$260 for 9 tapas plates, 3 desserts and 2 glasses of wine for 4 adults. The food was lacking in quantity and quality. Tiny, tiny portions. For example, the cucumber salad had a few slices and dices of cucumber (maybe 4?) served with a nondescript sauce and a wilted dill leaf... the meatball and potato had 3 meatballs wrapped in mashed potatoes and fried, served with a sauce resembling ketchup, the ribs - 4 tiny ribs with very little meat, you get the idea. The desserts - chocolate budini tasted fine but was plopped on a plate with a sauce on top. The churros were fun - 4 about 4 inches long. We didn't order the steaks because they take 45 minutes to prepare and we weren't sure we'd make the play (Pretty Woman - which was fun). Beware when going here of pricing, quantity and quality. read more

We put off coming to Vaca due to mixed reviews from people we know but when hubby and I were wandering around CM on Saturday night (pee break at Del Taco on Bristol, yay!), we pulled up Opentable and decided to finally give Vaca a try and form our own opinions. Overall, this restaurant is an A-OK type place, owing mostly to the food and drinks. Why it's not more is it was pretty tough to get a hold of our server and a couple dishes we thought could have been better. The bussing staff, on the other hand, was on point. Food: Sea Urchin w/ scrambled eggs: Sadly, this dish was underseasoned...not enough uni (despite being served in the animal carapace) or salt (even when eaten alone). Oxtail: Pretty good; one of the top dishes of the evening. Bikini Sandwich: Hubby went rogue and ordered this dish that he knew I wouldn't have wanted; It ended up being pretty good. Seafood Paella: Was average until you mixed in the cream dollops on top and then it was a whole 'nother ball game. Seafood was cooked really well though the shrimp were VERY shrimpy. Would have preferred crispies on the pan bottom. Croquetas de Bacalao: I'm usually a fan of bacalao; in this version, hubby and I both looked at each other after the first bite and we knew we didn't enjoy it. It had a chemically taste that overpowered the dish. We did not finish our portions. Drinks: 106 Miles - A pretty stiff drink, tasted low cal. Clipping the Earl Grey tea to the rim was interesting...we had to flag our server down to ask what the deal was. Vaca Tonic - Probably the drink I preferred more. The basil blossoms were very nice. It did sting the tongue, though. Service: Our guy was nice but hardly available. He asked us to let him know if we were going to order more...but yet was never around. When we left, he saw us walking past him and he promptly turned around to face the kitchen. Nice and awkward-like. We want to go back and try the rib-eye age 50+ days since that night, they only had 2+ pounders left. However, we'll try not to get our hopes up about service. Cheers. read more

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Vaca is ALWAYS a great time. It's definitely not cheap, but you absolutely get what you pay for here. Every time we come here we try something new. There are enough tapas on the menu that you can get a taste of something new and always have it be solid. The oxtail is incredible. As are the shrimp. Meat/cheese selections are delicious, too! Most recently we split a culotte cut steak for dinner and it was great. Came served with the most delicious reduction alongside it, very much enjoyed it. Wasn't drinking the last time I went, but historically speaking the cocktails are worth a visit on their own! Service is prompt, friendly, and accurate. highly recommend! read more

Delicious! Everything we tried was amazing: 1. Sea urchin - about 3 uni pieces and such a soft and beautiful wet scrambled egg texture, perfect when spread on the crunchy slices of toast 2. Braised oxtail - unbelievably tender but I wish it came with another carb source since the sauce was a little too rich to eat on its own, personal preference 3. Chicken canolli - recommended by our server and the family that sat next to us. This was definitely my favorite. You can't get chicken better than this. The sauce is fuck liver and the shredded chicken is wrapped in what almost seemed like chicken skin?! What?! Amazing. 4. Scallops - cooked to perfection and the perfect salty sweet taste in the veggies and sauce that accompanied it. As for the drinks, they were all wonderful. Not too sweet, refreshing, and only the slightest taste of alcohol (but trust me, there's a lot) So surprised that all the dishes AND drinks were a hit. I can't wait to come back and try their more signature dishes like the paella and prime steak. 10/10 recommend read more

