Tapa the World

by Charlene Q.

Pricey - tasty - small portioned - tapas.  My partner took me here for my birthday last year.  It was a good birthday treat, and if you like wine, a definitely must try.  We went when there was a flamenco guitarist playing, and that made the evening.  Not the best tapas place in Cali, but certainly good for Sacramento.

by Travis F.

Tapa the World is one of the better restaurants in the Sacramento area and is the best Spanish restaurant in town.  Not all the entrees are great and it helps to know what to order and what not to.  The chicken pasta sounds good but is boring compared to all the other delicious dishes.  I like the Kobe steak sandwich and the bread with the dipping sauce is really good.  Many of the tapas are tasty and it's nice to order a few of them and share them rather than getting an entree.  The service is alright but sometimes it's not great. The food makes up for this, however.  On some nights they have live Spanish music which is nice. However, if you want to carry a conversation during the music it can be difficult because of how loud it is.  Tapas is great for a late night dinner and also good for lunch.

by Olivia L.

Tapa the World has always been the center of my going out world in Sacramento. (Ok, that and Paesanos.) I go here to get the best bread and dipping sauce (the latter of which you have to order separately) in the valley, IMHO. Sometimes it's not as fresh as other times and that bugs me, but when it's good, it's great. The plum ginger beef is my absolute favorite dish, along with the gambas and the Mediterranean salad. The atmosphere is so warm, and so is the owner Paul. Sometimes the service is not that great, sometimes it is. The only point deduction is for those things that are hit and miss. If you're tempted to go next door for some after dinner hooka and cocktail action, beware. For anyone who thinks Tapa's is expensive ... Kasbah is a dollah dunkin' diva who won't even apologize after sucking you dry.

by Jason G.

More than good tapas.Service can be imperfect.Quite good over all.

by Pia V.

This place is actually pretty small and really does look like a hole in the wall.  The people are pretty nice and the place has a dark romantic feel to it.  The menu didn't have as wide as a selection as I had hoped, or not much that I was familiar with.  We ordered some potato cake and we also ordered some sauteed mushrooms.  The potato cake lacked taste, had a grimy texture, and was just unpleasant.  The mushrooms, however, were quite good.  We used the bread they gave us at the bar to dip into the mushrooms which really brought out the flavor.  The bartender that cared for us wasn't as attentive as we had hoped.  We constantly had to flag someone down for things we needed ... when a good handful of the employees were gathered behind the bar chit-chatting away.In all honesty this place just wasn't for me, sadly.  The only reason I'd ever come back is for the free bread and really great sangria (~$25/pitcher).

by L F.

We were looking for somewhere relaxed that we could enjoy some great food and wine, and we definitely found it here.The Paella was yummy, a great size portioned for 2 people. We had a really friendly waitress who brought out tastes of a few wines for us to try before we selected a bottle.  Also, the guitar player was really good (when he played) and really friendly (when he socialized, which was most of the time).  We had a great time, and a great meal.-As a note, the paella takes about an hour to come out, so order some tapas (they looked like great portion sizes) and enjoy your wine

by Cy W.

I love the late night eating. I love knowing I wont run into an ex at 11pm there and that you have great flavors and are something different on the Sacramento scene. This last week we had an all new staff we had never seen. I missed the regulars who had an easy laid back temperament but also hustled and got a lot of tables taken care of. This last time it was relatively quiet in there but my dinner partner and I had to resort at looking bored and staring at the ceiling for quite some time for someone to finally notice we were done with out meal some 20 minutes prior. Flagging help down only works if they are willing to look at you. That said, I think they were only young and inexperienced and not intentionally indifferent. Will I go back? You bettcha! Tapas is a Sacramento classic in my book. There have been a few moments in the past 10 years that I…

by Kelly H.Lesley M.Olivia L.Emily S.Food L.

mmmmmm TAPAS!we decided to head out to sac to try this restaurant since it got pretty good reviews on yelp and we weren't disappointed!  we were going to get the paella but that wouldve taken an hour and we needed to be home at a certain time so unfortunately we couldnt try it.. soo we got a few tapas instead:1) veal croquettes = YUM!!!!! fried veal/potatoey goodness. joe loved these2) mushrooms = really flavorful. cooked in a wine sauce. get em if u like shrooms3) omelette = i really liked this. at first it was kind of weird cuz we were expecting it to be served warm but it wasn't. it was actually cold but it was still good. served with some kind of sour creamy sauce which was yummy4) kobe beef = YES. melt in your mouth meat. we were celebrating his bday so i ordered the strawberry decadence dessert ..im not sure if thats what its called but its their most popular and it was good. i dont even know what was in it but get it.great place! and not pricey at all!I can't speak for the food because we didn't stay long enough to find out.I work close to this restaurant and had always wanted to give it a try. We arrived one day around 12:30 and the restaurant was almost empty. I was hoping to not spend a lot of money, and heard the restaurant had lunch specials. We asked to see a menu before being seated, and spent a moment scanning the options. The host asked several times, "So, are you eating here or not? Are you ready? Do you want a seat or not?" Against my gut instinct, we sat down.Once we sat down, I was still having a hard time figuring out what was a lunch special, and what wasn't. When the waiter came over (same guy that had seated us), I asked for clarification. He gave me so much attitude about asking a simple question, and then after providing a very short answer, he quickly left.When a restaurant is dead quiet in the middle of the day, I expect  FRIENDLY service. We got up and left, and I don't plan on going back. I don't like being treated like I'm cheap or annoying.  If anything, they should have been grateful for our business.Tapa the World has always been the center of my going out world in Sacramento. (Ok, that and Paesanos.) I go here to get the best bread and dipping sauce (the latter of which you have to order separately) in the valley, IMHO. Sometimes it's not as fresh as other times and that bugs me, but when it's good, it's great. The plum ginger beef is my absolute favorite dish, along with the gambas and the Mediterranean salad. The atmosphere is so warm, and so is the owner Paul. Sometimes the service is not that great, sometimes it is. The only point deduction is for those things that are hit and miss. If you're tempted to go next door for some after dinner hooka and cocktail action, beware. For anyone who thinks Tapa's is expensive ... Kasbah is a dollah dunkin' diva who won't even apologize after sucking you dry.If you were a patron at this establishment last Thursday, I'd like to apologize for my behavior.  Normally, I don't drink that much sangria.  Sounds of moaning during every bite is not in my nature.  But this place really managed to satisfy my polluted palate of reheated leftovers eaten out of a clean emesis basin and too much French pressed coffee.Our very good looking party (ok, I am the better looking of the 3), managed to take down 3 pitchers of the best sangria I've ever had, Calamares Fritos,  Patatas Bravas, Gambas al Ajillo, the Kobe beef and probably a couple more that I am forgetting.  The crowd was fun (probably because I was in the house.. holla!)Our server was sweet and very patient.  Definitely worth a trip from my hood.This restaurant is always there for me! Amazing food, great European atmosphere. One time I met a Spanish guy in France...he found out I lived in Sacramento and started saying "Tapa, Tapa"...he had been here and eaten at Tapa's...he declared it the best Spanish food outside of Spain. Now that's a good recommendation!!!

