain. Pork shoulder plate was tenter like butter and flavorful. We all know there's an art to cooking pork to make it melt in your mouth. Halibut was the catch of the day and was moist and delicious. Kids food was tasty too! Desserts were amazing! If you're looking for tacos and chalupas, go to Taco Bell. Otherwise, SER will take you on an authentic food adventure to Spain that only true Spain lovers can appreciate. Can't wait to come back! read more

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I pass by this restaurant on a daily basis, and finally made a point to try it with a friend. The main highlights were: - The Spain-sourced olive oil to dip the bread - it was insanely delicious... fresh with fruit undertones; I ate an ungodly amount of bread just to dip it in this oil. Plus, they will sell you the oil for purchase if you ask. - The adobo shark tapa - it was fried perfectly; tender, meaty, fresh, brightened by a squeeze of lemon and a green sauce. - The hot toddy - recommended by the server, it warmed me up on this cold night. - The decor and vibe was sophisticated yet approachable. The ambient lighting made it feel intimate, too. Yes, I've had better patatas bravas and flan elsewhere, but they still tasted delicious. Overall, I am delighted this place is so good and close; I intend on taking more family and friends here. read more

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Great service, great atmosphere, great food and great wine. What else needs to be said?? Ok, I'll say one more thing....Let's keep these great local restaurants going. read more

With all our travels, SER is like having Spain in our backyard. It's our go-to tapas bar! All the food is fabulous! Creative and authentic, it takes us back to places we love. The staff service is sublime, so warm and friendly. Javier always has a great wine recommendation. Dimitri and Anna are exceptional and gracious. We LOVE the wonderful new covered patio for al-fresco dining. If we can't get on a plane, we are at SER with sangria, jamon and gambas al ajillo! Mary Lou and Todd read more

First timer alert! I was invited to dinner here as it's a half way point between our homes. So, I am basing my review off of the overall experience, however, I have to say that my initial impression was not the greatest. I was NoT greeted when I came in, then when I spoke to the two women at the hostess desk, they didn't speak back, so I repeated my salutation and they barely responded. Smh. They then, could not "find" the reservation. They finally found it and seated me. Whew. So unnecessary!! Well, the REST of this review gets a 10 out of 5 stars! The manager, Dimitri, came by my table to check on me while I awaited my friend. The extra time alone gave me the opportunity to really read through the menu. Once my friend arrived, we ordered a bottle of Malbec (see pic) that was goooooooood! I ordered the beet salad (YUMMY!!) and we both ordered the grilled salmon along with another bottle!! Whew what a night lol So our server really made the experience awesome. I want to thank Michael - our server - and Dimitri (GM) and everyone else who stopped by our table to make the night spectacular! SER is now one of my favs!!! read more

SER - Spanish Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Went to SER for restaurant week lunch special ($25) and the ambiance, service and food were all exceptional. 10/10 read more

SER - Arroz con leche & French toast dessert - Spanish Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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This was my second time here. To be fair, the first time was a 5-star experience. But this second time I was a bit disappointed. We ordered oysters and they were seemingly fresh but bone dry. Clearly someone behind the counter didn't know how to shuck them and the lost all their brine. Someone should have caught this before bringing it to the table--it really set the tone poorly for the rest of the meal. read more

We love Ser. I've been many times for lunch and dinner. The servers are fantastic, the space has a nice vibe, good music, great cocktails and wine and the food is probably some of the best you'll find in all of the DMV. I'd go to Ser every day, if I could! read more