Wife and i are fans of Top Chef and Chef Amar, so we couldn't wait to try this place. Kids got us a gift certificate for our anniversary when they found this out. We parked in valet which was $10...I didn't mind to keep my car close. The hostess was nice and seated us immediately given we had an indoor reservation. The setting had a New York vibe...tables close together but nicely decorated. The open kitchen was cool, but I don't think Chef Amar was there. We started off with a mixed drink each and they were both really good. I had an Estrella beer after which was a malty sweet lager. For food, we ordered a shrimp Tapa and the seafood paella. Our server said they didn't have any mussels tonight but they would add extra clams to replace them. The tapa was good but the paella was mediocre at best with hardly any additional clams - I think I counted 6 altogether. There were 3 large prawns that were there so we ate 1 each and split the third. Other than that, it was all rice and not enough seasoning...salt would have helped. While the ambiance and service was good, the food unfortunately wont have us coming back. read more

Pricey yes. Worth it? YES!! I don't eat here often, but when I do oooh my so good!!! Everything is delicious, I went recently with some co-workers and ordered many tapas. I usually write down what I ordered but we ordered so much I lost track. Everything was amazing, my favorite dish was the meat paella, chip/tartare, bone marrow, & braised pork belly. The cocktails are all amazing, I've tried several different kinds can't go wrong with any of them tbh. Parking is valet or structure, be sure to get your ticket validated. Service is great! I never finished my water because they kept refilling it!! Hahaha! Good place for a date night or group! One of the best places to eat in OC :) read more

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Came here for the second time. The 5 star still applies. Really like this place!! I believe some items on the menu were updated. Everything were still good! The ambience is jazzy modern with a hint of hipster- ness. The food was delicious, flavorful, and well presented. The bartenders and hostess were friendly and helpful. The music is on point which sets the ambience well. Overall, this is a great place for a drink or date night! I see many people on dates here and most people are dressed well with designer bags. Very fun to people and fashion watch! The only thing I wish the restaurant would change is to increase their portion size. Although tapas are supposed to be small, the dishes here are too small for the price. Even after factoring in the location and ambience. But overall, I get it. This is near Newport after all. Overall, I had a fabulous time here! And if you are coming, it is wise to make reservation since it's usually pack! read more

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Cane in before a show at the Segrestrom. The waiter was aware we were attending a show and had limited time and even told us that the steaks and paellas would take 45 minutes to cook so he did not recommend ordering them. we opted for 4 tapas. The restaurant was not full when we ordered but it did start to fill up. Our first two tapas came out within 10 minutes and our server had become notably more busy as we waited for our other two items. After about 30 minutes we asked him if they were coming out soon and he said they should be out right away. We reminded him that we needed to leave soon not to miss the show. The two items finally arrived 45 minutes after we ordered leaving us little time to eat. At that point we could have ordered the Paella! He offered to have the manager come speak with us, she was rude and only could say that the restaurant was busy which didn't explain why the table next to us, who arrived after us received all their items before us. She said she would check the ticket to see when the food was put in and check back with us. She never returned to our table. During this we could overhear the expeditor tell our sever if he wanted his food to come out quickly not to course it... could that have been the issue? We wouldn't know because the manager does not value customer service or satisfaction. The food wasn't even good, bikini sandwich was oily, buttifara was cold even though we waited 45 minutes for it, and the pork belly was dry. The only tapa was that was good was the pulpo a la gallega, but the portion is very small for the cost. I reached out the business separately but again got no reply. This is the second negative experience we have had at vaca, there are better restaurants with better service in the area. read more

I was pretty disappointed in this spot. Being from LA, you just cannot compete. I thought it would be different here since my friend told me a Top chef contender was the chef here. But I also know that doesn't mean he literally cooks my meal. -Canelon de Pollo Ahumado - way too sweet! -Migado de pato con pera- way too sweet and tasted just like the canelon in a different form! -Grilled octopus salad. Octopus lost all it's natural texture. There was alot of potatoes in this dish and I wasn't sure if I was eating potatoes or octopus. They were cut similar too. Very confusing. *At this point, I lost confidence in in my meal.* -Boneless piedmontese new york steak, medium rare. This was recommended when I found out the rack of lamb was on the 86 list. It was cooked ok. Glad this dish was not sweet! It tasted good but nothing that I couldn't find anywhere at a steak for about the same price. -Seafood paella. It was okay...I've had alot better at this price point. read more