by Kelly H.Lesley M.Olivia L.

mmmmmm TAPAS!we decided to head out to sac to try this restaurant since it got pretty good reviews on yelp and we weren't disappointed!  we were going to get the paella but that wouldve taken an hour and we needed to be home at a certain time so unfortunately we couldnt try it.. soo we got a few tapas instead:1) veal croquettes = YUM!!!!! fried veal/potatoey goodness. joe loved these2) mushrooms = really flavorful. cooked in a wine sauce. get em if u like shrooms3) omelette = i really liked this. at first it was kind of weird cuz we were expecting it to be served warm but it wasn't. it was actually cold but it was still good. served with some kind of sour creamy sauce which was yummy4) kobe beef = YES. melt in your mouth meat. we were celebrating his bday so i ordered the strawberry decadence dessert ..im not sure if thats what its called but its their most popular and it was good. i dont even know what was in it but get it.great place! and not pricey at all!I can't speak for the food because we didn't stay long enough to find out.I work close to this restaurant and had always wanted to give it a try. We arrived one day around 12:30 and the restaurant was almost empty. I was hoping to not spend a lot of money, and heard the restaurant had lunch specials. We asked to see a menu before being seated, and spent a moment scanning the options. The host asked several times, "So, are you eating here or not? Are you ready? Do you want a seat or not?" Against my gut instinct, we sat down.Once we sat down, I was still having a hard time figuring out what was a lunch special, and what wasn't. When the waiter came over (same guy that had seated us), I asked for clarification. He gave me so much attitude about asking a simple question, and then after providing a very short answer, he quickly left.When a restaurant is dead quiet in the middle of the day, I expect  FRIENDLY service. We got up and left, and I don't plan on going back. I don't like being treated like I'm cheap or annoying.  If anything, they should have been grateful for our business.Tapa the World has always been the center of my going out world in Sacramento. (Ok, that and Paesanos.) I go here to get the best bread and dipping sauce (the latter of which you have to order separately) in the valley, IMHO. Sometimes it's not as fresh as other times and that bugs me, but when it's good, it's great. The plum ginger beef is my absolute favorite dish, along with the gambas and the Mediterranean salad. The atmosphere is so warm, and so is the owner Paul. Sometimes the service is not that great, sometimes it is. The only point deduction is for those things that are hit and miss. If you're tempted to go next door for some after dinner hooka and cocktail action, beware. For anyone who thinks Tapa's is expensive ... Kasbah is a dollah dunkin' diva who won't even apologize after sucking you dry.

by J K.

Never knowing where to go for dinner, last night I decided to indulge my curiosity and try out Tapa the World.  It was pretty busy, but there was a sign that said grab some menus and seat yourself.  I don't know about you, but I like this step of customer independence.  The next step is to just leave a pitcher of water at my table so I can refill it.  Anyways, we found a great little spot outside and sat down.  Promptly a server came over and brought us some waters and a basket of standard bread.  My cohort were only going to have tapas, starting out with 2, then we would see where our hunger would take us.We started out with the cheese of the day, manchego, and the champinones al ajillo or garlicy mushrooms.  Both were very good.  The cheese was fresh and the mushrooms were cooked just right, not too tender and not too firm.  The sauce was also just right with a good balance of garlic.  It is also a good dipping sauce for the bread if you don't want to pay the $1.75 for the oil and vinegar.  Why I took off a star... Loving our first two dishes and still hungry we jumped at the opportunity to order another plate, calamares fritos or bar favorite, fried calamari.  Do not order this, it was very rubbery, i've had better at actual bars and or bowling alleys, and it was one of the more expensive tapas on the menu.  Save yourself the disappointment when there is so much else to choose from.  After the grossness of the calamari we ordered the fried eggplant, which was just ok.  For some reason when I took my first bite I got a flashback to when my mom would make me english muffin pizzas as a kid.  Yeah it kinda tastes like that, but I liked them so I finished one.  At that point I was full.  I'll be back, but will be cautious about what I order.  End scene.Oh yes order sangria.  The big one.  Drink it all.