I liked my experience in this Spanish restaurant - the menu came off as very authentic. The portions may not be that big for some, but I felt the cost of their lunch specials, restaurant week menus, and such more than make up for the size of the portions, especially considering how authentic and reasonably priced Spanish cuisine is hard to find in the city. That being said - SER did a great job in this aspect. The sister restaurant in DC's Capitol Hill, Joselito, offers a newer take on Spanish cuisine, but the classics are found here. The anchovies salad was good, but the anchovies were a bit too salty for my liking, although the accompanying greens helped level it out. I also initially thought the anchovies could have been a tad bit crispier without going too far to make it too oily. And I love boquerones fritos. Overall, I liked it but I know they can do this dish better. The filet of lubina (branzino) with vegetable ragout and almond-yoghurt sauce was perfect. Not dry, seasoned well, and well - I had no problems at all with this dish whatsoever. I saw another person comment that this dish came out dry for her so I am not sure if it is a consistency issue, but my dish was praiseworthy. For dessert, I had the churros - and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it came out madrileño style. The chocolate looked light in color, but tasted sweet and bitter enough as it should, to complement the sweetness of the churros. But my churros needed more sugar. I would have made the chocolate darker, added more sugar to the chocolate (since darker chocolate needs more sugar to balance out its bitterness), and roll the churros some more in the sugar. Despite the few flaws, I'm convinced to venture out again to SER or to Joselito. read more

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Very good service and the food was extremely tasty! It was next to my place of employment and it was also very convenient as far as time and quality of food. The server was quick and always stayed on top of our drinks. I would highly recommend this place for meals. Thank you read more

SER - Spanish Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

This place is mid. Drinks are ok, some of the foods weren't what we expected (e.g. soggy shrimp, fried eggplant wasn't crispy at all, paella was 90% rice). Would not go again read more

Came here for restaurant week with a reservation and it was pretty packed on a weekday! Course 1: anchovies dish was okay in my opinion. It just tasted like regular anchovies over some veggies and sauce. Course 2: Hanger steak was very tender, juicy, and tasty with the seasoning! Potatoes were delicious too. The portion was small though, so I was still feeling hungry after eating this dish honestly. Course 3: Cheesecake with raspberry sorbet was so delicious! I feel like it was more filling than the hanger steak lol. The rich cheesecake was complimented well with the somewhat tart sorbet. It was a perfect level of sweet with everything together. Probably my fav dish here. Overall, food was good, but portions were underwhelming and not worth the prices in my opinion. Service was nice but it was super slow... Not just the waiters coming up to us but the food took a long time too to get to us. Probably say there for a long time so we basically got hungry again after every dish. It was a nice restaurant week experience, but I think there are some better options for the same type of food that's more worth your money for the portions. read more

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SER felt like a fairly average Spanish tapas restaurant with all the staples. We got some tapas to share and a vegetable paella (marked as for 2 to share). The cheese plate comes with 6 cheeses and 6 different types of jams and they were solid. The croquets (beef and ham) are probably the best out of everything we ordered but it wasn't as crunchy as I had hoped. The shark bites (tasted like most white fish) paired well with the chimichurri sauce. We also got the vegetable paella but it was very saucey but didn't have much flavor. There's a parking garage in the back and you can get parking ticket validated at the restaurant. Reservation through opentable. read more

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Was hoping for a great experience here as we've driven by many times and wondered what the hype was all about. The place has a pleasant indoor atmosphere and a very large outdoor covered seating presence. So plenty of options on where and how to experience SER. The special menu for our visit was based on it being Father's Day. The menu was organized around specific categories, from raw options, to starters, cheeses, small plates, mains, table wide and sides. To begin they have a nice touch with a basket of assorted breads with your very own can of Los Aljibes Olive Oil. Tasty! We started with the Octopus Salad sporting shrimp, mussels and peppers in a very nice marinade. I would definitely suggest this is you like seafood. We also had the fried eggplant and Foie Gras. Neither sent our palates any special signals though. For mains we had a special of the day, Flank steak w/ chimchurri sauce, which was a bit tough to chew and the unusually chimcurri really had no taste to it; the Pollo en Sauce Verde, Chicken thighs in a bland sauce and the Sara Montiel Sandwich, a fried egg, serrano pepper in a wrap with fries. The fries were the best part of the sandwich while the other two mains were okay, but were best described as uninspired. I do want to single out their Sangria though. Served in an ample carafe, it is delivered to your glass that has a frozen setup of fresh fruit, which was a hit. Be sure to ask your server for a new glass for your refills, which they'll gladly provide. There are many other Tapas places in the area that offer more flavor and value such as Boqueria and even the old standby of Jaleo. Sorry SER, you just weren't in a stand out mode for us. read more

