Cafe Sevilla

by Michelle P.

Great Atmosphere happy hour is a STEAL! 4 to 6:30pm daily. I stopped here on my way back from Palm Springs. What a nice treat! I loved the vibrant decor, interesting chandeliers, and excellent service. $6 shrimp and fish ceviche w Mango $4 grilled Spanish sausages - salty and tasty! $4 sauteed meatballs al Jerez - in a sherry sauce $4 Sauteed Mushrooms al Ajillo - a garlic lovers delight! $5 Sevilla Fried Calamari $5 Cheese Fundido. And plenty others... it's simply a difficult decision... yummy or yummy? AND - 1/2 price sangria, goose pear martini, and plenty of others... hmm. Nightly live music (Mondays Reggae) Needless to say, my brief stop turned into a LONG and LIVELY night. I will definitely check out the Long Beach and San Diego locations whenever I get a chance.

by Anita L.

We knew we were going to be in Riverside so I consulted YELP (once again) as to where we could eat dinner. Sevilla popped up but the reviews were wide ranged, however, we love Spanish food so thought we'd just chance it. There are 2 parts to this place, a club where flamenco dancers perform and a dinner section next to it. We were with the lil guy so we opted for the other side. We wanted to have tapas so I requested the tapas bar which was upstairs. Now, I thought you could only have the tapas in the tapas bar, but I was wrong. Lil guy wanted to sit downstairs and we found out we could do just that -- so off we went downstairs. Mind you, the tapas bar was really nice, music was a bit too loud, but had a great atmosphere.The entire restaurant was rather dark (hence you can see my photos didn't turn out too well), nice for dates I guess, but there weren't many of those there as we noticed, but rather, lots of families.We perused the menu and there were loads of things we like (and hoped that it tasted just like the way we like them). Lil guy asked if they had lobster bisque, which they did, so we ordered him one of those.The tapas arrived quickly. The olives stuffed with anchovies were boring. Couldn't even taste the anchovies. The ceviche was rather good, perfectly marinated and served with pieces of endive.Lil guy's lobster bisque had WAY too much cream in it which meant you couldn't taste the lobster or seafood at all. He took one spoonful and told me he didn't want it. The calamari arrived and while hot, it was really tasty, flavorful but a bit on the chewy side. But when this dish got cold, the coating became soggy and the entire dish became pretty gross. I did like the paprika flavors though.Shrimp ajillo also had excellent flavor but the shrimp alas wasn't as fresh as they could've been and thus, was lost in texture and natural flavor. Shaved lamb (which we didn't order) was a stew-like dish. Not bad, but was nothing when compared to the lamb chops which were fabulous! We had to have another order of those!Now, I'm a HUGE paella fan, but have never found the perfect paella anywhere. Berta's in San Diego came close. The paella valenciana here was okay. Once again, it was the quality of the seafood which caused its downfall. As hubby pointed out Riverside isn't anywhere close to the coastline where there is an abundance of fresh seafood so I shouldn't compare it to say oh San Francisco or Spain itself. Still, I'd expected better. The paella wasn't bad, it just wasn't great.Chocolate flourless cake was quite delicious. I took one bite as I was pretty stuffed. It's very difficult giving this place a star rating because food-wise it only garnered a 3 star but the atmosphere and the entire experience was 4 stars. Our server was great even though she put in a wrong order, but on the whole she was really attentive and helpful throughout our meal. On top of what we ate, we also had 2 glasses of wine (which our server recommended and it was awesome), a glass of sangria, one iced tea and a bottle of Pellegrino.Our total including tip was $150, what we'd expect to spend at a Spanish restaurant in America. Only wished the seafood was fresher than it was. Still we had a good evening. Since I can't give half stars, I'm listing it as a 4-star, but food was definitely 3.

by Rick H.

Saw a show on the Travel Channel about the south of Spain, so I immediately looked for the nearest tapas bar and found Cafe Sevilla in Riverside.  Went there last night with my wife, and oh, my, GOD!  We had a couple of different tapas platters, and everything was fantastic.  I don't want to sound like one of those food-wonks, but every bite was a symphonic explosion of flavors.  The servers were all friendly and happy to explain the menu and dishes, and the acoustic Latin-jazz duo was outstanding.  Casual attire is okay for upstairs, but everybody downstairs was more like business casual to dressy.  Great, great place!

by mel r.

I've been here for two reasons, none of which was the dance club. SO thankfully, I have missed the oversexed, under dressed youth frequently pictured in Skinnie Magazine.Drinks in the bar, are nice, kinda pricey but good atmosphere and layout.Dinner, while I don't remember it much past it being good, was pricey, but hey, me Pa paid. Speaking of me Pa, nothing says good time like watching your 50 something father up on stage trying to get frisky with a flamenco dancer. I'm sure that will make her think twice on picking someone from the audience. But hot damn, did my face hurt from laughing, and my nose sting from booze shooting out of it.Ahhhhh, good times by all

by Devon C.