We arrived early & had drinks at the bar, ordered Pan Tomate, Jamon Iberico & Manchego. The Pan Tomate only showed up after 45min after the bartender chased it down several times. The manager didn't seem to care, just told us they're busy. It's just their normal week night with pre-theater crowd TBH. The host never came to fetch us when past our reservation time & they're sitting other people. The Jamon & Manchego didn't come till 15 min after we're seated. Jamon at $51 was a pure ripoff, we got 6 tiny slices of hard dry Jamon that's past its prime, & $9 for a few small cubes of Manchego. It took another 20min before another manager came to apologize & offered a free App. The steak was still good, but the Paella was mushy & bland. The $15 "Basque" Cheese cake was a small dollar coin size puck of a regular cheese cake with loads of whipped cream on top. There's nothing Basque about it & not even a good cheese cake. It's a ripoff & con job. On top of all that, there's a 3% surcharge. It used to be our go to place for authentic Spanish, but we're not so sure anymore. One would expect much better service & food quality, authenticity for the prices they're charging. Our dinner was over $300 for 2 before tips! read more

Amazing time and amazing server Miguel and the rest of the guys were great! Huge and I mean huge wall of drinks when you walk in. I literally said holly cow lol everything we ate and drank was in point. Great place to come and enjoy fine dining and chill atmosphere. read more

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We came on a Thursday afternoon and were immediately seated without a reservation. Most of the customers were employees of the nearby office buildings and it seemed like quite a few business lunches were taking place, so definitely more of a corporate vibe during the day. FOOD - Ensalada de Carne (3/5) - Basically a normal Caesar salad with 5 slices of hanger steak on the side, and the salad was missing the Spanish olives that were listed on the menu. For $19 I would've expected a little bit more meat and effort on the salad. - Pulpo a la Gallega (4/5) - I went to Spain a couple months ago and absolutely loved this dish, so I was excited to try it at such a highly rated Spanish restaurant closer to home. Taste-wise it was seasoned in the same way and the octopus was tender and not rubbery. Taking off one point because the octopus slices were really thin so you couldn't get a satisfying bite of octopus meat. - Canelon de Pollo Ahumado (4/5) - I've never had cannelloni before so this was really interesting. The sauce was made of duck pate but it also had a really strong sherry flavor, so it was sweet and savory. This dish wasn't really my speed but my parents absolutely loved it, especially the sauce. - Paella Valenciana (4/5) - The paella ingredients were fresh and cooked super well, especially the scallops, which were really tender. The aioli was kind of heavy and overwhelmed all the flavors of the paella once mixed in, and also wasn't saffron aioli like the menu stated. It tasted pretty good overall, I just wouldn't mix the full amount of the aioli in next time. PARKING The parking nearby is either valet or paid, but if you just park across the street in the South Coast Plaza parking lot it's about the same distance to walk over as it is when you park in their parking structure and it's free. OVERALL A pretty decent place for Spanish tapas and steak! Would probably skip the paella next time and order more tapas. read more

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Fabulous!!!!!! Everything on the menu was sooooo good. Favorite restaurant in OC! The staff was also super helpful and nice.

Would give this place 4.5 if being specific. Have loved it every single time of my 3 total visits. The Vaca tonic is addictive and maybe my favorite cocktail ever. The appetizers like bone marrow, uni egg, prawns, foie gras are delectable and on point. Service and vibes are great too. My only complain is that on my last visit my 2 lb rib eye came out a little cold and tasted like it was sitting there for a while waiting for the sides to cook. Other than it's one of my fave Spanish restaurants in OC, maybe even #1. Salud read more

Met up with some friends for some drinks and tapas. Everything was delicious and the service was amazing. Very expensive though. I split the bill with one of my friends and it cost us over $100/each, had 2 drinks each and we shared 3 plates (tapas). Everything was good though, just really expensive. read more

Nice place good food but the food is coming out and placing on the island so they can be sent out to the tables. I don't feel comfortable because everyone is walking passing by that island they could be touching the counter. How many times has the table being wipe down? I think they should at least put the screen up to prevent covid for now.. However the workers are wearing face mask & gloves so that's good also good service read more

Vaca - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Great food and ambiance. I have had both lunch and dinner there and both times it was amazing.