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Ser was a yummy brunch spot!! I'm glad my gf recommended it otherwise I may not have tried it. The Highlight was definitely the deliciously wholesome and authentic (with a twist) dessert menu!!!! The arroz con leche (rice pudding) was great- sweet and creamy. The flan looked awesome- if I were to go again I would only eat desserts I SWEAR! I ordered some oysters and it came with a frozen gazpacho, THAT ISH WAS GOOOOOOOD! Great quality oysters and lovely presentation! Oysters were a great size 1/2 dozen or dozen available. My friends ordered the avocado toast (looked really good but they said the bread was almost too crunchy). Portion was good and came with some home fries. The peach Bellini was delish- def opt for the pitcher ;) Complementary bread was great too! read more

SER - Arroz con leche - Spanish Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Food was delicious. We had Spanish cold cuts, paella and suckling pig. We have had all those dishes before in Spain so we were wondering if here would be similar. They were as good as we remember. We did have an issue with the server who forgot a part of our order but the manager was on top of it, gave us a different server and made things right. We will be back to try other dishes as well. read more

Came today for Sunday Brunch, and it seems like an excellent spot for that and more. It has both inside and outside seating. It's easily located, and there is garage parking in the back that SER will validate for you. I parked on the street so I don't know exactly the price, but I think it's $3 for up to three hours or something like that. We had a fairly large group, but the service was excellent! There are lots of menu options. The brunch menu consisted of sandwiches and tapas. I wish I could have tried them all. I'll have to go back. They even had a tasting menu, which is right up my alley, but you need two people to do it, and I didn't have any other takers. The standout today for me was the paella. It was SO flavorful. I would definitely get it again. I also had oysters with shrimp that did not disappoint, and the olive oil for the bread basket was top notch. For me the tortilla of eggs and potatoes was a little bland. I've had better elsewhere. It didn't ruin the day though. All in all I would say give it a try. I definitely will be back! read more

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Came here with friends for dinner the other night. Super classy looking Spanish food, we're always down! Things we've tried - 6 cheese plate: first three cheeses were nice and light with plenty of accoutrements, one of my friends was convinced one even had alcohol in it. But the later cheese including the blue were strong - tapas: fried shark were alright, eggplant good texture but somewhat bland, potatoes felt like reheated soft frozen ones and croquetas pretty damn good - veggie paella: actually terrible. Not a lot of spices, extremely saucy and oily. No flavor, was actually hard to finish. We split a 2 serving one for 4 people, and even if it were good I wouldn't have wanted twice as much Service was pretty okay but not stellar. The whole experience just sounded better on paper and nothing was memorable. Hell even the sliding doors won't open all the way. Maybe an off night but most likely I won't be back read more

Food and service are always on point - bes Spainish tapas in the DMV -the ambience is elegant and the glass window is nice to people watch

Had a chance to come to SER for dinner on a weekday. Overall a very pleasant tapas experience. Comparatively it's alright, but tough given the competition in the area. I think SER is a good local option and most of the dishes we got were decent... but unfortunately nothing really blew us out of the water. If you're looking for convenient tapas and live near SER but don't want to drive out, I'd recommend it, but if you're seeking out the best tapas place in the area, SER is probably a little bit lower on my list (though still top 5-10) read more

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Had a lovely time at this establishment. Our server was sweet and the food was cooked well, a bit salty for my taste but that just means ordering more bread to go with the food :) I would come here again for a casual girls night, we ate to our fill and they even helped celebrate one of my friend's achievements! read more

SER - Croquetas, gambas al ajillo, calamares, and roasted brussel sprouts - Spanish Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Love their wine dinners! Just make sure to Uber there. They don't skimp on the pours The food and service has always been good!

Great food and service! I've enjoyed this place for 8 years now. I love their grilled salmon salad and tapas.