Before saying anything else I need to note that the two stars I am giving is solely for the club part of Sevillas *NOT* the restaurant!!! The nightclub is a lot of fun and worth checking out...the restaurant is another story...I ate here on the eve of a very hard math final back when I was in college, and let me tell you that was the worst case of bubbly guts I've ever had!! First and foremost, I must note that the tapas menu is not only grossly overpriced, it also tastes disgusting!Do not order a lemonade either, because it cost about $4 and tasted like seltzer water with cheap lemony flavor added to it...Our total meal was about $112 and I'd say hands down without a doubt it you couldn't pay me to eat it again.

by Eileen C.

Thank you, Yelp LA talk, for introducing me to the awesomeness that is http://www.restaurant.comDining here was calculated move: Use a $25 gift certificate acquired for $2 from http://restaurant.com, AND nab 1,000 dining points at http://www.opentable.com for a 9pm reservation on a Friday night. Score! Although I'm not quite sure what the dining points do, I love to accumulate stuff and virtual points definitely qualify.I hate it when servers ask: "Evian, Pellegrino, or TAP". Sheesh, a simple "Iced" would suffice! It sounds so ugly, I'm sure the mortification of asking for tap water (especially if it's a first date or business meeting!) is reason enough to order the bottled stuff. And even after I asked for TAP, we didn't get our water until our first tapas arrived! It's slightly annoying when your martini comes out before the water does.The Paella Valenciana was the highlight of the meal, as was the Bocadillo sampler. Next time, I'd request that the Jamon Serrano be excluded from the platter, I didn't particularly enjoy the flavor and consistency. It's a strip of cured, dried pork that's a little tough to chew. What can I say, I have weak teeth.  Pass on the Chicken Croquetas: too salty and entirely unmemorable.  The Cheese Fundido is freaking heavy and oily, I took two bites and needed to unbutton my pants. It was a 2nd Spanish tapas experienced, so I'll absolutely return to try everything else on the menu.  Especially so since my friend Laurie, after her stint in Spain, insists that Cafe Sevilla is the most authentic local joint she has found yet.  Not to mention, I've still got a whole cache of gift certificates left for this place!

by Ann T.

Wow...  We took my parents last night and what a surprise!  As some may note I was never going back to Sevilla after my experience in San Diego (check my other review for information on San Diego).  Well my opinion has changed.  We will go back.When we arrived we were seated and the staff evidently thought about a good placement for us as we were seated in a quiet spot out of the way.  We had a baby with us, and yes they had a high chair.   This way no one had to bump into the baby.The waiter explained the menu to us, a bit to much detail but he was enthusiastic.  He recommended beers for my husband and father, I had the baby so it was diet coke for me. Yikes!  They loved the recommended beers.  We enjoyed the food.  I wont list it all but I don't think there is a bad thing on the menu.  The service was excellent they were aware of us and checked in with out hovering.   That is a fine balance.We will be going back!   Well at least we will be going back to the Riverside Sevilla.  Excellent food, service, and atmosphere we can't ask for more.

by Karen P.Gstar K.I I.alex v.Jimmy C.