I came to check out Amar Santana's new restaurant as I am madly in love with Top Chef. He was one of the top runner up. I wish I could give this place a better rating. Perhaps it was just an off day, so I am willing to return another time to try again This place is in a great location. It is across from Segerstrom Center for the Arts and South Coast Plaza. It has valet parking for only $7. They also have structure parking close by, which the restaurant will validate. As soon as you walk in, you see the modern decors. It was pretty pack in the bar and restaurant. I was greeted warmly and seated almost immediately. The ambiance is elegant, hip, trendy and romantic. I was looking forward to a great night of authentic Spanish cuisine. All the girls had one table and all the boys had another table. We ordered everything you can think of from this large menu. This restaurant has a family feel and you eat in tapas style. For Tapas, we got the Bikini Sandwich(ham Panini), Erizos con Huevo(crispy potato balls), La Bola, Croquetas de Pollo(creamy chicken fritters), Canelon de Pollo Ahumado(smoked chicken cannelloni), Higado de Pato con Pera( seared foie gras), Calamares (fried calamari with fried egg). Some tasted better than others. They didn't taste as comforting or decadent as I wanted For dinner, we ordered Beef Rib Steak, Filet Mignon, Paella de Mariscos, Prime Hanger Steak and Black Cod. My steak wasn't cook right and I had to send it back. The seafood paella didn't taste right. The shrimps did not taste fresh. It smelled really fishy. The shrimps were chewy and it was stuck to the shell. we all believed it was either frozen or not fresh. The rice was too salty and dry. We had to send it back. I appreciated that they remade the dish over with another type of shrimps and the manager was apologetic. The drinks were good (vaca tonic and sangria) and the desserts were to die for (Churros con Chocolate and Bizcocho Tres Leches) Overall, the ambiance is great. The menu of large selections were awesome. The service was pretty bad and extremely slow. It took about 1 hour until my waitress actually took our order. I think she get side track easily as she is busy with other tables. We had to waive down other waiters to get some assistance. We also waited a long time for remake of food that they screw up. I would think that is would be a priority to fix our food ASAP. They also forgot drinks and tapas that we ordered. We had to remind them few times. The food could improve in quality and flavors. We were all disappointed in the dinning experience. They were about 8 of us and we spent a lot of money for food and drinks. Food pricing are ranging from $31-$60. I think the expectations were high and it was not delivered read more

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Update 3/24/20: Just picked up the curb side to go meal and OMG, almost as good as eating it in the restaurant. The paella fantastic as always with fresh seafood, incredible rice, and crispy bacon bits. Never had the brussel sprouts and cauliflower before, I am now a fan. The Tres Leche and flan, incredible! So glad fine dining in the distressing time is still around. But like all other fine restaurants, it may not be long lasting so do not wait. Most others serve for the first week or two and as soon as their pantry and refrigerators run dry, they shut down again, indefinitely. The only issue we had was with the woman who brought the meal out to the curb for us. She had zero understanding of social distancing and what 6' actually meant. While crowding the car window, she actually asked us to sign the receipt even through the man who took the order from us said we would not need to sign anything. We saw the pen she tried to hand us and politely refused. Perhaps she was fishing for a tip but man, we haven't been that close to anyone for the past week. Also, the card board to go containers may be very environmentally sensitive, but COVID19 loves cardboard, as witnessed by the current Amazon fiasco. Maybe an alternative for now would be appropriate? Hopefully, they will make a change and be more considerate of others who are taking social distancing more seriously. But in the meantime, we will enjoy the fantastic food and the mastery of the culinary arts we've been accustomed to at VACA. read more

I've come here many times over the last 4 years, as recently as last month. The service, food and cocktails have consistently been EXCELLENT. My boyfriend and I are vegetarian. We've tried every veg dish and they're always amazing. Highest recommendations; pan con tomate and the vegetable paella. The cocktails are insanely good, highly recommend ordering from their signature menu. Have brought friends and family here, meat eaters and non, everyone always raves. read more

I am obsessed with this place. I have been a number of times for a spurge and I'm always wondering why I don't come more often. The tapa and boards are so good. Cocktails are also excellent. Anytime I want to treat myself or celebrate something this is my go to spot. Definitely top three best steaks I've ever had and whenever I'm craving quality steaks I think of this place. Be sure to make reservations because everyone loves it. read more

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Cocktails are among the best you van have. Lots of Tapas to choose from and all we had were good. Service was impeccable. Pricey but worthy.

What We Ordered - La Bola: Crispy potato balls with ground beef, aioli & spicy tomato sauce - Escabeche de Mejillones: Cold mussels with vinaigrette & pickled peppers - Ensalada de Remolacha: Roasted beet salad with walnuts - Pulpo a la Gallega: Octopus & fingerling potatoes - Erizos con Huevo: Sea urchin scramble eggs, miso butter toast & salmon roe - Rabo de Toro: Braised beef oxtail & wild mushrooms - Mama Santana Flan - Bizcocho Tres Leches I could not wait to try Vaca after watching a delicious video about the sea urchin scrambled eggs with miso butter toast! However, I left hugely disappointed. Not sure if it was because all of our dishes were super different and didn't mesh well together... or we are used to more bold flavors. Everything tasted okay...if you like mild tasting food. The best dishes of the night were 1) Crispy Potato Balls 2) Mama Santana Flan and 3) Octopus. The potato balls were way better than Porto's and the most flavorful dish of the night! The flan was delicious and a perfect way to end the meal. The octopus was super tender and the flavor was more apparent as we continued to eat the dish. The worst dish was the sea urchin scrambled eggs. It just tasted like regular scrambled eggs with 1 piece of uni on top, a few salmon roe and a couple of burnt slices of miso butter toast. Luckily, it didn't taste burnt....just overall something I could make at home. Not sure if I would come back...the paella and beef selections look really good but, I don't want to be disappointed again. Pros: Service was amazing. Tapas came out super fast. Parking is validated for the structure. read more

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Some of the food was 5 stars! The Cauliflower was off the charts amazing. The paella $61 had very bland shrimp but impressive fresh shrimp with heads, just wish they had flavor. Also the dish with 5 shrimp in garlic butter was overcooked. Lamb chops didn't impress me because I cook better ones at home. Pork in spicy sauce was not good. Asparagus dish was good. There's so many other dishes I haven't tried but I don't think I'll go back because of the outrageous prices. Staff was very nice giving us bread so we had something to actually eat because the dishes are insanely small. $30 plates I can eat in 3 bites and it's all gone. Before you know you have spent $500 and you're still hungry. God forbid don't take your family here. Great location, great ambiance and beautiful restaurant. read more

I visited Vaca pre-COVID with a few friends and ordered a BUNCH of dishes. Since it is tapas style, the portions are smaller and are meant to be shared. I loved every dish we tried and all the dishes had lots of flavor and was delicious. I came really hungry and almost thought that I would have to get In-N-Out on the way home, but I actually walked out super stuffed. The dishes catch up to you! The cocktails we tried were really good as well and so was the dessert. I want to say we ordered like 80% of the menu (we were really hungry). Our waiter was really friendly and provided us with recommendations and let us know how much food we should order for our table. I came back during lunch with co-workers although it was less memorable than the dinner I had. Parking is in a validated garage across the street. read more

Amazing food and ambiance. Great cocktails as well. Excellent selection of aged meats and tasty seafood dishes. Perfect date night spot.

Interrupting me at work just hours before my 7 pm reservation to tell me you are going to cancel us unless we dine at 5 pm or 9 pm because of your poor planning ("understaffed" and "overbooked") is just NOT COOL. Chef Amar, I do not blame you for this...but now you know who not to include on your team if you accepted the Restaurant Wars challenge on Top Chef again. read more

The food and service were amazing! We had the Albacore Tataki and Pulpo A La Gallega for tapas and the Paella De Mariscos. Flan for dessert! Ordered three specialty cocktails and a Spanish beer. Outlet waitress Katt was very sweet! And the manager Sam was very observant! I love when they're aware of their surroundings! Will definitely come back! One minus for me is that California 3% service charge. This just doesn't makes sense to me because I'm a business owner and I can't see myself charging customers extra. Put this charge in the food and drinks and we wo t know it. Ambiance was good!!! read more

I went to Vaca on 10th Feb after visiting on multiple times during previous business trips to California and was super excited to go back again. However, unfortunately following this trip I came away really disappointed and will not be going back. The food was incredibly expensive for what it was, the service was horrible (it took 2h to get a portion of Patatas Bravas) and when ordering tapas dishes it was really hit and miss. The bill was well over $200 for a couple of tapas dishes for 2 people and a couple drinks and to add to that a 3% surcharge for the back staff is added. For the price your charging for a couple of slices of cured meat or a bowl of cauliflower (that we also waited an hour for) I'm sure you can afford to pay the staff yourself rather than adding it to your customers bill (we actually reduced what we would normally tip by 3% because of this). Super disappointing. read more

Incredible food...paella, tapas, steaks, and wonderful service and atmosphere. We have never had less than a 5 star experience. Amazing!