This is a lovely, visually appealing place, indeed. It's really so pretty - the pictures do not do it justice, and usually it's the opposite - the pictures make a place appear better than it is. No so, not so. Equal to the ambiance is the service. Really good service the time I was there. Megan, who is also the "phone girl" as she put it, was just wonderful. What a wonderful server and host for my brunch with my mother. James, upstairs in the bar, where we wound up after eating brunch, for the Happy Hour that they have upstairs only, was fun, kind and personable. So, Karen, you may be wondering - what about the food? I liked it, I liked it! Wonderful tapas mushrooms, ceviche - both we had upstairs. I had a Build Your Own Omelette, which they graciously made with just egg whites for me. That option provided a nice array of veggies and fillers, by the way. Choice of 4, of about 7, 8, I think? Delicious. The potatoes they have there - ones less spicy than I feel they let on, were wonderful. My mother had the Lobster Eggs Benedict, and I admit to snatching a taste of the hollandaise and it was delectable, as a hollandaise should be. This is a fun, beautiful, romantic, date friendly, friend perfect place. they have a club next door, it's the same but not, they have Flamenco shows, great drinks, delicious food - I can't find a problem. Not perfect, no - I save those 5 Stars for the few and far between, but really good, really enjoyable and worth it, totally. I hope you go, it was just nice, all the way 'round.  PS - they needed a bit more help in keeping the restroom stocked, but it *was* clean and decent, lol!3.5stars compared to su hermanas: Long Beach San Diego. As sibling rivalries go...1 - LB's mi favorito b/c closer to home. 2 - SD's next only b/c it's far but they hosted a crazy-fun Yacht Party (see mi review if need to...)All food, service, ambiance almost equal among the 3. Standout feature of Riverside: DeRhumba Latin band played here the one eve I dragged pal 1st time met our illustrious SoCal Flamenco http://Meetup.com organizer: S.Z.--she's simply amazing! ...as is the super caliente band she exposed us to.Plus, not a hoochie-club as we almost mistaken from next door. Rather, more sophisticated yet casual cool w/wood-beam ceilings, dancing fun upstairs.Food is good.  They have a club attached to it where they also give salsa lessons on certain nights.Went here for tapas a few times.  Their paeya was not the best I have had.  I also had this wine-flavored chicken dish, and not to wine about it(har-har), it had the strong bitter wine taste to it, which turned me off.The other dishes were just ok, but I think this is the only tapas bar in this area.  It can be a bit hard to find because their sign is not so big, but they are near the freeway bridge.Supposedly they have a nice buffet on Saturdays, with a cool chocolate fountain, but I have yet to try it.I step into this joint.  It's a fancy joint.  Perhaps too fancy for a putz like me, but that's how I like it... I don't know why I just said that.The decor is pretty awesome.  Very nice, lots of detail. You find yourself looking around a lot, at least I do.  I have ADHD, so shut up about it, Mr. Potato Head!My friends and I had Tapas, which is what they serve her.  Everything was yummy, my fave being the chorizo with brie.  Mmmm.  Death.  Desert was also awesome, too.  Good stuff.  This place is a good joint to bring a date, or a group of friends.  Definitely don't bring your escort here.  If you do, dress em up a little.Okay if you're a local here, cafe sevilla and club sevilla is the same thing. i went here with my roommate on a weekday night. The place was really empty, and i mean... EMPTY! we sat upstairs. The one thing you notice about this place is the interior decoration is very detailed and it fits perfectly to the ambiance. apparently they are a chain restraunt.so first off, we started off with the sangria royale which was my first time. it tasted really strong for some reason. I didn't really enjoy it too much to be honest, felt like I was drinking alot of alcohol. so apparently their menu is based on something called tapas which is pretty much appetizers of different sizes. We tried the lamb chops tapas which was really tender and delicious. I got the seafood paella tapas which was kinda blahhh. It was chewy in a bad way and it didn't have much flavor, i didn't even finish most of it. My friend got the pasta mallorca and it looked pretty good, i was jealous haha.anyways everyone is saying how great this place is because they have alot of events including free salsa lessons and other entertainments during certain nights. This place is really authentic tapas but I just really don't like tapas haha. So I don't think i'll be coming back, it is REALLY expensive lolz. I spent about $45 bucks.

by Wayne W.

Cafe Sevilla is located in The Marketplace area of downtown Riverside, a short walk from the Mission Inn District and all of Riverside's nightlife.This place is what i would call a "Destination Restaurant".  The atmosphere is friendly and bustling and the decor reminds one of cafe restaurants along winding European streets.  The food is inspired from Spain and the Basque Regions - and their signature Paella Valenciana (a kind of rice/seafood caserole) is wonderful (it's my wife's favorite dish).  Their menu is extensive, covering different areas of Spain - and their Tapas Bar (Tapas are Spanish Appetizer dishes) is a great way to introduce yourself to the different tastes that are offered.Cafe Sevilla is also a happening night spot.  They have a nightclub attached to the restaurant that's quite the place to be in the evenings.  This is also where they have their famous shows during the weekend nights.  The wife and I enjoyed their Flamenco Dinner Show a few years back for our 4th wedding anniversary and loved it.  You get wonderful music and dancing entertainment as well as a delicious 3 course meal.  They also have a Tango and a Gypsy Fusion dinner show; and when its over you can stay and party at the nightclub with no cover charge.The prices are moderate.  It's not cheap I must say but it's not overly expensive either.  Certainly worth spending an evening at.

by Jay N.

Food: 3 StarsAmbiance: 4 StarsGreat place to hang out with friends for tapas and sangria, and catch one of their shows (live jazz or flamenco depending on the night). But be warned: this is not for the discriminating foodie who yearns, say, for an authentic Paella Valenciana. Stick with the usual favorites---like the jamon iberico, some bilbao or chistorra sausage, steamed mussells, and the chicken croqueta. The ambiance is what primarily attracts the crowd here--right at the historic riverside district within reach of the Mission Inn, and right across the Coffee Depot.  We went on a weeknight, and the service was great,  the vibe relaxed. If you and your friends are on the lookout for a place where you can chat, have a few drinks and appetizers in the Riverside/Corona area, this place can't be beat.