I love to try all the tapas here and the drinks cocktail here so so good..came here for mother day and ate so much ..my favorite is the bread with tomato sauce lol simple but the best read more

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Probably the best high-end restaurant that I've ever experienced in my food chronicles! This was a birthday gift from GF and it was nothing short of amazing! To start off this phenomenal dinner, we decided to try one of there charcuterie boards because that Jamon display sitting on the countertop just looked ohh soo good!! Completed with Spanish crackers, apricot jam and monte enebro(fancy goat's milk), the Jamon Serrano was so buttery and delicious! We move on to the warm Spanish octopus with fingerling potatoes and olive oil. The octopus was perfectly cooked, not too chewy, and the olive oil blended everything very nicely! Another addition was the fire-roasted corn with scallions made the perfect side dish to our upcoming entrees. Paellas! Personally one of my favorite Spanish dishes and we decided with the meat paella, complete with blood sausage, pork belly, chorizo, duck confit, and beef cheeks. Everything was so tender and savory I decided to take home because it was too good to finish all in one sitting. The premiere dish of the show, hence the restaurant's name, we choose the 8 oz prime filet mignon for our centerpiece. By far, the best piece of steak of my life!! To add even more godly-like taste, dipping it in the chimichurri puree, I started to contemplate whether my life was good enough to deserve another bite. PLEASE, if you go for any carne, ASK FOR EXTRA SAUCE!!! And of course, dinner is not complete without a complimentary birthday cake, a sweet Spanish muffin with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream. Credits and many thanks to my GF for finding this beauty of a restaurant (she loves cows btw which is why she picked it.) read more

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The 5 course meal was wonderful they were very accommodating had a couples of things needed changed dued to celiac issues which on a very busy evening of the lighting of the Christmas tree I understood if they couldn't being a prefixed menu. The detail to table of our waiter was great as the whole staff.. read more

Excellent date night! The tapas were amazing and I had one of the best cocktails I've ever had! Okay okay I had three. But that just means they were made to perfection. We will be back read more

Vaca - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Best tasting steaks I've ever had and I've been all over the country to great high end steak houses. Everyone I have brought here says the same thing. Best tasting steak they ever had. The menu is full of appetizers and the paella dishes are great. The place is complimented with a very nicely stocked full bar and drinks. Great service as well. read more

Make sure to make a reservation!! I'm a big fan of Broadway by Anar Santana, and his other restaurant, Vaca, is also great. Unlike Broadways's menu, Vaca is a Spanish steakhouse with a variety of tapas, paellas, and of course, steaks. To start, we got the cheese plate with the chef picking the 5 cheeses. This was great. We also ordered the Croquetas de Pollo and La Bola. The chicken was not our favorite but the la bola was great. As for our meal, we shared the Paella Valenciana (sausage and seafood) and it was the star of our meal. It's huge, a well suited for a group of 4 or more. As for our steak, we picked 50+ day aged prime ribeye (we went with our server's recommendation). It was perfectly fine, but nothing memorable. The restaurant is hip but not pretentious. Also it isn't very big, so tables are very close to each other. Bill came out to $250+ for 2. On the pricey side, but we also ordered WAY too much food. I recommend coming at least once, especially if you're a fan of tapas! TIP: forget about valet, just walk over from the parking lot. They validate parking! read more

Had a great dining experience here for a friends birthday. For first timers, this is what I recommend: MUST ORDER TAPAS: - La Bola (my fav) - Pulpo a La Gallega - Erizos con Huevo Other dishes that I didn't care for: - Croquetas de Bacalo - Canelon de Pollo Ahumado - Paella de Mariscos - Bizcocho tres leches Valet parking is $7, have cash ready! read more

Been here twice. It's good but the last time I was here with a friend the paella dish took 45 minutes to come out, we were told it would take 30 minutes but our server didn't bother to let us know that wasn't going to happen. Also be aware this place is loud!!! read more

My husband and I just had a delicious dinner at Vaca! We sat at the bar and received wonderful service & excellent recommendations. We had the scallop, lamb meatballs, chicken duck dish and the toro crudo. My favorite was the scallop with papaya salad!! We will definitely continue to come here for date nights for the yummy food, ambiance & service! read more

Vaca - Scallop & papaya salad - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

The most phenomenal meal we have had in a while. Best Spanish food in California maybe the entire West Coast! You have to go more than once because I'm sure everything on their menu is spectacular. We got the Panza de Cerdo (pork belly), gambas ajillo, pan con tomate, valenciana paella, filet mignon, prime rib and for dessert the torta de queso and churros. They also have an excellent wine and cocktail menu. I can't say enough good things about every single item we ordered. The pork belly was smooth as butter, the shrimp sauce was so tasty with an awesome spicy kick, the pan con tomate is somehow so tasty despite being so simple. The scallops in the Paella were cooked to absolute perfection. You definitely need reservation unless you want to eat at the bar. And I think it's valet parking only unless you park at the mall and walk over. read more

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